Local Author Publishes Book On Northern Berkshire Trains

Kristen Demeo is releasing her latest book, 'The Rails of Northern Berkshire,' about how the trains changed the region.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Local writer Kristen Demeo is releasing her latest book, "The Rails of Northern Berkshire," about how the trains changed the region.

The St. Stanislaus Kostka School teacher said she hopes this book will both educate and reconnect people with the past.

"It's a book that celebrates trains and the kinds or the emotions people might associate with it and through that I share my own story and how the trains came into my life," Demeo said. "In doing that, I hope to have people recollect how trains fit into their lives."

She said the book delves into the history of the railways of the Northern Berkshires and their establishment in 1846. She said the book also touches on the environment and culture before the trains arrived in the Berkshires.

"This is a different place than it was and nothing left this valley except by ox and horse," Demeo said. "Then the train came in and it brought the people and made North Adams a city."

She added that the trains allowed Adams to become a "textile giant," allowed Susan B. Anthony to travel, and brought in immigrants to populate the region.

This is Demeo's fourth book published about the history of Northern Berkshire. Other titles include "The Legend of Mt. Greylock; A History of a Mountain," "Susan (the early life of Susan B. Anthony)," and "Jefferson's Cheshire Cheese."

Demeo said the book is designed to interest people in the area's legacy and to visit historical landmarks.

"I try to push the reader into the community and push them to Greylock, push them to the Cheshire Cheese Press, and go see Susan B. Anthony. There is so much," Demeo said. "I want this book to inspire people to go out and learn about the Hoosac Tunnel, go out on the bike trail, go see the Museum of History and Science in North Adams, and maybe ride on the rails when they put them in."

Much of her research was done by just talking to people and tapping into their memories of the train. She said the train means something personal to each person and she wanted to reflect that.

Demeo said at heart she is a teachr and wants her book to educate people. She said local history has been pushed out of some schools because teachers have to teach to the standardized test.

"Teachers have to teach within the standards and the test, and local kids can lose their connection to where they are from," she said. "The rails have been ripped up and they no longer exist, but what was it like? We need to get people back there."

She said the inspiration for the book came from the classroom when her students brought up their love for trains. Demeo said it reminded her of taking her own children on train rides in the Berkshires and how much it affected them.

"They were so excited to ride that train … so I thought there are a lot of little kids out there and we are in such a hurried society," Demeo said. "We need to step back, hold that hand, take a few moments to show them this stuff because life is like a train, it's fleeting."

The book is dedicated to her children.

Demeo said she hopes the book resonates with all those who remember train whistles and the sounds of chugging engines. She hopes the book "honors" the history of the trains and reminds people where the Northern Berkshires came from.

"I hope people read this and it helps bring back memories and helps them understand what it was like here before," she said. "I think it is wonderful that this place is still here. Lives have come and gone, but you still see the rail and the mills and the places that once existed."

The book will be available at the Susan B. Anthony Birthplace & Museum gift shop and its online version in Adams; Reynolds General Store and Cheshire Glassworks in Cheshire; the Berkshire Emporium, North Adams Museum of History and Science, and the Porches Inn in North Adams; Arrowhead in Pittsfield; the Williams Inn gift shop and Water Street Books in Wiliamstown, and the Red Lion Inn gift shop in Stockbridge.

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