See our winter events here.
The Flynt Center and our historic houses are closed until May 1, 2024.

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Apr

15

TO Apr 19

April Vacation Week at Historic Deerfield

April 15, 2024 - 10:00 AM - April 19, 2024 - 3:00 PM

History Workshop (+ Google Map)

Monday April 15- Friday April 19, 2024 10:00am-3:00pm At the History Workshop 110 Old Main Street, Deerfield, MA Come and play at the History Workshop during April Vacation Week! We’ve got lots to do, inside and outdoors. Play Nine Men’s Morris or table-top nine pins, use your imagination to cook a pretend meal, play school […]

May

1

TO Aug 4

Unnamed Figures: Black Presence and Absence in the Early American North

May 1, 2024 - 9:30 AM - August 4, 2024 - 4:30 PM

Flynt Center of Early New England Life (+ Google Map)

Image: Joseph Shoemaker Russell (American, 1795-1860). Dining Room of Abraham Russell, New Bedford, c. 1840s. Watercolor on paper, 6.5 x 9 in. (16.5 x 22.9 cm.) New Bedford Whaling Museum, Gift of Mrs. Edward K. Simpson, 1962.4.13. Image courtesy of the New Bedford Whaling Museum.

Coming to Historic Deerfield in May, 2024! Unnamed Figures: Black Presence and Absence in the Early American North will be on view at Historic Deerfield’s Flynt Center from May 1 to August 4, 2024.

As a corrective to histories that define slavery and anti-Black racism as a largely Southern issue, this exhibition offers a new window onto Black representation in a region that is often overlooked in narratives of early African American history.

Through 125 remarkable works including paintings, needlework, and photographs, this exhibition invites visitors to focus on figures who appear in—or are omitted from—early American images and will challenge conventional narratives that have minimized early Black histories in the North, revealing the complexities and contradictions of the region’s history between the late 1600s and early 1800s.

May

1

TO Nov 30

Vermont Furniture from the Alley Collection

May 1, 2024 - 9:30 AM - November 30, 2026 - 4:30 PM

Vermont Furniture from the Alley Collection features an impressive array of 18th and 19th-century Vermont furniture recently donated to Historic Deerfield by collectors William and Patricia Passmore Alley. The exhibition highlights both published and unpublished material from the Alleys’ collection, showing how these objects reveal varied techniques and ornament as well as the characteristics of the environment in which they were made. Many examples in the exhibit retain their vibrant, original surfaces and are organized according to their decoration: solid and highly figured native wood, painted wood, ornamental painting on metal and glass, and veneer and inlay.

May

4

Open Hearth Cooking Demonstration featuring Pickled Oysters

May 4, 2024 - 9:00 AM - May 4, 2024 - 4:30 PM

Come to the kitchen in Hall Tavern where we will pickle oysters and put them in a reproduction oyster jar made by Mark Shapiro and inspired by one designed by Thomas W Commeraw, a free Black potter of early New York. This event is part of the Unnamed Figures opening celebration.

May

4

Wilson Printing Office with Printer-in-Residence Martin Antonetti

May 4, 2024 - 9:00 AM - May 4, 2024 - 4:30 PM

Several printed pieces will be on display in the exhibition and Martin Antonetti will demonstrate printing. Visitors will be able to take away and complete their own printed pamphlet. This event is part of the Unnamed Figures opening celebration.

May

4

Powder Horn Carving Demonstration by Laurie McCarthy

May 4, 2024 - 9:00 AM - May 4, 2024 - 4:30 PM

Historic Deerfield (+ Google Map)

Laurie McCarthy is an artist and reenactor. She will demonstrate powder horn carving and incorporate a design from a horn attributed to John Bush, an African American carver from Shrewsbury, MA. This event is part of the Unnamed Figures opening celebration.

May

4

Stoneware Pottery Demonstration by Mark Shapiro

May 4, 2024 - 9:00 AM - May 4, 2024 - 4:30 PM

Mark Shapiro has done extensive research on Thomas W. Commeraw, a free Black potter of early New York. Shapiro will be demonstrating some of Commeraw’s decorative techniques. This event is part of the Unnamed Figures opening celebration.

May

4

Opening Celebration! Unnamed Figures: Black Presence and Absence in the Early American North

May 4, 2024 - 9:00 AM - May 4, 2024 - 4:30 PM

Historic Deerfield (+ Google Map)

Image: Artist Unidentified. Woman in Striped Dress and Man with Plaid Bowtie. Burns Collection & Archive. As a corrective to histories that define slavery and anti-Black racism as a largely Southern issue, this exhibition offers a new window onto Black representation in a region that is often overlooked in narratives of early African American history. […]

May

4

TO Jun 30

Family Program – Swirls and Swags: Fun with Ceramic Designs

May 4, 2024 - 10:00 AM - June 30, 2024 - 4:30 PM

History Workshop (+ Google Map)

Play at the History Workshop and explore the work of Thomas Commeraw, a free Black potter of early New York whose ceramics are featured in the Unnamed Figures Exhibition at the Flynt Center. Come learn about his work and decorate a small clay pot inspired by his designs! This is a family program at the […]

May

11

Historic Trade Demonstration: The Doctor is In!

May 11, 2024 - 9:00 AM - May 11, 2024 - 4:30 PM

Historic Deerfield (+ Google Map)

Image: HD 2001.6 May 11th at Historic Deerfield. Jack Richman portrays an early 19th-century country doctor. Included with Museum Admission.

May

11

TO May 25

Measure and Mix: Reading Old Recipes 

May 11, 2024 - 9:30 AM - May 25, 2024 - 4:00 PM

Hall Tavern (+ Google Map)

May 11 and 25 in the Hall Tavern Kitchen from 9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Old cookbooks vary in the kind of information and instruction given to create a satisfying dish. How much is a “teacup of flour,” or “butter the size of a walnut?’  What is “a considerable amount of water?” Come and visit […]

May

12

TO Jun 9

New Program! Nature Walk Around Old Deerfield

May 12, 2024 - 10:00 AM - June 9, 2024 - 11:30 AM

Historic Deerfield (+ Google Map)

May 12 and June 9 at 10 a.m. Join a museum guide on a guided Nature Walk around Old Deerfield. Come every second Sunday through November for a fun morning of looking and discovering. See what’s in bloom in the Cooks’ Garden. Are there any wildflowers popping up around town? Notice the busy chipmunks and […]

May

18

TO May 19

Wooly Wonders – Heritage Breed Sheep Weekend

May 18, 2024 - 10:00 AM - May 19, 2024 - 4:00 PM

Join us for a celebration of rare, historic and adorable heritage breed sheep, textiles, and wool-processing in New England. See heritage breeds of sheep as well as demonstrations, craft activities, games, and vendors selling wool-related wares.

May

25

Redware Pottery with Rick Hamelin

May 25, 2024 - 9:00 AM - May 25, 2024 - 4:30 PM

Historic Deerfield (+ Google Map)

Join Rick Hamelin in a Historic Trade Demonstration of Redware Pottery on May 25th. Included with Museum Admission.

Jun

1

Silversmithing with Steve Smithers

June 1, 2024 - 9:00 AM - June 1, 2024 - 4:30 PM

Join Steve Smithers for a Historic Trade Demonstration of Silversmithing on June 1.

Jun

8

Dressmaking with Linda Oakley and Shoemaking with Peter Oakley

June 8, 2024 - 9:00 AM - June 8, 2024 - 4:30 PM

Historic Deerfield (+ Google Map)

Visit Historic Deerfield on June 8 for two Historic Trade Demonstrations: Dressmaking with Linda Oakley and Shoemaking with Peter Oakley.

Jun

15

Gunsmithing with Richard Colton

June 15, 2024 - 9:00 AM - June 15, 2024 - 4:30 PM

Historic Deerfield (+ Google Map)

Historic Trade Demonstration: Gunsmithing with Richard Colton

Jun

20

Music for Juneteenth

June 20, 2024 - 7:00 PM - June 20, 2024 - 9:00 PM

Deerfield Community Center (+ Google Map)

June 20 at 7 p.m. at the Deerfield Community Center Join us for an evening of music in observance of the Juneteenth holiday, emceed by Tim Eriksen. Additional details coming soon!

Jun

22

Bobbin Lace with Lynne White and Ceramics with Buster White

June 22, 2024 - 9:30 AM - June 22, 2024 - 4:30 PM

Historic Deerfield (+ Google Map)

June 22 Historic Trade Demonstration: Bobbin Lace with Lynne White and Ceramics with Buster White.

Jun

22

Family Fun Day! Fun with Flowers

June 22, 2024 - 11:00 AM - June 22, 2024 - 3:00 PM

Historic Deerfield (+ Google Map)

June 22 from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Celebrate summer and see what’s in season as you explore Historic Deerfield’s gardens and grounds. In the month of June, our Hearth Cooking theme “In Season Now” emphasizes fresh herbs and edible flowers. The gardens will be filled with flowering plants that are edible, flavorful, useful, and beautiful. […]

Jun

28

TO Jun 29

Dublin Seminar 2024 – Into the Woods: New England Forests in Fact and Imagination

June 28, 2024 - 8:00 AM - June 29, 2024 - 5:00 PM

Historic Deerfield (+ Google Map)

The Dublin Seminar for New England Folklife (founded in 1976) is pleased to announce the subject of its 2024 gathering,  Into the Woods: New England Forests in Fact and Imagination, to be held at Historic Deerfield June 28-29, 2024.

Jun

29

Woodworking with Sharon Mehrman

June 29, 2024 - 9:00 AM - June 29, 2024 - 4:30 PM

June 29: Join Sharon Mehrman for a Historic Trade Demonstration on Woodworking.