Memorial Hall Museum facts for kids
The Memorial Hall Museum is a special place in Deerfield, Massachusetts. It helps us learn about the history, art, and culture of this area and all of New England. The museum is managed by the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association (PVMA). It first opened its doors in 1880.
How the Museum Building Started
The building where Memorial Hall Museum is today has a long history. It was first built in 1798. This building was the very first home for Deerfield Academy, a school. A famous architect named Asher Benjamin designed it.
The building was a school until 1878. What's cool is that it was actually designed to hold a museum from the start! This makes it one of the oldest museum buildings in the United States. Back then, the museum had things like rocks and other interesting "curiosities." These items helped teach the students. It also had items from the family of Reverend John Williams. He was taken captive to Canada after the 1704 Raid on Deerfield.
How the Museum Was Founded
In 1870, a person named George Sheldon started the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association (PVMA). He was very interested in saving old things and history. George Sheldon became the first president of this group.
He worked hard to find and save old papers, books, and historical objects. When Deerfield Academy moved to a new building in 1878, the PVMA took over the old building. They added all the items George Sheldon had collected to the museum.
The museum had three rooms that showed what life was like in Colonial America. This was a new idea! It was the first museum in the United States to create a permanent "period room." A period room shows how a room looked in a specific time in history. The museum opened to the public in 1880. The building has been made bigger several times since then. Memorial Hall Museum is a separate place, even though it is close to the buildings of Historic Deerfield.
What You Can See in the Collection
The museum focuses on the history, art, and culture of Deerfield. It also covers the Deerfield River Valley, the Connecticut River Valley, and the wider New England area. The collection includes items from ancient times all the way to today.
You can see many different things there. These include furniture, paintings, old photographs, and beautiful quilts. There are also other textiles, musical instruments, and tools. The museum has many Native American artifacts too. You can also find examples of art from the Arts and Crafts Movement.
The museum's library has more than 25,000 old papers, books, maps, and other historical documents. One very important item in the museum is the Indian House Door. This door is a piece of history from the French and Native American Raid on Deerfield. An old message next to the door says how this "stout door kept at bay the French and Indians." It also says its "hatchet hewn face still tells the tale of that fateful night." The PVMA also owns a copy of the Indian House, which is also in Deerfield and open to visitors.
