May-20-2026: Beneath the Interstate: Uncovering the Story of Nash’s Mills
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.
Read MoreRevolution in the Valley
Revolution in the Valley:
A Tale of Two Towns by Kay Lyons
Greenfield: April 19, Deerfield: May 3
The Historical Society of Greenfield will hold two readings of a new play, “Revolution in the Valley: A Tale of Two Towns” by Kay Lyons, in two churches on two Sunday afternoons in April and May.
Greenfield was a supply hub during the Revolution, and both Greenfield and Deerfield, her mother town, were microcosms of the conflicting views of English settlers on the brink of revolution. The readers’ theater style play celebrates the everyday people living their lives through the Revolution, and the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The play will take place Sunday, April 19 at 2 pm at the Episcopal Church of Saints James and Andrew, 8 Church Street, Greenfield; and Sunday, May 3 at the First Church of Deerfield (also known as the Brick Church) at 71 Old Main Street, Deerfield.
Admission is free, with donations welcome.
Calendar for 2026
See the calendar at Events in 2026: Spring Summer
- May 20
- June 17
- July 18
- Sept 16
- Oct 14
Interested – see calendar
Read MoreFeb 20 – screenings of “Greenfield’s Winter Carnival, 1923” and “Love’s Young Dream
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.
Read MoreWelcome New Year 2026
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
Calendar for 2025 season
The new season begins Saturday, May 10 at noon. This year we are offering three exhibits: “Rivers, Roads, and Railroads: Transportation in Our Town”; “Landscapes: Paintings from the Collection”; “Children of Greenfield: A Sampling of Childhood.”
Our Speaker Series begins Wednesday, May 21.
The popular Ice Cream Social is Saturday, July 19 from 12:00 to 3:00.
You will find the program for the season attached.
We hope to see you in the museum and at the talks!
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