Historic Northampton

Historic Northampton As Northampton's primary history museum, our collections include more than 40,000 artifacts, 4 historic buildings and two acres of grounds open to the public.
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Currently on display in our main gallery: Slavery and Freedom in Northampton, 1654-1783. Historic Northampton is a museum of local history in the heart of the Connecticut River Valley of western Massachusetts. Its collection of approximately 50,000 objects and three historic buildings is the repository of Northampton and Connecticut Valley history from the Pre-Contact era to the present. Historic

Northampton constitutes a campus of three contiguous historic houses, all on their original sites. The grounds themselves are part of an original Northampton homelot, laid out in 1654. Find us on Instagram .Northampton !

Thank you to Katie Migdal for delivering two riveting performances of Carolyn Gage's play, Lace Curtain Irish in the bar...
06/23/2026

Thank you to Katie Migdal for delivering two riveting performances of Carolyn Gage's play, Lace Curtain Irish in the barn on one of the hottest weekends this year!

And a big, BIG thank you to playwright Carolyn Gage for making the trek from Maine to attend the plays and answer questions afterward about her research into the Lizzie Borden case of 1892, her creative process in developing the play, and its relevance to today.

More than 30 colleagues and friends gathered last week to say thank you and goodbye to Marie Panik--for her deep commitm...
06/17/2026

More than 30 colleagues and friends gathered last week to say thank you and goodbye to Marie Panik--for her deep commitment to Northampton history, her excellent research skills, and her incredible knowledge about Historic Northampton, its archives and collections. Thank you, Marie, for your 32 years of service to Historic Northampton!

Our very best wishes during this next chapter.

More than 200 people came to Historic Northampton last night to see 60 portraits taken by Northampton photographer Paul ...
06/13/2026

More than 200 people came to Historic Northampton last night to see 60 portraits taken by Northampton photographer Paul Shoul. Projected onto the front of Parsons House, all the images were of people who influenced the history of downtown Northampton during the 1980s and 90s and who have since left this world.

Thank you, Paul Shoul, for your amazing work.

06/12/2026

During the last few years, this camera has recorded the physical changes of this fallen cherry tree trunk as well as the array of life it supports. So many animals use it--as a perch, a walkway, a source for food, and for the insect larvae feeding on the wood and ants within, as a home.

Here's a look 2-minute compilation with a special focus on birds and bobcats and recorded over 4 weeks. As I've noted many times before, the range of animals using the Barrett Street Marsh Conservation is all the more surprising given that its 25 acres are surrounded by development. And, what's more, from the 1820s until the 1970s, this small patch of red maple swamp and part of the adjacent marsh were used as pasture.

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

06/11/2026

A one-minute video postcard from a week in early spring in the Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area--a mix of sounds, reflections, and wildlife.

Recorded on a Browning Recon Force Elite HP5
Northampton, Massachusetts (USA)

06/09/2026

A very short clip from the Mass Bay Drummers practicing this weekend in the Shepherd Barn, which was built at the beginning of Thomas Jefferson's second term as President. In early September, the Mass Bay Drummers will give a special program on drums and drumming during the time of the American Revolution at Historic Northampton.

We're so grateful to all the volunteers who help make Historic Northampton a more beautiful place. Here are a few recent...
06/05/2026

We're so grateful to all the volunteers who help make Historic Northampton a more beautiful place. Here are a few recent photos of volunteers in action:

* Phil Dowling, former owner of Northeast Painting Associates, paints our new shutters, which were made and primed by Monadnock Millwork in NH.

* Expert carpenter Ed Olander sets the new posts for our new sign (coming soon!), which he helped frame.

Address

46 Bridge Street
Northampton, MA
01060

Opening Hours

Thursday 11am - 4pm
Friday 11am - 4pm
Saturday 11am - 4pm
Sunday 11am - 4pm

Telephone

(413) 584-6011

Website

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