Established in 1953 by Dr. Henry A. Murray of Harvard University (himself a distinguished student of Melville and his works), The Melville Memorial Room offers one of the world's largest collections of Melville family memorabilia, including photographs, paintings, prints, artifacts and furniture. Extensive primary, secondary and critical research materials available to serious Melville scholars complete this wonderful Melville repository.

     Dr. Murray not only donated his own collection of Melville research materials and memorabilia to The Athenaeum; his planning and generosity led Melville's granddaughter, Eleanor Melville Metcalf, and grandneices Agnes Morewood, Helen Gansevoort Morewood and Margaret T. Morewood, to donate many items that had come down through the family. Since then the collection has grown both through modest purchases and through the generosity of other descendants: Most recently Herman Melville's great grandson Paul Metcalf, an author in his own right, donated a large number of additional family papers that he re-discovered in the family home.

Why locate a Melville collection in Pittsfield, Massachusetts?

Melville-related Activities and Events: (More details coming soon)

The Berkshire-Melville Memorial Trail -- a driving tour of Berkshire sites meaningful to Herman Melville, jointly produced by The Berkshire Athenaeum and The Berkshire County Historical Society.

The Milham Scrimshaw Collection -- portions of which are always on display in the Athenaeum's Melville Room on a rotating basis.

If you are interested in Herman Melville and his family, we recommend the following links:

• Arrowhead, Pittsfield home of Herman Melville from 1850 - 1863, and now home to The Berkshire County Historical Society.
• Melville Online
• The New Bedford Whaling Museum
• Ishmail: the listserv for scholarly and casual discussion of Herman Melville and his works.