Nestled right in the middle of the verdant Connecticut River Valley, the town of Deerfield, Massachusetts, bears a deep, fascinating history that goes back centuries. The fertile meadows surrounding present-day Deerfield had originally been home to the Pocumtuck, who named the site after themselves. The Pocumtucks thrived in the region for generations, defending their territory against rival tribes. Then in 1667, John Pynchon, acting on behalf of the town of Dedham, purchased 8,000 acres from the Pocumtucks. This land was intended as compensation for Dedham’s residents whose property had been repurposed for colonial pastor John Eliot’s missionary work. Samuel Hinsdell became the first English settler in the area about two years later. By 1673, nearly two dozen other families had come to join Hinsdell, establishing a village that they called “Deerfield.” Life proved to be very calm at first, with the inhabitants’ pursuing occupations in support of the outlying farms. But this tranquility was shattered when a conflict known as “King Philip’s War” erupted in 1675. Primarily fought between the English and the Wampanoag, the war saw both sides wage pitted battles all over Massachusetts. Deerfield emerged as an outpost for the colonists, repelling two attacks that came close to capturing the community.  

The town suffered a tragic blow after the Wampanoag ambushed a relief column. Sixty-four people ultimately perished, and the village was temporarily abandoned. While Deerfield was reoccupied a decade later, it was almost destroyed again once fighting related to the European War of the Spanish Succession reached North America. Seeking to disrupt British military activities, the French orchestrated a daring raid from Canada in 1704. One of the main objectives was Deerfield, which a force of more than 300 French and Native American soldiers targeted that February. The surprise assault overwhelmed the town, resulting in its near annihilation. Despite the devastation, many former residents returned and rebuilt their beloved community. Though peace was elusive, periodic skirmishing continued through the mid-18th century, the village nonetheless evolved into a vital center for commerce. During the latter stages of the greater French and Indian Wars, for instance, Deerfield often supplied wheat and meat to British armies as they made their way north. The trade in turn proved to be prosperous, enabling Deerfield’s families to furnish their homes with elegant wares crafted locally or imported from Great Britain. But Deerfield soon became a microcosm of the mounting political strife that encompassed the Thirteen Colonies amid the build up to the American Revolution. 

Whigs and Tories clashed in homes across Deerfield, debating the merits of independence based on the events unfolding in Boston. Local men enlisted in the Continental Army, too, seeing service at such battles like Bunker Hill and Saratoga. Meanwhile, Deerfield functioned as an integral supply depot, providing food for American soldiers throughout the conflict. In fact, Benedict Arnold—then still a Patriot—procured 15 tons of beef from Deerfield for the troops stationed at Fort Ticonderoga in 1775! Agriculture remained pivotal to the livelihoods of Deerfield’s people heading into the 19th century, particularly the raising of livestock for sale in distant urban markets. However, rising competition from the western plains gradually diminished demand for the town’s goods, forcing it to embrace a new economic identity centered on the educational institutions that had just started opening around town. The first to debut was the Deerfield Academy, which weathered fluctuating fortunes before finally flourishing under Frank L. Boyden during the early 1900s. Alongside the Eaglebrook School and the Bement School, the Deerfield Academy ultimately helped Deerfield create a reputation for providing access to some of the finest youth education in New England.  

Yet, the town’s commitment to its past remained equally strong. Historian George Sheldon founded the “Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association” at the height of the Gilded Age, thus initiating a long-lasting movement to preserve Deerfield’s heritage. This preservation effort gained further momentum with the creation of the “Historic Deerfield” organization by Henry and Helen Flynt in 1952. Through the restoration of the surviving colonial-era buildings, Historic Deerfield proceeded to transform downtown Deerfield into a vibrant living history museum that has since continued to thrive. Indeed, Historic Deerfield features an extensive variety of informative exhibitions that chronicle the lives of Deerfield’s early settlers, Revolutionary veterans, and Native American neighbors. Deerfield currently stands as one of the most successful community restorations in the United States, where history is not only remembered but actively taught. (Perhaps the best symbol of this achievement has been the site’s continued designation as a rare U.S. National Historic Landmark, which the U.S. Department of the Interior bestowed during the 1960s.) From its indigenous roots and colonial trials to its modern role as a beacon of historic preservation, Deerfield’s story is truly one of enduring spirit.  

In keeping with the greater ambiance of downtown Historic Deerfield, Deerfield Inn was originally designed using a brilliant array of Colonial Revival-style architecture. Colonial Revival architecture  is perhaps the most widely used building form in the entire United States. It reached its zenith at the height of the Gilded Age, where countless Americans turned to the aesthetic to celebrate what they feared was America’s disappearing past. The movement came about in the aftermath of the Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, in which people from across the country traveled to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to commemorate the American Revolution. Many of the exhibitors chose to display cultural representations of 18th-century America, encouraging millions of people across the country to preserve the nation’s history. Architects were among those inspired, who looked to revitalize the design principles of colonial English and Dutch homes. This gradually gave way to a larger embrace of Georgian and Federal-style architecture, which focused exclusively on the country’s formative years. As such, structures built in the style of Colonial Revival architecture featured such components as pilasters, brickwork, and modest, double-hung windows. Symmetrical designs defined Colonial Revival-style façades, anchored by a central, pedimented front door and simplistic portico. Gable roofs typically topped the buildings, although hipped and gambrel forms were used, as well. This building form remained immensely popular for years until largely petering out in the late-20th century. Architects today still rely upon Colonial Revival architecture, using the form to construct all kinds of residential buildings and commercial complexes. Many buildings constructed with Colonial Revival-style architecture are even identified as historical landmarks at the state level, and the U.S. Department of the Interior has even listed a few of them in the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady of the United States (1933 – 1945)

Eleanor Roosevelt: Perhaps the greatest guest to ever visit the historic Deerfield Inn was former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Roosevelt was born Anna Eleanor Roosevelt to Elliott and Anna Hall Roosevelt in 1884. (A member of the Oyster Bay clan of the Roosevelt dynasty, Elliott was the brother of former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt.) Roosevelt’s immediate family cherished community service—a value that was further reinforced when she attended the prestigious Allenswood Boarding Academy in London. She kept those personal influences close to her heart in adulthood, using them as the foundation for her future work as a social activist. Indeed, some of her earliest projects involved tending to the overcrowded tenement houses in New York City’s Lower East Side. Around the same time, she began courting her distant cousin, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. They eventually married in 1905 and had six children together. But the marriage was strained by their dueling personalities, as well as the demands of Franklin’s early political career. Roosevelt often felt her responsibilities as a “political wife” were tedious, especially after her husband’s appointment to the post of Assistant Secretary of War shortly before the outbreak of World War I. Their marriage further deteriorated in 1918, when Eleanor discovered that Franklin had an affair with their mutual friend, Lucy Mercer. Roosevelt thus vowed to throw herself fully back into her political activism.    

The two had a strong understanding that their fates remained intertwined and aspired to support one another going forward. It was Eleanor who encouraged Franklin to remain in politics when he was beset with polio in 1921. Eleanor Roosevelt was incredibly instrumental in aiding her husband’s election as the Governor of New York in 1928, as well as his subsequent rise to the presidency four years later. She often gave numerous speeches in public on his behalf that galvanized thousands of people. Roosevelt became a central figure at his campaign events, serving as her husband’s voice whenever he could not attend. But Eleanor Roosevelt still established her own vibrant political career as the First Lady of the United States. Historians today consider her actions to have fundamentally transformed the role that the First Lady traditionally held within the national government. Roosevelt used her position to advance a number of causes close to her heart, including gender equality, civil rights, and housing reform. For instance, she arranged a massive celebration at the nearby Lincoln Memorial to protest the racist decision of the Daughters of the American Revolution to not let Marian Anderson—an African American opera singer—perform at Constitution Hall. On another occasion, she privately lobbied for the passage of the Costigan-Wagner Bill, which would have made lynching a federal crime. Roosevelt even held exclusive press conferences at the White House for female journalists, in order to help them to break into the field.    

Perhaps her greatest efforts involved an attempt to create an experimental community in West Virginia called “Arthurdale,” where homeless miners would have a shot at achieving a new independent life. Even though many considered Arthurdale to be a failure, the town was nonetheless a testimony to her commitment to public service. Eleanor Roosevelt’s historic career continued well after her time at the White House ended upon Franklin’s death in 1945. She played a significant role in turning Hyde Park into a museum dedicated to her late husband’s legacy, which set a precedent for future presidential libraries to follow. She served as a delegate to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, rising to become its chairperson. Roosevelt remained with the organization until the early 1950s, and her political insight proved integral toward drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. After working to reform New York politics throughout the remainder of the decade, Roosevelt eventually worked to support the campaign of John F. Kennedy. While she initially rebuffed Kennedy for his refusal to denounce McCarthyism, Roosevelt relented on the grounds that she believed he had the best chance of leading the nation toward a better future. When Kennedy won, she became his representative to such organizations like the National Advisory Committee to the Peace Corps. President Kennedy even appointed her as the First Chair of the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women, although she would pass away mere months after it was organized. Eleanor Roosevelt has since been revered as one of the most influential figures in 20th-century American history and is esteemed across the world today for her years of advocacy.