Visitors to Colonial Williamsburg enjoy taking a journey back in time to an 18th century town. A new catalogue from the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation offers the opportunity to take some of that history home.
Williamsburg®, a Catalogue of Handmade Lighting Reproductions, contains a selection of authentic lanterns, post lights, chandeliers, and sconces reproduced under license by Period Lighting Fixtures Inc. of Clarksburg.
“Things that are homemade today are becoming an anomaly,†said Edward A. Scofield, president of Period Lighting Fixtures. “Our lighting fixtures have the romance of original craftsmanship.â€
Using the tools and techniques of 18th century craftsmen, the artisans of Period Lighting Fixtures worked with sheet copper, tin and hand-turned wood to create 35 interior and exterior fixtures like those once seen in Colonial Williamsburg.
Period Light Fixtures has reproduction licenses with three other major history museums: Historic Deerfield, Old Sturbridge Village and the Newport Preservation Society.
The Williamsburg Reserve Collection is only available from Period Lighting Fixtures, said Scofield. This Williamsburg trademark is given to products under license with Williamsburg that are unique and of the highest quality.
According to Colonial Williamsburg Foundation officials, “We are proud to have these museum quality lighting designs bear the Williamsburg hallmark of authenticity and excellence.â€
Three years passed between the signing of the contract and the catalogue hitting the press. It was a complex process but the value of the pieces comes from their detailing, said Scofield.
Period Lighting Fixtures selected about half the lighting designs in the Williamsburg historic area for the catalogue, he said. “We went on a shopping trip with our customers in mind...practicality was one of the features we looked for.â€
From small fixtures for porches to larger ones used to illuminate sidewalks and driveways, a notion drove the selection of which pieces to reproduce: lighting has many different functions and fixtures are both a style and a practical product, said Scofield.
Then, “we went down there and spent a number of days on step ladders with cameras shooting pictures from different angles.†After taking exact measurements of each piece, artisans returned to Clarksburg to build prototypes.
These prototypes were submitted, one or two at a time, to a Colonial Williamsburg design committee for review. Though the process from design to approval was lengthy, 95 percent of the designs were approved by the committee without changes. “It’s a credit to our craftsman,†noted Scofield.
“These authentic Williamsburg designs, which closely follow the originals, fill an important niche in the home furnishings market. Williamsburg is the leader in these designs,†said Scofield.
He added that the Williamsburg Reserve Collection represents the first time a collection of this kind has been offered. Period Lighting Fixtures has high hopes that now that people have access to these great fixtures, the business will grow to the next level, he said.
Through four different catalogues, the company offers over 250 models of chandeliers, lanterns, sconces and lamps. Among the company’s professional clients are top interior design and architectural firms throughout the U.S. with many from Architectural Digest’s Top 10 List. Period Lighting Fixtures has also supplied handmade lighting for use in films, from The Patriot, starring Mel Gibson, to Steven Spielberg’s Amistad to Cold Mountain, an upcoming Civil War movie.
For more information, including an appointment to visit and see products on display in the showroom, call Period Lighting Fixtures Inc. at 664-7141 or (800) 828-6990 or visit www.periodlighting.com.
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North Adams Schools Reviewing Greenhouse Program
By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — School officials plan to review the greenhouse program, which is being used for life skills education for older students.
The cost of the program was raised during review of the fiscal 2027 budget by the Finance and Facilities committee last week. Three or four students aged 18 to 22 are being served through the special education program at the greenhouse on South Church Street.
The discussion came up during the committee's final review and recommendation of a fiscal 2027 budget of $22,396,047 that will be offset by the transfer of $1,448,692 in school choice funds for a total of $20,947,355.
The school district is responsible for educating students up to age 22. The current staffing is a greenhouse manager, a special education teacher and one or more teaching assistants.
"The greenhouse manager is in charge of operations of the greenhouse itself, but not teaching the students, although the students can work with the greenhouse manager," said Superintendent Timothy Callahan. "Almost like an internship, even though these are students with significant disabilities."
Committee member David Sookey asked if the life skills program service these children at Drury High School as a "better utilization of resources we already have at the high school."
Callahan rsponded that it's a possible model for next year, describing the greenhouse as an adult version of the CASTLE (Collaboration for Autism Spectrum Teaching, Learning and Excelling) program, an individualized special education program for children with autism and communication disorders.
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