Historic Deerfield
Encyclopedia
Historic Deerfield is an open-air living history museum dedicated to the heritage and preservation of Deerfield, Massachusetts
and the Connecticut River Valley. Its historic houses, museums and programs provide visitors with an understanding of New England
's historic villages and countryside. The Old Deerfield Village Historic District has been designated a National Historic Landmark
.
are located in Historic Deerfield. Most are viewed on guided tours. A modern museum and a visitor center are part of the complex. The museum offers special exhibitions, family activities, workshops and seminars on historic subjects, and a gift shop. The Deerfield Inn is available for visitors.
in the Pioneer Valley
of Western Massachusetts
.
Pocumtuck nation. It was originally established as a grant of land to the residents of Dedham, Massachusetts
, who had given land to the Massachusetts Bay Colony
for the purpose of settling Christianized Indians.
For much of the colonial period, Deerfield was one of New England's frontier villages. Briefly abandoned during King Philip's War
in the 1670s, it was subjected to French and Indian raids during King William's War
in the 1690s. In Queen Anne's War
, the village was subjected to a major raid in which 40 percent of the village population was taken prisoner. French and allied Abenaki, Mohawk
and other warriors breached the palisade and raided the village. They killed numerous settlers, and took more than 100 captive. Before leaving for Canada, the raiding party burned the village.
Almost all of those who survived the attack and the march to Canada eventually were ransomed and returned to New England. Eunice Williams, captured at eight, was adopted by a Mohawk family and became totally assimilated. She married a Mohawk man and had a family with him, choosing not to return to New England. Finally in 1741 she visited surviving siblings for the first time, and made two more visits later.
Deerfield survived the raid, and the frontier continued to be pushed north and west. Settlers eventually moved into present-day Vermont
and established settlements further up the Connecticut River in New Hampshire
.
.
Other attractions in the area include Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory, Yankee Candle Company, Richardson's Chocolates, and the Old Deerfield Country Store.
Deerfield, Massachusetts
Deerfield is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 4,750 as of the 2000 census. Deerfield is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area in Western Massachusetts, lying only north of the city of Springfield.Deerfield includes the...
and the Connecticut River Valley. Its historic houses, museums and programs provide visitors with an understanding of New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
's historic villages and countryside. The Old Deerfield Village Historic District has been designated 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...
.
Sites
Eleven historic house museumsHistoric house museums
A historic house museum is a house that has been transformed into a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home...
are located in Historic Deerfield. Most are viewed on guided tours. A modern museum and a visitor center are part of the complex. The museum offers special exhibitions, family activities, workshops and seminars on historic subjects, and a gift shop. The Deerfield Inn is available for visitors.
- Ashley House - 1734 home of Deerfield's 18th-century minister, with furnishings of the Connecticut River elite and English ceramics.
- Allen House - 1734 home that was the 20th-century residence of Historic Deerfield's founders Henry and Helen Flynt. The Flynt family renovated the house in 1945. The home features their personal collection of American antiques. Open by arrangement.
- Stebbins House - 1799 home of Asa Stebbins, designed by architect Asher BenjaminAsher BenjaminAsher Benjamin was an American architect and author whose work transitioned between Federal style architecture and the later Greek Revival. His seven handbooks on design deeply influenced the look of cities and towns throughout New England until the Civil War...
. The brick house features Federal period decorations, including neoclassical furnishings dating from 1790 to 1830. One highlight are the French scenic wallpaper panels manufactured by Joseph Dufour et CieJoseph Dufour et CieJoseph Dufour et Cie, founded 1797 by Joseph and Pierre Dufour, was a s a French Manufacture de Papier Peints et Tissus manufacturer located in Mâcon, France.-General:...
that depict the voyages of Captain Cook. This house is open for self-guided tours.
- Barnard Tavern - 1795 tavern, currently closed for restoration and reinterpretation. It is scheduled to reopen in Fall 2010.
- Dwight House - This 1754 house was built in Springfield, MassachusettsSpringfield, MassachusettsSpringfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
. It was moved to Deerfield in 1950 when it was threatened with demolition. The house re-opened in 2009 as a museum of historic trades.
- Frary House - 1750 home that is interpreted to depict the 1890s home of Miss C. Alice Baker, who restored the house in 1892. Displays include New England antiques, Arts and CraftsArts and Crafts movementArts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...
needlework, ironware and basketry. The house features Miss Baker's role in fostering the Colonial Revival in Deerfield.
- Sheldon House - Built in 1754/7, the Sheldon House is interpreted to the period of 1780 to 1810. This house is open for self-guided tours.
- Wells-Thorn House - This 1747 house features rooms demonstrating different periods and lifestyles from 1725 to the 1850s.
- Williams House - 1730 house built by a son of Rev. John WilliamsJohn Williams (Reverend)John Williams was a New England Puritan minister who became famous for The Redeemed Captive, his account of his captivity by the Mohawk after the Deerfield Massacre during Queen Anne's War. He was an uncle of the notable pastor and theologian Jonathan Edwards. His first wife Eunice Mather was a...
, a leader of the colonial village who was captured in the 1704 Deerfield Raid. Renovated in 1816, the house features Federal-style furnishings and decorations.
- Flynt Center of Early New England Life - a modern museum with changing exhibits of history, heritage crafts, decorative arts and other topics.
- Hall Tavern Visitor Center - Originally built in 1760 in Charlemont, MassachusettsCharlemont, MassachusettsCharlemont is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,358 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
, with a ballroom wing that was added around 1800, the building was moved to Deerfield and converted to a visitor center.
Local Geography
Historic Deerfield is based on a 330-year-old, mile-long street, situated along the Connecticut RiverConnecticut River
The Connecticut River is the largest and longest river in New England, and also an American Heritage River. It flows roughly south, starting from the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire. After flowing through the remaining Connecticut Lakes and Lake Francis, it defines the border between the...
in the Pioneer Valley
Pioneer Valley
The Pioneer Valley is the colloquial name for the U.S. Commonwealth of Massachusetts's portion of the Connecticut River Valley. The Pioneer Valley consists of three counties in Massachusetts which collectively feature much of New England's most fertile farmland...
of Western Massachusetts
Western Massachusetts
Western Massachusetts is a loosely defined geographical region of the U.S. state of Massachusetts which contains the Berkshires, the Pioneer Valley, and some or all of the Swift River Valley. The region is always considered to include Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden counties, and the...
.
Deerfield history
At the time of European contact, the area now known as Deerfield was inhabited by the indigenousIndigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
Pocumtuck nation. It was originally established as a grant of land to the residents of Dedham, Massachusetts
Dedham, Massachusetts
Dedham is a town in and the county seat of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 24,729 at the 2010 census. It is located on Boston's southwest border. On the northwest it is bordered by Needham, on the southwest by Westwood and on the southeast by...
, who had given land to the Massachusetts Bay Colony
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions...
for the purpose of settling Christianized Indians.
For much of the colonial period, Deerfield was one of New England's frontier villages. Briefly abandoned during King Philip's War
King Philip's War
King Philip's War, sometimes called Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, or Metacom's Rebellion, was an armed conflict between Native American inhabitants of present-day southern New England and English colonists and their Native American allies in 1675–76. The war is named after the main leader of the...
in the 1670s, it was subjected to French and Indian raids during King William's War
King William's War
The first of the French and Indian Wars, King William's War was the name used in the English colonies in America to refer to the North American theater of the Nine Years' War...
in the 1690s. In Queen Anne's War
Queen Anne's War
Queen Anne's War , as the North American theater of the War of the Spanish Succession was known in the British colonies, was the second in a series of French and Indian Wars fought between France and England, later Great Britain, in North America for control of the continent. The War of the...
, the village was subjected to a major raid in which 40 percent of the village population was taken prisoner. French and allied Abenaki, Mohawk
Mohawk nation
Mohawk are the most easterly tribe of the Iroquois confederation. They call themselves Kanien'gehaga, people of the place of the flint...
and other warriors breached the palisade and raided the village. They killed numerous settlers, and took more than 100 captive. Before leaving for Canada, the raiding party burned the village.
Almost all of those who survived the attack and the march to Canada eventually were ransomed and returned to New England. Eunice Williams, captured at eight, was adopted by a Mohawk family and became totally assimilated. She married a Mohawk man and had a family with him, choosing not to return to New England. Finally in 1741 she visited surviving siblings for the first time, and made two more visits later.
Deerfield survived the raid, and the frontier continued to be pushed north and west. Settlers eventually moved into present-day Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
and established settlements further up the Connecticut River in New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
.
Collection Database
Historic Deerfield's collections can be searched on the database maintained by the Five College Museums/Historic DeerfieldFive College Museums/Historic Deerfield
The Five College Museums/Historic Deerfield is a consortium of museums in Western Massachusetts and includes art museums which are part of the Five Colleges as well as Historic Deerfield. The Five College Museums maintains a searchable database of the collections of the museums that is among the...
.
Other attractions in the town of Deerfield
The Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association operates the Memorial Hall Museum, and the Indian House Children's Museum.Other attractions in the area include Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory, Yankee Candle Company, Richardson's Chocolates, and the Old Deerfield Country Store.
External links
- Historic Deerfield
- Town of Deerfield
- Images of Historic Deerfield
- Old Deerfield Historic District - National Historic Landmarks Program