The Atheneum Society of Wilbraham
       Local People Preserving Historic Wilbraham
Welcome About Us Museum Complex Visiting Us

What's New

Local History

Get Involved

Photo Gallery

Education

For the Board

Gift Shop

 

 

Events Schedule

Open House Events will resume in May 2012

Hope to see you here!


Visit our Business Partners Page


Christmas in Wilbraham 2011 was a festive event!  Our guests marveled at the ice carving demonstration on the front lawn of the Old Meeting House.  They sipped Mulled cider and munched on baked goodies!  Thanks so much to all who contributed.  Many thanks also to the creators of our Christmas Displays, including:
The Village Store
Five Star Gardens
Wilbraham Flowers
Wilbraham Public Library
The Old Meeting House
Evangel Assembly
Lower Pioneer Valley Collaborative
Joan Paris
Wilbraham Art League
St. Cecilia Church
Gardens of Wilbraham
Wilbraham Agricultural Commission


Our Tribute to Veterans open house in November 2011 featured a display of uniforms from the past to honor and thank all who served in the United States Armed Forces.
Thanks to the Village store for providing a delicious lunch for our visitors.


The Old Meeting House Museum hosted a successful Antique Appraisal event in October 2011.

Thanks to Peter Imler and his staff of Stanton Auctions for appraising items brought in by the public at the Museum. More than 100 items were appraised during a busy Sun-day afternoon!

Stanton Auctions is a family owned business, located in Hampden, that has con-ducted antique and estate auctions for 3 generations. Members of the Old Meeting House wish to thank Stanton Auctions for their time, efforts, and support. We sin-cerely appreciate all that they did to help make this fundraiser a success.

Thank you to everyone who brought in antiques for appraisal. The proceeds of the event will go to the general operations and upkeep of The Old Meeting House Museum.


Many thanks to Mainly Drafts of Ludlow for providing Main Street Horse & Wagon Tours at our September 2011 open house. 


The August 2011 open house was a fascinating learning experience for all.  There was a presentation and demonstration of colonial era education by well-known local historian, Dennis Picard.  

Also attracting an interested crowd were antique autos through the ages showcased outside in the yard.

Thank you to all who participated and assisted with this event.


Our July 2011 Ice Cream Social and Art Exhibit was a thoroughly enjoyable event.  Thanks to Friendly's for the use of their ice cream freezer.  The Wilbraham Art League artists brought an impressive exhibit of various mediums.  Frank Tencza, Caryl MacLeod, Kris Crimmins, and Ann Carter showed us their amazing skills by creating art plein air in the garden.  


The sixth annual Quilt Show (2011) was a success. Over 75 guests attended the open house events held in both May and June.  Thanks to all the quilting artists who loaned us their unique and beautiful pieces: Betsy Cobb, Ginny Rickert, Carolyn Snyder, Kathy Farrell, Meta DeSantis, Ann Mailhot, Nancy Peck, Sandy Sanders, Mindy Camyre and Maria Jusczyk.

Thanks to Jo Miner for the demonstration of her incredible weaving skills, and to Fran Selva who provided a basket weaving demonstration.

An additional thanks also goes out to Claudia Trzeciak of Wilbraham Flowers for her floral displays that decorated the Old Meeting House.


Our sincere thanks go out to Sgt. Glen Clark for speaking and sharing his photographs at our September 2009 open house.  He shared a personal perspective of his experiences volunteering at the site of the World Trade Center with five other Wilbraham police officers (Christian Letendre, Shawn Baldwin, Christopher Doyle, Harold Swift, and Clifton Graves) after the September 11, 2001 tragedy in New York.


Our August 2009 open house featured a unique collection of wedding attire dated from the 1800’s to the present. It was fascinating to see how the styles have changed over the years.  Thanks to those who donated and loaned us their gowns and veils, etc. Many thanks to Quinn’s Fine Jewelers and Wilbraham Flowers for providing their beautiful samples of jewelry and flowers to enhance the beauty and ensure the success of this event.

Interested in the History of Wilbraham?

If you are interested in the history of Wilbraham, then the Atheneum Society of Wilbraham is interested in you!  Our non-profit organization is served by a board of trustees, whose numbers have dropped over the years while the number of members to the organization has been on the increase. We are seeking individuals who are interested in preserving local history as well as educating and involving the community.  

There has never been a better time to join this important group! Our membership numbers have increased and our open house events have drawn record attendance. The year still holds some fascinating exhibitions and exclusive programs that are incorporated into our monthly open house events.

We meet monthly as a Board of Trustees from April through December. In addition, we staff the Old Meeting House on Main St. one Sunday each month for an open house event which includes a themed program. Knowledge of Wilbraham history is not required to be a trustee; the desire to know more about the town and its history is our only pre-requisite. Please feel free to share this request with anyone you know who fits this criteria.

We invite you to join us and leave your mark on the community. Use your personal strengths to support us and serve our community in a meaningful way by preserving its history.  Anyone interested in joining the Atheneum Society of Wilbraham as a trustee can contact Caroline Cunningham of Wilbraham Public Access at 599-0940 or send an e-mail to volunteer@wilbrahamatheneum.org.


What's New at
The Atheneum Society of Wilbraham

Atheneum Inventory Management  (AIM) Project The collections at the Atheneum Society of Wilbraham are a vital asset to our community, and the maintenance of those collections is the job of the curators.  We, like many other small museums, have been maintaining and documenting the collections, contacts and donations on paper, until now.

 We are excited to announce that our new volunteer curator team has obtained a laptop and purchased and installed a copy of PastPerfect software, the most widely used collection management software in the world.  These volunteers have been meeting every week to slowly and steadily sort through paper records and museum collections;  photograph, organize and label items; and enter descriptions, locations, dates and donors for each item onto the computer.  When the project is finally complete, the items in our collection will be stored with accompanying multimedia information (such as images and document files) and easily searchable. 

 This cataloging process will not only provide a searchable database; it will also serve to familiarize the new curators with the collections, helping them to retrieve objects and information for research and development of intriguing museum exhibits, programs, and publications.  It will strengthen the Atheneum Society of Wilbraham's ability to fulfill its mission by making it more efficient to share knowledge, educate and involve our local community.   (3/2011)


Grants Awarded to the Atheneum Society
 
The Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts awarded $4,000 to the Old Meeting House Museums in support of a new display.  The display will be constructed in the garden at the Meeting House and will feature a church bell from an old Wilbraham church which was donated to the Museum by Jesse Rice several years ago.

The bell has been housed in the Museum’s Hearse House temporarily until the new display can be built. Be sure to look for the bell display in the spring!

Thank you to The Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts for their support of our mission.  (11/2011)

The Atheneum Society of Wilbraham was awarded a $5,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Western Mass.  The grant funds will be used to create a permanent outdoor display for the church bell that now resides in the hearse house. 
The bell, which comes from the Baptist church that was once in north Wilbraham, was a gift from the late Jesse Rice.  The bell will be mounted on a granite slab and placed in the gardens at the Old Meeting House.
Be sure to check our progress in creating this new display.
(6/2011)


READ THE PEPPERCORN

Spring 2008
Summer 2008
Autumn 2008
Winter 2008
March/April 2009
May/June 2009
July/August 2009
Fall 2009
Winter 2009
Spring 2010
Summer 2010
Fall 2010
Spring 2011
Summer 2011

Fall 2011
 

PRESS


Antique Autos have a lawn party at the Old Meeting House

Times - Girl Scouts Quilt Show

Wilbraham Native Americans Open House


Many thanks to talented soapstone artist
Jerry Wilson for sharing
his sculptures and expertise
at our successful September 2008 Open House!

 


We extend special thanks to Sgt. Glen Clark for displaying his Election Memorabilia and sharing his knowledge at our lively October 2008 Open House.


 The November 2008 Open House featured the historic gravestone rubbings from the collection of Dr. Mel Williams. The collection included rubbings from local cemeteries as well as others throughout New England. We would like to thank his son, Scott Williams, for being a part of the open house and giving the visitors more information and insight into this special collection.


450 Main Street ~ Wilbraham, MA 01095 ~ 413.596.4097

 

All photos on wilbrahamatheneum.org are copyrighted.