The 2nd annual Hilltown History Trail Museums & Culture Tour in the Hilltowns of Western Massachusetts will take place Saturday, August 5, 2023 from 10 am – 4 pm. Hilltown historical societies in Ashfield, Buckland, Cummington, Plainfield, and Shelburne Falls will open their museum doors to the public on the same day for a free day of exploring. Hop in your vehicle and ride the trail!
Become intimate with the Wilder family of yore at Buckland’s farm museum. See how far the English barn restoration has come; Wilder Woods timber was harvested this winter and milled on-site to source the lumber needed for the project. Visit Dr. Samuel Shaw’s 19th century home medical office in Plainfield; his invoices are still on the desk and the medicine chest is full of remedies and prescriptions. Grab a virtual pint at Cummington’s Kingman Tavern museum and park your carriage in (or near!) their well-appointed barn. Thumb through Howes Brothers photographs and glass plate negatives to see if your antique New England house or public building is in the collection. In Shelburne (Falls), ogle the trunk full of Persian souvenirs local educator Fidelia Fisk brought back from Persia, where she worked in the mid 1800’s.
Participating museums include: Ashfield Historical Society Museum, 457 Main St., Ashfield, MA; Wilder Homestead, 129 Ashfield Rd. (112 S), Buckland, MA; Buckland Historical Society Museum, 20 Upper St., Buckland, MA; Shaw-Hudson House, 286 Main St., Plainfield, MA; Kingman Tavern, 41 Main St., Cummington, MA; and Shelburne Historical Society Museum, 33 Severance St., Shelburne Falls, MA.
Drive the entire trail to visit all participating Hilltown History Trail museums in one day! These volunteer-run, rural museums have very limited open hours throughout the year, but for one day this August, six will be open for you to visit – for free!
