B Girardi
From its iconic red barn to an elegant allée of maples, this lovely home is testament to the celebrated poet's ideal of living mindfully on the land.
The serene vista of the Westfield River Valley served as lifelong inspiration for William Cullen Bryant, editor and publisher of the New York Evening Post for many years. His meditative verse influenced the 19th-century land conservation movement that included Frederick Law Olmsted and Charles Eliot, founder of The Trustees.
For more than a decade until his death, Bryant summered here at what had been his childhood home: a two-story farmhouse turned three-story Victorian cottage. The homestead was filled with Colonial and Victorian pieces from the poet’s family, and memorabilia from his extensive European and Asian travels. Today, the landscape encompasses pastures, fields, and woodlands with enormous pines reaching heights of 150 feet (among the tallest in the Northeast). Wander the Rivulet Trail where a magnificent cherry tree and old-growth forest of hemlock hug the Rivulet, a trickling stream immortalized by Bryant’s 1823 poem of the same name.
In Summer 2026, the historic house will be open on July 11, August 8 and September 12.
Wander the Rivulet Trail, where an old-growth forest of hemlock and a magnificent cherry tree hugs the Rivulet, a trickling stream immortalized by Bryant’s 1823 poem of the same name.
The Pine Loop features enormous pines that reach heights of 150 feet, among the tallest in the Northeast.
207 Bryant Road
Cummington, MA 01026
Email: westernhills@thetrustees.org
From Northampton: Follow Rt. 9 West, which will join Rt. 112 South. In Cummington, at the intersection where Rt. 112 South departs from Rt. 9, follow Rt. 112 South up the hill 1.5 mi. to a five-corner intersection. The Homestead is straight ahead.
From Pittsfield: Follow Rt.9 East. In Cummington, at the intersection where Rt. 112 South departs from Rt. 9, follow Rt. 112 South up the hill 1.5 mi. to a five-corner intersection. The Homestead is straight ahead.
We recommend that you take a photo of the map on your phone so you can refer to it during your visit, or download a trail map before you head out.
The boyhood home of one of America’s foremost 19th-century poets, the William Cullen Bryant Homestead is a National Historic Landmark. William Cullen Bryant, born November 3, 1794, astonished the literary world with the publication of his first major poem at age 13. Most of his poetry drew inspiration from the Cummington countryside surrounding the Homestead.
This is the home of one of the most famous poets of the nineteenth century, many of whose poems were inspired by the landscape surrounding the house where he lived as a boy and in his later years. Well marked trails take you into old, old forests with some of the tallest white pine trees in the country.
– 31mbel, Trip Advisor
