The Coolidge Museum will be closed December 22, 2009-January 4, 2010. The Hampshire Room will be open 1-5 Mon-Wed December 28-30 for any Coolidge related questions or drop in visitors.
The Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library & Museum contains materials documenting the private life of Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933), beginning with his birth and formative years in Vermont, his student days at Amherst College, and his years as a young lawyer in Northampton. Exhibits and manuscripts, written and pictorial, cover his political career from Northampton to Boston to the White House and his post-presidential years as a Northampton resident. The Collection also includes materials of a similar nature related to the life of Grace Goodhue Coolidge (1879-1957).
The Coolidge Collection
The Coolidge Collection was established in 1920, when Calvin Coolidge gave documents and memorabilia to Forbes Library. Coolidge continued giving materials to the Library throughout the remainder of his life. At the end of his administration, he sent his personal library from the White House to the Forbes Library, in Northampton, Massachusetts; included were the well known Howard Chandler Christy portraits of Calvin Coolidge and his wife, Grace, and the infamous electric horse. The final impetus for the permanent home of the Coolidge Collection came in 1956. Acting upon the request of Grace Coolidge and the Trustees of Forbes Library, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts granted funds to establish a "Calvin Coolidge Memorial Room" as a separate entity within the library. Today, Forbes Library is the largest existing source of primary material on Calvin Coolidge and the only public library in the United States to hold a presidential collection.
Research at the Coolidge Library & Museum
The collection consists of manuscripts, speeches, letters, videos, recordings, microfilms, the official presidential papers and the personal papers of President Coolidge, tapes, off-the-record press conferences, photographs, paintings, scrapbooks, broadsides, artifacts, and the famous electric exercise horse. The Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library & Museum is managed by an Archivist/Curator and is available to researchers during open hours.
For research questions, please contact the library at the address or phone number below, or email the archivist, .
Coolidge Landmarks in Northampton
Information on a self-guided walking tour of significant sites is available.
Forbes Library
Northampton's public library was built in the early 1890's with a bequest from Charles Forbes (1794-1881), a prominent judge in Northampton. The spacious and elegant library, a marvel at the time of its construction, was an ideal location for a presidential collection.
Hours |
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| Monday | 3:00-9:00 |
| Tuesday | 1:00-5:00 |
| Wednesday | 3:00-9:00 |
| Thursday | 1:00-5:00 |
| Friday | Closed |
| Saturday | by appointment only |
| Sunday | Closed |
Appointments for research are stongly encouraged at all times. For appointments, please contact the library at the address or phone number below, or email the archivist, . Please note that the museum is closed in the archivist's absence.
Fees
There is no admission fee.
Off-Site Reference Fee
Image Reproduction Fee Schedule
Image Use and Licensing Policy
Calvin Coolidge At Home In Northampton by Susan Well
Coolidge Museum blog: http://www.calvincoolidge.blogspot.com/
All images on this site are © Forbes Library and may not be reproduced for any purpose without written permission. All rights reserved.