|
Old Deerfield Village Historic District
|
|
| Location: | Deerfield, Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Built: | 1650 |
| Architect: | Benjamin,Asher; et al. |
| Architectural style: | Greek Revival, Federal |
| Governing body: | Local |
| NRHP Reference#: | 66000774[1] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP: | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHLD: | October 9, 1960, see [1] |
Historic Deerfield is an open-air living history museum dedicated to the heritage and preservation of Deerfield, Massachusetts and the Connecticut River Valley. Its historic houses, museums and programs provide visitors with an understanding of New England's historic villages and countryside. The Old Deerfield Village Historic District has been designated a National Historic Landmark.
Contents |
Eleven historic house museums are located in Historic Deerfield. Most are viewed on guided tours. A modern museum and a visitor center are part of the complex. The museum offers special exhibitions, family activities, workshops and seminars on historic subjects, and a gift shop. The Deerfield Inn is available for visitors.
Historic Deerfield is based on a 330-year-old, mile-long street, situated along the Connecticut River in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts.
At the time of European contact, the area now known as Deerfield was inhabited by the indigenous Pocumtuck nation. It was originally established as a grant of land to the residents of Dedham, Massachusetts, who had given land to the Massachusetts Bay Colony for the purpose of settling Christianized Indians.
For much of the colonial period, Deerfield was one of New England's frontier villages. Briefly abandoned during King Philip's War in the 1670s, it was subjected to French and Indian raids during King William's War in the 1690s. In Queen Anne's War, the village was subjected to a major raid in which 40 percent of the village population was taken prisoner. French and allied Abenaki, Mohawk and other warriors breached the palisade and raided the village. They killed numerous settlers, and took more than 100 captive. Before leaving for Canada, the raiding party burned the village.
Almost all of those who survived the attack and the march to Canada eventually were ransomed and returned to New England. Eunice Williams, captured at eight, was adopted by a Mohawk family and became totally assimilated. She married a Mohawk man and had a family with him, choosing not to return to New England. Finally in 1741 she visited surviving siblings for the first time, and made two more visits later.
Deerfield survived the raid, and the frontier continued to be pushed north and west. Settlers eventually moved into present-day Vermont and established settlements further up the Connecticut River in New Hampshire.
Historic Deerfield's collections can be searched on the database maintained by the Five College Museums/Historic Deerfield.[3]
The Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association operates the Memorial Hall Museum, and the Indian House Children's Museum.
Other attractions in the area include Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory, Yankee Candle Company, Richardson's Chocolates, and the Old Deerfield Country Store.