hatfield historical society (original) (raw)

Welcome to the Hatfield Historical Society website in Hatfield, Massachusetts.
The Society is a private non-profit, charged with operating two museums on behalf of the Town of Hatfield: the Farm Museum, covering all agricultural aspects of Hatfield's history, and the Historical Museum, covering everything else!
(If you're looking for the Hatfield Museum & History Society in Hatfield, Pennsylvania, that's not us!)

Dickinson Memorial Hall, built in 1894 to house items important to Hatfield history, now holds the public library on the 1st floor and the museum on the 2nd floor. Hatfield Farm Museum7 Billings Way (off Main St.), Hatfield, MAOpen Saturdays Memorial Day - Columbus Day (12- 2 pm) and by appointment in season.Curator Emeritus: George AshleyDeputy Curator: John Pease

Hatfield Historical Museum (2nd floor)39 Main St., Hatfield, MA 01038Open Tuesdays Mar - Nov (1-2:30 pm);the last Saturday of the month (9:30-11:00 am); and by appointment year round.Closed Dec, Jan and Feb, and on holidays, including Thanksgiving weekend.Curator: Meg BakerCollections Assistant: Meredith Baker

The Farm Museum is housed in a restored tobacco shed between the elementary school and the cemetery, behind Memorial Hall

In 2024, the citizens of Hatfield voted to allocate Community Preservation Act funding to support a thorough review of all items in the Farm Museum. This is a necessary step before important structural work can be done on the historic tobacco barn that houses the agricultural collection. Read about the Farm Museum and this on-going project here.

To visit one of Hatfield's two museums on a day not normally open, please contact us via email two weeks (or more) in advance, and we will do our best to accommodate you. If you are hoping to research a particular family, site or topic, it would be helpful to know that ahead of time. Thank you. We look forward to seeing you!

With the temperatures dropping and the days getting short, t_he Museums are now closed for the winter!_ Have a lovely holiday season, and watch this space for updates on our 2025 speaker series.

The 2024 Business Fall Fundraiser is underway! Each autumn, businesses in the area step forward to help provide financial support for the following season. Thank you!

Current Historical Museum Exhibits:
Sewn In Hatfield Those We Can Trace: Indentured Children In Colonial Hatfield Return to Hatfield: the Captives of 1677 Booze, Schmooze and News: Remembering Hatfield Taverns and Clubs Hatfield Vietnam Veterans Share Their Stories
Through Marian's Eyes: A Red Cross Canteen Worker Recounts World War I
O ut of the Darkness: A History of Illumination in Hatfield Some Things Never Change: Kitchen tools through time

Current Farm Museum Exhibits:
Farm Tools and Agricultural Work

Our six fall 2021 virtual programs, covering transcribing handwritten documents and doing historical research on families and houses, can now be viewed on our YouTube channel. You can also watch our Veterans Day program there -- sharing stories from some of Hatfield's Vietnam War veterans. Check our Events and/or our Volunteers pages for descriptions and how to sign up as a volunteer..

We are grateful to the Mass Cultural Council for on-going support through a Cultural Sector Recovery Grant!

Support the Hatfield Historical Society by voting for us in Florence Bank's Customers' Choice Community Grants. You don't need to wait until year-end, you can vote right now, type in Hatfield Historical Society, and be done with it! For more info or to vote, click HERE.	To help us continue saving and sharing Hatfield history, please consider a donation or adding the Historical Society to your estate plans.For Membership, please note which level, under Special Instructions.For all transactions, make sure to check the box to forward your address to the Society. Thank you!

What businesses are saying about HHS

"My 88-year-old Mother is a proud Air Force Veteran. The Hatfield Historical Society has done a great job collecting and sharing veterans stories, including hers from the Vietnam War and my Uncle Kenny’s from the Korean War. They’ve also done so much to save our town’s farming history, tobacco included, as well as memories from growing up here – like skating on Hatfield ponds and celebrating Smith Academy champions. If they weren’t doing this work, it wouldn’t get done and our stories would be lost. I'm thrilled to support this important and well-led organization."
– Janet Casey, President & Founder, Marketing Doctor

Response to HHS May program and website, "A Family Affair: Celebrating Multi-Generational Farms in Hatfield":
“What a lovely presentation. I’m so glad we made time to be there. Thank you! Several customers at our farm stand commented about seeing this presentation online and how nice it was. Farms are such an important part of our community, and the Hatfield Historical Society’s program will help keep that knowledge and history alive. It’s so nice to see farmers recognized.”
– Jim and Jan Golonka, Golonka Farm

“As a long-time resident of 40 years in Hatfield, I’ve experienced first-hand the benefit of the Hatfield Historical Society. They serve an indispensable role in preserving the long and valuable history of our small town. From profiles of famous residents (Sophia Smith) to historical records and genealogy listings of generations of Hatfield families, they are an invaluable resource to our residents. They help preserve all that is special in the people, places, and land of our unique community.”
– Lisa Ekus Founding Partner, The Ekus Group

Thank You Local Businesses and Groups!

Many thanks to the following supporters for their generous donations,
which will make **2025'**s programs, exhibits, social media and more, possible.
Please thank them with your patronage and let them know you appreciate it!
Companies who donated at a higher level are also listed on our Partners page,
where you can directly link to their business websites.

Leadership Circle
Zahn Family Charitable Foundation
USA Waste and Recycling

Benefactors
The Lions Club
Honey Pot Farm

Patrons
Amherst Insurance
Paciorek Electric
Raynor Door Sales
Thayer Excavating, in Memory of Linda Thayer & Joan A. Thayer

Advocates

Kieras Oil Inc.Golonka FarmThe Holly ShedWilliam Symanski CarpentryChestnut Mountain Tree FarmTri-State Truck N Auto &Trailer LLC	Wohl Family DentistryAhearn Funeral HomeEric Moos TruckingMonadnock Media, Inc.Shea LandscapingTeddy C. Smiarowski FarmSmithsonian Cafe and Chowderhouse

“As a small business owner, I recognize the importance of preserving history – many of our famous recipes were passed down from the former owners, the Richardsons. Our families are also deeply entrenched in the history of Hatfield, with my family having been here for well over 100 years, and my husband’s family farming here since 1661! The entire valley is so rich with history and we are fortunate to be able to enjoy it all – thanks to the efforts of organizations like the Hatfield Historical Society. -- Kathie Woodward Williams,Richardson’s Candy Kitchen, Deerfield, MA

The Hatfield Historical Society gratefully acknowledges and thanks Hatfield residents for their past support through our town's Community Preservation Act. CPA funding has allowed us to inventory the collection of the Hatfield Historical Museum, rehouse artifacts in archival enclosures, preserve or restore historically significant at-risk items, apply for and administer grants and share the collection with the community in multiple ways.

A Sampling of Items from the Hatfield Historical Museum collections

Click on each image to see a larger version and caption.

Hatfield Historical Society, 39 Main St., P.O. Box 168, Hatfield, MA 01038 [email protected]