Ghost Tour Fundraiser Set for Berkshire Historical Society

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — On Friday, April 17, Robert Oakes, ghost tour guide and author of "Ghosts of the Berkshires," will team up with paranormal investigator Drew Babineau, owner of The Haunted Raven, to offer a combined ghost tour and paranormal investigation of the Country Club of Pittsfield, hosted by the Berkshire County Historical Society. 
 
The program begins at 7 p.m. Tickets for this three-hour combined ghost tour and investigation are $50 per person and may be purchased by using the "BOOK NOW" button at berkshirehistory.org. A portion of the proceeds will benefit BCHS. 
 
Be advised that there will be several levels of stairs to climb in dim lighting. Also, this event is not intended for children under 12 years old. For more information, visit berkshirehistory.org, robertoakes.net, hauntedraven.com, or call (413) 442-1793.
 
At the start of the evening, Oakes will lead a walk by flashlight through this historic property, sharing accounts of alleged spirit sightings and other strange encounters reported by those who work there.  Babineau will then guide guests through an active paranormal investigation, using devices and methods meant to make contact with the spirits and document their presence, stated a press release. At the close of the evening, guests will gather in the Club's barroom to share stories of their experiences and discuss any findings. Drinks will be available for purchase. 
 
According to a press release:
 
Once known as Broadhall, the Country Club of Pittsfield's clubhouse is one of the oldest properties in Pittsfield with a long and storied past. During the nineteenth century, it was the home of writer Sarah Morewood, friend to Herman Melville. When the Moby-Dick author lived just next door at Arrowhead, he often stopped by to visit Mrs. Morewood, and some say he may still be calling. Indeed, both Melville's ghost and that of Mrs. Morewood, as well as others yet unidentified, are said to haunt the house. Many have visited the property throughout its long history, including Alexander Hamilton, President John Tyler, famous literati, and formerly enslaved people. And many have died there, including Mrs. Morewood, as well as seventeen victims of a 1910 ice house explosion, described as the worst disaster in Pittsfield history.
 
Robert Oakes writes books about ghosts and leads tours in reported haunted places. Drew Babineau, owner of The Haunted Raven, is a photographer and paranormal investigator.
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EPA, GE Conducting Vernal Pool Study on Housatonic River

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A pilot study will determine the best way to remediate PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, from vernal pools in the Housatonic River. 

Last month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and General Electric held an open house for the Vernal Pool Pilot Study on Reach 5A, a five-mile stretch between the river's confluence and Lenox border.  Despite the rain, several people attended the event at the Berkshire Athenaeum. 

EPA project manager Josh Fontaine explained that it is an evaluation of which remediation method to use for the remaining vernal pools in Reach 5A. 

"We're going to be testing two different methods. One is an excavation method, which we already know has been very successful with another vernal pool cleaned up much earlier in the project," he said. 

"And then the other is the application of two different carbon amendments. It would be the application of powdered activated carbon and the application of granulated activated carbon." 

Ten vernal pools will be cleaned using these methods: five with excavation and five with active carbon; seven additional vernal pools will be monitored as controls. Construction will be complete around October, but the pools will be left to their natural processes and monitored with surveys and sampling for three years. 

Fontaine said there is no frontrunner for methodology. 

"We know the excavation method is effective, but we would like to see if the less invasive method of using the amendment will be as effective for potential use," he said. 

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