Strange Fancies - Stories of Hauntings and Ghostly Inspiration at Arrowhead - June 26
2026-06-26 17:00 - 21:30 (America/New_York) | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Well-known ghost tour guide Robert Oakes, author of Ghosts of the Berkshires, will discuss the supernatural influences on the imagination of author Herman Melville, as well as the ghostly writings of Melville’s friend and frequent Arrowhead visitor Nathaniel Hawthorne. The talk will be followed by a lantern-lit ghost tour of Melville’s historic home.
Use the BOOK NOW button to purchase tickets $20 for BCHS members, $25 for non-members. Become a member and start receiving discounts on event tickets.
This 90-minute program is offered at 6 pm and 8 pm. Choose a time when purchasing your ticket.
About Robert Oakes
Robert Oakes is an author, teacher, storyteller, and performing songwriter. He has written three books, The Ghostly Tales of the Berkshires (2023), Ghosts of Northwestern New Jersey (2022), and Ghosts of the Berkshires (2020), all published by Arcadia Publishing. He has also released numerous recordings of original songs. Since 2010, Robert has led immersive ghost storytelling experiences at historic locations in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, including Ventfort Hall and Edith Wharton’s home, The Mount. He has appeared on Syfy’s Ghost Hunters, Jeff Belanger’s New England Legends series on PBS, and The Apple Seed show on BYUradio and has been featured in The Boston Globe, The Berkshire Eagle, and numerous other media outlets.
To enhance your experience, you may wish to read “The Piazza” by Melville and “Graves and Goblins” by Hawthorne prior to the program.
This event is sponsored by Massachusetts Cultural Council and Housatonic Heritage.

Bird Banding - July 2
2026-07-02 07:00 - 10:00 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Bird banding at Arrowhead allows visitors an up-close opportunity to see birds and watch the process of bird banding. Bird banding allows researchers the opportunity to study a wide array of wild birds in their natural habitat. Arrowhead’s woods, fields and shrubland make it an ideal site to monitor a broad range of breeding bird species. Join the Berkshire Bird Observatory researchers as they leverage the wonder of a bird in the hand to spark a curiosity about the natural world while showcasing ecological interactions that connect us all.
Free, drop in event, weather permitting
This event is sponsored by Massachusetts Cultural Council and Housatonic Heritage.

What a Glorious Crash They Made: Musick of New England’s Revolution
2026-07-08 17:30 - 18:30 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Join Richard Franklin Donohue (tenor & harpsichord) as he features a collection of “New Songs” and Hymns published in New England during the American Revolution. From the time of the Stamp Act through the British surrender at Yorktown, New England’s seditious colonists used these works to foment rebellion, commemorate victory, and give thanks for preservation.
Donohue will share his original research and explore this fiery repertoire that, in the words of John Adams, “cultivated the sensations of Freedom.” The program spans the Revolutionary War years with selections like John Dickenson’s Liberty Song, William Billings’ Chester, Thomas Paine’s Liberty Tree, and several popular British tunes with “new” texts reflecting the cause of freedom.
Use the BOOK NOW button to purchase tickets, $15 for BCHS members, $20 for non-members. Become a member and start receiving discounts on event tickets.
This event is sponsored by The Feigenbaum Foundation, Massachusetts Cultural Council, and Housatonic Heritage.

Staged Reading of Plays in Progress
2026-07-10 19:00 - 20:30 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
From July 5 – 9, Playwright, performer and great, great, great granddaughter of Herman Melville, Elizabeth Doss has been working with a group of writers to generate new works for the stage. Join with the workshop participants, their families, and friends for a staged reading of these new plays in progress. A reception will follow.
Free event
This event is sponsored by Massachusetts Cultural Council and Housatonic Heritage.

Strange Fancies - Stories of Hauntings and Ghostly Inspiration at Arrowhead - July 11
2026-07-11 18:00 - 21:30 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States

Bird Banding - July 16
2026-07-16 07:00 - 10:00 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States

Do You Need to Read the Confidence Man - July 16
2026-07-16 19:00 - 20:30 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Performer, playwright and great, great, great grand daughter of Herman Melville Elizabeth Doss returns to Arrowhead to “talk back” to The Confidence Man, the last published and completed novel by Melville in his lifetime. Set on a steamboat cruising down Mississippi, Doss jumps aboard, probing this text to grapple with her own encounters with “Confidence Men,” not to mention her own flagging confidence, and what the hell Melville is really getting at in his perhaps strangest, most provocative and perplexing text. Still early in its inception Doss asks you, “Do you need to read The Confidence Man?” This one-person performance (hopefully) offers a healthy mixture of insight, ignorance and some stabs at hilarity. Come cheer her on (or boo her off) for at Arrowhead. Directed by Kristin Osborn
Use the BOOK NOW button to purchase tickets, $20 for BCHS members $25 for non-members. Become a member and start receiving discounts on event tickets.
This event is sponsored by Massachusetts Cultural Council and Housatonic Heritage.
About Elizabeth Doss
Elizabeth Doss is a writer, performer, director and playwright based in Austin, Texas. She is a Co-artistic director of the theatre collective Paper Chairs, which has produced world premieres of her original plays Murder Ballad Murder Mystery, Hillcountry Underbelly, Mast, Poor Herman and Catalina de Erauso. Paper Chairs has also produced her translation/ adaptations of Federico Garcia Lorca’s, The Audience and The Divine Narcissus by Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz. Her play Slumber Party, was featured as part of the UTNT new theatre festival in March 2017 and Theatre En Bloc produced her play Severe Weather Warningat the Long Center in May 2019. Doss holds a BA in Spanish and an MFA in Playwriting, both from the University of Texas at Austin. She played herself and Herman Melville in Mark Blumberg’s film, The Act of Reading. And her personal essay, “What Poor Herman Means to Me” was published in Leviathan in 2022. Most recently, Paper Chairs co-produced Poor Herman at Arrowhead 2024 which played to sold-out audiences. As a performer she performs with Austin companies including Salvage Vanguard (Cry Pitch Carols, Americamisfit), Rude Mechs (Dionysus in ‘69, B Beaver Animation, Fixing TImon of Athens) Theatre en Bloc (The Totalitarians.) She’s currently developing a new solo work, Do You Need to Read the Confidence Man?, which will premiere in Austin and the Berkshire summer 2026.
About Kristen Osborn
Kristen Osborn is an Austin-based director and creative producer who creates immersive stories that nurture human connection and spark wonder, curiosity, and joy. Her work spans film, theater, magic and live performance, blending narrative, interactivity, and community engagement. Currently, Kristen collaborates with Texas film company Sailor Bear on film development and production, most recently contributing to the soon-to-be-released Mother Mary with A24. Her live work includes projects such as In & Of Itself (Daryl Roth Theatre, The Geffen Playhouse, Hulu), Dear Dickies (Mi Casa Es Tu Teatro Festival, Hyde Park Theater), Group Therapy (American Dance Festival, Fusebox Festival), and A Recipe for Action (Rainwater Innovation Grant Recipient, University of Texas at Austin). Her most recent immersive work was showcased at SXSW in collaboration with Whole Foods and Food Tank. She is an ensemble member of Rivendell Theatre Ensemble in Chicago, holds a BA in Theater from UCLA, an MFA in Directing from UT Austin, and is a graduate of the Texas Immersive Institute.

Do You Need to Read the Confidence Man - July 17
2026-07-17 19:00 - 20:30 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States

Do You Need to Read the Confidence Man - July 18
2026-07-18 19:00 - 20:30 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States

Bird Banding - July 23
2026-07-23 07:00 - 10:00 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States

The Mastheads Lantern Party
2026-07-23 19:00 - 20:30 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
From July 7-July 28, five writers across disciplines, from throughout the country, have been invited to live in Pittsfield and work in The Mastheads studios at Arrowhead. BYO picnic to Melville’s lawn for a performance by the five residents, followed by drinks, oysters, and lantern-lit studio walks.
$10 suggested donation
This event is sponsored by Massachusetts Cultural Council and Housatonic Heritage.

The Ghosts of Broadhall: Ghost Tour and Paranormal Investigation of the Country Club of Pittsfield
2026-07-25 19:00 - 23:00 | Country Club of Pittsfield, 639 South Street, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Robert Oakes, ghost tour guide and author of Ghosts of the Berkshires, will team up with paranormal investigator Drew Babineau, The Haunted Raven, to offer a combined ghost tour and paranormal investigation of the Country Club of Pittsfield.
This will be the second combined ghost tour and paranormal investigation at the Club. The first one in April yielded some very intriguing experiences and evidence, including a compelling image captured in one of the second-floor rooms. We’re excited to see what the next one brings!
At the start of the evening, Robert will lead a walk by flashlight through this historic property, sharing accounts of spirit sightings and other strange encounters reported by those who work there. Then, Drew will guide guests through an active paranormal investigation, using devices and methods meant to make contact with the spirits and document their presence. At the close of the evening, guests will gather to share stories of their experiences and discuss any findings. Refreshments will be served and are included in the $60 ticket price.
Use the BOOK NOW button to purchase tickets.
About Broadhall
Once known as Broadhall, the Country Club of Pittsfield’s clubhouse is one of the oldest properties in town with a long and storied past. During the nineteenth century, it was the home of writer Sarah Morewood, friend to Herman Melville. When the Moby-Dick author lived just next door at Arrowhead, he often stopped by to visit Morewood, and some say he may still be calling. Indeed, both Melville’s ghost and that of Mrs. Morewood are said to haunt the house, as well as others yet unidentified. Many have visited the property throughout its long history, including Alexander Hamilton, President John Tyler, famous literati, and formerly enslaved people. And many have died there, including Mrs. Morewood, as well as 17 victims of a 1910 ice house explosion, described as the worst disaster in Pittsfield history.
About the Presenters
Robert Oakes writes books about ghosts and leads tours in haunted places. He has written three books, The Ghostly Tales of the Berkshires (2023), Ghosts of Northwestern New Jersey (2022), and Ghosts of the Berkshires (2020). Since 2010, Robert has led immersive ghost storytelling experiences at historic locations in the Berkshires, including Ventfort Hall, Edith Wharton’s The Mount, and Herman Melville’s Arrowhead. Robert encourages guests to step into the unknown, to follow imagination and intuition, and to open up to the many mysteries in our world.
Drew Babineau, owner of The Haunted Raven, is a photographer and paranormal investigator who hosts ghost hunts in some of the most haunted places in the country. He teaches real investigative techniques and strives to give a voice to forgotten spirits. Fascinated by haunted locations and the stories of the departed that reside in them, Drew aims to bring a profound sense of respect and curiosity to these eerie places. By capturing their essence and narrating their histories, he strives to give the spirits the recognition they deserve.
Explore this unfolding mystery, and discover for yourself whether Melville or Morewood—or others unknown—are haunting Broadhall.
Please note: There will be several floors of stairs to climb in dim lighting. Also, this event is not intended for children under 12. Please arrive 10-15 minutes early to check in.
This event is sponsored by Massachusetts Cultural Council and Housatonic Heritage.

Bird Banding - July 30
2026-07-30 07:00 - 10:00 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States

Alex Harvey and Shinbone Alley
2026-08-01 19:00 - 20:00 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Celebrate Herman Melville’s birthday with a rousing evening of sea shanties and street blades performed bu Arrowhead favorite Alex Harvey and Shinbone Alley. You’ll be encouraged to sing along and we’ll celebrate with birthday cake.
Alex Harvey is an old-world folklorist who performs street ballads and songs of the sea in a project he calls Shinbone Alley. At his performances listeners learn to celebrate the haunting intercultural exchange of 18th and 19th century maritime music – whose ingredients travelled from the furthest corners of the globe to be remade and stitched anew by sailors of every shade and shape at port and at sea. By encouraging the audience to join in on most of the tunes in his concerts, Harvey and his Shinbone Alley build bridges of time through communal singing. From Sea Shanties to Broadsheet ballads to Come-All-Ye’s to Last Good Nights to Hard Luck Satires to Lovesick Dirges to Whaling Serenades – this music was meant as the earliest form of group therapy. And so it is again – a sepia-toned balm for our topsy-turvy time.
Use the BOOK NOW button to purchase tickets, $15 for BCHS members, $20 for non-members. Become a member and start receiving discounts on event tickets.
This event is sponsored by Massachusetts Cultural Council and Housatonic Heritage.

Monument Mountain Hike
2026-08-02 09:00 - 11:30 | Monument Mountain, Rte 7, Great Barrington, MA, United States
Celebrate the day (August 4, 1850) Melville met Nathaniel Hawthorne on a hike up Monument Mountain by joining BCHS for a similar hike and reading of local poet William Cullen Bryant’s Monument Mountain. The guided hike takes approximately 2 ½ hours and is appropriate for families.
Hikers should meet at the Monument Mountain Reservation Parking lot on Route 7 in Great Barrington and should be prepared with their own water, proper footwear, hiking gear and bug repellent. Parking is free for members of The Trustees of Reservations.
FREE event
This event is sponsored by Massachusetts Cultural Council and Housatonic Heritage.

Marking the Knox Trail
2026-08-05 17:30 - 18:30 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
BCHS welcomes historian Ben Haley to discuss the fascinating, but not well-known story of the creation of the Knox Trail.
The six-week endeavor by twenty-five year-old Henry Knox to haul artillery from Ticonderoga to Cambridge early in the Revolution is now a fairly well-known story, but was obscure until the early 20th century. In April 1925, the Massachusetts Legislature established a three-person commission to find and mark Knox’s route. By the end of the year, the commission determined that they had identified the route, and over the following two years undertook the process of commissioning commemorative granite markers and having them installed in twenty-six Massachusetts cities and towns from the New York line to Boston.
The 1920s marker project generated the interest in Knox’s expedition that remains to this day. However, what remains unknown to many is that the markers are not necessarily along the route Knox took, nor were they intended to be. Despite a dedicated effort to find Knox’s route, what the Knox Commission wanted to mark was not that, but rather what their chairman described in a letter as “a new Knox Trail” catering to automobiles. This story—of why the markers were erected where they were—remains essentially unknown. The story, able to be told via the correspondence surviving at the Massachusetts State Library, has been ignored even while interest in finding the “real” Knox Trail has accelerated since the 1960s as a result of the 1920s marker project.
About Ben Haley
Ben Haley is a historian and Director of the National Register program for the Massachusetts Historical Commission. He serves on the board of trustees of the Porter-Phelps-Huntington Museum in Hadley and teaches a course on historic preservation at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. An essay preliminarily titled “Commemorating Henry Knox and the ‘Noble Train of Artillery’ in the Automobile Age” will be published in the Annual Proceedings of the Dublin Seminar.
Use the BOOK NOW button to purchase tickets, $10 for BCHS members, $15 for non-members . Become a member and start receiving discounts on event tickets.
This event is sponsored by The Feigenbaum Foundation, Massachusetts Cultural Council, and Housatonic Heritage.

Strange Fancies - Stories of Hauntings and Ghostly Inspiration at Arrowhead - August 15
2026-08-15 19:00 - 21:00 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States

Hands-on Papermaking Demonstrations - August 16
2026-08-16 12:00 - 15:00 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Join our friends from Crane Museum of Papermaking for free papermaking demonstrations, hands on papermaking and a Crane paper sale.
Don’t miss the lecture Crane Paper, A Legacy in Every Sheet on August 19.
FREE EVENT
This event is sponsored by Massachusetts Cultural Council and Housatonic Heritage.

Hands-On Papermaking Demonstrations - August 17
2026-08-17 12:00 - 15:00 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States

Crane Paper, A Legacy in Every Sheet
2026-08-19 17:30 - 18:30 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
$5, Silver Certificate, series 1899, on Crane paper.
This talk Highlights the rich history of Crane papermaking in the Berkshires and beyond, from its origins in rag-based handmade paper production to modern machine manufacturing. Dennis Croughwell, a fourth generation Crane employee and Crane Museum of Papermaking Museum Educator, will share stories of papermaking from Crane paper connections to the American Revolution to the hidden features in modern currency paper, including Crane’s role in producing secure paper for United States currency.
To accompany the talk, The Crane Museum of Papermaking will offer free papermaking demonstrations, hands on paper making and a Crane paper sale from 12:00 – 3:00 pm Sunday, August 16, Monday August 17, Thursday August 20 and Friday, August 21.
Use the BOOK NOW button to purchase tickets, $10 for BCHS members, $15 for non-members. Become a member and start receiving discounts on event tickets.
This event is sponsored by Massachusetts Cultural Council and Housatonic Heritage.

Hands-On Papermaking Demonstrations - August 20
2026-08-20 12:00 - 15:00 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Join our friends from Crane Museum of Papermaking for free papermaking demonstrations, hands on papermaking and a Crane paper sale.
FREE EVENT
This event is sponsored by Massachusetts Cultural Council and Housatonic Heritage.

Hands-on Papermaking Demonstrations - August 21
2026-08-21 12:00 - 15:00 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
