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Arrowhead (Herman Melville)
Encyclopedia
Arrowhead also known as Herman Melville House, was the home of American author Herman Melville
during his most productive years from 1850-1863. In this house in Pittsfield, Massachusetts
, Melville wrote some of his major work: the novels Moby-Dick
, Pierre
(dedicated to nearby Mount Greylock
), The Confidence-Man
, and Israel Potter
; a collection of short stories entitled The Piazza Tales
including "Benito Cereno
" and "Bartleby the Scrivener
; all the other magazine stories, such as "I and My Chimney" and "The Paradise of Bachelors and the Tartarus of Maids"; and some of his poetry. It is a U.S. National Historic Landmark
and is open as a museum.
, highest point in Massachusetts
. His annual visits continued until 1850, when Melville decided to move his family to Pittsfield permanently.
In the summer of 1850, Melville and his wife Lizzie as well as their son Malcolm came to Pittsfield for a vacation of indefinite length. Later that summer, Melville was invited to picnic on Monument Mountain south of Pittsfield with two other literary notables and Berkshire residents, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
and Nathaniel Hawthorne
. Melville and Hawthorne struck up an instant friendship, and Melville decided to follow Hawthorne's lead. By September, he had the deed to a lot of 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) below Mount Greylock. He called his new home Arrowhead because of the arrowheads that were dug up around the property during planting season. New York publisher Evert Augustus Duyckinck
wrote that its "grounds would satisfy an English nobleman—for the noble maples and elms and various seclusions and outlooks".
It was at Arrowhead where Melville wrote his novel Moby-Dick
; though the work was not recognized during the author's lifetime, it has since become known as one of the greatest American literary masterpieces. Melville incorporated homely features of Arrowhead into several stories. The piazza, after which The Piazza Tales were named, was added to the north side of Arrowhead shortly after Melville purchased the property:
"I and My Chimney", published in Putnam's Monthly Magazine (1856), contains a home-owner's description of the grand old farm house:
Melville lived, farmed, and wrote at Arrowhead for 13 years, receiving visitors including Nathaniel Hawthorne
, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
, and Catharine Maria Sedgwick. During that time, however, he was not making a living from his writing. With the need for gainful pay, Melville finally returned to New York City where he found work as a customs inspector at the New York Customs House, a job he held for over 20 years, working six days a week with only two weeks of vacation a year.
Melville sold Arrowhead to his brother Allan, who used it first as a summer home and then moved there permanently. Melville continued to visit Arrowhead through the 1880s. The Melville family owned the house until 1927.
It was declared a National Historic Landmark
in 1962.
In 1975, the Berkshire County Historical Society purchased the house and began its restoration.
The house is now a non-profit historic house museum operated by the Berkshire County Historical Society, which uses a portion of the house as their office. The remainder is open to the public for guided tours for part of the year. It is located at 780 Holmes Road in Pittsfield
.
Arrowhead was also included in an episode of Law and Order: Criminal Intent. This was one of the only times a Pittsfield landmark has ever been included on national television.
Herman Melville
Herman Melville was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet. He is best known for his novel Moby-Dick and the posthumous novella Billy Budd....
during his most productive years from 1850-1863. In this house in Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Its area code is 413. Its ZIP code is 01201...
, Melville wrote some of his major work: the novels Moby-Dick
Moby-Dick
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, was written by American author Herman Melville and first published in 1851. It is considered by some to be a Great American Novel and a treasure of world literature. The story tells the adventures of wandering sailor Ishmael, and his voyage on the whaleship Pequod,...
, Pierre
Pierre: or, The Ambiguities
Pierre: or, The Ambiguities is a novel written by Herman Melville, and published in 1852 by Harper & Brothers.The publication of Pierre was a critical and financial disaster for Melville. It was universally condemned for both its morals and its style...
(dedicated to nearby Mount Greylock
Mount Greylock
Mount Greylock is the highest natural point in Massachusetts at . Its peak is located in the northwest corner of the state in the western part of the town of Adams in Berkshire County. Although geologically part of the Taconic Mountains, Mount Greylock is commonly associated with the abutting...
), The Confidence-Man
The Confidence-Man
The Confidence-Man: His Masquerade was the last major novel by Herman Melville, the American writer and author of Moby-Dick. Published on April 1, 1857 , The Confidence-Man was Melville's tenth major work in eleven years...
, and Israel Potter
Israel Potter
Israel Potter: His Fifty Years of Exile is a novel by Herman Melville published in installments in Putnam's Monthly Magazine from July 1854 through March 1855, in book form by George Palmer Putnam in New York in March 1855, and in a pirated edition by George Routledge in London in May 1855...
; a collection of short stories entitled The Piazza Tales
The Piazza Tales
The Piazza Tales is a collection of short stories by Herman Melville, which he published with Dix & Edwards in 1856 in the United States. A British edition followed shortly afterward. Except for the title story, "The Piazza," all of the stories had appeared in Putnam's Monthly over the years...
including "Benito Cereno
Benito Cereno
Benito Cereno is a novella by Herman Melville. It was first serialized in Putnam's Monthly in 1855 and later included in slightly revised version in his collection The Piazza Tales .-Plot summary:...
" and "Bartleby the Scrivener
Bartleby the Scrivener
Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street is a short story by the American novelist Herman Melville . It first appeared anonymously in two parts in the November and December 1853 editions of Putnam's Magazine, and was reprinted with minor textual alterations in his The Piazza Tales in...
; all the other magazine stories, such as "I and My Chimney" and "The Paradise of Bachelors and the Tartarus of Maids"; and some of his poetry. It is a U.S. National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
and is open as a museum.
Melville in Pittsfield
Melville made his first visit to Pittsfield in 1832 to visit his Uncle Thomas. There he fell in love with his uncle's farm, particularly the view from the farm house window of Mount GreylockMount Greylock
Mount Greylock is the highest natural point in Massachusetts at . Its peak is located in the northwest corner of the state in the western part of the town of Adams in Berkshire County. Although geologically part of the Taconic Mountains, Mount Greylock is commonly associated with the abutting...
, highest point in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. His annual visits continued until 1850, when Melville decided to move his family to Pittsfield permanently.
In the summer of 1850, Melville and his wife Lizzie as well as their son Malcolm came to Pittsfield for a vacation of indefinite length. Later that summer, Melville was invited to picnic on Monument Mountain south of Pittsfield with two other literary notables and Berkshire residents, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. was an American physician, professor, lecturer, and author. Regarded by his peers as one of the best writers of the 19th century, he is considered a member of the Fireside Poets. His most famous prose works are the "Breakfast-Table" series, which began with The Autocrat...
and Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American novelist and short story writer.Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in 1804 in the city of Salem, Massachusetts to Nathaniel Hathorne and the former Elizabeth Clarke Manning. His ancestors include John Hathorne, a judge during the Salem Witch Trials...
. Melville and Hawthorne struck up an instant friendship, and Melville decided to follow Hawthorne's lead. By September, he had the deed to a lot of 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) below Mount Greylock. He called his new home Arrowhead because of the arrowheads that were dug up around the property during planting season. New York publisher Evert Augustus Duyckinck
Evert Augustus Duyckinck
Evert Augustus Duyckinck was an American publisher and biographer. He was associated with the literary side of the Young America movement in New York.-Life and work:...
wrote that its "grounds would satisfy an English nobleman—for the noble maples and elms and various seclusions and outlooks".
It was at Arrowhead where Melville wrote his novel Moby-Dick
Moby-Dick
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, was written by American author Herman Melville and first published in 1851. It is considered by some to be a Great American Novel and a treasure of world literature. The story tells the adventures of wandering sailor Ishmael, and his voyage on the whaleship Pequod,...
; though the work was not recognized during the author's lifetime, it has since become known as one of the greatest American literary masterpieces. Melville incorporated homely features of Arrowhead into several stories. The piazza, after which The Piazza Tales were named, was added to the north side of Arrowhead shortly after Melville purchased the property:
"I and My Chimney", published in Putnam's Monthly Magazine (1856), contains a home-owner's description of the grand old farm house:
Melville lived, farmed, and wrote at Arrowhead for 13 years, receiving visitors including Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne was an American novelist and short story writer.Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in 1804 in the city of Salem, Massachusetts to Nathaniel Hathorne and the former Elizabeth Clarke Manning. His ancestors include John Hathorne, a judge during the Salem Witch Trials...
, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. was an American physician, professor, lecturer, and author. Regarded by his peers as one of the best writers of the 19th century, he is considered a member of the Fireside Poets. His most famous prose works are the "Breakfast-Table" series, which began with The Autocrat...
, and Catharine Maria Sedgwick. During that time, however, he was not making a living from his writing. With the need for gainful pay, Melville finally returned to New York City where he found work as a customs inspector at the New York Customs House, a job he held for over 20 years, working six days a week with only two weeks of vacation a year.
Melville sold Arrowhead to his brother Allan, who used it first as a summer home and then moved there permanently. Melville continued to visit Arrowhead through the 1880s. The Melville family owned the house until 1927.
It was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1962.
In 1975, the Berkshire County Historical Society purchased the house and began its restoration.
Museum
Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Its area code is 413. Its ZIP code is 01201...
.
Arrowhead was also included in an episode of Law and Order: Criminal Intent. This was one of the only times a Pittsfield landmark has ever been included on national television.