Bidwell House Museum Summer History Talk

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MONTEREY, Mass.— Join the Bidwell House Museum on June 4 at 11 a.m. for the first lecture in our 2022 Summer History Talk series, The Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano with Professor Robert Allison.
 
This lecture will be held at the Tyringham Union Church at 128 Main Rd in Tyringham. This will be an in-person lecture, with the option to also watch a livestream via Zoom. All Zoom participants will receive a link to access the lecture a couple of days in advance.
 
 
Tickets for in-Person members is $10 and non-members $15. Zoom, members free and non-members $10. The lecture will be held at the Tyringham Union Church and via Zoom. 11 a.m.
 
According to a press release: Olaudah Equiano, also known as Gustavus Vassa, wrote one of the most extraordinary, and best-selling, books of the 18th century. It was the story of his life, which took him from West Africa to the West Indies, and to England, the Mediterranean, and the Arctic in a time of war and revolution. Professor Allison has edited the most recent edition of Equiano's narrative. He will discuss Equiano's life, his reasons for writing his book, the mysterious controversy of Equiano's origins (was he born in Africa or in America?) and why his life continues to matter.
 
Robert Allison is a professor at Suffolk University in Boston, and also teaches in the Harvard Extension School. His main interest in teaching and writing is American history. In addition to being president of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, he also chairs Revolution 250, a consortium of organizations planning commemorations of the Revolution's 250th anniversaries, is a life-trustee of the USS Constitution Museum, and is involved with other history organizations.
 
 

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Great Barrington Unveils 9/11 Memorial Featuring World Trade Center Steel

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — A piece of history will now stand in front of the Great Barrington Fire Department, serving as a lasting reminder of the courage, sacrifice, and heroism of those who rushed in, stepped forward, and answered the call on Sept. 11, 2001.
 
Hundreds of community members gathered outside the Fire Department for the unveiling of a 9/11 memorial featuring a steel I-beam salvaged from the wreckage of the World Trade Center.
 
The monument marks the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks, and its effect reached far and wide beyond New York, said Deputy Fire Chief James Mead.
 
"There are moments in our lives that become markers of time. Moments when we remember not only what happened, but where we were, who was beside us, and how the world somehow felt different afterwards," Town Manager Liz Hartsgrove said. 
 
"For those of us who experienced September 11, 2001 — it is one of those moments for us to share."
 
The acquisition of the beam was a multi-year effort initiated by the late Andy Moro, former commander of American Legion Post 298 in Housatonic, and was carried on by the Legion's second vice commander, John Morris. 
 
Morris said he was able to obtain the warped steel I-beam through connections he made during his time as a New York City firefighter.
 
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