Historic Deerfield

Historic Deerfield A mile-long museum of history, art, and architecture in one of New England's best-preserved villages.
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Historic Deerfield is a museum of early American life situated in an authentic 18th-century New England village in the Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts. Its historic houses and world-famous collection of early American decorative arts open doors to new perspectives that inspire people to seek a deeper understanding of themselves, their communities, and the world.

Historic Deerfield is open for the long weekend, including Monday! Here's what's happening:Historic House Tours (Saturda...
09/04/2026

Historic Deerfield is open for the long weekend, including Monday! Here's what's happening:

Historic House Tours (Saturday, Sunday, Monday, 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.)

Three Revolutionary Exhibitions (Saturday, Sunday, Monday, 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. at the Flynt Center): Picturing the Revolution, A Town Divided: Deerfield in the Age of Revolution, and Dressing the Revolution: Fashion and Politics 1760-1789

Building Archaeology at Stebbins House (Saturday, Sunday, Monday, 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.)

Historic Trade Demonstration: 1770s Style—High Hair and What to Wear with Jen Roy and Greg Morin (Saturday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. at Hall Tavern)

Open Hearth Cooking Demonstration: The Victualler’s Dilemma and The Commissary’s Challenge—Feeding the Troops of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, with guest hearth cook Dennis Picard (Saturday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. at Hall Tavern)

What to Wear—all-ages program! (Saturday, Sunday, Monday, 12 - 4:30 p.m. at the Discovery Center)

All of this is included with general admission!

We're currently celebrating back-to-school with a sale on kids' books at our store! Today through September 20, all in-s...
09/04/2026

We're currently celebrating back-to-school with a sale on kids' books at our store! Today through September 20, all in-store kids' book purchases over $20 are 20% off! Be sure to check out our new reading nook while you're here!

Cordelia's Dad is holding a rare reunion show at Historic Deerfield on October 30. Tickets are $25 ($20 for members) and...
09/03/2026

Cordelia's Dad is holding a rare reunion show at Historic Deerfield on October 30. Tickets are $25 ($20 for members) and $10 for youth ages 17 and under. Space is limited, so get your tickets today! https://www.historic-deerfield.org/events/cordelias-dad-acoustic-show/
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The only band to have performed with both Doc Watson and Nirvana, Cordelia’s Dad forged an unusual career in the 1980s and 90s as a post-punk band playing traditional American folksong, especially ballads, fiddle tunes and “shapenote” music from New England and Southern Appalachia.

In this rare reunion appearance at Historic Deerfield, founding members Tim Eriksen and Peter Irvine will be joined by singer and multi-instrumentalist Linnea Sablosky in a retrospective of the band’s quieter, acoustic side, featuring fiddle, banjo, acoustic guitar and three part harmony in selections from albums that exposed a host of young artists to the power of folksong.

Their influential and critically acclaimed acoustic albums Comet (1995) and Spine (1998) were both recorded locally and live with no edits or overdubs by Mark Alan Miller and Steve Albini.

The show will take place at the Deerfield Community Center (16 Memorial Street Deerfield, MA ) on Friday, October 30, at 7 p.m.

Check out this free program, coming up in Deerfield on September 16. And for more architecture and preservation content,...
09/03/2026

Check out this free program, coming up in Deerfield on September 16. And for more architecture and preservation content, give Architecture at Deerfield a follow!

09/01/2026

A glimpse of Old Deerfield from 80 years ago...

Historic Deerfield librarian Jeanne Solensky recently unearthed a treasure in our collection: an 8-minute film documenting the moving of the “second” Ashley House on the Street. In 1869, the Ashley family, who at the time still lived in the historic house that had been occupied by the Rev. Jonathan Ashley beginning in 1734, decided to move the older house to the back of their lot and construct a new home in a “modern style.” Seventy-five years later, the family had fallen on hard times, and they were forced to sell both houses to Frank Boyden (Deerfield Academy Headmaster) and Henry Flynt (co-founder of Historic Deerfield and at the time, Chair of the board of Deerfield Academy). Boyden wanted to move the 19th-c. house to his campus for use as a dormitory, and Flynt wanted to move the original house back to its former position on the lot and restore it.

The film clip (from 1945) shows the moving of the 19th-c. house out from the Ashley lot, around the corner by Historic Deerfield’s Wright House, and down Rtes. 5 & 10 to its new location on the Academy campus. A house move was a major undertaking, and Deerfielders of all ages (including Boyden, who can be seen in several frames) turned out for the spectacle. Safety precautions—both for the spectators and for the workers such as the man high up on a rope removing tree branches—are not what we would see today! Watch for the majestic Elms that once lined the Street and for the point in the film when the scene suddenly changes from black and white to color, much like the famous moment in the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy arrives in Munchkinland. That film predates this one by only 6 years, by the way.

Maker Spotlight: Dane M. Donato, Broom Maker!With deep roots in the Connecticut River Valley, broom making is a craft th...
08/28/2026

Maker Spotlight: Dane M. Donato, Broom Maker!

With deep roots in the Connecticut River Valley, broom making is a craft that connects history, artistry, and function. Dane brings that tradition to life through his handcrafted brooms, incorporating woodworking, weaving, dyeing, knotwork, and other skills into each unique piece.

You may also know Dane as a Historic Deerfield guide and member of our Hearth Cooking team. We’re proud to feature his beautiful work in the Museum Store.

Check out Dane’s work and discover creations from other talented makers in the Museum Store.

Spend a day painting and finding inspiration at Historic Deerfield during our Plein Air Watercolor Workshop with artist ...
08/26/2026

Spend a day painting and finding inspiration at Historic Deerfield during our Plein Air Watercolor Workshop with artist Ned Reade on September 12 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Designed for beginners, the workshop will cover basic watercolor instruction and composition before heading outside to choose a spot and paint among the beautiful grounds of Historic Deerfield.

Registration is $150 per person, or $125 for members. A materials list will be provided to registrants. Recommended for ages 16 and up, advance registration is required.

Join us for a creative and inspiring day of watercolor, fresh air, and the beauty of Historic Deerfield.

Paintings by Ned Reade Artist

Join us for Roofs, Rafters, & Restoration: Preservation Updates at the Sheldon House on Wednesday, September 16 from 5:3...
08/25/2026

Join us for Roofs, Rafters, & Restoration: Preservation Updates at the Sheldon House on Wednesday, September 16 from 5:30–6:30 p.m.

This event is “on the house!” In partnership with Preservation Massachusetts, we invite you to join us for a special, free presentation about the Sheldon House and our recent preservation projects there. The program will be held outside the house and will include an introduction to the building’s history and evolution, comments on the importance of historic roofs to preservation efforts, and an overview of recent preservation projects—including a new cedar shingle roof for the entire house, as well as new rafters, shingles, and siding on the Sheldon Shed.

The Sheldon House will be open for self-guided tours between 4:30–5:30 p.m., prior to the start of the program. No museum ticket is required to attend the presentation or pre-program tour, but space is limited and (free) advance registration is required.

Register at the link below. ⬇️

General admission tickets to tour Historic Deerfield’s museum buildings (during the museum’s regular hours of 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.) can be obtained at the Visitor’s Center or the Flynt Center. Historic Deerfield is grateful for the support of Preservation Massachusetts, who provided partial funding for the Sheldon roof replacement project.

Architecture at Deerfield

Historic Deerfield members get early access to Ghosts of The Revolution (formerly called Ghost Walks) tickets! The mem...
08/24/2026

Historic Deerfield members get early access to Ghosts of The Revolution (formerly called Ghost Walks) tickets! The member presale period runs TODAY through Friday (August 24-28). Public ticket sales begin on Saturday, August 29. Want to become a member today? Learn more below. ⬇️

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Ghosts of the Revolution
Dates: October 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, 24
Time: Event starts at 6:30 p.m. Tours depart every half hour starting at 7 p.m. until 9 p.m.

Advance Tickets Required: $30/$25 members; $10 youth aged 17 and under. (Recommend for ages 12 and up.)

Have you ever wanted to talk to the ghost of a Tory tavern keeper? Or have a conversation with two friends who were on different sides during the Revolution? This October, Hall Tavern will be filled with ghosts of the Revolution, and we invite you to come and meet them—at the bar, in the parlor, and by the fire in the kitchen. Enjoy hot mulled cider, hear ghost stories, and follow your guide outside into the darkness to meet ghosts from the Stebbins and Williams families.

Short guided walks begin at 7 p.m. and depart every half hour until 9 p.m. (The program ends at 9:30 p.m.) When you register, you will choose a walk time (7, 7:30, 8, 8:30, or 9), but you’re welcome to enjoy the activities in the tavern any time before or after your walk. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

More from August Adventures, happening now! Thanks to the Highland Street Foundation for providing this day of free acce...
08/19/2026

More from August Adventures, happening now! Thanks to the Highland Street Foundation for providing this day of free access to Historic Deerfield. Come and see us; we're open until 4:30! And be sure to check out the rest of the August Adventures calendar, with free admission to 12 more cultural institutions across Massachusetts! (Link in comments.)

Address

80 Old Main Street
Deerfield, MA
01342

Opening Hours

Wednesday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Thursday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Friday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Saturday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Sunday 9:30am - 4:30pm

Telephone

(413) 775-7214

Website

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