Historic Candle Light Inn sold for $1 million

By Bill SamplePrint Story | Email Story
LENOX — The Candle Light Inn has closed for business after being sold to a Connecticut couple for $1,015,000 on Tuesday. William and Suzanne Dakin bought the landmark property at the corner of Church and Main streets from long-time owner Rebecca Hedgecock of Lenox, according to documents at the Central Berkshire Registry of Deeds. William Dakin, reached yesterday at the inn, said he preferred not to comment on his plans for the building, but it is believed he will return it to a private residence, which it was when it was originally built in 1885. Hedgecock who will maintain her private residence in Lenox, said she plans to take a few months off and visit her children. “Then I’m going to clean out my garage,” she said. A Lenox landmark for many years, the large white building was originally built and occupied by the Bishop family. They moved on to grander estates in the Lenox area in the early 1900s, and since then the property has been used for a variety of purposes. During the 1950s, General Electric Co. housed bachelor workers for its Pittsfield plant there. Later, the building was sold to people who put it to use in the hospitality industry. Beginning in the early ’60s, it became a restaurant known as Chef Carl’s. It then became the Toby Jug restaurant and bar and later was run as an inn by Jimmy and Lynne DeMayo, who named it the Candle Light and turned it into a hotspot for tourists. The DeMayos made many improvements to the building, enclosed the porches and constructed an outside courtyard to accommodate a steadily growing number of guests. During the mid 1980s, the Candle Light received much attention as a highly regarded destination for tourists and was frequently reviewed by big-city food editors, who gave glowing reports on the quality of the food and accommodations. Robert Redford and other stars could be occasionally glimpsed enjoying a meal on the porch or having a drink at the bar. In 1988, the DeMayos sold the historic building to Hedgecock and went on to open the Lenox 218 restaurant on Main Street, which remains open for business and is still owned by the family. Hedgecock continued to run the Candle Light as an inn and restaurant for the next 16 years, until she sold it Tuesday.
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Williams College Gives All-Clear After 'Suspicious' Package Found

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff

Williamstown Fire and Northern Berkshire EMS stood by at the scene during the investigation of a suspicious package at Williams College's Wachenheim Science Center on Thursday.
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — A suspicious package that caused the evacuation of Williams College's Wachenheim Science Center on Thursday has been determined to be not dangerous. 
 
A post on the college website at 4 p.m. stated the "device was determined not to be a bomb or other danger."
 
The college said all buildings, residences and streets are reopened that no further updates will be made. 
 
In a message to the Williams community, President Maud Mandel said she could not speak to some particulars. 
 
"There are limits on what I can share due to the fact that police are continuing to investigate and some facts simply are not known to us," she wrote.
 
Mandel said a package was delivered just after noon to Wachenheim and the person who opened it immediately called campus safety, who called both the Williamstown Police and Fire Departments. 
 
"The nature and purpose of its contents were unclear and concerning to the people involved," said the president. "As a precaution, we promptly evacuated all academic buildings, residences and streets within a set perimeter. Given that we could not rule out the possibility that the contents were dangerous, the state bomb squad was called in. 
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