Women Reach Top at Mountain Club
 Photos by Melanie Rancourt
The Mountain Club's been on Anthony Street for more than six decades. |
Once a place for men to kick back with a beer and a smoke, the society's complexion changed in January with the election of women to three of the top posts and a spot on the board of trustees.
Lisa Cantoni of North Adams, a bartender at the club for the past five years, was elected vice president, Shana Griswold of Clarksburg as secretary and Donna Thomas as treasurer. Barb Tatro, of Adams, is the first woman elected to the trustees, the voice of the members.
The four women have now become part of the society's long history.
Organized on June 15, 1888, the club's main focus was to educate its members, all German immigrants, in the English language and instruct them on how to become citizens of the United States. Much of the instruction was done on the original building's second floor.
These German-Americans wanted a club of their own, a home away from home where men could go after work, drink a beer from their own steins and smoke their pipes, two things that they would not consider doing at home around their families.
The first location of the club was on Summer Street near the road that would be renamed Victory Street after World War II. It was an uncomfortable fit and the German-Americans picked up and moved to Anthony Street. The appropriately named Verein family sold the building to the members and the club has been there ever since under its English name, the Mountain Club.
  John Hish, above, one of the club's oldest members, recalls how horses used to be parked - not cars. President Charles Massaconi, right, said the club is always looking for new members. |
But the biggest change came in 2004, when club members voted to allow women to join and make Mountain Club a social gathering place for all to enjoy. But men remained in control, with the exception of the appointment of the first woman treasurer in 2005.
That changed in January as both male and female members elected women officers for the first time.
Charles Massaconi of Adams, president of the society for the past 14 years, said he is looking forward to serving with the new officers, a sentiment they share.
"I am honored to be the first elected woman officer at the Mountain Club," Cantoni said. "All of us newly elected women officers are looking forward to serving the dedicated membership of the club."
It's one of a number of changes 90-year-old John Hish has seen over the years. One of the oldest members of the club, he joined in 1946 after serving in World War II.
"I remember a time when the bar only had four bar stools," said Hish. "If a woman was sitting at the bar and a male member walked in, she would have to give up her seat to him. I also remember when men would park their horses out back in the pasture so that they would eat the grass out back. That was before the back yard turned into a parking lot."
The club holds activities during the year for members, including Christmas and New Year's Eve parties, and a popular prime rib Super Bowl party. The annual ice-fishing derby will take place on Saturday, Feb. 27, which is always a fun time for young children, said Massaconi. There is an annual clambake in August, as well as members' only monthly cookouts with hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken and ribs. "We are always looking for new members," said Massaconi. "The more members we have, the more the club can do for the community."
The Adams Gebirgs Verein is a consistent donor to civic organizations in the town of Adams. Two $500 scholarships were established years go, one for a student taking a postgradudate course at McCann Technical School and one to a deserving graduate of Hoosac Valley High School.
For more information on becoming a member of the Mountain Club, contact Massaconi a 413-743-3600.
