June 5–6, 12–13, 19–20, and 26–27
In June, the many uses of berries will be investigated in a new program called “Berry Season.” Used for food, medicine, and even for dyes and inks, berries were also a seasonal treat for early Americans. Visitors will explore the importance of berries to both Native Americans and English settlers in the 18th century, make berry ink, put together a refrigerator-jam kit to take home, and receive a berry recipe booklet. Included with general admission.

Join us again for a day at Historic Deerfield that recognizes the important roles that gardens played for early New Englanders. Enjoy tours of our Cooks’ Garden, Open Hearth Cooking with our own garden produce, tastings of herbal foods, culinary-focused house tours, a “Tree and Shrub ID” walk, a talk about Composting and Soil Health, an agricultural walk, and a garden tour focusing on the critical role of pollinators. Take away inspiration, ideas, and recipes. Included with general admission.

The Dublin Seminar for New England Folklife, in conjunction with Boston University’s Program in American and New England Studies, the Costume Society of America, and Historic Deerfield, will present its annual symposium on June 19 and 20 at Eaglebrook School. For more information, please call (978) 369-7382, or visit www.bu.edu.dublinseminar.

Alan C. Swedlund, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, will give a lecture followed by a signing of his new book Shadows in the Valley: A Cultural History of Illness, Death, and Loss in New England, 1840-1916.

Daily, July 3-August 15 In July and August, visitors can enjoy the new program “Colonial Colors: Fun with Paint and Dye,” an exploration of the rich and vibrant colors and hues found in everyday colonial New England life. This program will look at how fabric dyes were made from local plants, as well as imported dye stuffs. Visitors can learn how people colored their houses with paint ground from natural pigments and mixed it with natural materials such as linseed oil or even milk! Historic houses and the Flynt Center of Early New England Life will be open for visitors to see ways in which people made their interiors stand out with color. Visitors can also create their own colors using natural materials and methods, and make a project to take home. Included with general admission.

Join Historic Deerfield for the 2010 Summer Lecture Series titled “Living with the Land: Three Centuries of Food and Farming in the Northeast.” The presentations will take place on July 8, 15, and 22 at 7:30 p.m. in the Bartels Seminar Room at the Flynt Center of Early New England Life.
Kimberly Kasper, a Research Fellow at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, will give the first of the three lectures on July 8, titled “Seeds of Continuity within the Reservation: Mashantucket Pequot Management of Plant Resources and Foodways on a Colonized Landscape.” The second lecture will feature Brian Donahue, an Associate Professor of American Environmental Studies at Brandeis University, speaking about "Brickiln Field to Battle Road Farms: Three-and-a-half Centuries in Minute Man Park, Concord, Massachusetts.” Finally, Steven Stoll, a Visiting Associate Professor of History at Fordham University, will deliver a lecture titled “Bananas From Boston: The Transformation of the New England Landscape." All lectures during the Summer Lecture Series are free and open to the public. Sponsored by Bank of America. For more information, please call 413-775-7214.

In collaboration with the Museums10 consortium and the region-wide partnership “Table for 10: The Art, History and Science of Food,” Historic Deerfield’s new exhibition will explore the social, cultural, and artistic importance of dining in early America with displays in the lobby of the Flynt Center of Early New England Life, as well as in three dining rooms of historic houses. On view through February 27, 2011.

Join Historic Deerfield and the Deerfield Inn for a fun and educational opportunity to learn more about tea drinking in colonial Deerfield. Enjoy a delicious and beautiful array of freshly baked scones with clotted cream, finger sandwiches, cakes, sherry, cookies and more with your nice cup of tea! Also join Amanda Rivera Lopez, Director of Museum Education & Interpretation at Historic Deerfield, to learn about the many ways people have enjoyed tea over time. Following the tea, visit some of Historic Deerfield’s tea-related collections. Tickets are $30 for adults and $15 for Youth (12 and under) and must be purchased in advance. Pre-Registration is required by August 18. For more information or to register, please call 413-774-5587.

September 11–12, 18–19, 25–26
New! The family programs only get sweeter when “Honey Harvest” is offered on weekends in September. Honey was an important ingredient used to sweeten foods and beverages in colonial America, and to brew a traditional drink called mead. Join museum educators in this fun family program to learn about bees and honey. Taste different kinds of honey, and make a beeswax candle to take home. All family programs are included with general admission, and are free to members. For more information, please call (413) 775-7214.

Join Joanne Harvey, owner of The Examplarery, as she guides you through the stitches and techniques for reproducing Marietta Stebbins’ 1801 sampler in the “White Dove School” style that flourished in Deerfield. Participants will have the opportunity to examine other samplers and pieces of 18th-and 19th-century embroidery with dealer and scholar Carol Huber of Stephen and Carol Huber in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. A tour of the Helen Geier Flynt Textile Gallery led by a Master Guide is also included in the workshop. Limited to 25 participants. Pre-registration is required by September 17. For more information or to register, please contact Julie Marcinkiewicz at (413) 775-7179, or events@historic-deerfield.org.

White Church Community Center Do you like to watch Antiques Roadshow®? Then be sure to take part in this special fundraiser to support our local Western Massachusetts PBS station, WGBY, and gain access to experts from the Antiques Dealers’ Association of America (ADA) and Historic Deerfield curators as they provide verbal evaluations of your antiques. Pre-registration required. For tickets and information, please call WGBY at 800-781-9429, or log on to wgby.org.

Deerfield Academy Auditorium Come meet curators from the PBS hit series History Detectives at a special live show to benefit WGBY. Pre-registration required. Please contact WGBY directly at (800) 781-9429, or log on to WGBY.org for tickets and information.

Explore a dazzling array of masterworks by famous American cabinetmakers including Duncan Phyfe and Honoré Lannuier, Samuel McIntire, John and Thomas Seymour, and John Townsend. Learn about antique furniture from the inside out, and gain a new understanding of the materials and craftsmanship that went into the creation of these spectacular objects through graphics, before-and-after views of conservation treatments, and innovative “exploded view” display techniques. Into the Woods also features a special changing section, which will debut with a feature on the design and construction of clockcases.

Into the Woods: Crafting Early American Furniture
Photo by Historic Deerfield

Join an experienced Historic Deerfield guide for a fascinating look at four special objects on display. Tours begin at 3 p.m., and last approximately 20 minutes. Meet at the gallery entrance in the Flynt Center of Early New England Life. Included with general admission.

John Mills Horn.
Horn, pine. Carved at Crown Point New York, Nov. 4, 1760.
The William H. Guthman Collection.

These 75 powder horns at Historic Deerfield offer a wealth of documentary information about the original owners and carvers who created them.