Carmelites have sold Williamstown property

12:00AM / Wednesday, April 24, 2002Print Story | Email Story

The Oblong Road estate that once belonged to novelist Sinclair Lewis and is renowned for its spectacular views has been sold by the Carmelite Fathers, a Roman Catholic order, to its next door neighbor for $2.1 million. According to transactions recorded April 17 in the Northern Berkshire Registry of Deeds in Adams, the Carmelite Fathers sold the property at 239 Oblong Road to Linda H. White of 237 Oblong Road for $2.1 million. Subsequently, that transaction was followed by three others. The middle, 50-acre lot containing the 10-bedroom house and buildings, was sold to the KRSE Nominee Trust for $900,000. Another parcel, of forest and uplands, was sold to the Macomber Mountain Nominee Trust for $10. And White transferred, for no consideration, 101 acres to herself and her husband, Dr. Eric White. Linda White, contacted by telephone, said â€œOur aim has always been to maintain the integrity of the property, and we think weâ€™ve accomplished that.â€ Neither attorney Adam Filson, trustee of the KRSE Nominee Trust, nor attorney F. Sidney Smithers, trustee of the Macomber trust, would disclose the identities of the principals of the trust. Filson said the house will be a private residence, not multi-family. There are no plans to demolish the buildings, which include a 22,000-square-foot concrete block addition that houses a chapel, dining hall and 30 dormitory rooms. The Carmelite Fathers most recently operated the property as a retreat center. But when it went on the market last year, a Carmelite spokesman in Middletown, N.Y., said the order planned to concentrate on its missions in Southeast Asia and the Caribbean. The 1916 house, then called Thorvale, was home to Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Sinclair Lewis for five years, until 1951. The Carmelite Fathers bought it the following year for $60,000. White is director of the Williamstown Theatre Festivalâ€™s Greylock Theater Project in North Adams. Eric White is an orthopedic surgeon at North Adams Regional Hospital.

iBerkshires.com Text Ads

rk MILES Blding Materials

Are You Ready to Update Your Home? Start With rk MILES. 4 Locations (800)670-7433

www.rkmiles.com

RIBCO Supply

Check out our great lineup of Boss Plows, and spreaders. 2 Locations Clarksburg & Pittsfield!

ribcosupply.com

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Northern Berkshire EMS Restocks North Adams Veterans Food Pantry

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
07:00AM / Saturday, March 07, 2026

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Northern Berkshire EMS helped fill out the Veterans Pantry in City Hall after an agency-wide food drive.

Veterans Agent Kurtis Durocher was thankful for the much-needed replenishing.

"There is always a need, and that need is exponentially growing," he said, adding he estimates the donation equals between $1,000 to $1,500 of groceries and other supplies.

Angela Swistak, of the Transportation Division, helped organize the fundraising effort. She said she went to City Hall to update her dog licenses and saw a flyer on Durocher's door.

"I came in to get my dog license, and I saw the note on the door looking for donations. So I stopped in and said, 'let's do this'," she said.

Durocher said it was a perfect opportunity because that day he was reaching out to businesses and organizations to see if anyone wanted to run a fundraiser.

Swistak said donation receptacles were placed at the North Adams station, the Williamstown station, and the Council on Aging as well as other locations.

View Full Story