Welcome to Bidwell Lore number 103! This week we continue our new series on Captain William Goodrich and talk about his...
Save the Date
Our summer fundraiser will be held on Friday, July 29th. Stay tuned for more details about “Bidwell in Bloom!”
Become a Member
Enjoy all that the Bidwell House has to offer, with benefits that include free admission for house tours, reduced event tickets, and more.
Bidwell Almanac
Our annual brochure, the Bidwell Almanac, returns to both print and digital in 2022!
The Museum
See the Bidwell House, view the collections, walk the gardens and beautiful trails, learn about our history.
Bidwell Lore – William Goodrich, Part II
Welcome to Bidwell Lore number 102! This week we continue our new series on Captain William Goodrich and share more about...
Bidwell Lore – Captain William Goodrich, Part I
Welcome to Bidwell Lore number 101! We are happy to be back sharing local history with all of our readers....
Bidwell Lore – The Three Codes of Adonijah Bidwell, Part II
Welcome to week 99 of Bidwell Lore! This week we share part II of David M. Powers’ story about the code-writing...
A wonderful video filmed in the summer of 2019, in which Board Member and Professor Emeritus of History at Yale University John Demos talks about why we should care about history. Professor Demos wrote this speech when he was the honoree at our summer 2019 fundraiser.
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About The Museum
The Bidwell House Museum, set in the Berkshire hills of Western Massachusetts, is an elegant Georgian saltbox originally built circa 1760 as a parsonage. Authentically restored, filled with period furnishings, and surrounded by 192 acres of beautiful grounds and hiking trails, the museum tells the story of the early settlement of the Berkshires. Guided tours are available by appointment. The grounds and gardens are open every day, year-round, free of charge.
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Support the Museum while doing your shopping on Amazon by going through Amazon Smile! Amazon will donate a portion of your purchases to the Museum. It’s easy: click on the link below and begin shopping. You can bookmark the link to use it each time you shop. Thank you for helping the Bidwell House!
Don’t forget…
The grounds and gardens are open all year!
You can take a hike on the trails or wander through the lovely heritage garden. We have a detailed trail map to help you find your way. You can always find copies of the map on our porch or download a copy.

Heather Kowalski
Executive Director
Heather Kowalski joined the Bidwell House Museum staff in the fall of 2015 after moving to the Berkshires with her husband and two children. She became Executive Director in 2017. Prior to working at the Bidwell House Museum, Heather served as Registrar for the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh for 11 years and before that she spent six year as Assistant Registrar at the Carnegie Museum of Art, also in Pittsburgh. Heather grew up in nearby Niskayuna, NY and holds a BA in Art History from Penn State University.
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Every Tuesday read Bidwell Lore, where we talk about the local history and the Bidwell Family.