Archive Finds a New Home at UMass Amherst's Robert S. Cox Special Collections & University Archives Research Center.
- Gould Farm
- May 21
- 5 min read
We are thrilled to officially announce a landmark partnership between Gould Farm and the Robert S. Cox Special Collections & University Archives Research Center (SCUA) of the UMass Amherst Libraries. This collaboration marks a significant milestone in our longstanding effort to preserve and share the history and legacy of Gould Farm with a broader audience.
SCUA’s dedication to documenting social change, diversity, and inclusion aligns beautifully with Gould Farm’s mission and ethos. Through this partnership, our archive will be housed at UMass Amherst—where it will be preserved, made accessible to researchers and the public, and placed within the wider context of social movements and alternative healing communities in New England and beyond.
Founded in 1913, Gould Farm has stood as a beacon of compassionate mental health care, community healing, and social change for over a century. As the nation’s first residential therapeutic community, our model continues to offer a meaningful alternative to institutional treatment. Meanwhile, SCUA preserves and amplifies the stories of communities that have shaped American life—from organized labor and peace movements to agricultural innovation and spiritual activism. With over 50,000 linear feet of archival materials and 40,000 rare books, SCUA is a vital resource for scholars and students alike.
During the spring of 2024, SCUA director Aaron Rubinstein and metadata specialist Kailey Holtslander visited Gould Farm in person. They toured our two archive rooms on the third floor of Main House, joined us for lunch in the dining room, and deepened the conversations that led to a shared commitment. With board approval received and an agreement now finalized, SCUA will begin the process of transferring our collection to Amherst during the summer of 2025—ensuring a safe and sustainable home for the materials.
Why an Archive, and Why Now?
For over a century, Gould Farm has been creating, collecting, and living its history—through letters, photographs, journals, administrative records, oral histories, and more. These materials were stored in modest rooms that, while filled with care, were never intended to house fragile documents. Some boxes are well-sorted and catalogued; others await review. All have been exposed to fluctuating temperatures and humidity that pose a risk to long-term preservation.
An archive, in the simplest terms, is a collection of historical records—and a commitment to preserving, organizing, and sharing them in meaningful and accessible ways. Archives are not dusty vaults of forgotten things; they are living ecosystems of memory, available to inspire, inform, and shape the future.
SCUA offers something we could not provide on our own: professional preservation, environmental control, expert cataloguing, and digital access to scholars and community members around the world. These benefits do not come at the cost of ownership—Gould Farm retains full intellectual and legal rights to its materials. What this partnership offers is protection and platform.
The People Who Made This Possible
This partnership is the result of decades of vision and commitment. We owe immense gratitude to Claudette Callahan for her years of steady archival stewardship; to oral historians and memory-keepers like Bob Rausch; and to our reconfigured Archive Committee, chaired by board associate member Janet West, whose leadership has carried this effort forward with persistence and care.
Years ago, author, historian, and former board chair Phyllis Vine, a friend of former SCUA director Robert Cox, began the initial conversations that helped lay the groundwork for this relationship. Her tenacity and belief in the importance of preservation helped bring this moment to fruition. Together, these individuals reflect the spirit of Gould Farm itself: thoughtful, intentional, resilient.
Executive Director Lisanne Finston worked closely with UMass to ensure that the terms of the agreement honor the values of the Farm and its community. As longtime staff member and Forestry & Grounds Manager Steve Snyder recently reflected:
“Very few days go by without an acute awareness of the stability our history lends to our otherwise transient nature... the ethic and praxis of the place is infused with the witness [so many] have worked hard to preserve.”
It is this living legacy—of care, community, and transformation—that we are working to protect and share.
A Place Among Giants
By joining SCUA, Gould Farm’s materials will sit alongside some of the most significant and socially impactful collections in the region. These include:
The W.E.B. Du Bois Papers, chronicling the life and legacy of the civil rights pioneer and scholar;
The Horace Mann Bond Papers, documenting the work of one of the foremost Black educators of the 20th century;
The Visibility for Disability Collection, which highlights the evolution of the modern disability rights movement—a thematic companion to Gould Farm’s work in mental health and inclusion;
The Peter Simon Photographs, capturing decades of counterculture, communal living, and activism;
The Mark H. McCormack Papers, exploring the rise of global sports and media industries.
Being archived among these collections not only preserves our past—it validates and elevates Gould Farm’s place in the broader landscape of social history.
Treasures and Possibilities
What will researchers find in the Gould Farm archive? Truthfully, we are only beginning to discover its full richness. We already hold a box of rare documents related to Mary Antin, the early 20th-century author, immigrant, and social thinker who spent years at the Farm. Scholars have traveled to Gould Farm specifically to access her materials, and interest in her legacy continues to grow.
We also know our stories are not just on paper—they are spoken and shared. SCUA has already archived a 2016 oral history interview featuring Bob Gardiner, Bob Rausch, Donna and Wayne Burkhart, and Steve Snyder, reflecting on decades of life at the Farm. That interview is freely accessible to all: 👉 Listen to the interview.
Imagine what future generations might find: journals from early residents, photographs from our first Thanksgiving gatherings, or correspondence that documents evolving models of mental health care. These materials don’t just tell our story—they enrich the national and global understanding of how people live, heal, and build community.
Final Thoughts
This move is not just about history—it’s about responsibility. In a world where so many stories are lost, overlooked, or distorted, preserving our past is an act of care. By investing in this partnership, we are affirming that Gould Farm’s work matters, that it has always mattered, and that it always will.