Situated on a 330-year-old, mile long street, Historic Deerfield preserves and interprets the architecture, artifacts and lifestyle of a prosperous early New England town. The extraordinary houses with their antique furnishings, along with the exhibition galleries and collections, comprise some of the finest examples of publicly available Americana in the United States.
Historic Deerfield was incorporated in 1952, to sustain the work of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Flynt, of Greenwich, Connecticut. In 1936, the Flynts enrolled their son at Deerfield Academy, a nationally known college prep school founded in 1797, located in the center village of Deerfield, Massachusetts. The Flynts were amazed at the remarkable, but fragile, state of preservation of the old village. With the encouragement of Deerfield Academy's Headmaster, Frank Boyden, they began to purchase the old houses along the street to carefully restore them.
Today, 13 museum houses, built between 1730 and 1850, and the Flynt Center of Early New England Life display more than 25,000 objects made or used in America between 1650 and 1850. It is the quality of this collection, the meticulously preserved 18th and 19th century houses in which it is displayed, and the old village itself that make Historic Deerfield the New England that all travellers hope to find.
Mission Statement
Historic Deerfield, Incorporated, 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.
