Berkshire County Historical Society

Open for tours
2018-11-03 10:00 - 14:00, 2018-11-10 10:00 - 14:00, 2018-11-17 10:00 - 14:00, 2018-11-24 08:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
House open only for guided tours, at 10:00, 11:00, 12:00 and 1:00. Museum shop open 10-2; grounds open daylight hours.

open for tours
2018-12-01 10:00 - 14:00 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
House open only for guided tours, at 10:00, 11:00, 12:00 and 1:00. Museum shop open 10-2; grounds open daylight hours.
Last day!

The Sea Beast: Moby-Dick Film Festival
2019-01-17 18:30 - 20:00 | Berkshire Athenaeum, 1 Wendell Avenue, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
The Sea Beast (1926)
Silent film with music.
Starring John Barrymore and Dolores Costello
6:30pm at the Berkshire Athenaeum
FREE

Moby-Dick was a colossal failure when first published in 1851 but in the early 20th century it began taking its place among the most highly regarded works written in the 19th century; today it is seen as one of the best books ever written. It has inspired plays, other novels, and many films in many genres. This short film festival explores only a few of the many versions. This is the first Moby-Dick Film Festival ever produced, compiled by the Berkshire Historical Society at Herman Melville’s Arrowhead and presented with the Friends of the Berkshire Athenaeum at the library located at 1 Wendell Avenue, Pittsfield, MA. All events are FREE and open to the public; all shows at 6:30pm include refreshments. For more information call 413-442-1793.

Short Films: "Willy, the Whale," "The Whalers," and "MobyDick"
2019-01-24 18:30 - 20:00 | Berkshire Athenaeum, 1 Wendell Avenue, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Assorted Short Films:
“Willy, the Whale,” “The Whalers,” and Jack Aranson’s one-man show, “MobyDick.”
6:30 at the Berkshire Athenaeum
FREE

Moby-Dick was a colossal failure when first published in 1851 but in the early 20th century it began taking its place among the most highly regarded works written in the 19th century; today it is seen as one of the best books ever written. It has inspired plays, other novels, and many films in many genres. This short film festival explores only a few of the many versions. This is the first Moby-Dick Film Festival ever produced, compiled by the Berkshire Historical Society at Herman Melville’s Arrowhead and presented with the Friends of the Berkshire Athenaeum at the library located at 1 Wendell Avenue, Pittsfield, MA. All events are FREE and open to the public; all shows at 6:30pm include refreshments. For more information call 413-442-1793.

Moby Dick (1930) : Moby-Dick Film Festival
2019-01-31 18:30 - 20:00 | Berkshire Athenaeum, 1 Wendell Avenue, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Moby Dick (1930)
Starring John Barrymore, Joan Bennett, and Lloyd Hughes
6:30 at the Berkshire Athenaeum
FREE

Moby-Dick was a colossal failure when first published in 1851 but in the early 20th century it began taking its place among the most highly regarded works written in the 19th century; today it is seen as one of the best books ever written. It has inspired plays, other novels, and many films in many genres. This short film festival explores only a few of the many versions. This is the first Moby-Dick Film Festival ever produced, compiled by the Berkshire Historical Society at Herman Melville’s Arrowhead and presented with the Friends of the Berkshire Athenaeum at the library located at 1 Wendell Avenue, Pittsfield, MA. All events are FREE and open to the public; all shows at 6:30pm include refreshments. For more information call 413-442-1793.

Age of the Dragons: Moby-Dick Film Festival
2019-02-19 18:30 | Berkshire Athenaeum, 1 Wendell Avenue, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Age of the Dragons (2011)
Starring Danny Glover, Vinnie Jones, Corey Sevier, and Sofia Pernas
6:30 at the Berkshire Athenaeum
FREE

Moby-Dick was a colossal failure when first published in 1851 but in the early 20th century it began taking its place among the most highly regarded works written in the 19th century; today it is seen as one of the best books ever written. It has inspired plays, other novels, and many films in many genres. This short film festival explores only a few of the many versions. This is the first Moby-Dick Film Festival ever produced, compiled by the Berkshire Historical Society at Herman Melville’s Arrowhead and presented with the Friends of the Berkshire Athenaeum at the library located at 1 Wendell Avenue, Pittsfield, MA. All events are FREE and open to the public; all shows at 6:30pm include refreshments. For more information call 413-442-1793.

Moby Dick, The Mini-Series, Part 1: Moby-Dick Film Festival
2019-02-26 18:30 - 20:30 | Berkshire Athenaeum, 1 Wendell Avenue, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Moby Dick, the Mini-Series, Part 1 (1998)
Starring Patrick Stewart, Henry Thomas, Ted Levine, Dominic Purcell, and Gregory Peck as Father Mapple
6:30 at the Berkshire Athenaeum
FREE

Moby-Dick was a colossal failure when first published in 1851 but in the early 20th century it began taking its place among the most highly regarded works written in the 19th century; today it is seen as one of the best books ever written. It has inspired plays, other novels, and many films in many genres. This short film festival explores only a few of the many versions. This is the first Moby-Dick Film Festival ever produced, compiled by the Berkshire Historical Society at Herman Melville’s Arrowhead and presented with the Friends of the Berkshire Athenaeum at the library located at 1 Wendell Avenue, Pittsfield, MA. All events are FREE and open to the public; all shows at 6:30pm include refreshments. For more information call 413-442-1793.

Melville Fellows Reading
2019-02-26 19:00 - 21:00 | Lenox Library, 18 Main Street, Lenox, MA, 01240, United States
We are proud to announce that as part of a Massachusetts Cultural Council LCC grant, three Berkshire Community College creative writing students were awarded Melville Fellowships this past fall at Herman Melville’s Arrowhead. They worked with Arrowhead’s Writer-in-Residence, Jana Laiz, and wrote original stories, while also serving a Writer-in-Residence apprenticeship. The three Melville Fellows will present a public reading of their works on Tuesday, February 26th at 7pm at the Lenox Library. This event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. We hope you can stop by!

Moby Dick, The Mini-Series, Part 2
2019-02-27 18:30 - 20:30 | Berkshire Athenaeum, 1 Wendell Avenue, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Moby Dick, the Mini-Series, Part 2 (1998)
Starring Patrick Stewart, Henry Thomas, Ted Levine, Dominic Purcell, and Gregory Peck as Father Mapple
6:30 at the Berkshire Athenaeum
FREE

Moby-Dick was a colossal failure when first published in 1851 but in the early 20th century it began taking its place among the most highly regarded works written in the 19th century; today it is seen as one of the best books ever written. It has inspired plays, other novels, and many films in many genres. This short film festival explores only a few of the many versions. This is the first Moby-Dick Film Festival ever produced, compiled by the Berkshire Historical Society at Herman Melville’s Arrowhead and presented with the Friends of the Berkshire Athenaeum at the library located at 1 Wendell Avenue, Pittsfield, MA. All events are FREE and open to the public; all shows at 6:30pm include refreshments. For more information call 413-442-1793.

Jake Heggie's Opera, Moby-Dick: Moby-Dick Film Festival
2019-02-28 18:30 - 20:00 | Berkshire Athenaeum, 1 Wendell Avenue, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Moby-Dick (2012)
San Francisco Opera with Jay Hunter Morris
6:30 at the Berkshire Athenaeum
FREE

Moby-Dick was a colossal failure when first published in 1851 but in the early 20th century it began taking its place among the most highly regarded works written in the 19th century; today it is seen as one of the best books ever written. It has inspired plays, other novels, and many films in many genres. This short film festival explores only a few of the many versions. This is the first Moby-Dick Film Festival ever produced, compiled by the Berkshire Historical Society at Herman Melville’s Arrowhead and presented with the Friends of the Berkshire Athenaeum at the library located at 1 Wendell Avenue, Pittsfield, MA. All events are FREE and open to the public; all shows at 6:30pm include refreshments. For more information call 413-442-1793.

Volunteer Party
2019-04-25 16:00 - 17:30 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
On Thursday, April 25 from 4:00 to 5:30 we will be welcoming our volunteers with a special party at Arrowhead. Our reliable volunteer tour guides, gift shop personnel, collections workers, archive staff and gardeners, publication associates, event hosts and emcees will hopefully be joined by potential new associates who look forward to meeting us and finding their places in the extraordinary group of participants without whom Arrowhead is only an address. Adults and students are welcome to join the much appreciated workforce. We open for the season on Monday, May 20 at 9:30am (coming up quickly) so it is essential that everyone who can attend will be there to meet, greet, and hear about the changes and the programs for 2019 and beyond. There will, naturally, be refreshments served, tours given, and hugs (with your permission) granted to our old favorites. Call us at 413-442-1793, extension 14.

Annual Meeting
2019-05-01 17:30 - 19:30 | Country Club of Pittsfield, 639 South Street, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
The Berkshire County Historical Society at Herman Melville’s Arrowhead will hold its annual meeting at 5:30pm on Wednesday, May 1 at The Country Club of Pittsfield. The dinner meeting will cost attendees $40 and will include the formal introduction of our new Executive Director, the election of officers of the Board of Trustees, a discussion of the season’s programs, and a power point presentation on the history of our large red barn, a place of great importance to Herman Melville in his day and to us in ours. It encompasses our visitors’ center, gift shop, presentation place, and exhibit space. This summer it will host a brass ensemble and dance troupe, two plays, our third annual Moby-Dick Marathon and many other events. We need your rsvp in advance so that the meal can be properly prepared, so please let us know by April 24 if you can come and how many people will be in your party; also if you have any seating preferences. Call us at 413-442-1793, extension 11 or email to director@berkshirehistory.org.

The Civil War Ballroom with The Victorian Quadrille Orchestra and the Small Planet Dancers
2019-06-02 19:00 - 22:00 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
The Civil War Ballroom with The Victorian Quadrille Orchestra and the Small Planet Dancers at 7:00pm in the historic barn at Arrowhead. Seating on the lawn. This is a FREE event, but donations are encouraged.

Play: Mr. Noble Meloncholy
2019-06-18 19:00 - 21:00, 2019-06-19 19:00 - 21:00, 2019-06-20 19:00 - 21:00 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Maryann Sherman’s play, Mr. Noble Melancholy, starring John Trainor as Nathaniel Hawthorne. $20; $15 for members

Poetry Release: Red Barn, volume 4
2019-07-16 19:00 - 21:00 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
We are releasing the fourth volume of RED BARN, our homegrown poetry anthology by poets who have met here all winter and spring to create new work. FREE

Tea and Talk: Historic Lace
2019-07-23 16:00 - 18:00 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Irish lace expert Beverly Wolov will speak to the participants at a classic tea party about the lace collections at the Berkshire County Historical Society and answer questions about the customs and use, importance and provenance of lace in the mid-19th century. $20 includes tea and snacks.

Mastheads Annual Reading
2019-07-30 19:00 - 21:00 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
The third annual reading of new work by the five Mastheads authors. This is a FREE event.

Film - The Act of Reading: Moby-Dick
2019-07-31 19:00 - 21:00 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
On Wednesday, July 3rd, at 7pm, come celebrate the eve of Herman Melville’s 200th birthday with his great-great-grandson Peter Whittemore and the filmmakers behind The Act of Reading! We will ‘sneak peek’ the 87-minute long film in the Arrowhead barn in anticipation of its fall premiere and in honor of the author’s bicentennial.
The film takes the form of a 15 year-late book report/documentary on Moby-Dick, following the filmmaker as he attempts to make amends with the high school English teacher whose class he failed. We are then brought on an often surprising journey into the world of Herman Melville, literacy, high school English teachers, and magical reenactments. Herman Melville’s Arrowhead and the Berkshires are heavily featured in the film — come and experience a fresh take on the area and its literary history!
Filmmakers present will include director Mark Blumberg, editor Nathan Berkowitz, and executive producer Alissa Blumberg.

Tickets are $20. Call 413-442-1793 or email melville@berkshirehistory.org to reserve a spot. To purchase online, please use our secure PayPal page HERE.

Old Salts Day
2019-08-01 10:00 - 16:00 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Free admission at Arrowhead to any career sailor, marine, merchant marine, cruise ship worker, or pirate. Take a tour where Moby-Dick was written and lift a pint of rum (you bring the rum!).

Herman's 200th Birthday Celebration
2019-08-01 10:00 - 19:30 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Thursday, August 1, all day. Herman’s 200th birthday with a multi-event, day-long extravaganza co-presented with the Friends of the Berkshire Athenaeum. Starting with free tours of the Athenaeum’s Herman Melville Memorial Room at noon, a 1pm dedication of the Literary Landmark plaque at the Library, then tours at Arrowhead.
At 4:30, the party begins at the Country Club of Pittsfield: cash bar, heavy hors d’oeuvres, a special program with Tina Packer, Founding Artistic Director of Shakespeare & Company, Prosecco toast, and birthday cake. Benefits Berkshire County Historical Society at Herman Melville’s Arrowhead. The Benefit is a ticketed event: $85 for one ticket, and $160 for two. Please RSVP by Friday, July 26.
Call 413.442.1793 or email melville@berkshirehistory.org to reserve your tickets today!
To purchase tickets online, please visit our secure PayPal page via the yellow “Donate” button HERE, and specify the number of tickets to the Benefit in the “Additional Notes” field.

Benefit for the Berkshire County Historical Society at Herman Melville's Arrowhead
2019-08-01 16:30 - 19:00 | Country Club of Pittsfield, 639 South Street, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Join us as we celebrate Herman’s birthday at the Country Club of Pittsfield. This benefit will assist in funding the restoration work needed to preserve our historic red barn, built in 1840 and used by the Melville family. Restoring the exterior cladding and improving drainage will ensure that the barn can be enjoyed for years to come. Paint analysis will enable the barn to return to its original paint color and appearance under Melville ownership. The completion of this project will allow us to expand the barn’s community use, our programming of special events and workshops, and improve the visitor experience upon arriving at Arrowhead. More than half of the work is covered by funds from the Pittsfield Community Preservation Committee and the Massachusetts Preservation Project Fund, but we still need you help to meet our goal! At the Benefit, you will be given the opportunity to contribute to this important project.
After a full day of exciting literary events, head to the Country Club of Pittsfield, the former home of Herman’s uncle Thomas, where the party will kick off at 4:30pm.
4:30 – Cash bar and heavy hors d’oeuvres
5:30 – Special program with Tina Packer, Founding Artistic Director of Shakespeare & Company
6:30 – Prosecco toast and birthday cake
Benefits Berkshire County Historical Society at Herman Melville’s Arrowhead.
This is a ticketed event: $85 for one ticket, and $160 for two. Please RSVP by Friday, July 26.
Call 413.442.1793 or email melville@berkshirehistory.org to reserve your tickets today!
To purchase tickets online, please visit our secure PayPal page via the yellow “Donate” button HERE, and specify the number of tickets to the Benefit in the “Additional Notes” field.

Annual Moby-Dick Marathon
2019-08-02 10:00 - 2019-08-05 17:00 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
The third annual Moby-Dick marathon reading will commence in the barn and continue for the next three days until we finish the book. The reading is interrupted, for the morning of Sunday the 4th, so that people can attend the Monument Mountain walk celebrating the day that Melville met Hawthorne. The marathon concludes on Monday, August 5.

Community Day Celebration!
2019-08-03 10:00 - 17:00 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Community Day Celebration Weekend: 10am-5pm
Due to the forecast, Delilah will be swimming into Pittsfield on Sunday from 10am-4pm
Celebrate Herman Melville’s 200th birthday with a FREE event at Arrowhead!
Come meet Tom Whalen and learn to tie some nautical knots. Herman Melville sailed on a whaling ship before he wrote Moby-Dick and would have known how to tie these same knots!
Also, for kids of all ages, we will have an inflatable bounce house!
Bring a picnic and play croquet on our lawns!
Thanks to Whale and Dolphin Conservation of Plymouth, MA and to generous support from Cultural Pittsfield. Special thanks to Carr Hardware for supplying one of their wonderful bounce houses for the weekend.

Annual Monument Mountain Hike
2019-08-04 09:00 - 11:00 | Monument Mountain, Rte 7, Great Barrington, MA, United States
On Sunday morning, take a walk up Monument Mountain in Great Barrington to celebrate the historic meeting of Melville and Hawthorne. It’s sponsored by the Trustees of the Reservations, the stewards of Monument Mountain, and includes a reading of William Cullen Bryant’s historic poem about the mountain as well as a champagne toast.

MEET DELILAH!
2019-08-04 10:00 - 16:00 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Community Day Celebration Weekend: 10am-5pm
Due to the forecast, Delilah will be swimming into Pittsfield on Sunday from 10am-4pm
Celebrate Herman Melville’s 200th birthday with a FREE event at Arrowhead!
Melanie Mowinski will demonstrate letterpress printing, 11am-1pm
Also, for kids of all ages, we will have an inflatable bounce house!
Bring a picnic and play croquet on our lawns!
Thanks to Whale and Dolphin Conservation of Plymouth, MA and to generous support from Cultural Pittsfield. Special thanks to Carr Hardware for supplying one of their wonderful bounce houses for the weekend.
