Events

Local historian and author Bernard A. Drew will present a history of Franklin D. Roosevelt's Forest Army of the 1930s, a national program to provide employment, security, and training to young men during the height of the Great Depression. Drew will concentrate on Civilian Conservation Corps facilities in Great Barrington’s Beartown State Forest in and …

Join us for a day of free activities and fun celebrating local history! Architectural tours of Arrowhead’s historic buildings will be offered throughout the day and the grounds will be open for hiking. In addition, a small presentation in the barn explores the sixty-year history of BCHS including highlights from past events, exhibits, and more. …

 Join author and historian Aaron Sachs for a free book signing and discussion of his latest book Up from the Depths: Herman Melville, Lewis Mumford, and Rediscovery in Dark Times (Princeton University Press) on Wednesday, September 28 at 5:30 pm. Sachs will be joined in discussion at Arrowhead by author and former University of Albany professor …

Where can you find a personal friend of two U.S. Presidents, an attorney who invented a railroad brake, the Father of Archaeological Photography, two physicians who started a school and an eyewitness to President Lincoln’s delivery of the Gettysburg Address? Join veteran historian and guide Paul W. Marino for a walk through one of the …

The Stockbridge Cemetery has been the burial site of Stockbridge residents for over 270 years. Join historian Elizabeth Dillman as we visit the headstones of notable residents and discuss their contributions to the town, the country and the world. And, of course, we’ll visit the Sedgwick Pie! (Rain date: Sunday, October 16, 2pm) Click here for tickets - $10 members, $15 …

 Join us at Arrowhead on a crisp fall afternoon to celebrate the history of cider-making in Berkshire County.  During this walk you will learn about BCHS's new orchard and partnership with the Berkshire Cider Project. You will walk through the seedlings with orchardist Keegan Schelling and learn about the heirloom apple varieties, expected yields, and …

Join actress and Arrowhead docent Francine Ciccarelli as she portrays Herman Melville’s wife Elizabeth and leads a special virtual tour of her house sharing anecdotes about life at Arrowhead, her children, her gardens, and her work as Herman’s copyist. $10 for BCHS members; $15 for non-members.  Click here to reserve. This project is sponsored by …

We all probably remember grandmothers or aunts who had “Antimacassars” or lace crocheted covers that protected the arms of chairs and sofas from wear and tear. This lace is created by working chains and other tall stitches to create beautiful openwork patterns. During this two-day workshop you will learn about various stitches, tension, and work …

Take a virtual tour of Arrowhead, with a focus on its architecture.  Themes will include how Arrowhead looked when Herman Melville and his family lived there, the changes over its 230-year history, and how the Berkshire County Historical Society has worked to preserve the site where Melville wrote Moby-Dick and three other novels, all of …

In this second class of this two-part workshop, you will work with size 10 crochet thread and a steel size “1” crochet hook. The project will be a crocheted snowflake. We will be using some of the same stitches used in the first project in addition to learning some new ones.  Lace can be crocheted …