Berkshire County Historical Society Awarded Grants

02:47PM / Thursday, May 16, 2024Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire County Historical Society has received a $10,000 historic preservation grant from Preservation Massachusetts in association with the 1772 Foundation.

In addition, BCHS has received a $15,000 grant from the Jane and Jack Fitzpatrick Trust.

These grants will be used to replace lost historic louvered shutters to Herman Melville's historic home Arrowhead. Restoring these important architectural elements is in keeping with BCHS's mission to preserve and interpret Arrowhead returning the house to its Melville-era (1850s-1860s) appearance.

This project has grown out of information learned from a Historic Structure Report completed in October 2022. The earliest sketches and woodcuts of Arrowhead from the 1850s depict the house with louvered shutters, as would be appropriate for a farmhouse built in the eighteenth century. As time passed, however, the shutters appear to have been removed – the last known photographs that show the house with shutters are from the late 1960s. By the time the BCHS purchased Arrowhead in 1975 and opened the house to the public in the 1980s, the shutters were gone.

"We are thankful to Jane and Jack Fitzpatrick Fund, Preservation Massachusetts and the 1772 Foundation for their support of restoration projects at Arrowhead," said Lesley Herzberg, BCHS Executive Director. "Because of their support, and the support of other donors, we are able to create a more authentic experience of Herman Melville's home for visitors from all over the world."

Preservation Massachusetts, in partnership with The 1772 Foundation, has announced the recipients of a historic preservation matching grant program in Massachusetts. Preservation Massachusetts is the statewide non-profit historic preservation organization dedicated to preserving the Commonwealth's historic and cultural heritage and The 1772 Foundation plays a leading role in promoting historic preservation nationwide.

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Friday Front Feature: A Lenox Colonial

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
05:23PM / Friday, May 29, 2026

LENOX, Mass. — Are you looking for a colonial-style home with a rural feel but close to the center of it all? Then this is the home for you.

Our Friday Front Porch is a weekly feature spotlighting attractive homes for sale in Berkshire County. This week, we are showcasing 36 Dunmore Court.

This house was built in 1985 and has five bedrooms and three bathrooms. It is 3,405 square feet on less than an acre of land but surrounded by woodlands for privacy.

It features a two-car garage and a back deck to enjoy the greenery and scenery. It also features wood floors throughout and a brick fireplace.

The house also has a den with a connecting room that can be used as another bedroom. There is also a sunroom, dining room and an eat-in kitchen that will come with the major appliances.

It is on the market for $825,000.

It is listed by Wayne Ditore with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Realty Professionals.

You can find out more about this house on its listing here.

*Front Porch Feature brings you an exclusive to some of the houses listed on our real estate page every week. Here we take a bit of a deeper dive into a certain house for sale and ask questions so you don't have to.

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