Historic Northampton

10/15/2026

Two bears, one beaver: whose pool?

Among the many benefits and delights of wildlife cameras are learning more about animal behavior and how different species interact. This 2-minute sequence captures the highlights of a 15-minute interaction. Watching it, it's easy to imagine what that bear might be thinking. Suggestions?
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Here's something else to think about: An interaction between a beaver and a bear in Northampton has only been possible during the last 40 years.

By 1700, beavers had been hunted out from Massachusetts, except for a small number living in remote regions of the Berkshires. Similarly, by the mid-1800s, bears were almost gone from the state, a consequence of forest clearing and long-standing bounties. Fast forward to the 1990s. By then, thousands of acres of abandoned farmland had returned to forest. Beavers, which been reintroduced by MA Wildlife (then known as the MA Fish and Game Commission) into more wetlands in Berkshire County during the 1930s, had increased in number. Hunters and conservation groups had helped permanently protect more habitat. And, the long-term effects of the state's wildlife laws had made a difference in wildlife populations. By the 1990s, beavers and bears had returned the Connecticut River Valley, including Northampton, and for the first time in 150+ years, interactions like this one could take place in our local landscape. MA Wildlife notes that both the beaver and bear populations are increasing. The most recent estimates, which are not updated annually, are 100,000 beavers and 5,000 bears statewide.

Two resources on bears in MA:
https://www.mass.gov/black-bears-in-massachusetts
https://www.mass.gov/hunting-black-bear-in-massachusetts

10/14/2026

For most of us in Massachusetts, swimming in local ponds ends with the arrival of September. Not for this mother bear. Every time she passed this small beaver pool, she took a dip--often for just a few seconds, once for a couple of minutes--and twice with her two cubs.

Enjoy a 2-minute dip into the lives of a local bear family....and check out that mamma bear's tongue!

Northampton, Massachusetts (USA)
Recorded on a Browning Recon Force Advantage

10/14/2026

David Dempsey, a long-time Historic Northampton volunteer, art conservator, and retired Associate Director for Museum Services at Smith College Museum of Art, cleans an historic sign from Rahar's. The sign was recently donated to Historic Northampton by the Estate of Rodney Kunath, who was a champion of Northampton history, Clarke School graduate, and a beloved community member.

In addition to this sign, Kunath's estate also donated an historic postcard of Rahar's Hotel, which was established in 1897 by James Richard Rahar (1862-1944). During Rahar's time as owner, the three-story Victorian at 7 Old South Street became a Northampton landmark-- as a hotel, restaurant and bar. The Inn and restaurant closed in the early 1960s due to unpaid taxes and creditors. In 1965, under new ownership, Rahar's began a new chapter, not only as a bar and restaurant, but as a venue where bands could perform. During that era, it became, once again, a go-to place for locals and area college students.

Another Rahar's sign can be seen at Packard's. This sign will be installed in Historic Northampton's Shepherd Barn later this fall.

10/11/2026

Train whistles, traffic noise, a siren, people's voices, and ... wildlife.

As this 2-minute compilation documents, the 25-acre Barrett Street Marsh Conservation Area (Northampton, Massachusetts, USA) is a green oasis for wildlife. That's particularly noteworthy because not only has this marsh had a long history of manipulation and alteration, but it's also:
* adjacent to a shopping center, car dealership, a well-used bike path,
* 300 feet from the Northampton Fire Station
* 800 feet from Routes 5/10
* 1,100 feet from the train tracks
* 1/2 mile from Interstate 91, and
* less than a mile from downtown Northampton,

For sharp-eyed observers, watch for the Eastern phoebe....and a challenge: excluding the sounds of ground crickets, how many different species of animals can you count?

Recorded on a Browning Recon Force Advantage

10/09/2026

10/09/2026

Seven years ago, we stopped mowing this patch at Historic Northampton. What was once a lawn of crab grass and Kentucky bluegrass and about as valuable as a parking lot for wildlife is now a rowdy tangle of goldenrod, asters, common milkweed, and even oak seedlings!

Come visit and look for bumblebees, wasps, and other late-season insects.

09/29/2026

Artemis Willis, a media historian, media arts curator, and Fellow at MIT's Open Documentary Lab, recently visited Historic Northampton to study the magic lantern slides in our collection. The slides were owned by Anne Laura Clarke (1788-1861), a teacher and one of the first--if not the first--traveling women lecturers in America.

Born in Northampton, Clarke was the daughter of Joseph Owen Clarke, the nephew and adopted son of Mercy and Major Joseph Hawley III. As a traveling lecturer in the 1820s and 1830s, Clarke used lantern slides in combination with charts that she created to illuminate her lectures. Her topics (at least a dozen) ranged from English grammar and clothing worn in ancient times to European history and the history of the American Revolution. She was strongly anti-slavery. In her day, magic lantern slides were cutting edge technology.

Dr.Willis's research at Historic Northampton is for her upcoming book, Lanternology: The Magic Lantern and the Possibilities of the Projected Image.

She is currently a board member of the Chicago Film Society; previously she served on executive committee of Domitor, the International Society for the Study of Early Cinema, and as the Vice-President of the New York Film/Video Council, the city's oldest nonprofit serving the independent film and media community.

For more about Anne Laura Clarke, visit the website of the Shaw-Hudson House in Plainfield. The Shaw-Hudson house was owned by Clarke's sister.

09/28/2026

Rhythm & Rails--Both shows SOLD OUT

Email [email protected] to be put on a waiting list.