The Emily Dickinson Museum, owned by Amherst College, reopened to the public on Aug. 16 after two years of pandemic closure and its most significant restoration project ever. “The newly restored and more vivid furnishings allow visitors to experience the home in which Dickinson lived and, most importantly, wrote most of her 1,800 poems,” says an article in The Boston Globe.
Globe correspondent Betsy Groban begins by noting the “unexpected and extraordinary revival” of the reclusive poet’s popularity in recent years, relating to the TV series Dickinson and films such as A Quiet Passion and Wild Nights with Emily. Groban explains the history of the Homestead and the Evergreens, the two Dickinson family residences that today constitute the museum.
Citing museum director Jane Wald, Groban describes the extensive renovation—which focuses on historical accuracy—and names some features guests can expect to see, including a “wonderful interactive display [that] allows visitors the chance to complete several of Dickinson’s unfinished poems,” “a reproduction of one of her legendary white dresses, her writing desk (so tiny!)” and portraits on the walls.