Berkshire Museum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Berkshire Museum

Established	1903 (1903)
Location	Pittsfield, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States
Type	natural history museum art museum
Collections	Natural history, art, ancient Egyptian mummy, Babylonian art

The Berkshire Museum is a cool place in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. It's a museum where you can explore art, learn about nature, and discover amazing things from ancient civilizations.

History of the Museum

How the Museum Started

The Berkshire Museum was founded in 1903 by a local paper maker named Zenas Crane. He owned a company that made paper for the U.S. Treasury. Crane was inspired by other big museums like the American Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He wanted to create a special museum for the people of Western Massachusetts.

Thanks to Zenas Crane, the museum has a huge and varied collection. It includes over 40,000 objects from almost every continent. You can find important fine art, sculptures, natural science items, and ancient artifacts. Crane bought many of the first items for the museum himself. He wanted to bring a wide variety of the world's wonders to the Berkshires. This made the museum a "window on the world." The building was designed by a local architect named Henry Seaver.

Early Collections and Leaders

Some of the first artworks Crane bought were paintings from the famous Hudson River School. This was a group of American landscape painters. Important works by artists like Albert Bierstadt and Frederic Edwin Church were part of this early collection.

The museum's first curator, who helped manage the collections, was Harlan H. Ballard. He worked there until 1931. After him, Laura M. Bragg became the museum's director.

Amazing Things to See

The museum's collections are very diverse. They include fascinating items from ancient history and natural science.

• You can see collections of fossils.
• There's a huge 143-pound meteorite that fell from space.
• An ancient Egyptian mummy is also on display.
• You can find pieces of ancient Babylonian cuneiform tablets.
• There are examples of early Mediterranean jewelry.
• The museum also shows off the natural world of the Berkshires. This includes local mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, insects, plants, and minerals.

Items from Famous Americans

The Berkshire Museum also keeps objects connected to well-known people in American history.

• Zenas Crane supported the first successful trip to the North Pole. This journey was made by Robert E. Peary and Matthew Henson in 1908 and 1909.
• You can see Matthew Henson's full-body fur suit and the sledge (a type of sled) they used on their trip.
• The writing desk of famous author Nathaniel Hawthorne is also there.
• There's even a musket (an old type of gun) that might have belonged to Israel Bissell. He was a friend of Paul Revere and made a famous ride to warn people that "The British are coming!"

Art by Famous Artists

The Berkshire Museum has shown works by some of the most talented artists from the United States and other countries. These include Gilbert Stuart, Rembrandt Peale, and John Singer Sargent.

In the 1930s, the museum was the first to ask Alexander Calder to create two "mobiles" for them. Mobiles are unique sculptures that move. Calder became one of the most important artists of the 20th century.

In the 1950s, the Berkshire Museum was also the first to display the work of Norman Rockwell. He was a very popular American painter. The museum also showed art by artists who liked to try new things, like Andy Warhol.

The museum continues to add to its collections. They buy new pieces and also receive gifts. In recent years, they have focused on artists with national and international fame who have strong connections to the Berkshires.

Gallery

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  Thomas Hill, Yosemite Valley, c. 1890

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  Louis Paul Jonas, Wally, 1967

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  Alexander Calder, Bear and Cart Toy, 1927

Museum Updates and New Exhibits

Feigenbaum Hall of Innovation

In March 2008, the museum opened the Feigenbaum Hall of Innovation. This new hall fits with the museum's idea of being a "curiosity cabinet." It's dedicated to local innovators, people who have created new and clever things.

Spark!Lab

In October 2014, the museum's "Dino Dig" dinosaur exhibit was replaced. It became Spark!Lab. This is a hands-on space where you can act like an inventor. It was created by the Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation at the National Museum of American History. It's a great place to explore and create!