Artist Walt Pasko and Winslow Newton unveiled the painting on Monday.

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The town's 250th year since incorporation isn't the only milestone being celebrated.

 

Town Hall itself is now 100 years old and the town commissioned Walt Pasko to create a painting of the building to honor the occasion. That painting was revealed on Monday in the library and will be hung in eventually hang in the Board of Selectmen's office.

 

"This piece was done from photos I took of the building and I had to do it in short stretches. It took me a couple of weeks," Pasko said, before unveiling the painting.

 

The cornerstone for Town Hall was placed on Aug. 12, 1915, after Maria Newton left her estate to the town to build a new town hall and library in honor of her late husband, Jedediah Newton. The site was that of the old Iron Works.

 

The cornerstone was laid with sketches of the couple, the names of the architect, contractors, and building committee along with a list of town voters, catalog of library books, coins, and copies of area newspapers.

 

The building cost $17,000 to construct and led to former President Calvin Coolidge sending a letter of congratulations, which thanked the Newtons for their generosity.

 

On Monday, Winslow Newton, who is the great-great-grandson of Maria Newton, helped unveil the painting. Maria and Jedediah were the first Newtons to live in town and, according to Winslow Newton, there are now more than 100 of them all descending from the same family tree.

 

The oil painting was commissioned through a $400 grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Pasko was selected not only for his skills as an artist but because of his intimate knowledge of the town. He began the project in October. 

 

The painting will stay on display in the library for a few weeks and a digital version will be available on the town's website for others to download as a screen saver.

 

Meanwhile, the town is continuing to celebrate the 250th anniversary with a series of events. The library will also be one of the places residents can purchase memorabilia to honor the occasion.

 

On behalf of the Cultural Council Northern Berkshire, I am delighted to rejoice with the Town of Lanesborough at the installation today, April 27, 2015, of this painting in Newton Memorial Town Hall to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of this historic building.  

Especially during this historic 250th anniversary year of the Incorporation of Lanesborough, Massachusetts,  it is particularly exciting to memorialize this centennial year for our town hall with this painting which will give so many in the future so much pleasure remembering this benchmarking occasion with a work of art made possible in part by a grant from the Cultural Council Northern Berkshire.

It is a source of great pride to see the CCNB and the Massachusetts Cultural Council's efforts and funding at work in such a valuable way for all who enter Newton Memorial Town Hall to enjoy and remember Lanesborough's historic past.

With pride and joy,
Stephanie Abrams
Lanesborough resident & Cultural Council of Northern Berkshire representative for Lanesborough