graphic for exhibition The Preferred Flower — paintings by Mabel Loomis Todd feauturing a variety of painted flowers from Todd's works

Opening Reception
The Preferred Flower —
Tuesday, November 10, 5:30pm

Join us for a special evening honoring the joint exhibition opening of The Preferred Flower — Paintings by Mabel Loomis Todd!

Date: Tuesday, November 10
Time: 5:30pm – 7:30pm, opening remarks 6pm at Amherst History Center
Locations:
- Amherst History Center (45 Boltwood Walk)
- Emily Dickinson Museum (280 Main Street)

Guests are encouraged to kick off the celebration at the Amherst History Center, where opening remarks will take place at 6:00 PM. From there, explore both feature displays at your own pace. The venues are just a scenic five-minute walk apart, and a complimentary shuttle will run continuously between both locations from 6:15 PM to 7:00 PM.

Complimentary refreshments will be served at both locations. This event is free and open to all—come raise a glass with us!

This exhibition is made possible thanks to a donation from Ruth Jones, a 40-year Emily Dickinson scholar and former guide at both Amherst History Museum and the Emily Dickinson Homestead.

The Emily Dickinson Fund provides for the Museum’s day-to-day operations, undergirds its highest priorities, and is foundational to its overall excellence and success. The Fund supplies 36% of our operating budget. Your gift has an immediate impact and provides critical, unrestricted support. Every donor and every gift sustains and elevates the Museum’s mission for generations of admirers to come. Learn more about how you can support the Museum.

three candles sit on the mantle in The Evergreens

Emily Dickinson 196th Birthday Open House
Sat., Dec. 12, 1-4:45pm ET, 2026

IN-PERSON PROGRAM at the Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst, MA

You are cordially invited to the Emily Dickinson Museum’s celebration of the poet’s 196th birthday! On Saturday, December 12, join us in person at the Homestead and The Evergreens for an open house with tours, crafts, music, hot cider and gingerbread cookies!

Emily Dickinson, the second child of Edward Dickinson and Emily Norcross Dickinson, was born on December 10, 1830, in the family Homestead on Main Street in Amherst, Massachusetts, now the site of the Emily Dickinson Museum. She celebrated 55 birthdays before her death in 1886. Some of the poet’s most favored themes were time and im/mortality. She wrote, “We turn not older with years, but newer every day.” (Johnson L379)

Registrants are encouraged to choose a "Pay Your Way" ticket that supports the cost of Museum programs. Free tickets are also available at registration.

REGISTER

This year, as we celebrate Emily’s 196th birthday, we invite you to honor her with a gift to the Museum. Your contribution to the Emily Dickinson Fund keeps her voice vibrant and her story alive for generations to come. Thank you!

GIVE A BIRTHDAY GIFT

The Preferred Flower —
Paintings by Mabel Loomis Todd

IN-PERSON PAINTING EXHIBITION
On view Tuesday, November 10 through December 20

“That without suspecting it you should send me the preferred flower of life, seems almost supernatural.”

The installation is free to the public during the Museum’s open hours and will be on view beginning November 10.

An opening reception will take place on Tuesday, November 10, Mabel Todd’s 170th birthday, 5:30 to 7:30 pm at both the Emily Dickinson Museum at 280 Main Street and the Amherst History Center, the Society’s satellite location at 45 Boltwood Walk, just a five-minute walk from each other. Participants are encouraged to begin their evening at the Amherst History Center where opening remarks will occur at 6:00 pm. A shuttle between sites will be running between 6:15 pm and 7 pm. The public is warmly invited to attend; refreshments will be provided.

The Emily Dickinson Museum and the Amherst History Center are pleased to announce The Preferred Flower, an exhibition illuminating the expressive botanical paintings of Mabel Loomis Todd (1856–1932). Best known as the primary editor of Emily Dickinson’s posthumously published poetry, Todd was also an accomplished painter whose vivid renderings of flowers captured the natural world with precision and vitality.

The exhibition title originates from an 1882 letter Emily Dickinson wrote to Todd after receiving a painting of “Indian Pipes” (Monotropa uniflora): “That without suspecting it you should send me the preferred flower of life, seems almost supernatural.” A few days later, Dickinson followed up with one of her favorite poems “A Route of Evanescence” indicating “I cannot make an Indian Pipe but please accept a Humming Bird.” Todd’s “Indian Pipe” illustration went on to grace the cover of every 19th-century edition of Dickinson’s poetry.

The exhibition features eighteen floral studies, including detailed renderings of Monotropa uniflora, trailing arbutus (Epigaea repens), cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis), fringed gentian (Gentianopsis crinita), arrowheads (Sagittaria latifolia), wild mountain pinks (Silene caroliniana), bellwort (Uvularia perfoliata), witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana), and more. The 18 paintings on view were donated to the Emily Dickinson Museum by 40-year Emily Dickinson scholar and former guide at both Amherst History Museum and the Emily Dickinson Homestead, Ruth Jones. Nine of the paintings will be on view at the Emily Dickinson Museum and nine at the Amherst History Center on Boltwood Walk.

ABOUT MABEL LOOMIS TODD

Writer, editor, lecturer, traveler, conservationist and artist. Mabel Loomis Todd (1856–1932) exercised her agile curiosity across the fields of literature, science, nature, and the visual arts. Best known today for her influential role in bringing the poetry of Emily Dickinson to the public, Todd also pursued creative work of her own. Her small botanical oil paintings, in particular, offer an intimate glimpse into an artistic habit of a lifetime.

Born in Washington, D.C., Todd attended Georgetown Female Seminary, then studied voice and piano at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston where she also cultivated her talent for flower-painting and writing. Returning to Washington, she married astronomer David Peck Todd and moved with him to Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1881. There she joined a lively Amherst College intellectual community enriched by the vivid natural landscape of the Connecticut River Valley. Her interests and causes were remarkably broad. She accompanied her husband on scientific expeditions; traveled widely; wrote about her travels, astronomy and other subjects; lectured publicly on all these topics; and cultivated a lifelong engagement with the arts. Her contributions to the town of Amherst included founding roles with the Amherst Historical Society, the Amherst Woman’s Club, and the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Upon her arrival in Amherst, Mabel Todd became closely connected with the Dickinson family as a friend of Emily’s sister Lavinia and as a romantic partner of Emily’s brother Austin. Although Todd and Dickinson never met face to face, their brief correspondence demonstrates a shared interest in the natural world expressed through their respective talents as artist and poet. Following Emily Dickinson’s death in 1886, her sister Lavinia entrusted Todd and co-editor Thomas Wentworth Higginson, a prominent literary figure and correspondent of Dickinson, with preparation of a collection of poems for publication. Adorned with Todd’s illustration of monotropa uniflora, the first volume appeared in 1890, bringing Dickinson’s writing to a wide readership. Todd subsequently edited additional collections of poems and letters, which established Dickinson’s early public reputation.

This exhibition is made possible thanks to a donation from Ruth Jones, a 40-year Emily Dickinson scholar and former guide at both Amherst History Museum and the Emily Dickinson Homestead.

two people are looking into a square cutout carved out of the plaster of the walls at the Dickinson Homestead

Behind the Scenes Tour:
Restoring Dickinson’s Kitchen, Pantry, and More!

Private tour with Museum Executive Director Jane Wald
Space is limited — registration required.

$100/adult
Limited to 10 tickets per tour.

Tour Dates:
Saturday, October 24, 4-5pm [SOLD OUT]
Saturday, October 31, 4-5pm [SOLD OUT]
Saturday, November 14, 4-5pm
Saturday, November 21, 4-5pm

Stay tuned for more availability!

a flashlight points at an open hole in a wall

RESERVE YOUR TICKETS

During this once-in-a-lifetime program, witness the discoveries emerging within the walls of Emily Dickinson’s 1813 home as the Museum enters the final phase of Homestead restoration. Executive Director Jane Wald leads a private tour of the architectural and forensic investigations illuminating the original condition of the Homestead’s service wing during the poet’s writing years. Guests will see discoveries in the kitchen where Dickinson baked her famous gingerbread, the pantry where she composed and read poems, the family dining room, secondfloor bed chambers, and rooms that housed the Amherst residents who worked for the Dickinson family. Now in the exploratory phase–a brief window when modern finishes have been removed and restoration work has not yet begun–this wing of the house has never been seen this way and will not remain in its current condition for long! From wear patterns on the original floorboards, to the “ghosts” of the poet’s pantry cupboards, you’ll see up close how new understandings of everyday life at the Homestead are shaping the final restoration plan.

About Jane Wald

a headshot of Executive Director Jane Wald

Jane Wald is the Jane and Robert Keiter Family Executive Director of the Emily Dickinson Museum. She has worked in the public history and literary sites for more than thirty-five years and has been executive director of the Dickinson Museum for twenty years. Her interests in literary and cultural history, combined with her background in historical archaeology and material culture, have been a particular strength at the Emily Dickinson Museum in its first decades. In 2006, Wald helped to create a master plan for stabilization, preservation, and restoration of the two Dickinson family homes, grounds, and collections, and has systematically implemented each of its recommendations ever since. Critical projects have included preservation measures at both historic Dickinson houses including installation of fire detection and suppression and museum-grade mechanical systems. Significant restoration projects have included the Homestead library, original 1813 house, Emily Dickinson’s bed chamber, and reconstruction from original materials of Dickinson’s cherished conservatory.

Wald has presented numerous lectures, talks, and papers about Emily Dickinson, the Museum, and especially the material and cultural contexts of Dickinson’s environment. Of particular relevance to this “Behind the Scenes” program are publications including “A Short Biography of the Homestead and The Evergreens,” in The Oxford Handbook of Emily Dickinson (2022); “’The Poet Hunters’; Transforming Emily Dickinson’s Home into Literary Destination” in the Emily Dickinson Journal (2017); “’Pretty Much Real Life’: the Material World of the Dickinson Family” for the Blackwell Companion to Emily Dickinson (2014); and “’Better than Heaven’: Emily Dickinson’s Religious Texts” for the Dickinson Electronic Archive. She received an A.B. from Bryn Mawr College, graduate degree in American History from Princeton University, and historical archaeology graduate work at the College of William and Mary.

Education school group in the Evergreens

K-12 Group Visits

Spark your students’ imaginations by visiting the Emily Dickinson Museum.

Plan a field trip to the place she called home in Amherst, MA, by signing up for The Power of Poetry, Seeing New Englandly, or This was a Poet tour — learn more below!

If you’d like to work with the Emily Dickinson Museum, but don’t see an opportunity that fits the age or needs of your students, please reach out to us at edmprograms@emilydickinsonmuseum.org. We’d love to connect with you!

Seeing New Englandly (Grades 3-5)

Dickinson’s keen observations of the natural world inspire this multisensory program. Students will learn about Dickinson’s lifelong engagement with nature, exploring poems alongside natural history objects that reveal her understanding of plant and animal adaptations. In the Dickinson Garden, they’ll collect sights, scents, and sounds to create their own found seasonal poems.

- 90-minute program.
- Available Tuesdays from 9:30 am-2pm and Thursday mornings

Book Seeing New Englandly

The Power of Poetry (Middle & High School)

Discover the ways that Dickinson embraced her unique personal vision, defying societal and literary convention to pen nearly 1800 revolutionary poems. In this participatory program, led by experienced educators, students will:

Tour the Homestead to learn about the poet’s early life, inspirations, and how she forged her own definition of poetry
Explore Dickinson’s writing process through a hands-on investigation of facsimile poem manuscripts
Write an original poem, reflecting on their own lives with a Dickinson-inspired prompt

90-minute program.
Available Tuesdays from 9:30am-2pm and Thursday morning.

Book Power of Poetry

Scholarships for The Power of Poetry (For MA Public Schools)

Thanks to a generous donation, we are offering a limited number of Massachusetts public schools reimbursements of up to $500 for transportation and admission fees, excluding a $120 fee to cover staffing and administrative costs. Scholarships will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis–claim your scholarship by applying today!

Apply for a Power of Poetry scholarship

Power of Poetry Supports Massachusetts Grades 6-12 Anchor Standards

Power of Poetry Supports Massachusetts Grades 6-12 Anchor Standards for Reading; Writing; Speaking and Listening; and Language

READING
Key Ideas and Details
1. Read closely to determine what a text states explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from a text.

Craft and Structure
4. Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.

5. Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of a text relate to each other and the whole.

6. Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.13

WRITING
Text Types and Sequences
3. Write narratives to develop experiences or events using effective literary techniques, well-chosen details, and well-structured sequences.

Range of Writing
10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

SPEAKING AND LISTENING
Comprehension and Collaboration
1. Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
2. Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

LANGUAGE
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
5. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

This Was a Poet (Middle & High School)

The Museum’s general audience tours are led by knowledgeable guides who introduce Dickinson’s journey as a poet, with an emphasis on sharing her poems and letters.

- 50-minute tour of the Homestead only.
- Available Thursday mornings.

Book This Was a Poet

General Booking Information:

Maximum group size: 36 (including adults). Groups larger than 12 will be divided and tour simultaneously.
Please book two weeks in advance. Following your request, the Museum will reach out to you to confirm the details of your visit and issue an invoice for a $120 deposit to secure your reservation.

Pricing:

$10 per student, one free adult per every 12 students.
$17 additional adult chaperones.
Groups of fewer than 12 will be charged a fee to meet a $120 minimum.
Amherst-Pelham public schools are free of charge.

Partnership Programs for K-12

If you’d like to work with the Emily Dickinson Museum, but don’t see an opportunity that would fit the age or needs of your students, please reach out to us at edmprograms@emilydickinsonmuseum.org. We’d love to connect with you! We can discuss:

How to tailor content or teaching methods to support your group
Experiential learning activities you’d like to develop or offer in collaboration with the Museum

a man uses a flashlight to investigate the beams under the homestead roof

Press Release:
Construction Underway at Homestead (March 2026)

For Immediate Release
Contact:
Patrick Fecher
publicrelations@emilydickinsonmuseum.org

Construction Underway: The Emily Dickinson Museum Replaces Roof and Begins Research Stage for Final Homestead Restoration

(AMHERST, MA, March, 30, 2026) – The Emily Dickinson Museum has announced the commencement of a critical phase in its ongoing restoration efforts: the forensic study of the Homestead’s east and north additions. This meticulous process serves as the investigative prelude to a full-scale restoration of two wings of the nineteenth-century home where most of the family’s domestic labor took place.

“When the final phase of restoration is complete,” said executive director Jane Wald, “the Museum will have achieved one of the important goals it set for itself in 2003: returning the poet’s home – as faithfully as possible – to its appearance during the years she lived here and wrote nearly all of her striking and lasting poetry.”

Investigation of the building fabric is a forensic process of examining the sequence of changes that various owners have made over time. Akin to archaeology, it requires careful dismantling of specific modern architectural additions to or alterations of the Homestead, including gypsum drywall or dropped ceilings, to expose original nineteenth-century features such as original plaster walls or room divisions. This is a vital stage in restoration as the north and east wings were built during Emily Dickinson’s lifetime, modified both during her lifetime and after her death.

The Emily Dickinson Museum is working with Mesick Cohen Wilson Baker Architects to provide guidance about material to remove and Teagno Construction, Inc., to perform the work of revealing nineteenth-century features. The two firms previously were instrumental in the restoration of the original 1813 portion of the Homestead from 2021 to 2024.

“There are hints, to be confirmed by this research, about how domestic space and activities were organized in Emily Dickinson’s lifetime,” Wald explained. “The Museum will use the results of this ‘building archaeology’ to help uncover and highlight the lives of the many individuals who worked for the Dickinson family and supported their more recognized accomplishments.”

In addition to restoration research, the Emily Dickinson Museum is set to replace the cedar shingle roof on the circa 1813 main block and the circa 1840 east addition. In 1916, when the Homestead was sold out of the Dickinson family, new owners replaced the dilapidated nineteenth-century roof with new slate roofing materials. In examining the roof for necessary maintenance in 2000, it was discovered that the heavy slate had caused deflection in the beams and plates supporting the roof. To prevent further structural damage and to return to the materials present during the poet’s lifetime, slate was replaced with cedar shingles. Now, after twenty-five years, new cedar shingles will replace the worn and weathered material.

Both projects are beginning at the end of March and are expected to be complete by the end of May 2026. During this time, the Emily Dickinson Museum will continue to be open to the public Wednesday through Sunday, 10am-5pm. Pedestrian paths and the visitor entrance to the Homestead may be re-routed for convenience and safety.

For additional photography, please contact publicrelations@emilydickinsonmuseum.org

ABOUT THE EMILY DICKINSON MUSEUM

The Emily Dickinson Museum is dedicated to sparking the imagination by amplifying Emily Dickinson’s revolutionary poetic voice from the place she called home.

The Museum comprises two historic houses—the Dickinson Homestead and The Evergreens in the center of Amherst, Mass.—that were home to the poet (1830-1886) and members of her immediate family during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The Museum was created in 2003 when the two houses merged under the ownership of the Trustees of Amherst College. The Museum is overseen by a separate Board of Governors and is responsible for raising its own operating, program, and capital funds.

a woman walks into the newly reconstructed carriage house

Press Release:
Carriage House Earns Passive House Certification

For Immediate Release
Contact:
Patrick Fecher
publicrelations@emilydickinsonmuseum.org

EMILY DICKINSON MUSEUM EARNS PHIUS CERTIFICATION FOR RECENTLY CONSTRUCTED CARRIAGE HOUSE BUILDING

In collaboration with edmSTUDIO and Teagno Construction, inc., the Emily Dickinson Museum carriage house reconstruction has earned passive house certification. It is the first passive house historic reconstruction in the U.S.

(AMHERST, Mass., October, 9, 2025) – The Emily Dickinson Museum, edmSTUDIO, and Teagno Construction, Inc. have achieved passive house certification from PHIUS (Passive House Institute US) for the recently reconstructed carriage house building. The carriage house once stood to the east of The Evergreens, the home of Emily Dickinson’s brother Austin and his wife Susan. The exterior appearance of the carriage house is as faithful as possible in its design to evidence accumulated from historic maps, lithographs, and photographs. The interior layout mimics that of the historic carriage house while optimizing modern functions and flow.

At the outset of the design phase, museum staff worked with architects at edmSTUDIO to track down details of the original structure in historic maps, deeds, insurance documents, photographs, and archaeological reports. During the course of construction, museum staff discovered that the carriage house was most likely constructed at the same time as the Italianate portion of The Evergreens dwelling, built in 1856, rather than earlier as originally thought. In a photograph taken in about 1870, the carriage house appears as a prominent yet simple vernacular structure with window and door openings barely visible. Insurance maps from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries revealed that it was a wood frame structure with two levels and a metal roof. Wandering journalist Christopher Morley documented the structure in his 1936 travel memoir Streamlines. Details such as these gave the design team guidance about the exterior appearance and finishes.

Phius Certified Projects have had their designs and energy models approved by the Phius

Certification Staff, and have been inspected on-site by certified third-party quality assurance professionals trained by Phius to work on Phius projects. The rigorous Phius certification process ensures the building is designed and built to perform up to the targets determined by the climate-specific, cost-optimized Phius Standard.

“Achieving Phius Certification for a project is an accomplishment worth celebrating as it is representative of the hard work of the project team and shows that this project will be among the most efficient and comfortable buildings in the world,” James Ortega, Phius Project Certification Manager.

Architects Monica Del Rio Perez and Tim Widman of edmSTUDIO collaborated on a design using construction techniques and materials that will result in significant energy savings and eliminate reliance on fossil fuels for heating and cooling. The Museum engaged Teagno Construction, Inc., who recently worked on the second phase of Homestead restoration, as general contractor for the project.

“The recreation of the Emily Dickinson Carriage House re-establishes the historic fabric of the site, enabling a more complete interpretation of the poet’s life and surroundings for the Museum. The project was an opportunity to create a dialogue between the past and the future via historical reference and developing building science focused on sustainability. As a hub for visitor engagement, the reconstructed Carriage House invites guests to draw inspiration from its lived literary legacy, architectural presence, and renewed purpose to educate in both fields,” Tim Widman, Principal at edmSTUDIOS.

“Having worked through a number of historic restoration projects for the Emily Dickinson Museum, it was an exciting new challenge to take on a Passive Build at this incredible property. We rarely get to work on projects that have such significance both historically, and from an energy efficiency perspective. Being included in this process has been an absolute honor, and we would like to say thank you to Jane Wald and her wonderful staff, the design team, our Phius consultants, subcontractors, and Amherst College. It truly was a fun project,” David Tynan, General Manager of Teagno Construction, Inc.

The carriage house reconstruction project was supported by a major pledge from former Board members and long-time friends John and Elizabeth Armstrong. “We’ve always been proud of our association with the Museum, recognizing its importance to our regional community and now–through the wonders of technology–to the world.” stated Elizabeth, adding, “We’ve been drawn over the years to supporting singular projects that open multiple possibilities for the Museum. The carriage house is just such a project.”

Jane and Robert Keiter Family Executive Director Jane Wald says, “Opening the carriage house is a significant milestone in long-range goals for the Emily Dickinson Museum established more than twenty years ago. Much has happened between then and now thanks to the many supporters who have shared the Museum’s vision–and especially thanks to John and Elizabeth Armstrong who have been steadfast friends of the Museum since its establishment. By moving some functions into the carriage house, the Museum can more quickly complete the last phase of restoring Emily Dickinson’s Homestead so that her daily life and literary legacy can be more fully presented and appreciated in the place it was created. Moreover, we couldn’t be more pleased that this commitment to passive house construction and environmental responsibility reflects Dickinson’s regard for the natural world and the inspiration she drew from it.”

Archival photograph of The Evergreens and Carriage House (in middle ground of photo

For press-approved images: https://bit.ly/Press-Carriage-House

ABOUT THE EMILY DICKINSON MUSEUM

The Emily Dickinson Museum is dedicated to sparking the imagination by amplifying Emily Dickinson’s revolutionary poetic voice from the place she called home.

ABOUT PHIUS

Phius is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting comfortable living for all and the well-being of the planet. This means driving down carbon emissions and working toward a net zero future. Phius works toward this goal by training and certifying professionals, maintaining the Phius climate-specific passive building standard, certifying and quality assuring passive buildings, certifying high performance building products and conducting research to advance high-performance building.

Image of Dickinson's room featuring her writing desk and white dress

Studio Sessions

“Sweet hours have perished here;
This is a mighty room;
Within its precincts hopes have played, –
Now shadows in the tomb.”
-Fr1785

Spend a “sweet hour” in Emily Dickinson’s creative space where she penned her startling poetry and honed her revolutionary voice. Whether you are a writer, an artist, a composer, a poet, or a lover of poetry, you’ll find inspiration in Emily Dickinson’s own room. Let this quiet experience jumpstart your next creative journey.

Participants may reserve up to two hours in the room. A small table and chair will be provided. Participants will experience the atmosphere of Dickinson’s corner chamber, and enjoy the view from her windows.

Program Guidelines:

Photo ID must be presented upon arrival for your studio session and a photocopy will be made, which will be destroyed after your session.
The door to the room will remain open, and staff will be present nearby at all times. Participants must remain in the designated area of the room and may not touch the historic furnishings.
Bags, food, and beverages other than bottled water must be left outside the room.
No pens, inks, or paints permitted. Pencil and paper or laptop only. Other materials must be approved by special request in advance.
Photography for non-commercial, personal use is permitted.
Sessions will not be rescheduled or refunded after booking except in the case of an emergency. Refunding and rescheduling are at the discretion of the Emily Dickinson Museum.

When reserving your session, please navigate to the calendar view to see available days. Sessions are offered on Thursdays and Fridays at 8:30am (1-2 hours) or 4:30pm (1 hour only) during the public tour season.

RESERVE YOUR SESSION: Mornings

RESERVE YOUR SESSION: Evenings

Pricing: (Looking for a more affordable option? Check out our Mild Nights program.)
1 person for 1 hour: $300
1 person for 2 hours: $500
2 people for 1 hour: $400
2 people for 2 hours: $600

Please direct questions to Connect@emilydickinsonmuseum.org.

For studio sessions that occur during the Museum’s public tour season (March – December): Your purchase grants one free Museum admission per studio participant, to be booked during your visit to Amherst. To reserve your timed entry in advance, e-mail connect@emilydickinsonmuseum.org.

The Emily Dickinson Museum Collection

a view of different items in the Emily Dickinson Museum's collections

The Emily Dickinson Museum's collection is the largest and most diverse assemblage of objects associated with Emily Dickinson and her family to be found anywhere. It consists of more than 8,000 artifacts, including fine art such as an impressive collection of Hudson River school paintings; cooking, dining, lighting, and heating artifacts; personal items such as children’s toys, handwork, and musical instruments; souvenir objects and art from travels abroad; and a large assortment of clothing and textiles. The collection captures the details of nineteenth-century life in a semi-rural educational and agricultural community and vividly illustrates the daily life and writing habits of one of the world’s greatest poets.

The Museum’s collection had remained largely undocumented and inaccessible until a major grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services in 2019 funded the documentation and baseline cataloging of the entire collection for the very first time. Completed in 2023, this project has improved collection care and, through this database, public access has strengthened the museum’s interpretation, and opened promising new research opportunities.

SEARCH THE COLLECTION (external webpage)

FAQS

What is the history of the collections?
The EDM collection comprises the combined personal effects of Dickinson family members from the Dickinson Homestead (built 1813) and The Evergreens (built 1856), left at the latter house after the death of the family’s last heir in 1988. Dickinson’s niece, Martha Dickinson Bianchi, sold the Homestead in 1916 and moved her aunt’s personal belongings and household furnishings next door to her own home at The Evergreens. Bianchi’s heirs transferred manuscript material, books, and a few dozen objects associated with Emily Dickinson to Harvard University in 1950 and Brown University in 1993. The vast majority of Dickinson family possessions remained at The Evergreens, overseen between 1988 and 2003 by a private testamentary trust established in Bianchi’s name. The Trust transferred the property and collection to Amherst College in 2003 so that the two neighboring Dickinson family houses and collections could be operated as a united Emily Dickinson Museum.

Where can I find Dickinson manuscripts or other material?

To view Dickinson's manuscripts, visit www.edickinson.org

For information on other Dickinson repositories:

Houghton Library, Harvard University

Amherst College Special Collections

Brown University Library

Yale University Library

Boston Public Library

Amherst Historical Society

Jones Library

Who can I contact with questions?
Email collections@emilydickinsonmuseum.org with any questions about the collections or online catalog.

How can I access the collections?
Physical access to the collections is very limited at this time. Email Collections@EmilyDickinsonMuseum.org with questions.

Use of these images must be approved by the Emily Dickinson Museum.
Please contact us at: Info@EmilyDickinsonMuseum.org

The Emily Dickinson Museum has received funding for collection documentation from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. IMLS is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s libraries and museums. They advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grant making, research, and policy development. Their vision is a nation where museums and libraries work together to transform the lives of individuals and communities. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov.

Press Release:
Carriage House Opening

For Immediate Release
Contact:
Patrick Fecher
publicrelations@emilydickinsonmuseum.org

Digital rendering of completed Evergreens Carriage House (edmsSTUDIO)

EMILY DICKINSON MUSEUM OPENS NEWLY RECONSTRUCTED CARRIAGE HOUSE THAT ONCE STOOD ON THE HISTORIC PROPERTY

On Saturday, May 10, the Emily Dickinson Museum will celebrate the opening of the John and Elizabeth Armstrong Carriage House and the reopening of The Evergreens during its annual Poetry Walk event.

(AMHERST, Mass., April 3, 2025) – The Emily Dickinson Museum has completed the reconstruction of the carriage house that once stood to the east of The Evergreens, the home of Emily Dickinson’s brother Austin and his wife Susan. The carriage house will initially serve as a site for visitor welcome, orientation and museum shop, while also enabling the third and final phase of the Dickinson Homestead restoration.

The exterior appearance of the carriage house is as faithful as possible in its design to evidence accumulated from historic maps, lithographs, and photographs. The interior layout mimics that of the historic carriage house while optimizing modern functions and flow. At the outset of the design phase, museum staff worked with architects at edmSTUDIO to track down details of the original structure in historic maps, deeds, insurance documents, photographs, and archaeological reports. During the course of construction, museum staff discovered that the carriage house was most likely constructed at the same time as the Italianate portion of The Evergreens dwelling, built in 1856, rather than earlier as originally thought. In a photograph taken in about 1870, the carriage house appears as a prominent yet simple vernacular structure with window and door openings barely visible. Insurance maps from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries revealed that it was a wood frame structure with two levels and a metal roof. Wandering journalist Christopher Morley documented the structure in his 1936 travel memoir Streamlines. Details such as these gave the design team guidance about the exterior appearance and finishes.

Along with reconstructing the historical appearance of the carriage house, the Museum prioritized sustainability with the goal of achieving passive house certification from the Passive House Institute US. Architects Monica Del Rio Perez and Tim Widman of edmSTUDIOS collaborated on a design using construction techniques and materials that will result in significant energy savings and eliminate reliance on fossil fuels for heating and cooling. The Museum engaged Teagno Construction, Inc., who recently worked on the second phase of Homestead restoration, as general contractor for the project.

Erin Martin, Senior Director of Development says, “We are deeply grateful to the Armstrongs for their extraordinary generosity and leadership – which moved this project from the pages of our long-range plan and made it a reality. The carriage house is a testament to the Armstrong’s’ long partnership with the Emily Dickinson Museum and is their gift to the wide community of people both here and around the world who love the poet, and this place.

Closed since August due to carriage house construction, The Evergreens will reopen to the public on May 1st. The Emily Dickinson Museum used the period of closure as an opportunity to stabilize and conserve the first floor hallway wallpaper. This work was completed by Works on Paper, LLC. As of May 1st, tickets to the Emily Dickinson Museum will include tours of both the Homestead and The Evergreens.

On May 10, in honor of the 139th anniversary of the poet’s death, the Emily Dickinson Museum will host their annual Poetry Walk through downtown Amherst, the town Dickinson called “paradise.” This year’s Walk celebrates the opening of the newly reconstructed carriage house and the reopening of The Evergreens with stops that explore its significance to Amherst’s cultural landscape and to the poet herself. This is a free public program.

ABOUT THE PROJECT
The design calls for reconstructing the exterior historic appearance of the carriage house as faithfully as possible while optimizing interior functions and flow. At the outset of the design phase, museum staff worked with architects at edmSTUDIO to track down details of the original structure in historic maps, deeds, insurance documents, photographs, and archaeological reports. The original structure may have been built as early as the 1840s as an outbuilding associated with the modest cottage owned by the poet’s father, which was incorporated into The Evergreens dwelling, built for Austin and Susan Dickinson in 1856. In a photograph taken in about 1870, the carriage house appears as a prominent yet simple vernacular structure with window and door openings barely visible. Insurance maps from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries revealed that it was a wood frame structure with two levels and a metal roof. Details such as these gave the design team guidance about the exterior appearance and finishes.

Archival photograph of The Evergreens and Carriage House (in middle ground of photo)

As new construction, the carriage house gives the Emily Dickinson Museum an opportunity to combine its sustainability and historical priorities. Since 2006, the museum has recognized that full interpretation of the historic Dickinson site and the poet’s life cannot be completely understood from a functional and aesthetic perspective without reconstruction of the outbuildings. While the current project is being carried out as a “historic reconstruction,” it also gives the museum the opportunity to advance its sustainability goals. Working with Monica Del Rio Perez and Tim Widman of edmSTUDIO, the design calls for construction techniques and materials selections that will produce significant energy savings and carbon reduction for heating and cooling. The museum has engaged Teagno Construction, Inc., as general contractor for the project.

Jane and Robert Keiter Family Executive Director Jane Wald says, “Reconstruction of the Evergreens carriage house is a true milestone for the Emily Dickinson Museum. It’s the linchpin of our future plans to complete the Homestead restoration – an effort that’s already transformed our sense of who Emily Dickinson was and how she lived. Not only does the carriage house begin to fill out the Dickinson landscape, but its flexible interior also offers greater comfort, better service, and much-needed space for public and educational programming that’s already on the drawing board.”

For press-approved images: https://bit.ly/Press-Carriage-House

To learn more about Poetry Walk: EmilyDickinsonMuseum.org/poetry-walk-2025

ABOUT THE EMILY DICKINSON MUSEUM

The Emily Dickinson Museum is dedicated to sparking the imagination by amplifying Emily Dickinson’s revolutionary poetic voice from the place she called home.

IN-PERSON PROGRAM at the Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst, MA

IN-PERSON PAINTING EXHIBITION On view Tuesday, November 10 through December 20

“That without suspecting it you should send me the preferred flower of life, seems almost supernatural.”

Private tour with Museum Executive Director Jane Wald Space is limited — registration required.

Spark your students’ imaginations by visiting the Emily Dickinson Museum.

Seeing New Englandly (Grades 3-5)

The Power of Poetry (Middle & High School)

This Was a Poet (Middle & High School)

General Booking Information:

Partnership Programs for K-12

FAQS

IN-PERSON PAINTING EXHIBITION
On view Tuesday, November 10 through December 20

Private tour with Museum Executive Director Jane Wald
Space is limited — registration required.