AMHERST - The front parlor ceiling collapsed at the Emily Dickinson Homestead Sunday afternoon, damaging some of the museum's historic artifacts.

No one was injured in the incident, but a Dickinson family teapot, sofa and set of chairs were among the items damaged by the collapse. The homestead will be closed from Oct. 26 to Oct. 30.

Jane Wald, executive director of the museum, said in a press release that the cause of the accident is still under investigation, and that a damage estimate is forthcoming.

"The plaster from the ceiling fell into the room," Wald said in a phone interview.

The fallen plaster was not original to the home, and no beams fell from the second story floor, Wald said.

"The cleanup activity hasn't started yet. We are going to be having a structural evaluation of the spaces in the homestead. We want to have that done before we have too much activity in the house," Wald said. "Until we are able to get into the room to clean up the debris, we won't be able to assess the damage to the artifacts in the room."

The 19th-century home of Amherst poet Emily Dickinson has been open to the public since 1965, the year Amherst College purchased the residence and opened it to the public. The Homestead and the Evergreens, the neighboring residence of the late Dickinson family's heirs, have been operated as a museum by the college since 2003.

On Sunday, the museum was open for tours, but no one was in the parlor at the time of the ceiling's collapse, Wald said, leaving staff and visitors unharmed.

Restorations and repairs will begin as soon as possible, Wald said, as will limited tours of the museum.

Ben Storrow can be reached at bstorrow@gazettenet.com.