The Bidwell House was built c. 1750 by the early settlers of Township No. 1 (today's Monterey and Tyringham) for their first minister Rev. Adonijah Bidwell (1716-1784). The home and almost 60 acres were given to Rev. Bidwell. The house and property stayed in the Bidwell family through three generations and the architecture reflects all three: the ell on the north side was built by the son in 1790, and the wing to the east was built by the grandson in 1836. The house was sold out of the family in 1858.

Today the museum has 196 acres which includes the original house lot given to Reverend Bidwell. Although it now appears isolated, in 1750 the home was built on the Royal Hemlock Road, the main road connecting the two settlements of Township No. 1, close to the intersection with the Boston Albany Post Road. The original meeting house was located just south of The Bidwell House.

The red line represents the Old Boston Albany Post Road. The green line shows Royal Hemlock Road. The Black line shows the current property boundary, and the red dot indicates the location of the Meeting House.

The museum opened in 1990 thanks to the generosity of two men, Jack Hargis and David Brush. They bought the house in 1960, restored it to its original appearance, and furnished it with 18th and early 19th century decorative arts. Mr. Hargis and Mr. Brush used Rev. Bidwell's 1784 death inventory as a guide for furnishing the home.

The room you first enter is the original kitchen (called a keeping room) of The Bidwell House and would have been the center of activity. The massive fireplace with beehive oven is original, as is the paneling seen throughout the house. The document wall contains the inventory of Rev. Bidwell's belongings taken at his death.In addition, Township No. 1's 1750 church covenant along with Rev. Bidwell's ordination papers are located on the wall. Both are on loan from the Monterey United Church of Christ.

The Keeping Room, fireplace on the left
Photo credit Paul Rocheleau

Located off the Keeping Room, this room served as a formal entertaining space, as well as a dining room. There is a second bake oven to the right of the fireplace and the large closet to the left. The corner cupboard is original to the house, as are the hearts carved in the hallway door. Most of the china displayed in the corner cupboard is 18th century Delft from The Netherlands.

The Dining Room with original corner cupboard displaying china.
Photo credit Paul Rocheleau

From Rev. Bidwell's inventory we know he had no carpets or window treatments, both extravagant luxuries for the time. These were added by Hargis and Brush.

The home's entrance hall is spacious compared to most 18th century center-chimney salt box homes.  The wall colors throughout the house were chosen to match the original colors which were discovered under layers of modern paint that were stripped off during the restoration. Green was an expensive color in the 18th century and therefore was reserved for entrance halls and parlors to impress visitors.

The parlor (seen on the right) was the most elegant room in the house and was reserved for only the best company. The paneling is the most elaborate and the fireplace has a marble hearth.The original brick of the fireplace was  preserved from smoke damage by a smaller marble insert in the 19th century.  This insert  was removed during the restoration since it was known not to be original. The  needlepoint rug in the bargello design is a modern reproduction of an 18th century design and colors, created by one of the museum founders and house restorers, David Brush.

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