image description — The house Susan B. Anthony was born in passed through many hands before being purchased by Carol Crossed in 2006.

Anthony Museum Plans Opening Ceremony Sunday

Staff ReportsiBerkshires
08:59PM / Wednesday, February 10, 2010Print Story | Email Story

Anthony was born on East Road in Adams in 1820, a century before women could vote.

ADAMS, Mass. — The Susan B. Anthony Birthplace Museum will hold a formal ribbon-cutting this Sunday, Feb. 14, at 2 p.m., one day before the suffragist's 190th birthday.

The opening is a year later than planned because of delays in the restoration process. Residents were given a sneak peek of the work under way at last year's birthday celebration. Waiting a year, however, meant the museum opens for the 90th anniversary of Anthony's lifelong goal — passage of the 19th Amendment that gave women their long-delayed right to vote.

The former home of the Anthony family has been undergoing nearly four years of research and restoration. The 192-year-old house on East Road was built by Anthony's father, Daniel, who operated a store out of the first floor. Anthony was born in the house two years after it was built, likely in the south parlor looking out toward Tophet Brook where her father's textile mill stood.

Anthony and her parents moved from the area when she was a child to upstate New York, where she became a prominent writer and lecturer on abolitionism and women's right to vote. She frequently returned to the Mother Town to visit family until her death in 1906.

The house has been restored to reflect her childhood with exhibits looking at the wide-ranging legacy of Anthony including Quaker life, temperance, opposition to slavery and abortion, women's suffrage, and 19th Amendment, called by some the Susan B. Anthony Amendment.

State Sen. Marian Walsh of Suffolk has been invited to be the guest speaker. She was the first woman from her district elected to both the House of Represenatives and the Senate. She is currently the Senate majority whip and is vice chairman of the Senate Mental Health and Substance Abuse Committee and is a member of the Committees on Community Development and Small Business and on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development.

Boston Magazine in 2003 named her one of "Boston's 100 Most Powerful Women."

"We are honored to have Senator Walsh address the Susan B. Anthony ribbon-cutting ceremony," said Sally Winn, the museum's executive director. "She embodies the ideals of women in leadership that was Anthony's life's work. Her service with Massachusetts tourism and cultural community is especially relevant to what we are doing with this Berkshire treasure, the childhood home of Anthony, indeed the nation's most famous daughter."

Following the ceremony, a birthday celebration with cake will be held at Memorial Hall in the Adams Free Library. Reservations are required for the party and limited seating is available for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Contact Mary Lou Beaudin at 413-743-3516 or staff@sbanthonybirthplace.com.

The museum and gift shop will be open for a free public preview from Monday, Feb. 15, through Sunday, Feb. 21, from 10 to 4.

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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.

I think that it would be appropriate for iBerkshires to do a story reflecting some of the discussion on this site a few months back, when the professional director was replaced with an executive director who's primary qualification for the job was having been a former director of "Feminists for Life". Ms. Crossed, who purchased the site is a leader in the anti-choice movement, and Susan B. Anthony is something of an anti-choice heroine, as of late. It's clear that the S.B.A. birthplace was not intended to be a straightforward historic site, but was intended as a subtle means of promoting the anti-choice agenda. The Transcript runs lots of straight press releases, and although iBerkshires has limited staff, it seems as if this might be an appropriate opportunity for some more in-depth reporting. Editor: I want to see the exhibit in the museum before writing further on the issue.
from: jFox	on: 02-12-2010 12:00AM I Agree (0) - I Disagree (0)

That's fair enough, editor. However, I'd hasten to add that even if the content of the SBA birthplace isn't overwhelmingly political, I think that could work in favor of the founders' and executive director's intent. I'm sure they're intelligent people, and aware enough to understand that berating people with a political agenda is ineffective. Just the fact of having this birthplace, with a director who's experience and connections are in the political (not historic) arena, will make it an effective means of promoting the anti-choice agenda. Would the building have been purchased by Ms. Crossed if Susan B. Anthony wasn't a mascot of the anti-choice movement? Probably not. Would this particular executive director have been chosen? Certainly not.
from: jFox	on: 02-12-2010 12:00AM I Agree (0) - I Disagree (0)

So what if Anthony was pro-life? Why is there all of this controversy? Can pro-choice activists no longer tolerate people who are pro-life or pro-life feminists? Editor: The issue is whether the exhibit is historically accurate.
from: Kristan	on: 02-12-2010 12:00AM I Agree (0) - I Disagree (0)

Sounds like this editor is trying to do their job--view the exhibit before writing the story--kudos for gathering information before casting judgement. Aside from that, the historical record of Anthony's opposition to abortion is indisputable; of course the open question might be if she would still feel the same way today, after going through all the social changes of the 20th century--I don't think anyone can definitively answer that without their own personal prejudice on what is purely speculation anyway.
from: Bergenser	on: 02-13-2010 12:00AM I Agree (0) - I Disagree (0)

I find it interesting that NO media is willing to actually DIG into the truth behind these people. You would only need a little sand shovel. Their agenda is so clear that I wonder if the local media is actually afraid to dig. Perhaps positioning fact finders as opposition makes it easier. I hope someone has the integrity to explore the possibility of some truth. This mythological middle is tiring and draining. Give us some freakin truth eh? DIG! a little, please.
from: Jonathon Ray	on: 02-14-2010 12:00AM I Agree (0) - I Disagree (1)

Public Health Advisory Issued for Pontoosuc Lake

03:50PM / Monday, August 31, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Blue-green algae blooms have been observed at Pontoosuc Lake and a public health advisory has been recommended by the state Department of Public Health for the lake in both Pittsfield and Lanesborough.

As this bloom may present harmful health effects for users of the lake, the Pittsfield Health Department issues the following directives for this waterbody for people and pets until further notice:

Do not swim.
Do not swallow water.
Keep animals away.
Rinse off after contact with water.

Warning signs are being posted around the lake.

Blue-green algae, also known as Cyanobacteria, occur naturally in lakes and ponds throughout Massachusetts. These microscopic organisms are components of the aquatic food chain. In ordinary circumstances, Cyanobacteria cause no apparent harm. However, warmer water temperatures and high nutrient concentrations may induce a rapid increase in their abundance. This response is commonly called a “bloom” because algal biomass increases to the extent that normally clear water becomes markedly turbid.

Harmful health effects from the bloom can result through skin contact with the algae tainted water, swallowing the water, and when airborne droplets are inhaled. Pets are especially prone to the health effects not only through skin contact, but also by ingesting significant amounts of the toxin by licking their wet fur after leaving the water.

To protect yourself and your family from any harmful effects of this blue-green algae bloom, residents and visitors are advised to avoid contacting water that has a noxious odor, appears green throughout (sometimes referred to as looking like pea soup), or that has mats, films or scums accumulating on the surface.

Until further notice we recommend avoiding these high-risk activities:

Any contact with the water including swimming, diving, playing, or wading
Drinking, or allowing animals to drink the water
Water sports, e.g. water skiing, wake boarding, wind surfing, jet skiing, tubing

Other activities that pose a moderate risk to health include:

Fish consumption
Canoeing
Rowing
Sailing
Kayaking
Paddle boarding
Motor boating

The health outcomes of concern are:

Irritations of the skin, eyes or ears
GI problems like vomiting and diarrhea
Muscle cramps
In extreme cases nerve or liver problems

If you or your pet accidentally come in contact with algae tainted water, thoroughly rinse off with clean water.

If you experience any of the symptoms of blue-green algae exposure (listed above), contact your health care provider or call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. If your pet experiences symptoms, contact your veterinarian immediately.

Regular monitoring of lake conditions will occur moving forward until bloom dissipates. The community will be notified of the bloom dissipation at that time. The rescinding of the public health advisory will only occur after two successive samples, collected a week apart, demonstrate cell counts or toxin levels below the state guideline values.

For more information or questions, contact the Pittsfield Health Department at 413-499-9411.

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