Berkshire County Historical Society

The Noble Train Arrives
2025-09-27 12:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
The “noble train of artillery,” also known as the Knox Expedition, was an expedition led by Continental Army Colonel Henry Knox to transport sixty tons of heavy weaponry that had been captured at Fort Ticonderoga to the Continental Army camps outside Boston—a journey of 300 miles—during the winter of 1775–76.
To commemorate the 250th anniversary of this monumental journey, which passed through Berkshire county, BCHS welcomes costumed living-history interpreters from Fort Ticonderoga to Arrowhead. Learn about the expedition and how oxen were used to pull the cannons. Hear from interpreters portraying frontier traders, oxen drivers, timber men, carpenters, blacksmiths, and merchants what it was like to be part of this historic event.
FREE event
This event is supported by The Feigenbaum Foundation, Greylock Federal Credit Union, and Housatonic Heritage.

A Whale Ship was My Yale College and My Harvard: Herman Melville's Whaling Years
2025-10-08 17:30 - 19:00 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
In late December 1840, adrift in his personal life, 21-year-old Herman Melville arrived in New Bedford, Massachusetts, preparing to embark on a South Seas whaling voyage. His diverse experiences and adventures in the course of the ensuing nearly four years would profoundly shape him and his writings. During this time, young Melville toiled as a foremast hand in the uniquely demanding and colorful social world of a whaleship on three different vessels and also served for more than a year as a seaman aboard a United States Navy frigate. His odyssey took him to far-flung South American ports, the Galapagos Islands, Tahiti, and the Sandwich Islands. He lived among the indigenous people in the Marquesas Islands and also witnessed the early impacts of colonialism and Christian missionary work in the Pacific world.
This talk by Arrowhead docent and researcher Peter Hacunda will explore Melville’s life during the early 1840s, consider how it shaped him and why a whaleship truly was Melville’s “Yale College and [his] Harvard.”
Use the BOOK NOW button to purchase tickets: $15 BCHS Members, $20 non-members.
About Peter Hacunda
After a decades-long international business career, twenty years ago Peter Hacunda began following his passion for public history becoming a docent with the Alcatraz Night Tour program. Upon returning East, he led tours at Newport’s Gilded Age mansions and served as “mate” on a duck boat in Providence. For fifteen years he volunteered at New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park where he led walking tours, including “In Ishmael’s Footsteps: Herman Melville’s New Bedford.” Peter is an alumnus of Mystic Seaport’s Munson Institute for American Maritime Studies and holds a Masters Degree in History from Providence College. In recent years, as a panelist at the American History Association Conference, he explored maritime perspectives on the California Gold Rush (2020) as well as how nineteenth-century British aristocrats helped preserve America’s historical and cultural legacies (2023). For the past two seasons as an Arrowhead docent, Peter delights in connecting visitors with matters

Artist Talk and Exhibit Opening - Francesca Olsen
2025-10-10 17:30 - 19:00 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
To celebrate the opening of What Quilts Reflect Back to Us, Francesca Olsen’s showcase of quilts from the BCHS collection as well as her own creations, BCHS hosts a “show and tell” event and artist talk. Olsen will talk about the BCHS collection, her own quilting, and her residency experience at Arrowhead. Quilters are invited to bring and share their work in five-minute bursts; pre-registration is required for this portion of the talk. Click here for more information or to register.
FREE EVENT

Fall Fest at Arrowhead
2025-10-11 10:00 - 16:00 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Berkshire Museum and the Berkshire County Historical Society are proud to present “Fall Fest”, a FREE all-ages event at Herman Melville’s Arrowhead in Pittsfield, Massachusetts! This event will celebrate the season with a variety of crafts, games, and hands-on activities for children and adults to enjoy, as well as offering guests the opportunity to unwind and enjoy the fall colors on the scenic grounds at Arrowhead.
Participating Organizations:
Baseball in the Berkshires
Berkshire Athenaeum
Berkshire Museum
Berkshire Be-Witches
The Bidwell House Museum
Berkshire Cider Project will be on site to offer an all-ages cider pressing activity and samples of their local hard ciders for guests 21 years of age and over.
Stroll along the fields at Arrowhead to explore The Mastheads five sculptural-architectural studios, each inspired by a writer who lived or worked in the Berkshires.
Scheduled Activities
10:00 am – 4:00 pm: Free hayrides provided by Four Seasons Stables
12:00 – 2:00 pm: Face Painting by BTC Entertainment
2:00 – 4:00 pm: BTC Entertainment presents Magic Show and Balloon Twisting by Kapt. Kraw
Lawn games provided by Berkshire Museum and the Berkshire County Historical Society.
Tours of Arrowhead, Herman Melville’s historic home, are available by ticket. Purchase your ticket by using the BOOK NOW button.

Author to Author: Laurie Gwen Shapiro in Conversation with Debby Applegate
2025-10-15 17:30 - 19:00 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
The art of documenting an event or person’s life, whether in film or in print, is the subject of this conversation between author Debby Applegate and author/filmmaker Laurie Gwen Shapiro.
Laurie Gwen Shapiro is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and journalist whose writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, New York, The Daily Beast, Slate, and others. Shapiro is the 2021 winner of the Damn History Award for “The Improbable Journey of Dorothy Parker’s Ashes” for The New Yorker and gold medallion winner in the People Profiles category for the Silurian Press Club’s 77th annual Excellence in Journalism Awards. She is the author of The Stowaway a best seller and an Indie next selection. She is an adjunct professor of journalism at The NYU Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute in the graduate program. She is author of The Aviator and the Showman: Amelia Earhart, George Putnam, and the Marriage that Made an American Icon.
Debby Applegate’s first book, The Most Famous Man in America: The Biography of Henry Ward Beecher, her riveting account of the famous 19th-century preacher, abolitionist and Berkshire resident, won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Biography. Her second book, Madam: The Biography of Polly Adler, Icon of the Jazz Age, was a New York Times Editors’ Choice for Best Books of 2021, and won an Earphones Award for best audiobooks of 2021.
Use the BOOK NOW button to purchase tickets; $15 BCHS members, $20 non-members.

Grandmother’s Wedding Dress
2025-10-22 17:30 - 19:00 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
A small late-nineteenth century scrapbook filled with fabric swatches reveals a story of fabrics and fashion in nineteenth-century Vermont, as told by three generations of an ordinary family. This talk by historian Lorraine German uses the swatches and clothing information found in the scrapbook to tell the history of textiles in New England and the fashions of the period.
Use the BOOK NOW button to purchase tickets; $15 for BCHS members, $20 non members
Lorraine German and her late husband Steve established Mad River Antiques, LLC in 2001, with a concentration on 18th, 19th, and 20th century Americana and decorative arts. She has been a guest speaker at antiques shows, museums, and antiques organizations, where she has covered a variety of topics, including stoneware, redware, quilts, Christmas ornaments, and Santa Claus. Lorraine is also the author of Soil and Shul in the Berkshires: The Untold Story of Sandisfield’s Jewish Farm Colony, published in 2018.

Strange Fancies: The Ghosts of Broadhall
2025-10-24 07:00 - 21:00 | Country Club of Pittsfield, 639 South Street, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
SOLD OUT – A second date has been added — October 25.
This summer, BCHS presented Strange Fancies, an exploration of Pittsfield ghost lore, the supernatural influences on Herman Melville’s imagination, and the ghostly experiences reported at the Moby-Dick author’s former home led by Robert Oakes.
The tale continues this fall at the Country Club of Pittsfield. Once known as Broadhall, this building was the home of Melville’s friend, fellow writer Sarah Morewood, whom Melville often visited while he lived at Arrowhead.
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 seventeen victims of a 1910 ice house explosion, described as the worst disaster in Pittsfield history.
Join Robert Oakes, author of Ghosts of the Berkshires and ghost tour guide at Ventfort Hall and The Mount, as he leads you through this historic Pittsfield property, sharing accounts of sightings and other strange encounters reported by those who work there. Explore this unfolding mystery, and discover for yourself whether Melville or Morewood—or others unknown—are haunting the house next door to Arrowhead.
Please note: This tour involves climbing two flights of stairs.
Tickets will be available October 1 by using the BOOK NOW button; $25 for BCHS members, $30 for non-members.

Strange Fancies: The Ghosts of Broadhall - October 25
2025-10-25 19:00 - 21:00 | Country Club of Pittsfield, 639 South Street, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
SOLD OUT – USE THE BOOK NOW BUTTON TO PURCHASE TICKETS FOR NOVEMBER 7
This summer, BCHS presented Strange Fancies, an exploration of Pittsfield ghost lore, the supernatural influences on Herman Melville’s imagination, and the ghostly experiences reported at the Moby-Dick author’s former home led by Robert Oakes.
The tale continues this fall at the Country Club of Pittsfield. Once known as Broadhall, this building was the home of Melville’s friend, fellow writer Sarah Morewood, whom Melville often visited while he lived at Arrowhead.
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 seventeen victims of a 1910 ice house explosion, described as the worst disaster in Pittsfield history.
Join Robert Oakes, author of Ghosts of the Berkshires and ghost tour guide at Ventfort Hall and The Mount, as he leads you through this historic Pittsfield property, sharing accounts of sightings and other strange encounters reported by those who work there. Explore this unfolding mystery, and discover for yourself whether Melville or Morewood—or others unknown—are haunting the house next door to Arrowhead.
Please note: This tour involves climbing two flights of stairs.
Tickets will be available October 1 by using the BOOK NOW button; $25 for BCHS members, $30 for non-members.

Strange Fancies: The Ghosts of Broadtail, November 7
2025-11-07 19:00 - 21:00 | Country Club of Pittsfield, 639 South Street, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
This summer, BCHS presented Strange Fancies, an exploration of Pittsfield ghost lore, the supernatural influences on Herman Melville’s imagination, and the ghostly experiences reported at the Moby-Dick author’s former home led by Robert Oakes.
The tale continues this fall at the Country Club of Pittsfield. Once known as Broadhall, this building was the home of Melville’s friend, fellow writer Sarah Morewood, whom Melville often visited while he lived at Arrowhead.
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 seventeen victims of a 1910 ice house explosion, described as the worst disaster in Pittsfield history.
Join Robert Oakes, author of Ghosts of the Berkshires and ghost tour guide at Ventfort Hall and The Mount, as he leads you through this historic Pittsfield property, sharing accounts of sightings and other strange encounters reported by those who work there. Explore this unfolding mystery, and discover for yourself whether Melville or Morewood—or others unknown—are haunting the house next door to Arrowhead.
Please note: This tour involves climbing two flights of stairs.
Tickets will be available October 1 by using the BOOK NOW button; $25 for BCHS members, $30 for non-members.

Tantalizing Talks, Tea and Toddies - Simon Winchester
2025-11-09 14:00 - 15:00 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
The Berkshire County Historical Society welcomes you to a special series of fund-raising readings featuring four authors with strong ties to the Berkshires. The readings take place in Herman Melville’s historic study where he wrote Moby-Dick inspired by his view of Mount Greylock. Following the readings, guests can interact with the authors while enjoying tea, hot toddies, and a selection of sweets. In-person seating for this cozy afternoon is limited; all proceeds benefit BCHS restoration, education, and preservation programs.
November 9 – Simon Winchester is the New York Times best-selling author of The Professor and the Madman. His recent titles include The Perfectionists and Land. Winchester was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to journalism and literature. He lives in Massachusetts and New York City.

Tickets are $75 and can be purchased by using the BOOK NOW button. Tickets for a live, on-line presentation of the readings are also available for $35.
Other events in this series:
November 23 – Debby Applegate
December 7 – Michelle Young
December 14 – Kevin O’Hara

The Sea Beast
2025-11-12 19:00 - 21:00 | Beacon Cinema, 57 North Street, Pittsfield, 01201, United States
This special presentation of the first screen adaptation of Herman Melville’s epic novel Moby-Dick includes an introduction by Professor Richard Matturro. The iconic 1926 silent film stars John Barrymore and Dolores Costello and was directed by Millard Webb. The film, despite taking liberties with Melville’s source material, was a major commercial success and one of the highest grossing films of 1926. This is a rare opportunity to see this film on the big screen at the Beacon Cinema in downtown Pittsfield.
Use the BOOK NOW button to purchase tickets; $20 for BCHS members, $25 for non-members.

Tantalizing Talks, Tea and Toddies - Debby Applegate
2025-11-23 14:00 - 15:00 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
The Berkshire County Historical Society welcomes you to a special series of fund-raising readings featuring four authors with strong ties to the Berkshires. The readings take place in Herman Melville’s historic study where he wrote Moby-Dick inspired by his view of Mount Greylock. Following the readings, guests can interact with the authors while enjoying tea, hot toddies, and a selection of sweets. In-person seating for this cozy afternoon is limited; all proceeds benefit BCHS restoration, education, and preservation programs.
November 23 – Debby Applegate is an American historian and biographer. She is the author of Madam: The Biography of Polly Adler, Icon of the Jazz Age and The Most Famous Man in America: The Biography of Henry Ward Beecher, for which she won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography.

Tickets are $75 and can be purchased by using the BOOK NOW button. Tickets for a live, on-line presentation of the readings are also available for $35.
Other events in this series:
November 9 – Simon Winchester
December 7 – Michelle Young
December 14 – Kevin O’Hara

SOLD OUT - Tantalizing Talks, Tea and Toddies - Michelle Young
2025-12-07 14:00 - 15:00 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
The Berkshire County Historical Society welcomes you to a special series of fund-raising readings featuring four authors with strong ties to the Berkshires. The readings take place in Herman Melville’s historic study where he wrote Moby-Dick inspired by his view of Mount Greylock. Following the readings, guests can interact with the authors while enjoying tea, hot toddies, and a selection of sweets. In-person seating for this cozy afternoon is limited; all proceeds benefit BCHS restoration, education, and preservation programs.
December 7 – Michelle Young is an award-winning author, professor, and journalist. She is the author of the narrative non-fiction book The Art Spy: The Extraordinary Untold Tale of WWII Resistance Hero Rose Valland (HarperOne), which is longlisted for the 2025 American Library in Paris Book Award.

Other events in this series:
November 9 – Simon Winchester
November 23 – Debby Applegate
December 14 – Kevin O’Hara

The Noble Train of Artillery Returns to the Berkshires
2026-01-10 | Various locations
Between December 1775 and March 1776, Henry Knox was ordered by General George Washington to do the unthinkable—transport artillery that had been captured at Fort Ticonderoga and Fort George in New York to the Continental Army in the outskirts of Boston in order to drive the occupying British forces out of the important port city. In the middle of winter, Knox found a way to drag fifty-nine cannons 300 miles, crossing Lake Champlain by boat and using teams of horses to pull sledges over the mountains of the Berkshires. Called the “Noble Train of Artillery,” this heroic trek was pivotal in securing one of the early victories in America’s war for independence. On January 10, 2026, the Berkshires will celebrate the 250th anniversary of Knox crossing into Massachusetts with a series of events in Alford and Great Barrington.
January 10 – The Noble Train of Artillery Returns to the Berkshires

10 am – State Line Crossing Ceremony Meet the horse-drawn sledges coming from New York and crossing into Massachusetts at the state line in Alford. This short ceremony will include a wreath laying by the Daughters of the American Revolution, remarks from both New York and Massachusetts representatives and ceremonial volleys of cannons and muskets as the horses from New York are unhitched and Massachusetts team are hitched as a new party of re-enactors takes over as the train heads into the Berkshires.
FREE, Knox Trail historic marker, Route 71 at the New York/Massachusetts border in Alford
Following the ceremony, the contingent will travel to Great Barrington Town Hall for brief remarks prior to the beginning of a 2 pm event at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center.
2 pm – Revolution 250 in partnership with Berkshires250 and MA250 present Henry Knox’s Noble Train of Artillery CommemorationJoin us at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center for an afternoon celebrating the men and Berkshire townspeople whose perseverance helped secure the Continental Army’s first great strategic victory. The towns through which the Noble Train of Artillery passed—Alford, North Egremont, Great Barrington, Monterey, and Otis—will be recognized, and a short video about the Knox Trail created by the Otis Historical Society will be shown. Light refreshments will follow.
FREE (reservations required), Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, Great Barrington

These events are supported by

And organized by

Snowshoe at Arrowhead
2026-02-22 11:00 - 12:00 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Close out Pittsfield’s 10 x10 Upstreet Arts Festival with a free family-friendly snowshoe hike around the grounds of Herman Melville’s historic house and farm, Arrowhead. This easy walk includes an introduction to the site and brief history of Herman Melville’s life there as well as a scavenger hunt. Learn about Melville’s sleigh rides and decide for yourself if Mt. Greylock really looks like a white whale. Following the hike, which will be lead by Berkshire Natural Resources Council, visit the museum shop for free hot chocolate.
Please bring water, wear sturdy footwear, and wear layers. Consider bringing snowshoes or microspikes, if you have them. BNRC has pairs of both to loan if needed.
Difficulty: Trail is just under a mile with little elevation gain.
FREE

Melville in Scotland: From the Pacific to Glasgow, to Fife and Beyond
2026-03-01 13:00 - 14:00 | Virtual Event
Herman Melville is one of the greatest writers in world literature and his own quest to understand more of his Scottish ancestry has been noted but rarely explored to any depth. The Scottish recognition of Melville’s ancestry was established by Hugh MacDiarmid in the 1920s and extends into present-day scholarship and evolving understanding of his significance as a world-traveler, ecological thinker and original initiator of geographical poetics.
For this presentation, Alan Riach, Professor of Scottish Literature at Glasgow University, draws on his reading of Melville’s original works and biography, as well as his own experiences studying and teaching Melville in New Zealand, his personal relationships with Glasgow and Fife, and his visit to Arrowhead. This accessible, illustrated talk is presented via Zoom and brings a new engagement with Melville’s life and work into vivid focus.
FREE, email melville@berkshirehistory.org to receive the zoom link
About Alan Riach
Alan Riach, Professor of Scottish Literature at the University of Glasgow, is a poet, critic, and one of the leading interpreters of Scotland’s cultural imagination. Born in Airdrie in 1957, he studied at Cambridge and Glasgow before spending over a decade in New Zealand, returning to take up his chair in Scottish literature. His publications span both poetry — This Folding Map, An Open Return, First & Last Songs, Clearances, Homecoming, The Winter Book, and The MacDiarmid Memorandum — and criticism, most notably as General Editor of the Carcanet Collected Works of Hugh MacDiarmid and author of Hugh MacDiarmid’s Epic Poetry and Representing Scotland in Literature, Popular Culture and Iconography. His work continually explores the intersections of literature with art, music, and national identity. Co-authored with Alexander Moffat, Arts of Resistance: Poets, Portraits and Landscapes of Modern Scotland (Luath, 2008), was described in the Times Literary Supplement as ‘a landmark book’ and Riach’s 734-page Scottish Literature: An Introduction (Luath, 2022) was described in The Times as ‘magisterial.’ Beyond his own writing, Riach has been a cultural leader: former Convener of the Saltire Society, he also served as President of the Association for Scottish Literary Studies (2006-2010) and remains active in literary and educational trusts. He has contributed widely to newspapers, debates, and public discussions, championing the role of the arts in shaping Scotland’s sense of self. Combining scholarship with a poet’s sensibility, and rooted in both family and community, Riach embodies the conviction that literature is a living conversation between people, place, and history.

Film: The Sea Beast
2026-03-04 19:00 - 21:00 | Beacon Cinema, 57 North Street, Pittsfield, 01201, United States
This special presentation of the first screen adaptation of Herman Melville’s epic novel Moby-Dick includes an introduction by Professor Richard Matturro. The iconic 1926 silent film stars John Barrymore and Dolores Costello and was directed by Millard Webb. The film, despite taking liberties with Melville’s source material, was a major commercial success and one of the highest grossing films of 1926. This is a rare opportunity to see this film on the big screen at the Beacon Cinema in downtown Pittsfield.
Visit https://berkshirehistory.org/events/ and click BOOK NOW to purchase tickets; $20 for BCHS members, $25 for non-members.

Poor in the Berkshires: Poverty and Public Relief Before 1935
2026-03-26 17:30 - 18:30 | Berkshire Community College, West Street, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
The Pittsfield Town Farm, or Poor Farm, now the site of Berkshire Community College.
In this lecture presented by the Berkshire County Historical Society and The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Cynthia Farr Brown examines questions related to related to poverty and public relief in the Berkshires before 1935. What happened two centuries ago when people had no food, no housing, or no fuel? Where did people go for support? How did they understand poverty? What did law and custom prescribe? What changed over time – and how quickly or slowly? This talk will examine being poor in the Berkshires, from the mid-18th century when Europeans settled in the region, until the depths of the Great Depression. Using primary records, newspaper accounts, and more, we can learn about who was among the poor and how communities both supported and at times chose not to support those in need.
This lecture takes place in the Susan B Anthony Center, room G-12 Berkshire Community College and will be available online. Register for this event here. $10
About Cynthia Farr Brown
Brown is President of the Board of Directors of the Berkshire County Historical Society at Arrowhead. She also serves on the board of the Non-Profit Center of the Berkshires and on the executive committee of Berkshire Educational Resources K12 (BERK12). Brown has a doctorate in United States history and her scholarly publications have included co-editing the institutional history, “Lesley University: Celebrating Excellence 1909-2009”; as well as other publications. She is currently Senior Associate Commissioner for Regulatory and Veterans Affairs at the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education.
About OLLI
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Berkshire Community College in western Massachusetts is a dynamic learning community with over 1,500 members that offers 200+ programs a year, including five terms of courses, lectures, special events and trips, shared interest groups, and more! Our programs meet both online, and in-person.

Ghosts of Broadhall
2026-04-17 19:00 - 22:00 | Country Club of Pittsfield, 639 South Street, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
SOLD OUT

Robert Oakes, ghost tour guide and author of Ghosts of the Berkshires, will team up with paranormal investigator Drew Babineau, owner of The Haunted Raven, to offer a combined ghost tour and paranormal investigation of the Country Club of Pittsfield
At the start of the evening, Oakes 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. Babineau will then 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 in the Club’s barroom to share stories of their experiences and discuss any findings. Drinks will be available for purchase.
Once known as Broadhall, the Country Club of Pittsfield’s clubhouse is one of the oldest properties in Pittsfield 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 Mrs. Morewood, and some say he may still be calling. Indeed, both Melville’s ghost and that of Mrs. Morewood, as well as others yet unidentified, are said to haunt the house. 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 seventeen victims of a 1910 ice house explosion, described as the worst disaster in Pittsfield history.
Please be advised that there will be several levels of stairs to climb in dim lighting. Also, this event is not intended for children under 12 years old.
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. He 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, Babineau 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.

Arrowhead Opening Day
2026-05-16 11:00 - 16:00 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes, Pittsfield, MA, United States
Celebrate Arrowhead’s summer opening with free fun for the whole family. Activities include free wagon rides, story hour featuring children’s books based on classic Melville tales, silk screening demonstrations with Penny Arcade Press, and a book launch and signing for Herman Melville in the Berkshires by John Dickson, historian and BCHS volunteer.
FREE EVENT – tours of the historic house are available. Tickets are required, reserve your time by using the BOOK NOW button.
Horse-Drawn Wagon Rides, 11 am – 2 pm – A team from Four Seasons Stables in Lanesboro takes you around Arrowhead’s field.
Silk Screening, 1 – 3 pm – Pittsfield’s Penny Arcarde Press will be on site demonstrating silkscreen printing with water-based ink. Prints made using this traditional, hand-pulled method will be available for purchase in the museum shop.
Children’s Story Hour, 2 pm – Explore new children’s books based on works by Herman Melville – Call Me Moby by Lars Kenseth and Bartleby by Matt Phelan.
Herman Melville in the Berkshires with author John Dickson, 4 pm –The Berkshires have long attracted artists and writers, drawn to the mountains, rivers, forests, and lakes of Western Massachusetts. Herman Melville first came here as a young boy and was so inspired by the surroundings that he returned to live here for thirteen years during one of the most productive writing periods of his life. He finished his masterpiece, Moby-Dick, in his first year here, seated in his study with a view of Mount Greylock. “His first love,” is the way his cousin described his relationship to his adopted home. He wandered on foot and horseback to all corners of the county, tapping into the Berkshires in his art. The places he explored are sprinkled through the pages in his stories. Herman Melville in the Berkshires reveals the connections between Melville’s writing and the beauty of the landscape that inspired him. Sponsored by Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI).
About John Dickson
John Dickson serves as Chair of the Pittsfield Historical Commission and is a board member of the Berkshire County Historical Society. He has authored a local history book, Berkshire County’s Industrial Heritage, on the 19th century mills in this corner of Massachusetts. He received a master’s degree in public history having completed a thesis on the Berkshire Athenaeum.
This event is sponsored by Massachusetts Cultural Council and Housatonic Heritage.

Author Talk – Gail Gelburd
2026-05-20 17:30 - 18:30 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
The Berkshire County Historical Society welcomes Gail Gelburd to Arrowhead for a talk about her new book, The Liberation of Sue Moody: Slaying Dragons. Based on the journals and letters of former Otis resident Sue Moody, the book is a gripping chronicle of a woman from the Berkshires who, as a journalist in 1939 Paris, endured war, hunger, and constant threats to her safety, yet refused to lose her voice or her sense of identity. Gelburd, a member of the Otis Historical Commission, scoured through boxes of Moody’s papers researching her novel resulting in an authentic telling of lived moments written with the weight of fear, exhaustion, and determination.
Gail Gelburd has a PhD and is an artist and author having written more than a dozen books, mostly about artists . It is their personal story that has inspired her in each of her manuscripts. She has also been a professor and museum director.
Use the BOOK NOW button to purchase tickets, $5 for BCHS members, $10 for non-members. Become a member and start receiving discounts on event tickets.
This event is sponsored by Massachusetts Cultural Council and Housatonic Heritage.

Author Talk - Barbara Viniar
2026-05-27 17:30 - 18:30 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Barbara Viniar, author of Little Bird, will discuss her unexpected path to writing historical fiction, inspired by an old photograph of her grandmother. She will talk about combining research and imagination to create the compelling story of a young immigrant who defies societal expectations to lead a fulfilling life.
Use the BOOK NOW button to purchase tickets, $5 for BCHS members, $10 for non-members. Become a member and start receiving discounts on event tickets.
This event is sponsored by Massachusetts Cultural Council and Housatonic Heritage.

Strange Fancies - Stories of Hauntings and Ghostly Inspiration at Arrowhead, Home of Herman Melville - May 29
2026-05-29 18:00 - 21:30 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
EVENT CANCELLED

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.

Author Talk - Julie Dobrow
2026-06-03 17:30 - 18:30 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Author, biographer and Tufts University professor Julie Dobrow’s new book, Love and Loss After Wounded Knee: A Biography of an Extraordinary Interracial Marriage, tells the complicated story of the lives and marriage of Elaine Goodale and Dr. Charles Alexander Eastman. In this talk, Dubrow will discuss her book and the fascinating way in which she first discovered this story.
Like many star-crossed lovers, it was amazing that Elaine Goodale and, Dr. Charles Alexander Eastman (Ohíye S’a), ever met in the first place. She was a white woman from Mount Washington, Massachusetts, who earned early fame as a childhood poet and was frequently mentioned as a “childhood poetic prodigy of the Berkshires.” Elaine travelled west in 1884 to teach Native American children. Charles was a Santee Dakota who had gone to Dartmouth College and the Boston University School of Medicine. Somehow, they both ended up at the Pine Ridge Agency in South Dakota in December of 1890 and fell in love at first sight. Three weeks later, they announced their engagement. Then the Wounded Knee Massacre changed everything.
About Julie Dobrow
Julie Dobrow is a writer, professor and researcher whose work focuses both on biography and history, and also on children and media. She teaches at Tufts University. Much of her writing and teaching focuses on telling untold and under-told stories and shining new light on them
Use the BOOK NOW button to purchase tickets, $5 for BCHS members, $10 for non-members. Become a member and start receiving discounts on event tickets.
This event is sponsored by Massachusetts Cultural Council and Housatonic Heritage.

Bird Banding - June 4
2026-06-04 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.

Melville in Downtown Pittsfield
2026-06-06 11:00 - 12:30 | Berkshire Athenaeum, 1 Wendell Avenue, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Herman Melville didn’t just stay holed up in his study at Arrowhead. He went to the center of Pittsfield frequently, attended church there and lived off South Street for one year. Check out the places around Park Square that Melville frequented and even used in his writing. Join author and historian John Dickson for an engaging walk around the city center and learn about the places important to Melville. This approximately ninety-minute walk begins at the Berkshire Athenaeum, Wendell Avenue.
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.
About John Dickson
John Dickson serves as Chair of the Pittsfield Historical Commission and was a former board member of the Berkshire County Historical Society. He is author of Berkshire County’s Industrial Heritage, which chronicles the 19th century mills in this corner of Massachusetts. He received a master’s degree in public history having completed a thesis on the Berkshire Athenaeum.
This event is sponsored by Massachusetts Cultural Council and Housatonic Heritage.

Authors talk and book signing - Ye Trodden Path
2026-06-10 17:30 - 18:30 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
The Berkshire County Historical Society’s Melville Press celebrates the publication of Ye Trodden Path, a collaboration of local historians and authors Bernard Drew of Great Barrington; Gary Leveille of the Great Barrington Historical Society; Rob Hoogs, Monterey Historical Society; Ron Bernard, Sandisfield Historical Commission; and Tom Ragusa, Otis Historical Commission with a free authors talk and book signing.
Ye Trodden Path commemorates the 250th anniversary of Henry Knox’s epic 300 mile journey from Fort Ticonderoga, New York, to Boston, Massachusetts, delivering artillery to General George Washington to defeat British troops surrounding the city. It looks specifically at the sections of the Knox Trail that traversed the hills and valleys of the Berkshires and includes new scholarship by several historians that adds to and corrects previous accounts of the Noble Train of Artillery. The book details the road’s use before Knox came through, the taverns and people along the way, and how the road has been re-mapped through some of the towns providing a more precise route.
The fifty-six page book includes a a six-foot, color fold-out map considered the definitive route taken by Knox as researched by Tom Ragusa; it is available for purchase online or in the BCHS museum shop.
This event is sponsored by The Feigenbaum Foundation, Massachusetts Cultural Council, and Housatonic Heritage.

Bird Banding - June 11
2026-06-11 07:00 - 10:00 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States

Downtown Pittsfield Walk – Neighbors and Strangers
2026-06-13 11:00 - 12:30 | Berkshire Athenaeum, 1 Wendell Avenue, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Led by Cynthia Farr Brown, Neighbors and Strangers links the “big story” of America’s rapidly changing population during the 19th and early 20th centuries, as European immigrants flocked to the United States to realize opportunities and escape oppression or catastrophe, to a series of sites in downtown Pittsfield. Learn about how Irish, German, French, and Italian immigrants came to Pittsfield, settled themselves and their families, and contributed to the Berkshire community.
This approximately ninety-minute walk begins at the Berkshire Athenaeum, Wendell Avenue.
About Cynthia Farr Brown
Brown is President of the Board of Directors of the Berkshire County Historical Society at Arrowhead. She also serves on the board of the Non-Profit Center of the Berkshires and on the executive committee of Berkshire Educational Resources K12 (BERK12). Brown has a doctorate in United States history and her scholarly publications have included co-editing the institutional history, “Lesley University: Celebrating Excellence 1909-2009”; as well as other publications. She is currently Senior Associate Commissioner for Regulatory and Veterans Affairs at the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education.
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.

Wine Tasting - Thomas Jefferson, Wine Lover and Collector
2026-06-17 17:30 - 19:00 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Thomas Jefferson’s passion for wine began early in his life, but it blossomed during his years in France (1784–1789) as United States Minister. He traveled through Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, the Rhône, and northern Italy, taking meticulous notes. His journals reveal a striking fact: many of the wines he admired some 250 years ago are still produced today!
Join WSET-3 Certified Sommelier Philippe Jeanjean in retracing Jefferson’s journey and experiencing his discoveries through a thoughtfully curated selection of eight wines. Accompanied by an elegant selection of artisanal cheeses and delightful pâtés, this experience promises a celebration of refined flavors and revolutionary spirit.
Seating for this event is limited.
Use the BOOK NOW button to purchase tickets, $60 for BCHS members, $65 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.
