Introduction
Lodging
Location
Norwottuck Rail
Trail
Museums,
Galleries, and the Arts
Attractions
Recreation
University
of Massachusetts at Amherst
Smith College
Amherst College
and Hampshire College
Mount
Holyoke College |
| Deerfield |
|
English farmers
settled Deerfield in 1669, but in 1704, the French and their
Indian henchmen promptly unsettled things with a ruthless raid
that forever tore families apart. Many of the town's adults
were slaughtered, and many of their children were marched
through the bitter winter to Quebec as captives.
This tragic chapter of
New England history gave birth to Historic Deerfield, an
outdoor museum that will celebrate its 50th anniversary in
2002. The museum comprises 13 carefully preserved 18th- and
19th-century homes which house textiles, furniture, china, and
silver for public display. The museum's principal structure is
the Flynt Center for Early New England Life, a
27,000-square-foot curatorial building where academics meet to
pore over the town's history within the context of America's
formative years.
The entire town of
Deerfield is recognized as a national historic landmark, and
Historic Deerfield facilitates the surrounding town's rich
history through workshops, lecture series, antique forums,
archaeological excavations, guided museum tours, and
educational programs for all ages. |
|
|
| Easthampton |
|
This is where the bear,
fox, mink, and wood ducks roam, thanks to the 700-plus acre
Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary, a forested floodplain with meadowland
and marshes providing for a most diverse ecosystem. Arcadia
currently provides life support to the endangered leopard frog and
wedgemussel as well to the diminishing species such as the
bobolink and Cooper's hawk.
So environmentally
friendly is Easthampton that there's even a pond that sits in the
downtown area. Built in 1847 by industrialist Samuel Williston to
power his manufacturing mills, Nashawannuck Pond is the
centerpiece for future development of the business district, with
plans for fishing as well as canoe and kayak rental.
Like the pond,
Easthampton's original town common has also become devoted to
recreation-only use. Attracting townspeople and visitors alike for
picnics and even weddings, the one-time town common was the site
of Easthampton's first meetinghouse, the Congregational Church.
The downtown park was named Pulaski Park in 1985 for Casimir
Pulaski, a general in the American Revolutionary War who helped
the American cause. |
The Five College
Area
Bed & Breakfast Association
P.O. Box 3252, Amherst, MA 01004
______________________________ |
|
Towns
Amherst
Ashfield
Belchertown
Bernardston
Chesterfield
Conway
Cummington
Deerfield
Easthampton
Goshen
Granby
Greenfield
Hadley
Hatfield
Huntington
Leverett
New Salem
Northampton
Pelham
Plainfield
Shutesbury
South Hadley
Southampton
Springfield
Sunderland
Westhampton
Whately
Williamsburg
Worthington |
1st Traveler's Choice
