Exploring Northampton
A Walking Tour of Main Street
with Historic Northampton Co-director Elizabeth Sharpe
A Walking Tour of Main Street
with Historic Northampton Co-director Elizabeth Sharpe
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Thursday, May 11, 2023 at 9 am
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Tuesday, May 16, 2023 at 9 am
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Pre-registration is required. Each tour is limited to 18 participants.
Sliding scale admission: $10-25 per person.
Meet at Historic Northampton, 46 Bridge Street, Northampton, MA
Sliding scale admission: $10-25 per person.
Meet at Historic Northampton, 46 Bridge Street, Northampton, MA
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Since the 1650s, Northampton’s Main Street has been a crossroads, marketplace, town center, and public square. The first store opened in 1769 where Thornes Marketplace is now. It was across the street from the meetinghouse and tavern. The Victorian Main Street we see today was mostly built between 1865 and 1900 with a self-consciousness about “how we look” as a town.
As we walk from Historic Northampton to the Academy of Music, we will discuss the history of architecture and underlying ideas about social order, civic pride, preservation, and the importance of public gathering spaces. |
Composite image, designed by Helen Riegle, of Main Street featuring a carte-de-visite card photograph circa 1865 by
the Ingraham Brothers and a 2019 photograph depicting the same view by photographer Paul Shoul. |