The Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association was founded in Deerfield, Massachusetts in 1870 as the very first historical society in Western Massachusetts. It is a charming three-storied building with 19 rooms of art, culture and history, all housed in the original 1798 Deerfield Academy building, acquired by antiquarian and historian George Sheldon to house the collection of Deerfield and area memorabilia he had been assiduously amassing.
Memorial Hall Museum and its gift shop are open June 1 to October 30, Tuesday through Sunday, 11 am–4:30 pm. Admission is $6 for adults; $3 for youth and students 6-21.
There are some wonderful new exhibitions open for the season, and this museum with its beautiful gardens is a delightful and special sidebar visit to the museum houses of Historic Deerfield.
MUSIC ROOM In celebration of the 100th anniversary of Memorial Hall Museum’s 1916 wing, the Music Room has been renovated and reinstalled with three centuries of musical instruments, furniture, and artwork. Franklin County’s first piano, Hadley chests, and portraits, will be featured in this special exhibition.
CHILDREN OF DEERFIELD: PHOTOGRAPHS BY FRANCES AND MARY ALLEN Celebrated in 1901 as the “foremost women photographers in America”, Frances and Mary Allen’s photographs from 1885 to 1915 provide a unique glimpse of childhood in rural New England. This exhibition features idyllic photographs of children on the farm, at play, or in costume in old Deerfield.
RELICS AND CURIOSITIES IN MEMORIAL HALL Conch shells used for dinner horns? Wreaths made from human hair? Weapons made with sharks’ teeth? Out-of-the-ordinary curios and keepsakes are featured in an exhibition with an emphasis on intriguing narratives and “otherness.” This exhibition features rarely seen relics and curiosities gathered and preserved in Memorial Hall since 1799.
Join us at Deerfield Inn and explore this historic treasure for yourself!