Letter: Protect Amherst’s Significant Architectural Resources
The following letter was sent to the Amherst Town Council on Sept. 23, 2026. I...
Hetty Startup
Almshouses, Poor Farms, Settlements and Homes for the Aged: Exploring Where Architecture and Social Welfare Histories Meet
This is the first article in a new three-part series. This series explores social welfare...
Bridging the Seasons with an Exploration of Architectural Hybrids: Houseboats and Covered Bridges
By Hetty Startup In the mornings, I walk to stay healthy and witness a world...
Reflections on Two Terms on the Amherst Historical Commission #3
by Hetty Startup I recently stepped down from the Amherst Historical Commission. As I neared...
My Summer Wanderings #6: Harvest Time in North Amherst, Ashfield, Sunderland, and Northampton
Find previous “Summer Wanderings” columns here. The last of my summer wanderings series coincides with...
Summer Wanderings #5: Federal Street — Driving All Over Creation Near Amherst
I drove on Federal Street twice today: once in Montague, to a place just off...
Summer Wanderings #4: Shelburne Falls and the Bridge of Flowers
In Amherst we celebrate things we can find locally at places like the farmers’ market....
Summer Wanderings No. 3: Blueberries and the Town of Heath
This summer has offered me a change of pace and a chance to widen my...
Summer Wanderings and The Lost Domain
This summer has offered me a change of pace and a chance to widen my...
Summer Wanderings: My Busy Week in Amherst
I noticed recently that, while it’s summer and the pace is a little slower, there...
Touring Historic Sites in the Summertime
It’s June, and the pace of our lives shifts a little — a time for...
Diners: Artifacts of America’s Mid-20th Century, They Persist into the Present
I’m still drawn to diners as if it were the day I began to put...