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Hockanum Day 2019
September 21, 2019 @ 11:00 am - 3:00 pm
The Hockanum Rural Historic District, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993, is a rural community encompassing a classically famous landscape along the Connecticut River in Hadley, Massachusetts. The fertile farmland and quiet village is home to families that have been here for generations.
On Hockanum Day, meet, discuss, and learn about the deep history and heritage that is preserved and lives on in this beautiful corner of the world.
Hockanum Village School House
Visit the historic Hockanum Village School House and consider what it was like to go to school with grades K through 6th in a one room school.
Best address: 147 Hockanum Road, Hadley, MA
Best time to go: open to the public noon through 3pm, special presentations at noon and 2pm
Price: Free
Hockanum Village Cemetery
The Hockanum Cemetery was established in 1767. The cemetery is the resting place for people who called Hockanum Village, home.
Best address: 198 Hockanum Road, Hadley, MA
Best time to go: informal tours and scavenger hunt available between noon and 2pm
Price: Free
Barstow’s Longview Farm
Visit a working, innovative dairy farm that has been in the Barstow family for seven generations. Walking farm tours take you through barns, to the anaerobic digester, and visits a robotic milkers.
Best address: 172 Hockanum Road, Hadley, MA
Best time to go: walking farm tours leave the store at 11am and 1pm
Price: Free
Massachusetts DCR Table
Come visit our information table where a Mass State Parks Visitor Services Supervisor will discuss the mountain that rises up alongside the valley! From the historic highlights to the ecosystem, learn why this mountain range plays an important role in Hockanum.
Best address: 172 Hockanum Road, Hadley, MA
Best time to go: informational table will be set up between 11am and 2pm at Barstow’s Dairy Store and Bakery.
Price: Free
J.A. Skinner State Park
Learn about the evolution of the historic Summit House over the years, ranging from a pair of “dueling saloons,” to a small inn, to a grand hotel, to what it is today.
Best address: 10 Skinner State Park Road, Hadley, MA
Best time to go: interpretive rangers will be available between 1pm and 4pm, the auto road is open between 8am and sunset
Price: Entry to the park via vehicle is $5 for MA plates, $10 out of state.Parking is limited. Free to hike!
Hockanum Day Schedule |
|
| 11am to 2pm | Informational Table
at Barstow’s Longview Farm, information table staffed by a Mass State Parks Visitor Services Supervisor |
| 11:00am | Farm Tour
at Barstow’s Longview Farm with seventh generation Denise Barstow |
| Noon to 2:00pm | Scavenger Hunt and walking tours of the Hockanum Village Cemetery
with Hadley’s Cemetery Committee Chair, Alan Weinberg. |
| Noon to 3:00pm | Open house at the Hockanum Village School House
with volunteer docents of the Hockanum Villagers Association |
| Noon | Village School House History
presentation by Hockanum Villagers Association Historian, Mary Thayer |
| 1:00pm | Farm Tour
at Barstow’s Longview Farm with seventh generation Denise Barstow |
| 2:00pm | History of Hockanum
presentation by Hockanum Villagers Association Historian, Mary Thayer |
| 8am to sunset | Skinner State Park
Stunning views of Hockanum Village and beyond from the historic Summit House |
More about the presentations
Farm Tours of Barstow’s Longview Farm | 11am and 1pm
Join seventh generation farmer, Denise Barstow, as we travel around her family’s 213 year old dairy farm. First stop is the Anaerobic Digester, a system that takes the energy potential out of cow manure and food waste and turns it into a chemical free fertilizer, heat, and enough green electricity to power 1,600 homes. The tour will also visit a bunker silo where animal forage from 450 acres is stored through the winter. See the farm’s robotic milking system and learn how it contributes to a healthy herd, happy cows, increased milk quality, and a more efficient business. Finally see the youngest generation in our family at the calf barn. Tour takes approximately 45 minutes. Free and family friendly! Join us for lunch afterwards or before at Barstow’s Dairy Store and Bakery.
Hockanum Village Cemetery Tours | noon-2pm
Join Hadley Cemetery Committee Chair, Alan Weinberg, for walking tours of this historic resting place. Still in use today, the Hockanum Cemetery is cared for the by the Hadley Department of Public Works. In the cemetery you will find farmers, tavern owners, and even a famous sailor. Complete the scavenger hunt at the cemetery to have it redeemed for a free cookie of your choice at Barstow’s Dairy Store and Bakery!
Skinner State Park Information Table (at Barstow’s Longview Farm) | 11am-2pm
Come visit our information table where a Mass State Parks Visitor Services Supervisor will discuss the mountain that rises up alongside the valley! This is a partnership of historic and natural treasures. People have ascended the summit since Victorian Times to “escape gravity”. To get away from the cities and enjoy views of the pastoral landscape below; and to enjoy the natural world. Hear about the historic Prospect House, and also the rare warblers that depend on the unique habitat of Skinner.
Barstow’s Dairy Store and Bakery and Barstow’s Longview Farm is owned and operated by sixth and seventh generation Barstow’s. Nestled at the base of Skinner State Park and right alongside the Connecticut River, the dairy farm has been a part of the landscape since 1806.
Barstow’s Dairy Store and Bakery offers homemade baked goods and pies, lunch from local ingredients, farm fresh produce, farm raised beef, ice cream, and scenic views of protected farmland from the porch and dining room. This family friendly store is open daily year round. Come meet your neighborhood dairy farmer!