Main Street, Williamstown before pavement arrived. (Photo curtesy of House of Local History)
WILLIAMSTOWN — Williams College students in Professor Henry A. Art’s winter study course are calling on residents in the region to bring in their old photographs of Williamstown landmarks or events to be included in a collection – and exhibited – as a culmination of the town’s 250th anniversary celebration.
“Images help us to imagine the past and preserve our shared cultural history,†Art said. “A significant amount of this history of Williamstown and Williams College lies hidden, and often deteriorating, in shoe boxes and closets of members of our community.â€
Students in Art’s course, “Picturing Our Past,†are asking residents to bring in images that are more than 25 years old to be scanned by students between Jan 10 and Jan. 22 for incorporation into a digital image database and public exhibition. The owner of each image will be asked to provide information about it, along with an audio caption for inclusion in the database. The images will then immediately returned to the owner, along with computer-printed enlargements.
The digital copy images will reside in a database available on the World Wide Web and at the Williamstown House of Local History and the Williams College Archives. The owners of the images will retain legal copyright to them and will be able to put conditions on uses by the public or by researchers.
From late January through mid-February, many of the images will be showcased in a community-wide exhibition. The exhibition will cover historical topics such as schools, churches, farms, mills, commerce, families and neighborhoods and will take place at a variety of venues on campus and public spaces around Williamstown.
For more information, or to make an appointment to have images scanned, call the Williams College Center for Environmental Studies, 597-2346. “Picturing our Past†also has a Web site: http://contentdm.williams.edu/picturingourpast/
According to Art, students are particularly seeking images of the following: Consumption Hill, Mount Pleasant, Mount Hope, Charityville, Cole's Grove, skiing on Sheep Hill, Girl Scout camp on Northwest Hill, Boys Club camp in Ford Glen, Starch Mill, Twine Mill, textile mills, tanning mill, Blackington when it was part of Williamstown, blacksmithing, the Red Bridge and Green River Mill.
Also, the White Oaks neighborhood, The Twin Oaks poultry farm, the Berkshire Street Railway, the Boston & Maine railway station, working at the Station Mill, working on the railway, working at Williams College, Williamstown soldiers at war, keeping the peace at home, family picnics, historic floods, big storms, big fires, making charcoal, old water and sewer lines, life on the farm, life in the village, “high jinks,†high school, school days, Sunday schools, road work, interiors and exteriors of college buildings, student life at Williams, bee hunting and bear hunting.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
No Comments
Dalton Day Returns This Saturday
By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
DALTON, Mass. — The town's popular Dalton Day festival is returning this weekend after a year's hiatus.
The event will kick off this Saturday at 11 a.m. and runs until 4 p.m. in the field in front of the Senior Center.
The community celebration was established in 2023 by the Cultural Council in an effort to increase resident participation at town meetings while also showcasing the area's welcoming, diverse, artistic and sporty atmosphere. In 2024, the event brought together 300 residents.
"The primary mission of Dalton Day is to foster a strong sense of community, build civic pride, and bring residents together through a shared celebration of local culture, music, and food," said Jeannie Ingram, Select Board member and cultural council chair, and Lori Venezia, executive assistant to the town manager.
The event provides an accessible and free platform for "civic education, community bonding, and supporting local businesses, artisans, makers, and culture more broadly," they said.
The festival strengthens the fabric of the town both civically and economically by connecting grassroots organizations with residents, fostering a shared sense of belonging, and providing free, family-friendly entertainment.
It also serves as an opportunity for community members to meet with local officials and a couple of state officials. State Sen. Paul Mark and state Rep. Leigh Davis will be coming from Beacon Hill to speak at the event.
Cassidy Flynn scattered five hits in a complete-game effort in the circle as Lenox upset top-seeded Hoosac Valley, 3-2, in the quarter-finals of the Division 5 State Tournament. click for more
Brayden Durant struck out seven and walked one in a complete-game effort on the mound Saturday to pitch the Drury baseball team to a 6-0 win over Keefe Tech in the quarter-finals of the Division 5 State Tournament at Joe Wolfe Field. click for more
Jason Codey struck out 13, walked two and allowed just an infield single as the Generals earned a 7-1 win over Wahconah to claim their third straight regional title. click for more
Gracelyn Wright struck out eight, and Genevieve Lagess went 3-for-5 with four runs batted in as the Hurricanes beat Monson, 17-3, to claim their first Western Mass title in four years. click for more
