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Berkshire County Historic Site Could Be Featured on Quarter

Staff reportsiBerkshires
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BOSTON – What Berkshire County landmark would you put on a coin? Mount Greylock? A historic home, like Herman Melville's? Or maybe one of the region's old mills?

Residents can now vote on which Berkshire County landmark – or Massachusetts historic site – should be immortalized on a quarter.

Following the popular 50 state quarters, Congress last December authorized the U.S. Mint to issue a new set of quarters featuring national parks and historic sites in each of the 50 states and six districts and territories.

Massachusetts has culled thousands of possibilities to 114 choices from state's 14 counties, including 17 from Berkshire. Residents are being encouraged to vote for their choice on the state's Web site.

"Our commonwealth has many great parks and historically significant sites," said Gov. Deval Patrick. "It will be fun to let everybody help choose the one to submit."

The number of Berkshire sites selected for voting is second only to Middlesex County, which has 21 listed including the famed Minuteman National Historic Park.

The site must be under the supervision, management or conservancy of the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, or other federal agency, or be on the National Register of Historic Places. The site must be federally recognized.

In Berkshire County, the selected sites are Mount Greylock and the Quaker Meetinghouse in Adams; Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in Becket; the William E.B. Du Bois Boyhood Homesite, the Mahaiwe Block and Rising Paper Mill, all in Great Barrington; Hancock Shaker Village; Lee's Lower Main Street Historic District; The Mount in Lenox;  Appalachian National Scenic Trail; Arnold Print Works (Sprague/Mass MoCA) and Monument Square in North Adams; Herman Melville House (Arrowhead) in Pittsfield; Richmond Furnace Historical and Archaeological District; Stockbridge Casino and Wheatleigh in Stockbridge, and the Williamstown Rail Yard and Station.

The state will submit one preferred and three alternate sites to be featured on the reverse of a quarter. The coins will be struck at the rate of five a year beginning in 2010 and issued according to the dates when each site was established as a national site.

Citizens can vote for any of the 114 sites selected by the state; you can vote as many times as you wish but for only one site at a time. Don't like any of them? You can vote for your preferred site by calling 1-800-227-MASS [6277]. A full list of more than 4,000 possible sites is available through the voting page.

Voting is open now through Thursday, Feb. 26, at 5 p.m.

Do you think the choices for Berkshire County are good ones? Or did the state overlook a significant historic site? Tell us what you think.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Possible Measles Exposure at Boston, Logan

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday that an out-of-state adult visitor who spent time in Boston and Westborough earlier this month was diagnosed with measles and was present in a number of locations.
 
This could have resulted in other people being exposed to measles virus.
 
The visitor arrived at Logan International Airport on American Airlines flight 2384 from Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, on Dec. 11 at 2:39 p.m. They stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Boston-Westborough in Westborough and departed the state on Dec. 12 via Logan at 9:19 p.m. on JetBlue flight 117 to Las Vegas.
 
DPH is working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local partners to identify and notify those who may have been exposed to measles from this individual.
 
"Measles is a highly contagious, airborne disease, which has increased significantly in the United States because of the unfortunate decrease in vaccination rates. It is also a preventable disease," said Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robbie Goldstein. "This current situation serves as an important reminder of the critical role vaccination plays in protecting our communities. While Massachusetts has not had a measles case this year, 2025 saw the highest number of nationwide cases in more than a decade — nearly 2,000 in 44 jurisdictions, and sadly, three deaths. 
 
"Fifteen years ago, measles had been considered eliminated in the United States, but that tremendous progress is at risk. Vaccines are one of the most important public health interventions ever — they are safe, effective, and lifesaving."
 
Measles is very contagious. However, the risk to most people in Massachusetts is low because the vaccination rate in the state is high. People who are not immune and visited any of the locations on the following dates and times may be at risk for developing measles.
 
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