Joy Lyon, Manager of the Chamber of Commerce of South Berkshire Information Center, recently conducted an armchair tour of Great Barrington’s history. Main Street and Railroad Street are two of the oldest streets in the country.
Walking down Main Street is a historical experience in itself, she said. It was the first street in the country, and possibly in the world, to have electric light. The lamps burned
courtesy of inventor William Stanley. In in 1886, he set up a transformer experiment with alternating current electricity in an abandoned factory building where the Housatonic River Walk lies now.
Railroad Street, on the other hand, became a red light district, with a number of bars. Not too long ago, Lyon said, a lady could not walk down Railroad Street unchaperoned. But ‘Dodge City’ has recently become ‘Little Soho.’ The red lights have given way to bakeries, the Triplex Cinema, sushi and Bizen pottery, and the Railroad Street Youth Project.
Two monuments outside the Town Hall mark historic events. The first armed resistance against the British scrummed around this site in 1774. Lyon said 700 to 1000 rabble-rousing farmers got fed up with the British Tribuna that sat at the Town Hall and ran local affairs. The farmers gathered with muskets, sticks and whatever lay handy, and met the 10 or 12 members of the British Tribunal as they walked down the street to the Town Hall. The farmers blocked their way to the building and refused to let them enter the building. They never came back.
Here also, the first slave won her freedom under due process of law. Mum Betts, a woman enslaved to Col. John Ashley, won her freedom in the 1700’s and turned Massachusetts into a free state from that day. She changed her name to Elizabeth Freeman, Lyon said.
William Cullen Bryant, the Victorian law clerk and poet, lived in Great Barrington. He married a lady from Alford; her relatives lived at the William Cullen Bryant House up the road. He practiced law in the brown house just past the Days Inn, Lyon said, and wrote a poem about Monument Mountain Reservation.
Every year, local people reenact the Monument Mountain Poet’s Hike: the famous hike that introduced Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville. Lyon said at the time of the firt hike, in the mid 1800’s, travellers could drive a buggy up the mountain. Both authors joined a picnic party heading up the hill. They had never met, but during a sudden storm, they happened to shelter together and get talking. The meeting began a close friendship that lasted through many years and letters; Melville later dedicated Moby Dick to Hawthorne. The Berkshire Athenaeum exhibits some of his letters to Hawthorne in the Melville room.
Another Great Barrington marker on Church Street, at Cavanaugh’s Plumbing, shows the ground site of the childhood home of Civil Rights activist W.E.B. DuBois, the author of TheSouls of Black Folk. The town has put together a complete walking tour of sites connected with DuBois, as he grew, went to school and worked in Great Barrington, Lyon said. This year, the River Walk planted a garden in his memory.
Just across from the South Berkshire Chamber building, Lyon pointed out the John Dewey Academy, a therapeutic school— crenellations and all. The building is also called Searles Castle. Visitors can tour it in the summer, during the day, and in the evening at the Stockbridge Chamber Concerts. It also holds a book fair every year.
Searles Castle was the original residence of Mrs. Mark Hopkins, a widow from San Fransisco, Lyon said. Mrs. Hopkins had aunts in the Berkshires. She came here in 1881 and built herself a château out of local stone from the East Mountain Quarry. It cost $2.2 million all together. Stanford White architects designed it.
At more than 60 of age, Mrs. Hopkins fell in love with the interior designer, who was some 20 years younger than she was— and she asked him to marry her. His name was Searles. The Searles built the outer wall when the trolley cars came down Main Street, because they did not like to see the trolley cars. The South Berkshire Chamber once had its office in a windowed turret on the wall, Lyon said.
The last President of the Republic of Texas, who fought in the Alamo and had the honor of ceding the Republic of Texas to the United tates, also lived here. Lyon said she hoped some day Great Barrington would have a museum; it had seen so many firsts and so many unique historical personalities. The library did keep some historical items. Mason Library, by the way, was the site of the second home of Laura Secord, a famous Canadian heroine of the French and Indian War.
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Berkshire County Homes Celebrating Holiday Cheer
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
There's holiday cheer throughout the Berkshires this winter.
Many homeowners are showing their holiday spirit by decorating their houses. We asked for submissions so those in the community can check out these fanciful lights and decor when they're out.
We asked the homeowners questions on their decorations and why they like to light up their houses.
In Great Barrington, Matt Pevzner has decorated his house with many lights and even has a Facebook page dedicated to making sure others can see the holiday joy.
Located at 93 Brush Hill Road, there's more than 61,000 lights strewn across the yard decorating trees and reindeer and even a polar bear.
The Pevzner family started decorating in September by testing their hundreds of boxes of lights. He builds all of his own decorations like the star 10-foot star that shines done from 80-feet up, 10 10-foot trees, nine 5-foot trees, and even the sleigh, and more that he also uses a lift to make sure are perfect each year.
"I always decorated but I went big during COVID. I felt that people needed something positive and to bring joy and happiness to everyone," he wrote. "I strive to bring as much joy and happiness as I can during the holidays. I love it when I get a message about how much people enjoy it. I've received cards thanking me how much they enjoyed it and made them smile. That means a lot."
Pevzner starts thinking about next year's display immediately after they take it down after New Year's. He gets his ideas by asking on his Facebook page for people's favorite decorations. The Pevzner family encourages you to take a drive and see their decorations, which are lighted every night from 5 to 10.
In North Adams, the Wilson family decorates their house with fun inflatables and even a big Santa waving to those who pass by.
The Wilsons start decorating before Thanksgiving and started decorating once their daughter was born and have grown their decorations each year as she has grown. They love to decorate as they used to drive around to look at decorations when they were younger and hope to spread the same joy.
"I have always loved driving around looking at Christmas lights and decorations. It's incredible what people can achieve these days with their displays," they wrote.
The Wilsons' invite you to come and look at their display at 432 Church St. that's lit from 4:30 to 10:30 every night, though if it's really windy, the inflatables might not be up as the weather will be too harsh.
In Pittsfield, Travis and Shannon Dozier decorated their house for the first time this Christmas as they recently purchased their home on Faucett Lane. The two started decorating in November, and hope to bring joy to the community.
"If we put a smile on one child's face driving by, then our mission was accomplished," they said.
Many homeowners are showing their holiday spirit by decorating their houses. We asked for submissions so those in the community can check out these fanciful lights and decor when they're out.
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