Historic Deerfield, Inc., is dedicated to the heritage and preservation of Deerfield, Massachusetts and the Connecticut River Valley. Historic Deerfield, Inc., which maintains more than 50 buildings in Old Deerfield, focuses on the significance of small-town America to the national culture. Founded in 1952, the museum includes 12 historic houses, which are regularly open to the public as well as the exhibition building, the Flynt Center of Early New England Life. It stewards a nationally significant collection of approximately 28,000 household artifacts both rare and common – including furniture, metalwares, textiles, needlework, ceramics, and more – many with documented histories of local ownership or manufacture. These authentic objects document the stories and founding years of our nation, and through them, visitors learn the stories of generations of real people whose beliefs, belongings, lifestyles, conflicts, economy, and technology unlock the door to the past and help us to better understand today.
The Josiah Dwight House, built around 1725, features striking architectural elements, such as window, door, and dormer pediments as well as a brightly colored facade. Once used as a rooming house, the home originally stood in Springfield, Massachusetts, but was later moved to Deerfield after the structure was threatened with demolition.
Memorial Libraries
Open Tuesday – Friday 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Museum Gift Shop & Bookstore
Open Wednesday- Monday (Closed Tuesdays) 10:30 a.m. -4:30 p.m.
The museum is closed on Thanksgiving Day.
• A free orientation film is shown throughout the day at the Visitor Center at Hall Tavern.
• Museum Houses Guided Tours start on the hour.
• Two museum houses are open all day for self-guided tours.
• The Apprentice’s Workshop at Dwight House is open for demonstrations from 12:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
Plan your visit using our village map.
Winter Hours
Historic Deerfield’s winter hours go into effect on Monday, December 24. The Flynt Center of Early New England Life will be open Saturdays and Sundays, December 29, 2018 – April 9, 2019 from 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Visitors can enjoy current exhibitions and “The Museum’s Attic” gallery. The Henry N. Flynt Library will be open Tuesday-Friday, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. The Museum Gift Shop & Bookstore is open every day except Tuesday, 10:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. The museum will reopen for the 2019 Season on Saturday, April 13, 2019.
Seasonal Winter Admission: $7 Adults, $5 Youth (ages 6-17), under 6, Deerfield/South Deerfield residents, and members free. Historic Deerfield’s museum houses are closed to the public during the winter months (January-mid-April), however pre-arranged tours-by-appointment, school tours and group tours are scheduled.
Free Summer Lecture Series: Black Experiences of the Early American North Historic Deerfield’s 2024 Summer Lecture Series–building upon the exhibit Unnamed Figures–will feature three scholars of the visual, textual, and material cultures that reveal the Black experience of the early American North. Join us in-person at the Deerfield Community Center or by Zoom. Attendance is free, but registration […]
The Dublin Seminar for New England Folklife (founded in 1976) is pleased to announce the subject of its 2024 gathering, Into the Woods: New England Forests in Fact and Imagination, to be held at Historic Deerfield June 28-29, 2024. This year’s Dublin Seminar program will address the rich and varied histories of the relationship between the […]
Fun with Flowers June 22 from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Celebrate summer and see what’s in season as you explore Historic Deerfield’s gardens and grounds. In the month of June, our Hearth Cooking theme “In Season Now” emphasizes fresh herbs and edible flowers. The gardens will be filled with flowering plants that are edible, flavorful, […]
Jubilee! A Juneteenth Concert of Early New England Music June 20 at 7 p.m. at the Deerfield Community Center An all-star ensemble of early American music performers present a concert featuring lively Abolitionist psalmody, spirituals, dance tunes, and chamber music from the repertoire of regional African American composers and band leaders. This includes the music […]
Join us for some woolly fun during Historic Deerfield’s Heritage Breed Sheep Weekend! Join us for a celebration of rare, historic and adorable heritage breed sheep, textiles, and wool-processing in New England. See heritage breeds of sheep (and lambs!) including Lincoln Longwool, Shetland, and Merino, as well as demonstrations of sheepdog herding, hand-shearing, spinning on […]
Join us for some woolly fun during Historic Deerfield’s Heritage Breed Sheep Weekend! Join us for a celebration of rare, historic and adorable heritage breed sheep, textiles, and wool-processing in New England. See heritage breeds of sheep (and lambs!) including Lincoln Longwool, Shetland, and Merino, as well as demonstrations of sheepdog herding, hand-shearing, spinning on […]
May 12 and June 9 at 10 a.m. Take a guided walk around Old Deerfield! Come for a fun morning of looking and discovering. See what’s in bloom in the Cooks’ Garden. Are there any wildflowers popping up around town? Observe the busy chipmunks and squirrels dashing around and see if you can find any […]
Monday April 15- Friday April 19, 2024 10:00am-3:00pm At the History Workshop 110 Old Main Street, Deerfield, MA Come and play at the History Workshop during April Vacation Week! We’ve got lots to do, inside and outdoors. Play Nine Men’s Morris or table-top nine pins, use your imagination to cook a pretend meal, play school […]
Free Winter Lecture Series (Virtual) Lesser Known Witches of New England is a free virtual lecture series on January 28, February 25, and March 24. Outside of the well-known witchcraft outbreak at Salem and Essex County in 1692, there were other cases that resulted in trials of people suspected of covenanting with the Devil in […]
Deerfield/Wellesley Symposium 2024: Queer New England A FREE, one-day symposium sponsored by Historic Deerfield, Inc. and the Grace Slack McNeil Program for Studies in American Art at Wellesley College, presented both virtually and in-person at the Deerfield Community Center, Deerfield, Massachusetts. This symposium will explore the textual, visual, and material cultures of queer New England […]
Free Winter Lecture Series (Virtual) Lesser Known Witches of New England is a free virtual lecture series on January 28, February 25, and March 24. Outside of the well-known witchcraft outbreak at Salem and Essex County in 1692, there were other cases that resulted in trials of people suspected of covenanting with the Devil in […]
School Vacation Week in Deerfield February 19th -24th, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Come have fun at the History Workshop! Play historical tavern and schoolyard games, make a craft, pretend to cook in a play historic kitchen, dress up, write with a quill pen, and weave on a loom. This is a drop-in program: come anytime between […]
Hands-On Open Hearth Cooking Workshop: Let’s Bake! Using a bake kettle and the beehive oven, participants will make a savory pie, a sweet cake, and a special biscuit in each session. View Event →
School Vacation Week in Deerfield February 19th -24th, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Come have fun at the History Workshop! Play historical tavern and schoolyard games, make a craft, pretend to cook in a play historic kitchen, dress up, write with a quill pen, and weave on a loom. This is a drop-in program: come anytime between […]
School Vacation Week in Deerfield February 19th -24th, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Come have fun at the History Workshop! Play historical tavern and schoolyard games, make a craft, pretend to cook in a play historic kitchen, dress up, write with a quill pen, and weave on a loom. This is a drop-in program: come anytime between […]
School Vacation Week in Deerfield February 19th -24th, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Come have fun at the History Workshop! Play historical tavern and schoolyard games, make a craft, pretend to cook in a play historic kitchen, dress up, write with a quill pen, and weave on a loom. This is a drop-in program: come anytime between […]
School Vacation Week in Deerfield February 19th -24th, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Come have fun at the History Workshop! Play historical tavern and schoolyard games, make a craft, pretend to cook in a play historic kitchen, dress up, write with a quill pen, and weave on a loom. This is a drop-in program: come anytime between […]
School Vacation Week in Deerfield February 19th -24th, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Come have fun at the History Workshop! Play historical tavern and schoolyard games, make a craft, pretend to cook in a play historic kitchen, dress up, write with a quill pen, and weave on a loom. This is a drop-in program: come anytime between […]
Hands-On Open Hearth Cooking Workshop: Let’s Bake! Using a bake kettle and the beehive oven, participants will make a savory pie, a sweet cake, and a special biscuit in each session. View Event →
Hands-On Open Hearth Cooking Workshop: Let’s Bake! Using a bake kettle and the beehive oven, participants will make a savory pie, a sweet cake, and a special biscuit in each session. View Event →
