Past Events

Join us on Park Square for the ceremonial planting of a young elm tree on Plant a Tree Day.  The tree will be planted to honor the Berkshires’ first known environmentalist Lucretia Williams. Learn about the woman who threw herself before the woodsman’s axe to save the towering elm on Park Square in 1789. The tree planting is made possible with the help of the Pittsfield Parks Department and George and Alice Wislocki. Image: The Old Elm, mid-19th century. Collection of…

Join veteran tour guide John Dickson and Executive Director Lesley Herzberg for a FREE enlightening walk around the grounds of Arrowhead. John Dickson will provide an overview of the evolution of the architectural features of the building from the 1780s to the present. This talk is followed by Lesley Herzberg’s walk through the north field to discuss the cultural landscape where the entire Melville family participated in the cultivation of the farm and gardens in the 19th century. (Rain date:…

Please join us online as we discuss, Dayswork, a new novel written collaboratively by Chris Bachelder and Jennifer Habel. The novel is about a woman, who during the pandemic quarantine, becomes obsessed with Melville and particularly his life at Arrowhead.  The novel has been hailed as “A remarkable, unusually rewarding work” by Kirkus Reviews and “A love letter to literature” Alexander Chee email melville@berkshirehistory.org to receive the zoom link

When you think of archaeology, you might think of Egypt, Ancient Greece, or Mexico before considering Massachusetts. But here in our state we have some fascinating archaeology and some sites with memorable stories to tell. This FREE lecture takes you from Boston to the Berkshires showing sites from thousands of years ago to the  late-nineteenth century. The lecture is presented by Eric Johnson, PhD, a semi-retired lecturer from the Department of Anthropology at University of Massachusetts, Amherst. FREE This event…

Join Tyringham resident and historian John Hanson on a walking tour of significant gravestones in this historic Lenox cemetery. Hanson has been collecting epitaphs and studying early New England gravestones for years. On this tour, he will discuss the iconography of the stones, share some noteworthy verses, and discuss what they tell us about early New Englanders’ attitudes towards life and death. Meet at the Church on the Hill parking lot. $15 BCHS members, $20 nonmembers Use the BOOK NOW…

Join us at the Arrowhead barn for a theatrical performance of one of Herman Melville’s most iconic  and enigmatic short stories – “Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street.” Presented by the Amateur Comedy Club’s Special Projects Committee of New York, “Bartleby Prefers Not To’ is adapted and written by Jim Aucoin and directed by Steve Butler.  Originally produced at the Amateur Comedy Club in New York, "Bartleby Prefers Not To" is the tale of a young man who…

Join us at the Arrowhead barn for a theatrical performance of one of Herman Melville’s most iconic  and enigmatic short stories – “Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street.” Presented by the Amateur Comedy Club’s Special Projects Committee of New York, “Bartleby Prefers Not To’ is adapted and written by Jim Aucoin and directed by Steve Butler.  Originally produced at the Amateur Comedy Club in New York, "Bartleby Prefers Not To" is the tale of a young man who…

Where can you find a personal friend of two U.S. Presidents, the 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 historian Jason Vivori for a walk through one of the historic cemeteries of northern Berkshire County and learn about some of the fascinating people laid to rest there. Please wear sensible walking shoes and meet at the top of…