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May-20-2026: Beneath the Interstate: Uncovering the Story of Nash’s Mills

Posted on May 20, 2026 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

Patrick McGreevy
6 P.M. Wednesday, May 20, 2026 Greenfield Public Library

 

The place where Route 91 roars below the Lyden Rd. bridge was once the heart of the thriving community of Nash’s Mills. Its two cornerstones were the First Congregational Church and a series of water-powered mills. This presentation will briefly trace the development of this now dismantled community and outline its wider historical context.

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2026 – Opening Day on Sat, May 16

Posted on May 13, 2026 in Local events | 0 comments

The museum at 43 Church Street opens for the season this Saturday, May 16, at noon!

 

What is new this year?

 

You will see an extensive exhibit of early photos of Greenfield from the Charles E. Winslow Collection, a glass plate camera, and examples of tintypes, daguerreotypes, and other early forms of photographs.

 

We have put together an exhibit of beautiful cutlery made by Nichols Bros, whose company became American Tap & Die in 1905. Each item is illustrated with an entry from their 1904 Catalogue.

 

Other treasures include a wonderful 8-inch Powder Horn with the carving of man in stove-pipe hat, found in a former wooded area between David and Birch Streets; evocative paintings of the American House and the Mansion House by Thurston Munson.

 

The Landscapes & Quilts exhibit, Anna Judah’s Herbarium, the Dexter Marsh corner, and the Children’s Room will also continue to delight you.

 

See you at 43 Church Street!
Saturday hours are noon to three.
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Calendar for 2026

Posted on Apr 13, 2026 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

See the calendar at Events in 2026: Spring Summer

  • May 20
  • June 17
  • July 18
  • Sept 16
  • Oct 14

Interested – see calendar

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Feb 20 – screenings of “Greenfield’s Winter Carnival, 1923” and “Love’s Young Dream

Posted on Feb 14, 2026 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

GREENFIELD — As part of The LAVA Center’s monthly “Theater of Ideas” program, the 324 Main St. venue will host screenings of “Greenfield’s Winter Carnival, 1923” and “Love’s Young Dream,” with a talkback session to follow with the Historical Society of Greenfield’s Chris Clawson and Carol Aleman, on Friday, Feb. 20, at 6 p.m.

“Greenfield’s Winter Carnival, 1923” is a 9-minute film documenting the first Winter Carnival. “Love’s Young Dream” is a one-act comedy-drama that was produced at the old Victoria (later Showplace) Theater on Chapman Street in June 1924, and features local Greenfield actors.

Bridging the two films is a short documentary detailing the Historical Society’s discovery, what Clawson and Aleman learned about the films’ creation, and how they produced a modern presentation that was first shown at the Garden Cinemas in 2024. Each film has a virtual orchestra accompaniment of silent screen music produced for Vintage Days.

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Welcome New Year 2026

Posted on Jan 16, 2026 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

We are closed for the winter. We do take appointments for in-house research if you email on the contacts page.

Projects:

We are working away on various projects that could use help, for example, there are still boxes from Peter Miller that need archiving.

Lectures:
Also there an ongoing project digitizing society lectures dating back into the 1800s.
That is a 2 part process, our volunteers are using modern scanners to copy a printed copy.
That only does part of the job, since these are old typed copies and can not be very accurately scanned. These means there is a open project to review the scanned results and edit from the original printed copy in the word document that is also made when scanned.
You can see those that have been done, read and even vote for those that have not been done.
The whole list of those done and to be done

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