Amherst and Hadley

Nestled deep in the Connecticut River Valley are Amherst and Hadley, two towns responsible for the inspiration of many classic poets, writers, and thinkers of America.

Visit a place where Ralph Waldo Emerson ate dinners with Emily Dickinson's family, and see the site on which Noah Webster founded Amherst College. Look through a visual record of small towns, where the seasonal changes of the hills, fields, and woods inspired local writer Ray Stannard Baker and photographer Clifton Johnson. Meander through a place that left fond memories in the hearts and minds of former Supreme Court Chief Justice Harlan Fiske Stone and writer Sylvia Plath. This photographic history even offers a rare glimpse into Robert Frost's world of fire and ice. In Amherst and Hadley: Through the Seasons, the landscape changes continuously throughout the seasons, and each season brings its own natural beauty and dangers, from the scorching summers to the bitter winters.