Join the 2017 WHM Capital Campaign!

We invite you to join the

2017 WHM Capital Campaign

to support our move to the

South Center School!

Click here to donate today!

In 1994 the Williamstown Historical Museum (at that time The House of Local History) was designated “the official custodian of town artifacts” at a Special Town Meeting. In order to continue to fulfill this mission, the Museum is now taking an important step. Grateful to have been housed in the town library since our inception in 1941, now that our lease is not renewable we will occupy our own space at the South Center School building (most recently The Little Red Schoolhouse) in South Williamstown.

This move will allow us to maximize our effectiveness in protecting and promoting the history of the Williamstown area. Our five primary activities are:

Maintaining, conserving and cataloging the valuable materials in our collection
Presenting permanent and changing exhibitions
Developing and sponsoring free public programs
Welcoming additional historic artifacts and documents from the town and townspeople
Facilitating and carrying out research

The Museum has leased the premises for 50 years from the town, and in order to prepare the building for occupancy both the town and the Museum have been making numerous improvements. We are securing the building envelope and installing energy efficient climate control and a high-quality security system. Aesthetic improvements are being made, including painting, flooring, and window treatments. Other changes will involve creating permanent exhibit space and making improvements that will enhance our temporary exhibits, children’s and research facilities.

We estimate our share of the cost of all renovations to be roughly $75,000. In an early phase of our campaign we have reached more than half our goal. We ask your help now to complete the task. Your generous one-time support (beyond a normal membership contribution) will assure a long-term, museum-quality environment for preserving our town’s history. We look forward to welcoming you to our new space at the Grand Opening in June, 2017. If you have questions or would like to tour the renovation site, please contact us at 413-458-2160 or info@williamstownhistoricalmuseum.org.

You can contribute online to the Williamstown Historical Museum’s 2017 Capital Campaign by clicking here: Donate!

Checks may be sent to:
Williamstown Historical Museum
32 New Ashford Road
Williamstown, MA 01267

Thank you for your support!

We are moving ahead to our new location at the South Center School at 32 New Ashford Road!

We are moving ahead!

We are so very grateful for your membership, friendship, and support while we enter a new phase of growth. Starting in January, we will be closed at our Milne Library location at 1095 Main Street in order to move to our new location at the South Center School, located at 32 New Ashford Road. We are excited about our move and look forward to being a vibrant history center for the entire community to enjoy for years to come. We invite you to make an appointment to visit the WHM at our Milne Library location over the next several weeks to get a final look at our current galleries and research area. Our phased move will take several months. Our collection will move first, followed by our research room and office areas, and our permanent exhibit will be moved last. You are invited to call or email during during our move to make an appointment to use our research materials or visit before the exhibit is moved. In the spring we will officially open at our new location, though you may drop by earlier or make an appointment to look around as we move in and organize ourselves.

As we are proceeding with the renovations at South Center School, we have also begun to raise funds for the project and are making good progress toward our $75,000 goal. We will launch our campaign to our general membership and other townspeople very soon. If you would would like to make a donation now, please contact our office at 413-458-2160 or go to our donations webpage by following this link https://www.williamstownhistoricalmuseum.org/membership-2/join-us/.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

South Center School Class, 1907-1908, Teacher: E. Belle Smith

The Transcript: A Voice in the Hills

Originally presented on Saturday, January 21, 2017 at 11 am at Sweetwood of Williamstown, Hulda Hardman Jowett’s lecture on the history of the Transcript can be viewed on WilliNet. Thank you WilliNet!

Please click the link below to view the lecture online:

http://willinet.org/content/williamstown-historical-museum-presents-transcript-voice-hills-hulda-hardman-jowett

The Transcript was the voice and conscience of northern Berkshire for over a century and no matter whether the topic was local or national, there was always a well thought out opinion, and locals were encouraged to comment on it. From wars to mayoral elections, even constitutional amendments, The Transcript had an opinion. This talk will include personal remembrances of VJ Day, the dropping of the Atomic bomb, and will include some stories about things that occurred when her father, uncle, grandfather and great grandfather were at the helm of this award winning newspaper. Questions are encouraged during this illustrated talk.

Born and educated in North Adams, Hulda Hardman Jowett attended local schools, graduated from Skidmore College with a BA in history, and did graduate work at UMass and at Williams where she was an NDEA/John Hay Fellow. She taught history for many years and is a student of local history and an amateur genealogist.