Monterey Marks 250th Celebration of the Knox Trail

MONTEREY, Mass. — Join the Monterey Historical Society, Monterey Library and the Bidwell House Museum for a celebration of the 250th anniversary of Henry Knox's Noble Trail of Artillery through the Southern Berkshires.

Beginning in December of 1775 from Fort Ticonderoga in New York, 25-year-old Henry Knox led an expedition to move 60 tons of captured British artillery to the Continental army in Boston in order to force the British to evacuate the city. Knox's journey took three months and came through the Berkshires in January 1776, during the depths of winter, using little more than ox and horse-drawn sledges and manpower.

To commemorate the 250th anniversary of this achievement, the Monterey Historical Society, the Monterey Library and the Bidwell House Museum are collaborating on a series of Knox Trail-related programs on Jan. 16 and 17, 2026.

The weekend begins at the Monterey Library on Friday, Jan. 16, at 6 p.m. with the opening reception and program for the exhibition The Knox Trail through the Greenwoods. On Saturday, the program will continue with talks, a guided walk and a panel discussion. Rob Hoogs will present "Henry Knox and the Noble Train of Cannons Through the Greenwoods" at 10 a.m., followed by Jonathan Barkan at 11 a.m. and his Knox Trail Media Show. Barkan created a traveling slideshow about Henry Knox for the 1976 Bicentennial which has been updated and remastered for today's audience. Both of these talks will take place at the Monterey Library.

After lunch, the celebration moves to the Bidwell House Museum at 2 p.m. for the start of a guided walk on the Knox Trail, with Hoogs. Attendees will gather around the fire with hot cider while Hoogs introduces the walk and then carpool to Brett Road for a one-mile guided walk. Visitors will be encouraged to imagine the struggles of Knox and his team as they pulled 60 tons of cannons through the woods of the Southern Berkshires in mid-winter.

Finally, the celebrations will conclude back at the Monterey Library at 7 p.m. with a panel discussion with several Knox Trail historians including Hoogs, Ron Bernard, Bernie Drew, Gary Leveille and Tom Ragusa about their new book "Ye Trodden Path."

The Knox250 exhibit at the library will continue through Feb. 28.  Additional talks and programs will be scheduled during the exhibition run and will be posted on the website.  For more information and a full schedule of events, head to the Bidwell House Museum website.

The exhibit and programs are sponsored in part by grants from Housatonic Heritage and the Friends of the Monterey Library.  All programs are free and open to the public. Parking for the library is limited and visitors can also park in the public lot behind the Monterey Town Hall. Weather-related updates or cancellations to the program will be posted on the Bidwell House Museum Facebook page.

Lee Library Hosts 'Jacob's Pillow in Lee, Mass.' Exhibit

01:56PM / Thursday, April 23, 2026

LEE, Mass. — A new public history exhibit, "Jacob's Pillow in Lee, Mass.," will open Monday, June 1, in the Scolforo Gallery at the Lee Library.

 

The exhibit traces the long and often overlooked relationship between the internationally renowned dance hub in Becket and the neighboring town of Lee from the early 1930s to today.

 

Researched and curated by Lee resident Joshua D. Bloom, a member of the Lee Historical Society and a former academic researcher, the exhibit will be on display through June 30. It will be open to the public during the library's regular hours when the gallery is not hosting other programming.

 

The exhibit tells the story of relationships between  Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival and the town as they developed alongside one another through business, civic engagement, and personal connections.

 

Pamela Tatge, executive and artistic director of Jacob's Pillow, praised the project for highlighting the Pillow's community roots.

 

"This exhibit shines a light on the longstanding connections between Jacob's Pillow and the town of Lee," Tatge said. "The Pillow's history is deeply intertwined with the people and communities that have supported it for generations."

 

Several public programs will accompany the exhibit throughout June:

• Tuesday, June 2, 4-5:45 p.m.: Opening reception with Pamela Tatge at the Lee Library
• Saturday, June 6, 12:30-1:30 p.m.: Family Dance Party with dance educator Sarah Daunt (sponsored by the Lee Youth Commission)
• Thursday, June 11, 11-noon: History of Lee seniors dancing at Jacob's Pillow (sponsored by the Lee Council on Aging, at 21 Crossway St.)
• 4:30-5:45 p.m.: "Secret" gay history of Jacob's Pillow with historian Norton Owen (sponsored by Lee Pride, a project of Berkshire Pride, and Berkshire Stonewall Community Coalition)
• Saturday, June 13, 12:30-2 p.m.: "Secret" LGBTQ-plus history of Lee walking tour led by Bloom (beginning and ending at Park Square during Lee Pride; tour sponsored by Lee Pride, a project of Berkshire Pride, and Berkshire Stonewall Community Coalition)
• Monday, June 22, 4:30–5:45 p.m. — History of the Cantarella School of Dance in Lee with Madeline Cantarella Culpo and her Lee dancers (sponsored by the Lee Historical Society)
• Monday, June 29, 4:30–5:45 p.m.: Closing reception on marketing, tourism, and business relations between Jacob's Pillow and the Town of Lee (sponsored by the Lee Chamber of Commerce)

This exhibit is made possible, in part, through a grant from the Lee Cultural Council, a local agency funded by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.