Dan Raymond House Museum / Mark Dewey Research Center / Old Stone Store 137-161 Main Street | P.O. Box 747 | Sheffield, MA 01257
Visit us at the Old Stone Store Weekends 11am-4pm
On Friday, April 12 at 7:30 pm we welcome Carol Ascher, to give a presentation on the topic of her book A Chance for Land and Fresh Air, Russian Jewish Immigrants in Sharon and Amenia, 1907-1940. The talk will be at Dewey Hall, 91 Main St., Sheffield, and is free and open to the public. This compelling narrative is about the courage, determination and imaginative spirit of thirty Russian Jewish families who, arriving in America at the turn of the 20th century, soon purchased small farms in western Connecticut. Similar stories took place in thousands of rural communities throughout America, thanks to Baron Maurice de Hirsch, a Belgian Jewish philanthropist who believed that anti-Semitism would end if only Jews could own land and become productive farmers. For decades, a generous fund that he established offered mortgages and other support to Jews willing to try their hand at farming. Many of the original thirty families supplemented their farm income by offering kosher vacations to New York Jews. Around 1920 they began to move to neighboring Amenia, NY, on the train line, transforming the town into a lively Jewish resort.
The book, which grew out of a 2017 exhibit at the Sharon Historical Society & Museum, resonates with audiences today whose immigrant families likewise struggled to assimilate in a new land, learn English and take up new profession. Carol was drawn to this story, as she is the daughter of refugees from Nazism. Growing up in Topeka, KS, she began writing at a young age to make sense of her two very different worlds: the community of Jewish refugees in Topeka and the Midwestern Christian world of her public school and neighborhood.
The author of seven books and numerous short stories, essays and scholarly articles, Carol has won several awards for her writing, including four PEN/National Endowment for the Arts Syndicated Short Fiction Awards, two awards from the New York Foundation for the Arts, a Thomas Carter award for literary nonfiction, and a fellowship from the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture. The exhibit, "A Chance for Land & Fresh Air" won the 2018 Connecticut League of History Organizations Award of Merit, and Carol won the NWCT Arts Council CultureMAX award for heritage professional for her work on the book of the same name. She frequently lectures about researching local histories, recording oral histories and conducting archival research. For more information on the book and Carol please visit https://www.achanceforlandandfreshair.com/.
The book, which grew out of a 2017 exhibit at the Sharon Historical Society & Museum, resonates with audiences today whose immigrant families likewise struggled to assimilate in a new land, learn English and take up new profession. Carol was drawn to this story, as she is the daughter of refugees from Nazism. Growing up in Topeka, KS, she began writing at a young age to make sense of her two very different worlds: the community of Jewish refugees in Topeka and the Midwestern Christian world of her public school and neighborhood.
The author of seven books and numerous short stories, essays and scholarly articles, Carol has won several awards for her writing, including four PEN/National Endowment for the Arts Syndicated Short Fiction Awards, two awards from the New York Foundation for the Arts, a Thomas Carter award for literary nonfiction, and a fellowship from the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture. The exhibit, "A Chance for Land & Fresh Air" won the 2018 Connecticut League of History Organizations Award of Merit, and Carol won the NWCT Arts Council CultureMAX award for heritage professional for her work on the book of the same name. She frequently lectures about researching local histories, recording oral histories and conducting archival research. For more information on the book and Carol please visit https://www.achanceforlandandfreshair.com/.
Artifacts from the Sheffield Historical Society’s Dan Raymond House Museum are on view at the Old Stone Store in an exhibit open weekends until Sunday, May 5th.
The exhibit debuts information on Sheffield’s notorious Tory, Dan Raymond, who built the brick house in the mid-1770s, as well as the sixteen subsequent owners of the property.
Artifacts from the two brick house parlors and keeping room range from the 1700s to late-1800s, representing the furnishings and objects of the various owners over more than a century.
The Dan Raymond House Museum will re-open for public self-guided tours during Fridays from June 7th through October 25th.
The exhibit debuts information on Sheffield’s notorious Tory, Dan Raymond, who built the brick house in the mid-1770s, as well as the sixteen subsequent owners of the property.
Artifacts from the two brick house parlors and keeping room range from the 1700s to late-1800s, representing the furnishings and objects of the various owners over more than a century.
The Dan Raymond House Museum will re-open for public self-guided tours during Fridays from June 7th through October 25th.
2018 Sheffield
Park of Honor
We invite you to take a few minutes to stop at the 2018 Park of Honor, on Rt. 7 by Maple Ave. Two "monuments" have been erected in the park on which a Veteran’s information is displayed. The Veteran's name, service dates, branch of service and sponsor have been placed on the “monument”. In addition to the recognition of the Veterans, fifty flags flank "monuments".The Sheffield Historical Society is a proud sponsor of the Park of Honor as we celebrate 100 years of Armistice Day 1918-2018.
Click below to read an article about this year's Sheffield Park of Honor
www.berkshireeagle.com/stories/a-tribute-to-those-who-served-in-sheffield,556199
Park of Honor
We invite you to take a few minutes to stop at the 2018 Park of Honor, on Rt. 7 by Maple Ave. Two "monuments" have been erected in the park on which a Veteran’s information is displayed. The Veteran's name, service dates, branch of service and sponsor have been placed on the “monument”. In addition to the recognition of the Veterans, fifty flags flank "monuments".The Sheffield Historical Society is a proud sponsor of the Park of Honor as we celebrate 100 years of Armistice Day 1918-2018.
Click below to read an article about this year's Sheffield Park of Honor
www.berkshireeagle.com/stories/a-tribute-to-those-who-served-in-sheffield,556199
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WATCH the TV Segment about the Sheffield Historical Society
Click below to watch "Main Streets and Back Roads" segment on the Sheffield Historical Society. Make sure to check out the other segments on Sheffield, including Tony Carlotto's Rolling Rock Farm, Magic Fluke, Bartholomew's Cobble, Mill River Farm & Sheffield antiques stores.
http://www.wcvb.com/chronicle
Click below to watch "Main Streets and Back Roads" segment on the Sheffield Historical Society. Make sure to check out the other segments on Sheffield, including Tony Carlotto's Rolling Rock Farm, Magic Fluke, Bartholomew's Cobble, Mill River Farm & Sheffield antiques stores.
http://www.wcvb.com/chronicle
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Interested in visiting other 18th century sites?
Historic Berkshires: An 18th Century Trail
Sheffield Historical Society
Dan Raymond House
Jennifer Owens, Administrator
sheffieldhistoricalsociety@gmail.com
413-229-2694
Office Hours
Tuesday & Friday 10:00 am- 3:00 pm
Mark Dewey Research Center
James Miller, Archivist
K.C. Clow, Volunteer
mdrc@sheffieldhistory.org
413-229-3682
Office Hours
Monday 1:30pm-4:00pm
Friday 1:30pm-4:00pm
or by appointment
Sheffield Historical Society
P.O. Box 747
159-161 Main St.
Sheffield, MA 01257
Visit us at Facebook
Dan Raymond House
Jennifer Owens, Administrator
sheffieldhistoricalsociety@gmail.com
413-229-2694
Office Hours
Tuesday & Friday 10:00 am- 3:00 pm
Mark Dewey Research Center
James Miller, Archivist
K.C. Clow, Volunteer
mdrc@sheffieldhistory.org
413-229-3682
Office Hours
Monday 1:30pm-4:00pm
Friday 1:30pm-4:00pm
or by appointment
Sheffield Historical Society
P.O. Box 747
159-161 Main St.
Sheffield, MA 01257
Visit us at Facebook