You’re Invited to View ‘An Old Fashioned Christmas’ Exhibit

The Great Barrington Historical Society suggests "we need a little Christmas" during this pandemic and announces the start of their annual holiday exhibit entitled "An Old Fashioned Christmas" at their museum at 817 South Main Street in Great Barrington starting on Friday Nov.27 from 4:00-8:00pm.

As noted in a media release, this annual event traces the history of the Christmas holiday and its traditions from the Colonial period, to the Victorian era and on to the 1950's and modern Christmas. The exhibit also features a room-size Christmas Village display and gift shop area featuring holiday Peppermint Pigs, Sugarplums, edible coal, and pickle ornaments.

The museum is open Friday and Saturday evenings from 4:00-8:00 and Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00-2:00 thru December. The museum is a GB SAFE designated contact free environment. Masks and hand sanitizing is required and social distancing and number limits are observed.

About the Great Barrington Historical Society

The Great Barrington Historical Society is dedicated to collecting, preserving and promoting the history and culture of Great Barrington for the benefit of its residents and visitors. Through its programs, archives, and collaborations, the Society seeks to advance an appreciation of historical events and of residents who played major roles in national, international and Town history.

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Throughout the year, GBHS fulfills its mission by:

• Hosting frequent programs open to the community featuring local historians and special guest speakers.
• Welcoming guests to the Town Museum and Education Center at the Wheeler (aka Wheler) Farmstead.
• Conducting walking tours of historic Great Barrington; and working with the Town and Chamber of Commerce to promote Great Barrington’s rich history, historic buildings and its cultural significance for residents and visitors alike.

The Great Barrington Historical Society also manages an archival collection of over 50,000 artifacts of the Town’s history, including paintings, prints, photographs, negatives, postcards, advertising, and many other types of artifacts too numerous to mention. The collection is currently stored in space provided at the Ramsdell Library in Housatonic. As fundraising and renovations allow, the Historical Society plans to move the collection to the Town Museum and Archive Education Center at the Wheeler Farmstead, where it can be accessed, displayed and interpreted.

Meanwhile, volunteers have been busy organizing and documenting collection items using a museum-grade computer program to make this information available to the public for research.

(information and image sent to WSBS from the Great Barrington Historical Society for online and on-air use)