Deerfield, Mass. (December 19, 2016)---The winter season brings programs for visitors to learn and explore at Historic Deerfield, including classes on open hearth cooking and the art of printing, a free Winter Lecture Series commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Townshend Acts, and a free symposium on the art of remembrance.

Historic Deerfield will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Townshend Acts with the free Winter Lecture Series,

Revolutionary Acts: Tea, Taxes and Tempests

.  The lectures will be held at the Deerfield Community Center in Old Deerfield.  The first lecture, "Colonial Opposition and the Road to Revolution, 1763-1775,"  will be held on January 22 at 2 p.m., and presented by William M. Fowler, Distinguished Professor of History,  Northeastern University.  On February 26 at 2 p.m.,  Nancy Siegel , Professor of Art History, Towson University, will present the second lecture, " 'Renounce the Baneful Herb : ' Colonial Boycotts and the Invention of Liberty Tea."  On March 26 at 2 p.m.,  Angelika Kuettner , Associate Curator of Ceramics, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation,  will present  the third lecture,  "'Earthen Ware, made in Boston:' Benjamin Leigh and John Allman's Revolutionary Partnership ."

A variety of educational programs this winter will appeal to many different audiences. The popular "Girl Scout Badge Days" continue, with opportunities for scouts to earn badges in hearth cooking and woodworking. Those interested in historic foodways, open hearth cooking or simply cooking on the fire will enjoy Historic Deerfield's Open Hearth Cooking Classes in February and March. From simple basics to cooking from recipes from the 18th and 19th centuries, the museum's open hearth cooking classes are a great way to learn about the history of cooking and the tricks that go into cooking on an open hearth. "

Pressing Matters: The Art of Printing at Historic Deerfield " 

is the topic for Historic Deerfield's museum course, which will be held on Thursday evenings in March (March 16, 23, 30). Through a combination of lecture and object study, this three-part course will examine the practice of printing on different media. Woodblocks and copperplates transmitted the designs that would adorn maps, prints, and other decorative objects on paper. European printed textiles first sought to imitate elaborate painted cottons from India, known as chintz; with improved technology in the 18th century, yards of cheaper printed cottons eventually became available. Transfer-printed ceramics allowed for quick and inexpensive decoration. For the first time handsomely decorated pottery with intricate designs and lively colors was affordable for the middle classes. These developments led to mass-production and greater access to decoration and color on commodities.  For more information and to register online for these classes, visit  www.historic-deerfield.org .

The Deerfield-Wellesley Symposium returns to Deerfield on Saturday, March 18 with The Art of Remembrance: Family, Art and Memory in New England. This day-long symposium will explore artistic productions of familial memory and commemoration in New England from the 1600s to the turn of the 20th century. The art of family was wide-ranging and included family registers, mourning art, gravestones, textiles, furniture, jewelry and other clothing accessories, scrapbooks and albums, as well as portraits, silhouettes, and, by the mid-19th century, photographs. A select group of scholars will present papers during the symposium that will explore these tangible storehouses of memories and relationships, offering unique and compelling entry points to explore ways New Englanders chose to remember, commemorate, memorialize, mourn and/or celebrate family members, rites of passage and other domestic events.

2017 Winter Program Schedule

Winter Lecture Series: Revolutionary Acts: Tea, Taxes and Tempests (Free and open to the public)

Girl Scout Badge Days

January 7, 14: Hearth Cooking for Scouts, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. Additional fee. Contact Faith Deering at (413) 775-7116 or [email protected] for more information.

January 21, February 4, 11: Woodworker Badge, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.  Additional fee. Contact Faith Deering at (413) 775-7116 or [email protected] for more information.

Open Hearth Cooking Classes

February 4, 11, 18, 25; March 4, 11, 18.  Additional fee, pre-registration required. See www.historic-deerfield.org for more information.

Museum Course: Pressing Matters: The Art of Printing at Historic Deerfield

March 16, 23, 30, 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Additional fee, pre-registration required. See 

www.historic-deerfield.org for more information.

Winter Hours

Historic Deerfield's winter hours go into effect on Monday, December 26. The Flynt Center of Early New England Life will be open Saturdays and Sundays, December 31 - April 9, from 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Visitors can enjoy current exhibitions and "The Museum's Attic" gallery.  The Henry N. Flynt Library will be open Tuesday-Friday, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. The Museum Gift Shop & Bookstore is open every day except Tuesday, 10:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. The museum will reopen for the 2017 Season on Saturday, April 15, 2017.

Seasonal Winter Admission: $7 Adults, $5 Youth (ages 6-17), under 6, Deerfield/South Deerfield residents, and members free. Historic Deerfield's museum houses are closed to the public during the winter months (January-mid-April), however pre-arranged tours-by-appointment, school tours and group tours are scheduled. For more information, call (413) 775-7132 or e-mail [email protected].

About Historic Deerfield, Inc.

Historic Deerfield, Inc., is dedicated to the heritage and preservation of Deerfield, Massachusetts, and the Connecticut River Valley. Its museums and programs provide today's audiences with experiences that create an understanding and appreciation of New England's historic villages and countryside.

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