"Hadley is the most beautiful place on earth," the widely traveled Clifton Johnson once declared. "Any prospective museum should be located here." The Hadley Farm Museum is located in the historical town of Hadley, Massachusetts, next to the Town Hall and near the Congregational Church with its unusual, beautiful spire.  It is located at the junction of Routes 9 and 47, just four miles from Northampton, on the way to Amherst. ~ Click here for map ~ A trip to the Farm Museum can be an enjoyable one, as an addition to spending an hour or two in the museum, one can view the fertile Connecticut River Valley and the Mt. Holyoke Range.

The Barn- The museum is, fittingly, an old barn, moved to its present site in 1930, but built in 1782.  Originally it was located on the Porter-Phelps Huntington place, two miles up the river.  The exterior was remodeled with white painted clapboards and windows to harmonize with the other public buildings in the neighborhood.   A colonial doorway was added (see picture above) which is a copy of the main entrance to the McQueston house, the oldest house in the village.  The interior is much the same as when originally built- hand hewn timbers, old rough boards and planks, un-painted, the hay mows of yesterday displaying the farm tools of our ancestors.  The old timbers and boards used in restoration came from similar old barns torn down when the Quabbin Reservoir was made for Boston's water supply in nearby towns of Prescott, Endfield, Greenwich, and Pelham.  The cellar is the only new part, being built of cement to insure the old barn a firm and usable foundation.         (left) An Abbott & Downing stagecoach- built in Concord, New Hampshire, c. 1850.

STAGECOACH RESTORATION is being done by John Allegra of Allegra Farm, East Haddam CT for Hadley’s 350th Anniversary celebration festivities including the parade in June 2009. Being sensitive to the fact that the original paint is still in good condition he will repair and touch up the exterior as needed. The interior needs to be completely done over after years of visitors and use in many area parades. Also a thorough check up for the safety of the running gear and any work needed to insure its road worthiness. The coach will be returned in its refurbished condition by the middle of May when the museum reopens for the 2007 season.

Contributions toward the restoration are gratefully accepted.

   

    

   
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