Monterey, Mass. – April 9 – The Bidwell House Museum, the Berkshires’ own early American history museum, announced its 2019 season program today. To welcome visitors back to the historic woodland site, the museum is featuring a series of events focused on life in the Berkshires and New England in the 18th century along with a Country Fair and two concerts. The popular history lecture series returns with talks by Vasser Professor James Merrell, living history scholar Dennis Picard and authors Katherine Dimancescu and Allegra diBonaventura. The museum is also expanding its offerings of nature and family programs including a new Native American Interpretive Woodland Walk and a special family tour.
The Museum will open for the season on Memorial Day. Guided tours of the home and gardens tell the story of the early settlement of the Berkshires and everyday life in that era. The house is open Thursdays to Mondays (closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays) from 11 am to 4 pm with tours on the hour. The last tour begins at 3 p.m. The museum grounds—192 acres of flower, herb and heritage vegetable gardens, woods, fields, historic stonewalls, trails and picnic sites—are open all year free of charge. The full program of events can also be found on the museum’s website: www.bidwellhousemuseum.org/events/
Highlights of the season are the opening celebration on Sunday, May 26th, featuring a concert by Diane Taraz singing and playing historic instruments; an Open-Mic Fest musical event on June 30; the Bidwell Country Fair free community celebration on Saturday, July 6; and the festive garden party benefiting the museum, on August 3.
The Bidwell House Museum is a New England heritage site providing a personal encounter with history, early American home life, and the Berkshire landscape through its land, house and collection. The Museum is a non-profit educational institution for the benefit of the community and today’s audiences of all ages, dedicated to preservation, scholarship and enjoyment of the landmark site.
2019 Season Program Schedule
Programs take place at the Bidwell House Museum, 100 Art School Road, Monterey, unless otherwise noted.
April 27
Pre-Season Artweek Event – Retracing Native Histories: A Walk Through Time – Long before the English arrived in what is now Massachusetts, the Mohicans lived on and worked with the land for thousands of years. During this walk through history, join Rob Hoogs to learn how the Mohicans used the local landscape for hunting, agriculture, maple sugaring and more. As you hike some of the four miles of trails on the 192 acre Bidwell House Museum property, the quiet beauty of the Berkshire upland forest will transport you to another time and place, creating a greater understanding of life in these woods hundreds of years ago. 10 a.m.
Please note that the parking area and area in front of the Museum are accessible but the trails are not. Please dress for a hike and bring water or a snack. The walk will happen in light rain or shine, however if a heavy downpour is predicted, the rain date will be Sunday April 28 at 1pm.
May 26
Concert and Opening Celebration. A Free Woman: The Amazing Grace of Mum Bet with Diane Taraz– In 1781, during the American Revolution, a slave named Bet sued for her freedom in a court of law in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. She won her case and chose a new name: Elizabeth Freeman. Her fierce desire to be a free woman led her on a path that illuminates the experiences of women in the early days of our country. Diane explores the life of Elizabeth Freeman in the music of the time. She performs in the sort of clothing Elizabeth wore, and accompanies her singing on lap dulcimer and an instrument similar to the English guitar played by women in the 1700s. Refreshments will be served. Free for members, $15 for non-Members. 3 p.m.
Please note: the museum is closed for tours this day.
May 27
Opening Day for House Tours! The first tour begins at 11a.m. and they run every hour on the hour with the last tour beginning at 3 p.m.
June 15
History Talk – Coming to Terms with Colonial America: Another Look at Natives and Other Early Americans. A talk by James Merrell, Professor at Vassar College. Scholarly study of Native Americans before ca. 1800 has flourished recently, extending our knowledge of Indian peoples during that era well beyond Squanto and Pocahontas. Nonetheless, to a surprising degree, when talking about the continent’s first peoples we still use language that would be familiar to William Bradford and Capt. John Smith. Is thinking about our loaded vocabulary an exercise in “political correctness”? Or is it simply “correctness”? Held at Tyringham Union Church, Main Road, Tyringham. Members: $10. Non-members: $15. 10:30 a.m. (please note the time)
June 22
Retracing Native Histories on the Landscape – Guided Walk
Join guide Rob Hoogs to explore a new interpretive trail as you retrace the steps of the Native Americans—specifically the local Stockbridge Band of the Mohican Tribe—who lived and hunted in this area for thousands of years. Non-Members: $10. Children and Members are free. A guided tour of the house can be added before or after the guided walk. The price for the walk and tour together will be $15 for non-members. 1 p.m
June 30
Open-Mic Fest at the Bidwell House Museum
Whether you are musician who loves to play or a music lover who enjoys listening to a live band, join us for the second annual Open-Mic Fest at the Bidwell House Museum. Enjoy the sounds of a local band while relaxing in the park-like setting in front of the Museum and cheer on friends and family as they participate in the open-mic. Food and drink will be available for purchase. Sponsored in part by Tyringham Cultural Council. $10 per person, youths 18 and under are free. 3-7 p.m.
July 6
Bidwell Country Fair
A free community celebration with colonial re-enactors, live music by Mountain Laurel and The Adams Brothers, food & drink, children’s activities, animals, historic craft demonstrations, garden tours and more… For details and individual event times, please check www.bidwellhousemuseum.org or call 413-528-6888. Supported in part by grants from the Tyringham and Monterey Cultural Councils. 1 – 4 p.m. FREE.
Please note: the museum is closed for tours this day.
July 13
History Talk- A Little Rebellion Now and Then: A History of Shay’s Rebellion. A talk by Dennis Picard, former Director of Storrowtown Village Museum. Shays Rebellion is considered an agrarian revolt pitting impoverished farmers in western Mass. against the wealthy merchant class of the coastal eastern part of the State. Hear an account of the participants and events of this post-revolutionary uprising that both confirm and negate this long held perception. Mr. Picard will share the stories leading up to the “Regulators,” their activities in our area, a few personages of local interest and the effect on our nation’s early history. Held at Tyringham Union Church, Main Road, Tyringham. Members: $10. Non-members: $15. 10 a.m.
July 20
History Talk – Navigating 17th Century England and New England. A talk by author Katherine Dimencescu. On July 20 you can set sail with Mayflower passengers, arrive in Boston Harbor on a Winthrop Fleet ship, settle new lands in southern New England and start a new life alongside Puritans, Pilgrims, or the forebears of Revolutionary War patriots all without leaving your seat. This time travel is possible through the storytelling of Katherine Dimancescu. Hearing her talk in advance of the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower’s arrival next year and well in advance of the 400th anniversary of the Winthrop Fleet’s arrival in 2030 means you will be ready to mark both milestone anniversaries. Held at Tyringham Union Church, Main Road, Tyringham. Members: $10. Non-members: $15. 10 a.m.
July 27
Retracing Native Histories on the Landscape – Guided Walk
Join guide Rob Hoogs to explore a new interpretive trail as you retrace the steps of the Native Americans—specifically the local Stockbridge Band of the Mohican Tribe—who lived and hunted in this area for thousands of years. Non-Members: $10. Children and Members are free. A guided tour of the house can be added before or after the guided walk. The price for the walk and tour together will be $15 for non-members. 1 p.m.
August 3
Garden Party to benefit the museum to be held at The Bidwell House Museum. Live music, cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, silent and live auction. 4 – 7 p.m. For tickets: 413-528-6888.
August 24
History Talk – O Bubble blast, how long can’st last?”: An Unhappy Marriage in Puritan Boston. A talk by author Allegra DiBonaventura. Hear the remarkable story of the marriage of Edward and Hannah Lane in 1650s Boston. Hannah, a wealthy heiress and child abandoned by her divorced parents, was just seventeen when she married Edward, a merchant twenty years her senior. But it only took a few disastrous days in the marital bed for her to realize that her marriage simply would not work. In a world where wives were expected to be obedient “helpmeets” with few legal rights exclusive of their husbands, Hannah had the audacity to sue for annulment, only to change her mind within two years. Seeking the domestic bliss that had eluded her parents would lead her take on the puritan legal establishment, and her ultimate triumph would be as improbable as it was extraordinary. Held at Tyringham Union Church, Main Road, Tyringham. Members: $10. Non-members: $15. 10 a.m.
August 31
Retracing Native Histories on the Landscape – Guided Walk
Join guide Rob Hoogs to explore a new interpretive trail as you retrace the steps of the Native Americans—specifically the local Stockbridge Band of the Mohican Tribe—who lived and hunted in this area for thousands of years. Non-Members: $10. Children and Members are free. A guided tour of the house can be added before or after the guided walk. The price for the walk and tour together will be $15 for non-members. 1 p.m
September 14
From Bedrock to Birds: a Walk with Mass Audubon. Led by Mass Audubon Educational Coordinator Dale Abrams. Learn to “read” the landscape on a deeper level by making connections between geological features, including bedrock and landform, and habitat characteristics for plants and wildlife along the trails at the Bidwell property. Gain perspectives that will help you interpret the natural history of the Berkshires or any other region. Members: $10. Non-members: $15. Attendees 18 and under are Free. 10 a.m.
September 21
Housatonic Heritage Walk: Retracing Native Histories on the Landscape with Rob Hoogs
Retrace the steps of the Native Americans—specifically the local Stockbridge Band of the Mohican Tribe—who lived and hunted in this area for thousands of years. Join Rob Hoogs for a two hour exploration of the 16th century Native American landscape on the recently created interpretive trail highlighting the Native Americans’ use and management of the woodlands; with displays and re-creations of a hunting village, medicinal herbs, the “Three Sisters,” maple sugaring and archaeology. Please dress for the weather, wear hiking boots and bring water and a snack. FREE. 10 a.m
September 28
Housatonic Heritage Walk: Walking the Royal Hemlock Trail with Richard Greene
A guided walk on Bidwell lands as well as the BNRC’s Hudson-Howard property, tracing the route of the early settlers of Township No. 1 to their first meeting house on the hill near the Bidwell House Museum. Dr. Richard Greene will lead the group on the old roadways, past foundations and stone walls of long-ago homesteads, and explore flora and fauna along the way. This walk last approximately 3 hours. Please dress for the weather and wear hiking boots. Terrain is steep and rocky in a few places. Bring water and a snack. FREE. 10 a.m
October 5
Lecture and Walk: Early Epitaphs with John Hanson
Hanson has been collecting and studying early New England epitaph verse for years. In this talk, he will share some favorite verses from local gravestones, discuss their sources and consider how eighteenth-century Berkshire residents might have accessed the source texts. You will learn what these very personal choices tell us about early New Englanders’ attitudes towards life and death and visit one cemetery in Monterey to see examples of early epitaphs. Members: $10. Non-members: $15. Attendees 18 and under are Free. 10 a.m