Welcome to the website of the Rowe Historical Society. The Rowe Historical Society owns and operates the Kemp-McCarthy Museum located at 282 Zoar Road in Rowe, Massachusetts. The museum has an extensive collection of local artifacts and antiques. Highlights of the collection include antique quilts, 19th century dolls, period costumes, china and glassware, sleighs, furniture, photographs, cookware, tools, farm implements, and an original 19th century hearse. The Kemp-McCarthy Museum also has many valuable photos of townspeople and local sites, as well as literature from the Davis Mine, the Hoosac Railroad, and the Yankee Atomic Electric Company. To see some of the collection, visit "Take a Virtual Tour" on this website. The Rowe Historical Society periodically publishes The Bulletin, dedicated to the preservation of local history by highlighting "bits of history, old letters, pictures, news clippings and anything of interest to the history of Rowe," and The Rowe Historical Society Newsletter, featuring information on upcoming events and programs. The Rowe Historical Society publishes many important books including the definitive history of the town, The History of Rowe, Massachusetts by Percy Whiting Brown and Nancy Newton Williams. The Kemp-McCarthy Museum is open to the public every Sunday from 2 PM to 5 PM from July through mid-October, and at other times by appointment. Concerts, holiday celebrations, literary programs, and other cultural events are held at the museum throughout the year. This website also provides useful information on membership in the Rowe Historical Society and directions to the Kemp-McCarthy Museum. Recent Additions:
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"Rail-Fan Sunday" Program on July 8th
"Rail-Fan Sunday" will be held at the Kemp-McCarthy Museum on Sunday, July 8th. The exhibit opens at 11:30 a.m., and the program starts at 1:00 p.m. and continues throughout the afternoon. Please see "News and Events" for more information. Photo: Rolling along the Patriot Corridor
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Our New Museum Store Maps, posters, a commemorative plate, and notecards are among the items currently for sale in our new, on-line Museum Store. Please click on "Museum Store" to see what's available. Improving Our Museum We've been rotating exhibits, storing our valuable quilts, cleaning, polishing and working extra hard to prepare our museum for the coming season. Please scroll down to see pictures of some of our very dedicated workers.
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Celtic Concert on Sunday, June 24th with Katherine First and Last Night's Fun Katherine First and Last Night's Fun are returning to the Kemp-McCarthy Museum on Sunday, June 24th, for a special concert to benefit the Rowe Historical Society. These wonderfully talented musicians will create a special magic with their delightful performance of Celtic music, played "with a twist." Their program will have toe-tapping and hand-clapping upbeat tunes, as well as touching and moving Irish classics. For this performance, we will have a stage, so it will be easy to see the musicians. We also have some special surprises planned! Please mark your calendar for this exciting event!
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Upcoming Events at the Kemp-McCarthy Museum This season of special events at the Kemp-McCarthy Museum promises to have something of interest for everyone. We open our season with a return engagement by Last Night's Fun, the very popular Celtic group who performed to a standing-room-only audience at the Kemp-McCarthy Museum last August. Based on the success of that concert, we will offer an additional musical program on August 12th featuring the popular group, The Bum Steers. Among the very talented musicians in The Bum Steers is our friend Bill Knittle! Please check this site again for more information on both concerts. Railroad fans and local history buffs will love our Rail Fan Sunday program scheduled for Sunday, July 8th. Exhibits will open at 11:30 a.m. The speakers' program begins at 1 p.m., and it will continue throughout the afternoon. The history of the Hoosac Tunnel will take center stage with presentations by two tunnel experts. Jerry Kelley will give an exciting and informative talk about his extensive research on the tunnel. He will bring his model of a Hoosac Tunnel electric locomotive as well as his hand-crafted models of the lining tower, Wilson's machine, and the bottom of the central shaft. Tim Lawrence will show some of his acclaimed video, "On to the Hoosac, on to the West: The Story of the Hoosac Tunnel." In addition to these special presentations, the Kemp-McCarthy exhibit cases will have a large display of model trains, featuring familiar locomotives like the Santa Fe as well as rare trains by Hornby, JEP and Wrenn. There will be a free drawing for prizes, and some surprises, too! Food will be available. Don't miss this very special event. Please see our News and Events page for more information. The poet Robert Frost will come to life on Sunday, September 9th with a fascinating interactive performance by noted Emerson College Professor John Anderson. Please mark your calendar! In addition, there will be a Memorial Day program to honor Rowe's Veterans on Sunday, May 27th. Please plan to join us for this very important event. Please watch this website for frequent updates on all our programs. ______________________________________________________
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Preparing the Kemp-McCarthy Museum for the New Season Bob Dykeman, Carlos Heiligmann, Lenny Laffond and John Magnago recently spent several hours moving items at the Kemp-McCarthy Museum. We are rotating and updating our exhibits for the coming season.
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Storing Quilts: Marilyn Belval and Doris Fensky show how it's done! Photos: John Magnago
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Tim Lawrence Will Be at "Rail Fan Sunday" on July 8th
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Tim Lawrence will present scenes from his video, "On to the Hoosac, on to the West: The Story of the Hoosac Tunnel" on Rail Fan Sunday on July 8th at the Kemp-McCarthy Museum. He will also answer questions from the audience. Tim has always loved trains, and when he first heard about the Hoosac Tunnel he knew he had to see it. "Once I saw it, and the '1877' above the east portal, I was fascinated by it," he says. He started looking for a documentary on the tunnel, and when he couldn't find one, he decided to make his own. "I had graduated in 2002 with a degree in film making, had the love of trains, the ability and resources, so it just seemed to make sense." You can meet Tim and see his very interesting and informative video during our special Rail Fan Sunday on July 8th. Please mark your calendar!
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Please Support the Friends of the Rowe Historical Society
Listed Below
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51 River Street; Greenfield,MA 01301
413-772-0113
James Bertier
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