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Spotlighting a different event in Massachusetts history for every day of the year, Mass Moments makes the state’s history accessible and exciting for learners of all ages. Alongside information about each event, families can find links to further resources and locations to visit – making for an all-encompassing community-based learning experience!
Remembering the “lost towns,” villages and hamlets that gave way to the Quabbin Reservoir, a new exhibit allows us to imagine what the daily lives of people in these towns were like. It’s a great reflection on the power of connection in a community that turns up in the names given to villages and town. The very poignant exhibit: “What’s in a Name? Villages, Hamlets and Hollows of the Swift River Valley,” opens at the Great Falls Discovery Center on Feb 7th, offering primary source images that explores local history.
The Pioneer Valley has a long and rich history, and clues to life in the past are everywhere – as long as we know where to look! Using online resources from the Memorial Hall Museum and the Museum of our Industrial Heritage, families can take a virtual tour of the once-bustling neighborhood of Cheapside port – now just a street in southeastern Greenfield.
Western MA has always had a great attitude towards the preservation of history and amplifying the many events and stories of the state’s rich historical past. Historical societies and museums are terrific community-based educational resources families can access to support a better understanding of where we live and strengthening a sense of place in our children and ourselves. During the warmer months the public has access to many of these resources when otherwise are closed during the colder months.
The many great institutions across the western part of the state open their doors during this time of year to the best kind of community based learning, through meticulous preservation and innovative programming. Once you read on, you’ll see you can fill up your summer calendar easily with local history, and provide an enriching learning platform for you and your kids.
History Comes Alive in Holyoke Marjorie Latham of Wistariahurst Museum in Holyoke, MA writes: For most people, Wistariahurst is a museum. But when Allerton Kilborne enters the home on Cabot Street, it is like entering a time machine. On Sunday, June 19th at 4pm, Allerton will return to Holyoke to offer a tour of Wistariahurst as he remembers it as a child and will share intimate stories about the family not often… Read More
Cultural Itineraries
- Season: January & February
- Season: March & April
- Season: May & June
- Season: July & August
- Season: September & October
- Season: November & December
