2019 Events & Programs

With Historic Northampton

Come mingle with other history lovers, celebrate Historic Northampton’s 2019 accomplishments, and hear about our exciting plans for 2020. Festive food & drinks provided.

A Public Talk by Dr. Margaret Bruchac, University of Pennsylvania

Traces of Indigenous history can be difficult to see beneath the bustle of present-day cities situated along the Kwinitekw (Connecticut River). Yet, many generations of Native people lived here, sustained by local flora and fauna and supported by trade and diplomacy with their Native neighbors.

In this talk, Dr. Margaret Bruchac critically analyzes colonial documents, archaeological records, and the writings of town historians, who re-imagined the colonial era in ways that erased Indigenous perspectives.

Sponsored by Herrell’s Ice Cream

A Public Talk by Jan Whitaker, Restaurant Historian and Author

Restaurant historian Jan Whitaker will present an illustrated history of Northampton’s restaurants of the 20th century. Jan will discuss the town’s prominent and influential restaurants of the past, along with its ordinary and forgotten places. She will look at the highs and lows of the city’s restaurant history, from the Great Depression to the “renaissance” of the 70s and 80s. She will focus on how Northampton’s downtown revitalization was energized by an influx of new restaurants, but will also look at the city’s everyday restaurants, such as the lunch rooms of the early years of the 20th century and the chain restaurants of the 1960s and 1970s.

Sponsored by Sylvester’s and Roberto’s Restaurants

With Tree Expert Bob Leverett

Age and disease have taken their toll on two of Historic Northampton’s large sugar maples and we have made the difficult decision to take them down before they fall and cause damage to either the Shepherd barn (1806) or Parsons House (1719).  But cutting down a tree–especially these impressive specimens–is not something we take lightly. To honor these trees and trees everywhere, we’ve arranged a series of programs on Sunday, November 17, 2019 that focus on the trees around us. ​

Following Bob Leverett’s programs, all are welcome to gather at the sugar maple near the Historic Parsons House and consider this tree’s history–who has passed by during its life time, what are some of the major changes that have taken place since it took root. We will read some tree-related poetry and toast its life with small samples of maple syrup.

Sponsored by King and Cushman Insurance

A Public Talk by Tree Expert Bob Leverett

To honor Northampton’s trees and the multiple benefits they bring to our lives, Bob Leverett will highlight Northampton’s wealth of big championship quality trees as well as some of our special forests. Trees enhance our health, clean our air and water, calm and cool our streets, and inspire us with their beauty. They are a major factor in removing carbon from the air, helping to slow climate change.

Bob Leverett is a nationally recognized expert on old-growth forests and the measurement of champion trees. A founder of the Eastern Native Tree Society, Leverett has identified dozens of significant trees in the Northeast, including many here in Northampton, and is responsible for finding many of the remaining patches of old-growth forest in the Commonwealth. His more recent research has focused on carbon sequestration and storage in white pines. A passionate spokesman for trees, forests, and the environment, Leverett makes his home in Florence.

Sponsored by King and Cushman Insurance

With Rich Parasiliti, Tree Warden for the City of Northampton

Approximately 11,000 shade trees grow within public right-of-way that the City of Northampton holds along its streets and Rich Parasiliti, the City’s tree warden, is responsible for the protection and welfare of all of them. On this walking tour, Tree Warden Rich Parasiliti will highlight some of his all-time favorite trees in downtown, describing their life history and significance and the multiple values of shade trees and urban forests.

Sponsored by National Grid

A Talk and Demonstration by John Sacerdote of the Amherst Railway Society

John Sacerdote will demonstrate how he constructed the twelve-foot long model of Northampton’s Main Street as it appeared in 1847. The model is the centerpiece of the exhibit Making it on Main Street, on view until June 2021. Using slides, Sacerdote will first describe the process he used to make some of the 50 buildings. Then he will demonstrate making a building and show the specialty tools and supplies needed.

Co-sponsored by Mssrs. Czelusniak et Dugal, Inc. and the Amherst Railway Society

Join Smith College astronomer Meg Thacher and co-director and naturalist Laurie Sanders for an amble down an ancient road into the Meadows to enjoy both the sunset and rise of the full moon. Meg will have telescopes on hand to take closer looks at the moon, Jupiter, Saturn, and several impressive star clusters and double stars. Meg will share information about the night sky. If we’re lucky, we may see birds migrating against the backdrop of the full moon. 

Meg Thacher is an astronomy lab instructor at Smith College. In addition to her duties there, which include monthly star parties, Meg is the academic director for Smith’s Summer Science & Engineering Program for high school girls. She also writes about science for kids. Her work has been in Highlights, Cricket, Muse, Ask, Faces, Cobblestone, Odyssey, and Dig magazines, and her first book, Sky Gazing, will come out in May of 2020.

Sponsored by Northeast Solar

A Public Talk by J.M. Sorrell, Social Justice Activist, Trainer, and Writer

J.M. Sorrell will tell the nearly forty-year-long story of Northampton Pride. In 1982, a small group of local and student activists organized the first annual Northampton Lesbian and Gay Liberation March. Walkers gathered at the Bridge Street School lawn and marched down Main Street to Pulaski Park where a rally was held. Sorrell started marching and volunteering to help organize the march in its second year. Nearly forty years later, Main Street is still the route–but now in reverse to the Three County Fairgrounds to accommodate the tens of thousands of participants.

Sponsored by River Valley Market

With Collections Manager Kelsy Sinelnikov

Join Kelsy Sinelnikov for a look at objects in the collection related to banking and commerce. Discover what you could buy in exchange for a cord of wood or maybe a chicken in 1869 by looking at local account books. Examine 18th- and 19th-century paper money issued by local banks before a national currency took its place. Finally, discuss the rise of credit cards through a look at their predecessor, the charge plate.

Sponsored by Florence Bank & Greenfield Savings Bank

Elizabeth Sharpe, co-director of Historic Northampton and historian, will lead a walking tour of downtown Northampton in conjunction with the exhibit, Making it on Main Street.

This composite photograph of Main Street combines a carte-de-visite card photograph of Main Street circa 1865 by the Ingraham Brothers with a 2019 photograph depicting the same view by photographer Paul Shoul.

Sponsored by Joe’s Cafe

A Public Talk by David Leslie, Senior Archaeologist

Last fall, in accordance with state and federal regulations, the MA Department of Transportation hired Dave Leslie, a lead archaeologist with Archeological and Historical Services, Inc., to conduct a preliminary assessment of an area in Northampton where a new roadway construction project is planned. His investigation included digging a series of small test pits, some of which uncovered Native American artifacts dating to the Early Archaic Period. This September Leslie returned to the site to conduct a more thorough excavation.

In conjunction with Massachusetts Archaeology Month, Leslie will present his findings and explain what this site reveals about Native Americans during this time period. David Leslie is a Senior Archaeologist at Archaeological and Historical Services, Inc. He has over 15 years of archaeological and environmental archaeological experience, collaborating on CRM and academic projects in New England, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Europe.

This public talk is held in partnership with Forbes Library Sponsored by Mass Humanities

A Walking Tour with Geologist John Brady

Join John Brady, recently retired geologist from Smith College, on a 90-minute tour of downtown Northampton. Learn about the geologic origins of the stone blocks used to build some of the City’s most iconic downtown buildings, from the Court House and First Churches to City Hall and beyond. On this tour, John will expand your view of Northampton and reveal connections to more than 400 million years of earth history.

Sponsored by D.A. Sullivan & Sons, Northampton, MA

A Presentation and Demonstration by Sharon Mehrman

One of Historic Northampton’s most prized artifacts is the Sarah Strong chest, which we believe was made in Northampton about 1700.  Professional woodworker Sharon Mehrman will describe how she painstakingly constructed a 7/8 scale replica of a circa 1700 Hadley-type chest. Mehrman will demonstrate some of the historic woodworking techniques she used, and discuss what she has learned about early American joinery by making the replica.

Join us for a conversation of "Why Here, Why Then?" with renowned body movement teachers and performers Janet Adler, Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, and Nancy Stark Smith as they explain the role that Northampton played on shaping and launching their careers.

A Presentation by retired Judge Mike Ryan

Join Mike Ryan, former Hampshire County District Attorney and retired judge, for a review of some of the most significant cases in Hampshire County’s 400-year history — from witch trials and executions to historic cases involving fashion, frauds, civil rights, and protests.

With Dr. Margaret Bruchac

One of the most intriguing gravestones in Northampton’s Bridge Street Cemetery belongs to Sally Maminash (1765-1853), a Mohegan/Nonotuck woman identified as “The last of the Indians here. A niece of Occum. A Christian.” Stories from the newspaper recount cryptically tragic details: her mother Elizabeth murdered; her father’s gravestone stolen; and Sally trapped in a lonely corner of the room, reading her Bible. Dr. Margaret Bruchac revisits the writings of local town historians to show how seemingly “unknown” Indigenous histories can often be recovered by dismantling the romantic stereotypes that situated Native peoples in distant times and locales.

Sponsored by Mass Humanities

With Laurie Sanders of Historic Northampton

During the last 150 years, the 130-acres that make up Look Park have undergone a series of transformations–from farm fields and pasture to golf course to park. Historic Northampton co-director and naturalist Laurie Sanders will help reveal the park's history and how it has shaped the landscape and plants and animals we see today.

Embrace your inner Graham-ite – compete in a Graham cracker toss, build a Graham cracker tower, and challenge your Graham cracker-wielding dexterity. Learn about Sylvester Graham and how his philosophy influences the food on our plates, then participate in brain teasing events to put that knowledge to the test!

With Kelsy Sinelnikov, Collections Manager

Historic Northampton Collections Manager Kelsy Sinelnikov will highlight some of the items that were common on Main Street during the 1800s, but hidden from view. Join her for a close up look at the corsets, stays, stockings and other undergarments worn and sold on Northampton's Main Street and part of Historic Northampton's remarkable clothing collection.

Splash your way through history as you make your own water-powered devices! Discover how water has shaped the history of Northampton by creating your own miniature water wheels, participating in a bucket brigade, and looking at 1800s Fire Department gear.

With Laurie Sanders

We'll look for every plant or animal species that survives in downtown, from the mosses and ants living in the cracks and margins to the larger plants and creatures that are able to survive in the wilder and untended pockets that occur in and around the heart of the city.

American blues, funk & soul, 21st-century mojo

StompBox Trio is the creative intersection between Evelyn Harris’s singular & magical voice, John Cabán’s haunting dobro & stompbox, and David Rodriguez’s deep wood bass & foot tambourine.

After the first rehearsal together, they found that their collective sound, feel, and mutual love & admiration for American roots and blues music, history & tradition was something they wanted to share with people of all ages for a long time to come.  Blending classic 20th-century American blues, funk, & soul with some 21st-century mojo, their soulful, foot stomping, hip shaking sound is not to be missed!

Sponsored by Beyond Green Construction, Easthampton, Mass.

Jazz, Motown hits, Blues, Latin, Soul

The O-Tones have been swinging around New England since 1993. With their soulful sound, they play Jazz standards, Motown hits, Blues tunes, Latin rhythms, and Soul music for fun listening and dancing. From Ella Fitzgerald to Marvin Gaye, Frank Sinatra to Smokey Robinson, their luscious sound will entertain and inspire!

From left to right: Ben Kohn, piano; John Caban, guitar & vocals; Doug Plavin, drums; Annie Patterson, vocals; Mary Witt, vocals & bass; Kevin Blount, sax.

Sponsored by Beyond Green Construction, Easthampton, Mass.

Bluegrass, Country Classics, Western Swing

New City Opry got its start at New City Brewery in Easthampton over a year ago.  The rotating cast of musicians plays a mixture of bluegrass, classic country, and Western swing. Their shows routinely feature a farm report with helpful tidbits from the Almanac.  The Opry also supports community sustainable agriculture in the Pioneer Valley.

Sponsored by Beyond Green Construction, Easthampton, Mass.

Touch, observe, sketch, and learn about lives of three of our native silk moth caterpillars — lunas, prometheas and cecropias. They are related to Chinese silkmoths, which provided the raw material for Northampton’s 19th-century silk industry and are the source of silk clothing today.

We’ll meet in Historic Northampton’s garden and then visit the exhibit to see a special display of clothing and objects related to the 19th-century silk industry in Northampton. Unravel a cocoon while unraveling the past! Ages 3+

Who says historical figures have to be human? Create a paper version of some of Northampton’s most important (and furriest) residents while learning about how they shaped our history. Children and their caretakers will also search for animals in the exhibit and do hands on activities.

Local music, Local history

Drawing on materials discovered in Historic Northampton’s collection, local junk shops, church basements and old newspapers, the performance will include murder ballads, fiddle tunes, shape-note harmony, and haunting originals about time, place, identity, and mystery. Every song has a story, some of which are fictional, and some of which are stranger than fiction.

Tim Eriksen has been performing in the Northampton area for over thirty years, beginning with his band Cordelia’s Dad.  Over the years he has amassed a large repertoire of music with local origin and resonance, which culminated in a 2015 PhD dissertation in ethnomusicology.

Sponsored by Beyond Green Construction, Easthampton, Mass.

Brazilian Folk-Pop

A long-time fixture of both the US and Brazil’s music scenes, Sessa debuts his solo work for the first time in 2019.  His album, Grandeza, points to new directions for Brazilian pop, with a perfect balance of subtlety and euphoria that harmonizes its traditional and modern elements.  The album displays a deep, minimalist, almost insinuated use of the rich textures and rhythms that define the songwriting history of Brazil, captured perfectly by the simple but lush atmosphere of the new single Dez Total (Filhos de Gandhy).  Sessa describes being inspired to write the song after watching Filhos de Gandhy, the traditional Afro Brazilian drum ensemble, rehearse one day in Salvador, Bahia.

Sponsored by Beyond Green Construction, Easthampton, Mass.

Paddle with Historic Northampton & Paradise City Dragon Boat from the former New Haven-Northampton Canal to the Hatfield boundary. Take in the beauty of the Connecticut River in a dragon boat and learn about our rich natural and cultural history at the same time.

Betsy Powell, head coach of Paradise City Dragon Boat, will begin the outing with a paddling lesson. Once we’re a ways up river, Laurie Sanders, naturalist & co-director of Historic Northampton, will teach us about the environmental and human history of the stretch of river between Elwell Island and the Hatfield boundary.
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Join local experts Mark Carmien, Paul Foster-Moore, & Laurie Sanders for a tour of the Turkey Hill Road Quarry. Learn the story of how this area was protected and its natural history.

Exhibit opening, Historic Northampton

Enjoy live oxen demonstrations featuring Rock & Star and Bluedog Forestry, a cartooning lesson by New York Times best-selling children’s author and illustrator Jarrett J. Krosoczka, a performance by the A2Z yo-yo team, as well as music by the Expandable Brass Band, free Herrell’s ice cream and more! Rain or Shine.

With Bob Leverett

Noted big tree hunter and expert Bob Leverett will lead participants on a 3-hour guided walk of notable trees found in and around Look Park. In addition to pointing out individual trees, Bob will share information about the species' life history and ecology and also include information about the park's history and earlier uses.

Book release by Peter Norman, with Tim McQuestion, Natalie Stollmeyer and Daryl Springman

Three Northampton firefighters—Tim McQuestion, Natalie Stollmeyer, and Daryl Springman– will discuss Northampton Fire Rescue. Local author and photographer Peter Norman will introduce his new book Northampton Fire Rescue and show some of the images he took while “camped out” at the Northampton Fire Department.

With Lorenz J. Finison

Friends of Northampton Trails and Greenways (FNTG) and Historic Northampton invite you to a presentation by Lorenz Finison.

In the late 1800’s, the popularity of bicycles increased exponentially.  By 1900, the bicycling craze faded. Within the next few decades, automobiles became commonplace and roads were refashioned to serve cars first. Bicycling then experienced a renaissance in the 1970s as concerns over physical and environmental health coalesced.

Finison traces the activities of cycling environmental and social justice activists, and features topics of racing, touring, commuting, rails-to-trails, and how this history shapes our lives.  His talk will introduce for the first time the Pedal Against Pollution of 1972 as it passed through Northampton and the ill-fated Tour de Trump stage race which rolled through Northampton in 1990.

Co-sponsored by Historic Northampton in partnership with the Northampton Center for the Arts

As part of its continuing original research series on pre-Stonewall era LGBTQ individuals who lived in the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts, the Sexual Minorities Archives of Holyoke will present a new history talk about Dr. Amber Starbuck and Mabel Stevens of Middlefield. The two women were an out lesbian couple who ran a wellness resort called the Big House in Middlefield from the 1920s to the 1960s.

A Public Talk by Joe Manning

For the past 13 years, author, historian and Florence resident Joe Manning has been tracking down and interviewing the descendants of children photographed by Lewis Hine for the National Child Labor Committee. Using the interviews and his own research, Manning tells us how the lives of these children turned out, what they were like, and how they are remembered by their families.

Join co-director and naturalist Laurie Sanders for a walk down Hockanum Road to the site of the former Hockanum Ferry on the Connecticut River. The return leg will coincide with the sunset, which is one of the most beautiful times to be in the Meadows and view the Holyoke Range.

A talk in honor of Frances Crowe

Award-winning independent journalist and host of the daily news program Democracy Now! Amy Goodman will give a talk in honor of Frances Crowe on her 100th birthday.

Frances brought the radio news program, Democracy Now!, to the Northampton area.  When the local public radio station declined to carry Amy Goodman´s show, she bought a transmitter, had a friend download the programs from the internet, and broadcast them herself — illegally — to area listeners. To put pressure on the local stations, Crowe started a fundraising drive in parallel to the public radio’s own effort. By the time she had raised $40,000 dollars, the local stations agreed to talk.

Sponsored by Smith College’s Special Collections, Sophia Smith Collection of Women’s History, which holds Frances’ papers.

Participants are invited to make a sign about an issue that concerns them or one that particularly concerns Frances. The group will march from 33 Hawley Street in Northampton, up Main Street to City Hall, and back again, led by the Expandable Brass Band. Indoors we will break bread together and have brief statements from Frances, her family, & friends.

Well-known activist Frances Crowe is turning 100 on March 15th.  ​ We want to show Frances that her legacy is alive and secure, that the next generation is willing and committed to carry on with “the work” necessary to put an end to war and nuclear weapons, to secure justice for all, and to achieve & sustain a livable planet. 

100th Birthday Celebration for Frances Crowe is organized by a group of friends, working in consultation with Frances Crowe, in collaboration with Historic Northampton, the Northampton Center for the Arts, and the Smith College Sophia Smith Archives.

Film, Conversation, and Book Signing with Rosamond Purcell

Finding unexpected beauty in the discarded and decayed, photographer Rosamond Purcell has developed a body of work that has garnered international acclaim and graced the pages of National Geographic and over 20 published books. This film details Purcell’s fascination with the natural world — from a mastodon tooth to a hydrocephalic skull — offering insight into her unique way of recontextualizing objects both ordinary and strange into sometimes disturbing but always breathtaking imagery.

An Illustrated Talk and Booksigning with Valley Authors Allison Bell and Maida Goodwin

Valley authors Allison Bell & Maida Goodwin will describe three remarkable stories: (1) how three independent research projects reunited long-separated photographs and letters (some with secret code) that (2) tell the story of a 1902 hike in the White Mountains of two women naturalists, who subsequently took leading roles in the successful effort to protect the White Mountains of New Hampshire and (3) the region’s extraordinary alpine habitats and hiking trails.

Co-Sponsored by the Berkshire Appalachian Mountain Club

A Public Talk and Book Signing by John Sinton

John Sinton will talk about the physical creation of the Connecticut River Valley and of Nonotuck village. How did Northampton come to occupy primary of place in the Valley for its first one hundred fifty years? The central section of the presentation will focus on the Mill River itself, its major diversions in 1710 and 1940, and the role the river played in the formation and development of Northampton.

Sponsored by Look Park & Historic Northampton at the Look Park Garden House

Join Historic Northampton and co-host Look Park for afternoon tea in the Garden House and an illustrated talk about Northampton’s parks by Laurie Sanders, Historic Northampton’s co-director.

During this presentation, Laurie will place Northampton’s parks (Look, Childs, Pulaski and others) within the context of American history and share their individual stories–from the parks that were proposed and never created to those that we enjoy today, all of which were controversial.

Film Screening at the Northampton Community Arts Trust building

This special program will take a closer look at Northampton’s arts scene– from the 1970s on into the future– and include the public premiere of Vision of Thornes , a 13-minute documentary about Gordon Thornes’ philosophy about the arts and his experience in Northampton.