The Porter-Phelps-Huntington House is an 18th-century farm on the banks of the Connecticut River that interprets life in rural MA over 3 centuries. It is open seasonally (mid-May to mid-October) for afternoon tours from Saturday to Wednesday.
The Porter-Phelps-Huntington House, known as Forty Acres, is an
18th-century farm on the banks of the Connecticut River that today
interprets life in rural New England over three centuries. Through
the words, spaces, and possessions of the women and men who lived here,
the Museum portrays the activities of a prosperous and productive
18th-century farmstead. Members of this household along with numerous
artisans, servants, and slaves made "Forty Acres" an important social
and commercial link in local, regional, and national cultural and
economic networks. Throughout the 19th century the family
transformed the estate into a rural retreat. In the 20th century the
house was preserved as a museum by family members and now contains the
possessions of six generations of this extended family.
The house was built in 1752 by Moses and Elizabeth Porter on a tract of land known as “Forty Acres and its skirts.” These acres had been owned in common by the householders in the northeast quarter of the stockaded town of Hadley when it was laid out in 1659. After the Porter's only child, Elizabeth, married Charles Phelps in 1770, the house was enlarged and refined. Since 1799 there have been no structural changes.
The Porter-Phelps-Huntington House is open to the public from May 15 until October 15, from 1:00 to 4:30 pm, Saturday through Wednesday (closed on Thursdays and Fridays). It is open mornings by appointment only. For information on tours and special programs, please call the staff during the afternoons at (413) 584-4699. Admission to the house is $5.00 for adults, $1.00 for children under twelve. A guided tour takes approximately one hour.
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