old deerfield, deerfield, ma, massachusetts, historic district

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gothic revival, deerfield, ma, national register of historic places
Gothic Revival Home built by Reverand John Farwell Moors in 1848 upon his arrival.
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asa stebbins, deerfield, ma, massachusetts
Built by Asa Stebbins c. 1799, inspired by the design of Deerfield Academy.
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ashley house, deerfield, ma, national register of historic places, colonial
Built in 1734 by Reverand John Ashley and altered in 1780 by his son Elihu Ashley.
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deerfield, ma, david dickinson house
This fanlight is very unusual! The outer layer is actually painted wood made to look like glass.
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quoins, deerfield, ma, joseph barnard house
The Joseph Barnard House, c. 1769-72, is quite grand with its pedimented doorway and corner quoins.
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dwight house, deerfield, ma,
The three color paint scheme on the Dwight House was recreated based on paint analysis.
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deerfield, ma, historic deerfield
A weathered outbuilding behind the main visitor’s center at Historic Deerfield.
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historic deerfield, old deerfield, ma, massachusetts, colonial
Simple perfection with a gambrel roof, corner quoins and pretty yellow exterior.
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first church of deerfield, old deerfield, historic deerfield, ma, massachusetts, federal
This Federal-style meetinghouse was built in 1824 by Winthrop Clapp.
[/x_slide][/x_slider][/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section][cs_section style=”margin: 0px; padding: 5px 0px; “][cs_row style=”margin: 0px auto; padding: 0px; ” inner_container=”true”][cs_column style=”padding: 0px; ” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″][cs_text]New England boasts many historic towns and villages but very few look as they might have a hundred or more years ago. Historic Deerfield, a National Historic Landmark and a place where “history looms large” according to its website, is just such a village.

I have never been to Historic Deerfield, and until recently had never heard of it. My father sent me a link about it this past fall and I knew I was due for a visit. He and I set off with our cameras on a chilly winter day in December.

Historic Deerfield is a museum but also a place where people live, work, attend church and go to school. It’s main street, called simply The Street, is about a mile long and has vintage home after vintage home, with architectural styles spanning decades.

The museum itself owns a dozen historic buildings, some of which are featured in my photos, and all of which are open to the public for self-guided or guided tours. All but one of the twelve homes is on its original site. The Dwight House (in the feature photo) was relocated to the area from Springfield, MA in the 1950s.

Strolling down The Street, my father and I took in each home fully, paying careful attention to architectural details and having fun composing our shots making the best use of trees, fencing and other “props” to set the scene. As we wandered past we learned a bit of history from the signs along the way.[/cs_text][/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section][cs_section style=”margin: 0px; padding: 5px 0px; “][cs_row style=”margin: 0px auto; padding: 0px; ” inner_container=”true”][cs_column style=”padding: 0px; ” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″][x_slider animation=”slide” slide_time=”7000″ slide_speed=”1000″ slideshow=”false” random=”false” control_nav=”false” prev_next_nav=”true” no_container=”false” ][x_slide]

deerfield, ma, historic deerfield, national historic landmark
Classic red covers this Deerfield home.
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fanlight, deerfield, historic deerfield, colonial, ma, massachusetts
The fanlight of the Asa Stebbins, Jr. house has gilded details which became a popular way to draw attention to the entry in the early 19th century.
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david sexton house, deerfield, historic deerfield, national historic landmark, ma, massachusetts
Operated for a time as a tavern, the David Sexton House was built in the early 1760s.
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the manse, joseph barnard house, historic deerfield, ma, massachusetts
Another view of the Joseph Barnard House c. 1769-1772. The home is a four square, central hall style.
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joseph stebbins house, deerfield, ma, massachusetts, historic deerfield
Joseph Stebbins was a wealthy farmer and miller. His home was very large and boasted the latest architectural fashions.
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wells-thorn house, historic deerfield, ma, massachusetts, blue
Built c. 1747, the Wells-Thorn House is painted a unique sky blue and has been since lawyer Hezekiah Wright selected it as a sign of his status.
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colonial, historic deerfield, ma, massachusetts
One of many giant trees on The Street acts as sculpture perfectly accenting the historic architecture.
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post office, historic deerfield, old deerfield, ma, massachusetts, national historic landmark
This post office was renovated in 1952 to resemble a scaled-down version of Deerfield’s third meetinghouse.
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barnard tavern, deerfield, ma, massachusetts, historic deerfield
The welcoming front door of the Barnard Tavern, c. 1795, with its intricate trim work.
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town office, historic deerfield, old deerfield, ma, massachusetts, national historic landmark
The Town Office, c. 1895, features a false front. This little building provided a fireproof space for town records.
[/x_slide][/x_slider][/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section][cs_section style=”margin: 0px; padding: 5px 0px 0px; “][cs_row style=”margin: 0px auto; padding: 0px; ” inner_container=”true”][cs_column style=”padding: 0px; ” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″][cs_text]Deerfield was first settled in 1669 on land that had been inhabited by Native Americans for over 8,000 years prior. As was so common at the time, English colonists were granted the land that was once called Pocumtuck.

Located in the Connecticut River Valley, the land was perfect for farming and the settlers quickly began to take advantage of the area’s resources. It wasn’t an easy road for the settlers as the Pocumtuck joined forces with the French and attacked the village more than once forcing the settlers to rebuild.

This history is incorporated into over 300 years worth of stories by the museum to be used in its mission to educate visitors about the lifestyle of those that lived there long ago.

Halfway through our walk, we stopped to warm ourselves and have a bite at Champney’s Tavern in the historic Deerfield Inn. We finished our walk down the rest of The Street as the shadows grew long on a winter afternoon.

Historic Deerfield is a place I can see myself visiting time and again, in different seasons and for different reasons, whether it be to just take in the scenery or spend time enjoying few of the many museum activities.

I can only imagine what it looks like with trees ablaze in fall color or with spring flowers in bloom. If you have been to visit I would love to hear your impressions. If not, I think it’s a must see on any heritage tour through New England.[/cs_text][/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section][cs_section style=”margin: 0px; padding: 0px; “][cs_row style=”margin: 0px auto; padding: 0px; ” inner_container=”true”][cs_column style=”padding: 0px; ” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″][x_line][/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section][cs_section style=”margin: 0px; padding: 5px 0px; “][cs_row style=”margin: 0px auto; padding: 0px; ” inner_container=”true”][cs_column style=”padding: 0px; ” bg_color=”#ffffff” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″][cs_text]Enjoy this post? You might also like The Village of Tariffville or Hartford’s West End.

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6 Comments

    1. I love that yellow house!! You mean the one that shows the whole house? So gorgeous. And the blue one is just fun ? did the photo slider work out OK? Was trying something new.

    1. Thanks Judy! It really was a great day. Not often we get to do something together like that. I’m glad you enjoyed the post! Did the photo slider work out OK for you?

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