Wistariahurst Museum Holyoke, Massachusetts

Street Address

238 Cabot Street
Holyoke, MA 01040

Phone: 413-322-5660
Fax: 413-534-2344
Email:
Web: www.wistariahurst.org

Museum Hours

Saturday, Sunday, and Monday 12-4 pm - all year round

Admissions

Admission by donation. $5.00 adults, $3.00 students and seniors, children under 12 free.

Description

Wistariahurst is an historic house museum. The Museum offers a lively schedule of concerts, exhibits, house tours, and workshops. Through our collections, research, exhibits and programs the museum is dedicated to promoting an understanding and appreciation of the history and material culture of the William Skinner Family, members of the manufacturing elite, the working class who made that lifestyle possible and the Holyoke region where those people lived their lives. In all activities, the goal is to encourage today's public to encounter, enjoy and learn from the richly varied experiences and cultural expressions of the people who gave the Holyoke area its distinct character.

Garden restoration will further enhance the visitor experience while involving and engaging community in gardening education programs.

History

Acquiring its name from the flowering vine, the twenty six room mansion features parquet floors, vaulted ceilings, elaborate woodwork and two marble lions that have guarded the entrance since the late nineteenth century. Wistariahurst was first built in Williamsburg, MA in 1868 by prominent silk manufacturer William Skinner. Well known local architect, William Fenno Pratt, designed the house in the traditional Victorian Second Empire style. The house stood in the section of town that was then known as Skinnerville until it was damaged in the Great Flood of May 16, 1874. At that time, William Skinner moved his silk manufacturing business to Holyoke and the family home was dismantled and rebuilt at its present sight. In 1908, Belle Skinner and her brother William inherited the house from their mother. Miss Skinner extensively remodeled the interior, exterior and gardens incorporating several revival styles that dramatically changed the look of the house and grounds. The estate was kept in the Skinner family until 1959 when Katharine Skinner Kilborne and her heirs gave Wistariahurst to the City of Holyoke for cultural and educational purposes. Wistariahurst Museum Association is a non-profit Friends organization that supports the museum programs and collections through membership, gift shop and other fundraising activities.

Artifacts Collections

19th and 20th decorative arts, furnishing, paintings and books.

Extensive archives include photographs and documents of the Skinner Family and Holyoke families and organizations.

Programs

Wistariahurst offers a wide variety educational programs and opportunities. We host school group programs and Teacher Professional Development Workshops that address specific curriculum topics in local history, industrialism, languages arts and the arts. We offer monthly children and family educational and creative activities that include family friendly tours of the mansion given by youth docents. We have internship opportunities for area college students in museum administration, marketing, fund development and collections and archival management. We maintain an active volunteer docent program with ongoing enrichment opportunities. We are host to a newly formed garden club that holds garden project work parties and monthly educational meetings. Our changing exhibit space is used for both historical exhibits and for outside group exhibits in 1 or 2 month cycles.

In addition to our own programs Wistariahurst has a numerous outside groups who take advantage of our exhibit space and music room. The exhibit space has a busy schedule of exhibits of local artists and craftsman cycled in with our own historical exhibits. We offer concert space for groups such as the Valley Community Arts Association, the New Valley Singers, Pioneer Valley Capella, Pioneer Valley Concert Band, Valley Jazz Ensemble, and an array of individual musicians in varying musical styles. In addition we offer meeting and ceremonial space for the Holyoke Public Schools, Holyoke Community College, The CARE Center Teen Mother Education and Support Program and Avanza Group for positive Hispanic educational outcomes.

Staff

Carol Constant, Museum Director
Email:

Kate Navarra Thibodeau, Curator
Email:


Museum Type

Historic House

Governance

Governing Authority: Wistariahurst Museum Assn. and Holyoke Historical Commission



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Museum Info courtesy of Massachusetts Cultural Council.

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