Past Programs 2023
Pull the Barn BACK: A Free Community Event
Saturday, January 21, 2023 at 1 pm
On the Grounds of Historic Northampton, 46 Bridge Street, Northampton, MA
Aerial View of the Barn Pull, November 2022
Photograph ​by Max Lauff
We need your muscle and cheers to move the historic Shepherd Barn back onto its original footprint now that a new foundation has been installed.

Once again, timber framer Alicia Spence will direct volunteers to slowly and carefully pull the barn back along the specially made track.

Register ahead to volunteer to pull the ropes or sign up at the event.

All are welcome to watch and cheer on the volunteers.
Historic Northampton and the Northampton Center for the Arts present
Live Music in America: A History from Jenny Lind to Beyoncé
A book talk by Steve Waksman, Smith College Professor of Music
Sunday, January 15, 2023 at 2 pm

Eli's Room (Lower Level Studio)
Northampton Center for the Arts,
33 Hawley Street, Northampton, MA

Smith College Professor of Music Steve Waksman will discuss his new book, Live Music in America: A History from Jenny Lind to Beyoncé. Starting with Jenny Lind's fabled U.S. tour (she performed to large crowds in Northampton in 1851 and 1852) and winding all the way into the twenty-first century, Live Music in America is the first book to consider the history of live music in the U.S. across genres and time periods. It draws upon previously unstudied archival materials to shed new light on the origins of jazz, the emergence of rock 'n' roll, and the rise of the modern music festival. Dr. Waksman's presentation will be illustrated with photos from his research along with music and video clips.
Slavery in Northampton, 1654 to 1783
A Zoom Presentation with Emma Winter Zeig and Shara Denson
Thursday, January 12, 2023 at 7 pm

In the 129 years from the English settlement of Northampton in 1654 to the abolition of slavery in Massachusetts in 1783, fifty or more men, women, and children were enslaved in Northampton.   Their stories illuminate how enslavers in Northampton exerted power over the lives of the people they enslaved, but also the ways that enslaved people took back control over their lives, gaining their freedom, starting families, managing careers, and amassing property.

For three years (2019-2021), the Slavery Research Project consisted of a team of staff, interns, and scholars who combed through every available record to identify those who were enslaved and to learn as much as possible about their lives and the lives of their children. Shara Denson will introduce the Project, and Emma Winter Zeig will highlight stories of people who this project shed new light on, describe the challenges of researching slavery, and introduce the web portal where the results of the study are available. You can access it here.  Historic Northampton Slavery Research Project

Register for the Zoom link.
Sliding scale admission: $5-25.
Students: Free