"Entangled Lives" at the Porter-Phelps-Huntington Museum
"Entangled Lives: Labor, Livelihood and Landscapes of Change in Rural Massachusetts"
by Marla R. Miller
What was women's work truly like in late eighteenth-century America, and what does it tell us about the gendered social relations of labor in the early republic? In "Entangled Lives", Marla R. Miller examines the lives of Anglo-, African, and Native American women in one rural New England community- Hadley, Massachusetts- during the town's slow transformation following the Revolutionary War. Peering into the homes, taverns, and farmyards of Hadley, Miller offers readers an intimate history of the working lives of these women and their vital role in the local economy.
Support our local bookstores and writer by purchasing "Entangled Lives: Labor, Livelihood and Landscapes of Change in Rural Massachusetts" by Marla R. Miller.
The Odyssey Bookshop- https://www.odysseybks.com/
Amherst Books- https://www.amherstbooks.com/
Postcards from an Imagined Early America
By Marla R. Miller
1752 Kitchen- Forty Acres. Hadley Mass, Photograph by Samuel Chamberlain
It is easy to dismiss images like the one on this mid twentieth-century postcard as out of date and romantic--and therefore irrelevant imaginings of the past. But nothing could be further from the truth, as I argue in my recent book Entangled Lives: Labor, Livelihood, and Landscapes of Change in Rural Massachusetts.
Instead, images like this one help us to understand the lens through which we see the early American past; grappling with them is, then, essential to our ability to imagine and comprehend both the past and the present.
See the full post here!
Summer Volunteer: Aurora
PPH has gained a wonderful volunteer this summer, Aurora. She has been a long-time tea server with our A Perfect Spot of Tea series, is a dedicated Girl Scout, and is in the ninth grade at Hopkins Academy. Aurora is a hard worker and is eager to assist us in any way possible. She’s a great help maintaining our historic grounds, as she is a passionate gardener, and even took on cleaning the attic! Aurora often arrives with freshly picked raspberries and black raspberries from her garden at home where she also raises laying hens. In her spare time, she is an avid history buff and whizzed through Earthbound and Heavenbent: Elizabeth Porter Phelps and Life at Forty Acres (1747-1817) by Elizabeth Pendergast Carlisle in just a week!
Tiny Treasures
Recently, a surprise item was found among donations from Wheeler descendants. Nestled in between various framed photographs and books was a small fabric drawstring bag. It has a quilted appearance, with a pink floral design, and a pale pink interior. Normally, these bags were used as a travelling jewelry box. The bag’s contents were carefully wrapped, concealing a special collection of objects. Loosening the drawstring and unfolding the paper revealed the priceless contents: a black clay dog, a small doll made out of embroidery thread with a tissue veil, two small walnut shells decorated with googly eyes and red felt, and a felt mouse wearing a white and red robe holding a book with a gold cross on the cover. These adorable objects appear handmade and sentimental. Oddities like these are common in most households, especially those with children. These objects were carefully preserved for a lifetime of childhood memories!
Click here to untie the drawstring and look inside!
This Week : "Wednesday Folk Traditions"
This week for the Porter-Phelps-Huntington Museum's Wednesday Folk Traditions we highlight The Pangeans. Named for the Paleozoic/ Mesozoic era supercontinent, the Pangeans are a seven member world music ensemble performing original compositions based on traditional rhythms including Latin Jazz, Samba, Calypso, Soca, Reggae, Funk and Afro-Beat. "One of the Valley's favorite World Beat bands." - The Valley Advocate
Check out their promo video below, check out their website and consider purchasing their music here!
Performers for this year's Wednesday Folk Traditions can be found here, with links to their websites, and we will be posting performances on our website and facebook page throughout the summer!