Local History
The Hampshire Room for Local History and Special Collections, completed in 2002, houses extensive resources in local history, genealogy, and a large collection of historic Northampton photographs. Highlights of the Hampshire Room collections include account books and town papers, maps, manuscripts, stereoscopes, the Walter Corbin Collection, Judd Manuscript, Hampshire Gazette negatives, Elbridge Kingsley collection, Audubon prints, World War I and II posters, rare books, and Seth Pomeroy's Journal, which is now available in a digital facsimile edition.
Fine Arts
The Forbes Library holds a substantial collection of paintings, engravings, photographs, and other works by local, regional and nationally-known artists of the 18th to the 21st centuries. Among the art on permanent display are works by Leonard Baskin, W.H.W. Bicknell, Howard Chandler Christy, Lionel Delevingne, Ralph Earl, Bessie Bell Hawkes, Elbridge Kingsley, Samuel F.B. Morse, Barry Moser, Elliott Offner, Alan James Robinson, Stan Sherer, Dwight William Tryon, and many others. The Library is currently developing a more extensive collection of works by artists currently active in the Northampton area.
Online Exhibits
The Angel of Hadley, or The Perils of Our Forefathers, by Frederic A. Chapman
These exhibits represent a small sampling of the images in our collection. Please contact the Library for further information.
- Northampton State Hospital
- 150 Years of Northampton Photography
- Digital Treasures
- Online Virtual Exhibit Main Page
- The Angel of Hadley
Indexes and Finding Aids
These finding aids represent a sampling of the materials in our collection. Please contact the Library for further information.
- Guide to Materials on Microfilm: Manuscripts, Town Records, Newspapers (PDF)
- Overview of Collections of Northampton Area Photographs (PDF)
- Subject Index to Northampton Photographs (PDF)*
- Street Index to Northampton Photographs (PDF)*
- Portrait Index to Northampton Photographs (PDF)*
- Browsing Guide to Northampton Photographs (PDF)*
- Walter Corbin Photograph Collection Overview*
- Walter Corbin Collection (16 pages PDF)*
- Robert Emrick Photograph Collection Overview*
- Robert Emrick Collection, Frank Newell Look Memorial Park photographs and archives 1912-1961 (2 pages PDF)*
- Robert Emrick Collection Series A (PDF)*
- List of Stereoscopes and Postcards (PDF)*
- GAR Index
- Index to Meadow City Milestones (PDF)
- Elbridge Kingsley Collection Overview (PDF)
- *subsections of the Collections of Northampton Area Photographs
Links
Other online local history resources
Old Main Street, photograph
Hours
The local history room is open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays 1-5 PM (closed Saturdays July 2-Sept 3, 2011). Limited access by appointment only may be available at other times. To ensure access to materials and availability of staff to assist you, appointments are preferred. Please call 413-587-1014 or .
Photographic research is available only by appointment with the Arts & Music Department, 587-1013.
Fees
Sample Images
Additional images may be seen in our Online Virtual Exhibit.
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Artist's conception of Northampton in 1786, by Maitland de Gogorza (1936)
Map of Northampton, 1875
Connecticut River from Mount Sugarloaf, stereophotograph
Portrait of President Calvin Coolidge, by Howard Chandler Christy
Leeds Center, photograph
All images on this site are © Forbes Library and may not be reproduced for any purpose without written permission. All rights reserved.