LENOX - If you think you have a hard time packing for vacation, imagine getting a herd of bison together and coaxing them down to Grand Central Station to load on a wooden train for the Berkshires. In the era of the "gilded age" rich, this was not unusual. William C. Whitney, in fact, regularly brought his cattle along to his October Mountain cottage.
The cottage is gone, but great views of the mountain - and a bit of history - can still be glimpsed from the Berkshire Scenic Railway, which has its station just off Route 7 at Housatonic Street and Willow Creek Road in Lenox.
"The Berkshires is full of history, yet there is no one place to learn about it when someone gets here," says William C. Sexton, a long-time volunteer with the all-volunteer railway and museum. By next June, a converted railroad car will try to fill that gap, according to Sexton, as the railway opens its "Gateway to the Gilded Age" museum.
"The Lenox station is one of the only artifacts from the period still serving its original function," says Sexton. His narrative on the ways of the rich who built the station accompanies the train ride, which, while short in distance, is long on enjoyment. The railway museum currently displays railroad memorabilia and a prototype for the new museum inside the station. Rebuilt after fire in 1906, the station, complete with working fireplace, is a National Historic Site.
Men who love trains power the non-profit organization that runs the museum. Engineer Lee Hammel, also president and CEO of the Berkshire Scenic Railway, engaged in extensive training, following a career as music director for Lenox Schools, to learn to drive the train. Conductor Peter Paoli said that his son's interest in "Thomas," the train character of book, video and wooden train fame (he has a theme park as well) rekindled a childhood interest in trains. "They used to kick me out of the Pittsfield Station," he chuckled, recalling his early adventures. The Pittsfield train station was razed during the mid-to late 60's urban renewal phase, and the Big Y supermarket stands at the site today. Sexton also said he traces an early love of trains.
Between 1984 and '89, the Berkshire Scenic Railway took a leisurely run from Lenox to Great Barrington, stopping at stations in Lee and Stockbridge. A change in ownership of the line that owns and maintains the track ended that ride - one that Sexton said showed spectacular Berkshire vistas not visible from anywhere else. Only very slow-moving freight trains now travel on the track, which is no longer safe for passenger travel.
Though lobbying at the statehouse continues to try to induce the Housatonic Railroad to repair the tracks and allow the scenic railroad to run again, the museum decided five years ago to increase their educational offerings.
Funding was obtained from the Massachusetts Council on the Humanities, as well as a grant from the federal government. The museum car will feature a photographic and text display of the Berkshire cottages and lifestyle during the Gilded Age - when some trains featured luxurious coaches, with highly decorated parlors and bedrooms - as well as an audio-visual area in the rear of the car. According to Sexton, most of the materials are completed; restoration on the car is ongoing. The museum already has created a self-guided tour of many of the legendary cottages in the form of a brochure, which provides a map and a short description of each.
Museum admission is free. The short train ride is a kick, especially for children, and costs $1 for children and $2.50 for adults. Kids are encouraged to enter the cab after the trip and pull the horn - two toots for forward and three for reverse - and ring the bell. Adults were treated to more technical information about the inner workings and capacities of the engine. For more information, call (413) 637-2210.
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North Adams School, Finance Committee Endorse $22M School Budget
By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Finance Committee on Wednesday recommended a fiscal 2027 spending plan of $22 million that had been approved by the School Committee on Tuesday.
The spending plan of $22,393,775 is an increase of $757,554 over this year, or 3.5 percent. It will be funded through the Chapter 70 state education grant estimated at $16,796,682 (based on the governor's budget); school-choice funds of $1,446,419, up $506,411; and local funding of $4,150,673 (also based on the governor's budget), up $161,942 or 4.06 percent.
Based on new numbers from the House and Senate, the city's portion could drop to $4,049, 353.
"A lot of our advocacy this year is around Chapter 70 and the various funding formulas," said Superintendent Timothy Callahan during the public hearing preceding the committee meeting. "We as a School Committee, but certainly I as an individual and other members of the administrative team, have participated in various sessions to advocate for more funding from Chapter 70, a massive part of our district budget."
Chapter 70 is critical to the school budget, with nearly 80 percent of its funding coming through the state.
Business Manager Nancy Rauscher explained to the Finance Committee that the schools have "hugely benefited from that over the last few years, with significant increases" based on the district's needs and community profile.
"This is the first year that we've been considered a minimum aid district," she said. "What that means is you're held harmless. You're still getting what you were given ... but the addition is just a minimum eight addition. This year, it's $75, per student. So it literally is 75 times the number of students, and at that time it was 1,192 students, when they did this."
Waste treatment plan supervisor Brad Furlon warned the Finance Committee last week to expect a future 500 percent increase in sludge disposal.
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The fund had grown immensely over the past 25 years, raising some $1.75 million during that period. But the 1960s would see the fund grow even more in both fundraising and the agencies it supported. click for more
As a long line of officials grabbed their shovels for the ceremonial dirt toss, the old school was being taken apart behind them and forms for the footings for the new school were being installed across the way.
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