Emily Dickinson Museum

Emily Dickinson Museum is located in her family’s original homestead; it celebrates and commemorates her legacy.

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (1830-1886) was born on this homestead and lived there most of her life. She started writing poetry at 11, but it was only in her late 20s that she developed her signature writing style, characterized by ignoring the rules of syntax and grammar and using capitalization and punctuation in unconventional ways.

Following her mother’s illness, which required Dickinson to take on all the household responsibilities, she increasingly secluded herself from outside contact, communicating with her family and friends by notes and letters. Within the safety and comfort of her home, she was the most productive, and between 1858 to 1865, she wrote about 800 poems, assembling them in booklets, today known as her fascicles.

Over time, her solitude worsened, and she went out of her home only to attend the garden and to visit her brother and his family in Evergreens, the house next door.

By 1885, Dickinson’s mental and physical health had declined, and she died the following year at 55. During her lifetime, she published a few poems, most of which were published after her death by her sister, Lavinia. Since its first publication in 1890, Dickinson’s first collection was never out of print. Her poems received critical acclaim, and Dickinson became recognized as one of the most prominent and influential American poets.

After Dickinson’s death, her sister lived in the homestead, and later, it was inherited by their brother’s daughter before it got sold. In 1963, the homestead was designated a National Historic Landmark, and two years later, the Trustees of Amherst College bought and opened it to the public as a house museum.

Today, the Emily Dickinson Museum comprises the two houses of the Dickinson family – the homestead, where she lived, and Evergreens, her brother’s home.

Visitors are welcome to explore the historic rooms and learn about Dickinson’s life and complicated personality through the museum’s collection, which contains over 800 artifacts, including family photographs, original 19th-century furniture, artworks, dinnerware, and textile.

The museum hosts various events, such as poetry readings, Garden Days, the annual Poetry Walk, the Tell It Slant Poetry Festival, and the Phosphorescence Poetry Reading Series.

Close by, there are more sites to visit, including the Amherst Historical Society and Museum, the Museums10, the Amherst College Museum of Natural History, and the Yiddish Book Center.

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