Events

Celebrate the winter season at Arrowhead with a cozy tea in the historic house. Traditional tea with all the accompaniments provided by Kate Baldwin, with readings by local author Kevin O’Hara. $25 BCHS members, $30 non-members Use the BOOK NOW button to reserve tickets. About Kevin O’Hara O’Hara is the author of Last of The …

Country Club of Pittsfield, Collection of BCHS Join us at the historic Country Club of Pittsfield for the Berkshire County Historical Society annual meeting. The meeting will include an overview of 2023 BCHS activities by Executive Director Lesley Herzberg as well as election of directors and officers for 2024. The meeting is free and open …

Shop the Berkshire County Historical Society museum shop and get great gifts for family and friends while supporting the work of BCHS. Can't wait for December 16? Shop the online store here. Don't forget - Members receive a 10% discount on all purchases. Not a member yet?  Click here to join, or sign up on …

Robbins, Kellogg & Company, Wholesale Shoe Manufacturers, c. 1880. Collection of the Berkshire County Historical Society Drive around Berkshire county, and it’s hard to miss the large, brick buildings on the corner, behind the trees, or down the street. These old mills are in almost every town; over five hundred of them were built in …

There is a Jewish tradition of studying a single page of the Talmud every day until its completion. This tradition is called Daf Yomi (Hebrew for “page of the day”). Because the Talmud is a multi-volume work of ancient law, narrative, and commentary, a full cycle of Daf Yomi takes about seven and a half years to complete. Jews …

Enjoy a free guided hike around the grounds of Arrowhead with Berkshire Natural Resources Council. The hike begins with an introduction to Arrowhead and its grounds by the Berkshire County Historical Society. Learn about Melville’s sleighrides, and see how Mt. Greylock looks in the winter – does it really look like a white whale? BNRC …

The Berkshire County Historical Society welcomes Senior Genealogist Rhonda R. McClure for a virtual presentation introducing the genealogical research process and the tools and techniques that support the research. Participants will learn how to create a solid research plan. The first part of the lecture introduces key genealogical tools such as the multi-generational chart, family group sheet, …

Join us and our friends at Hot Plate Brewing Co. (1 School Street, Pittsfield, MA) for a special marathon reading of Herman Melville’s Billy Budd, Sailor. The event is the official kickoff of a months-long celebration of the centennial of the novella's publication.  To mark the occasion, Sarah Real, Hot Plate owner and head brewer, …

In 2020 scholars Robert K. Wallace and Samuel Otter set out to create a website that would allow viewers to see all the prints Herman Melville is known to have collected, to appreciate the passion with which he acquired them, and to recognize the illumination they bring to his life, his writing, and his living …

Berkshire County Historical Society Melville Fellows and Berkshire Community College (BCC) Honors Scholar Program students  Rowan Boyer, Mwila Malama and Clarise Seguin  have been busy creating original writings and art while spending time at Herman Melville’s Arrowhead, the location where Melville wrote “Moby-Dick,” working with Writer-in-Residence Emeritus Jana Laiz.  On May 8 they will present …