Historic Northampton

January 2023 Events

History of Slavery in Northampton, 1654 to 1783

A Zoom Presentation with Emma Winter Zeig & Shara Denson

of the Slavery Research Project at Historic Northampton

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 the research project here:

Historic Northampton Slavery Research Project

Register for the Zoom link.

Sliding scale admission $5 to $25.

Students: Free of charge.

Learn More | Register

Live Music in America:

A History from Jenny Lind to Beyoncé

Steve Waksman, Smith College Professor of Music

Sunday, January 15, 2023 at 2 pm

In person in the Flex Space at 33 Hawley Street, Northampton, MA

Please note: Masks are required for this in-person event.

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. Books will be available for sale at the event.

In partnership with the Northampton Center for the Arts.

Pre-registration is strongly recommended to reserve a seat.

Sliding scale admission $5 to $20.

Students: Free of charge.

Learn More | Register

Pull the Barn BACK!: A Free Community Event

On the Grounds of Historic Northampton

Saturday, January 21, 2023 at 1 pm

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. (No registration is needed for watching and cheering.) The rain date is Sunday, January 22, 2023 at 1 pm.

Learn More | Register

Live Music in (and Around) Northampton:

A Presentation and Panel Discussion

Sunday, January 29, 2023 at 2 pm

In person in the Flex Space at 33 Hawley Street, Northampton, MA

Please note: Masks are required for this in-person event.

Inspired by Steve Waksman’s recent book, Live Music in America, this panel discussion will focus on the past few decades of Northampton’s live music scene and the city’s musical life more broadly. A panel of local music insiders will reflect on the scene’s history since the 1970s, its present, and where it might go next. Preceding the panel discussion will be a brief presentation by Dylan Gaffney of Forbes Library, who will share archival photos and other materials to illustrate some of the venues and events that have defined Northampton music through the years.

The panel will be moderated by Steve Waksman, Smith College Professor of Music, and will feature:

• Beth Caurant, founder and guitarist, Lilith
• Joan Holliday, Program Director and afternoon drive host on WRSI, 93.9 The River
• Neal Robinson, Iron Horse Music Hall | Race Street Live
• Glenn Siegel, founder, Magic Triangle Jazz Series and co-founder, Pioneer Valley Jazz Shares.

In partnership with the Northampton Center for the Arts.

Pre-registration is strongly recommended to reserve a seat.

Sliding scale admission: $5-20.

Students: Free of charge.

Learn More | Register

Coming in March

Thursday, March 9, 2023 at 7 pm

From Nonotuck to Northampton:

Recovering Indigenous Histories

A Zoom Presentation by Margaret M. Bruchac

Associate Professor of Anthropology, Associate Faculty in Cultural Heritage,

and Coordinator of Native American and Indigenous Studies

at the University of Pennsylvania

Historic Northampton’s newly launched “Indigenous Histories” (access here on our website) features the scholarship of Dr. Margaret M. Bruchac. Join Dr. Bruchac for a Zoom presentation about her research, followed by a question and answer period on Thursday, March 9, 2023. Learn More

Area college students began researching primary source documents in person in February 2020 and then shifted to online research during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Book Cover, Live Music in America: A History from Jenny Lind to Beyoncé by Steve Waksman, Oxford University Press, 2022.

Photograph of the Barn Pull, November 5, 2022, by Max Lauff.

Tizzy playing at the Bay State Hotel in October 2000.  Seth Kaye Photography.