HRR home  |  Plan Preface  |  Plan Summary  |  Goals & Recommendations 

"The river is our local history."
- Ed Kirby of Sharon, Connecticut, Nov. 30, 1998
....

"Part of studying history is realizing what you don’t want to repeat.
Dumping is something we don’t want to repeat."
- Berkshire County Historical Society Director Susan Eisley, November 9, 1998

>>related photos>>

Historical and Cultural Amenities

The Housatonic River is inextricably linked to the history and pastoral charms of the region that have contributed to the county’s particularly rich cultural heritage. The Housatonic drove the gristmills of the earliest settlers and inspired the Berkshires’ most famous writer.

"In the fine clear June days, the bloom of these mountains is beyond expression delightful," Herman Melville wrote of the Berkshires in his autobiographical novel Israel Potter. "On one side the eye follows for the space of an eagle’s flight, the serpentine mountain chains, southwards from the great purple dome of Taconic—the St. Peter of these hills—northwards to the twin summits of Saddleback, which is the two-steepled natural cathedral of Berkshire; while low down to the west the Housatonic winds on in her watery labyrinth, through charming meadows basking in the sun reflected from the hill-sides. At this season the beauty of everything around you populates the loneliness of your way. You would not have the country more settled if you could. Content to drink in such loveliness at all your senses, the heart desires no company but nature."

Many see the river’s history as a source of inspiration of eloquence, ingenuity, and enterprise. But it is also a reminder of past mistakes.

"Part of studying history is realizing what you don’t want to repeat," said Susan Eisley, director of the Berkshire County Historical Society. "Dumping is something we don’t want to repeat. Giving the way the county was settled and the role the river played in the development of the county is a little example that can be used as a metaphor for the United States. You look at its use by Native Americans and industry, and you can say what you should and shouldn’t do."

Historically, the Housatonic River served as locus for Native American settlements and colonial settlers in the eighteenth century. 

"It’s what made things work for everyone," said Peter White of Hinsdale, who has researched the early industrial history of the river in Dalton and Hinsdale and would like to write an account that includes self-guided tours. "If people know the plain history of the river, they will regard it differently."

Dicken Crane strongly advocated an increased understanding of the role the river served in driving the county’s history. "The historical component should get woven into every element of the discussion of HRR," he said. "As we make decisions anew about the river, we should make use of the discussions made in earlier periods as to what the river ought to be."

As people learn more about the river, its history, and the values it has brought to the Berkshires, he said, they will be less inclined to make decisions that will harm the river. "This will bring some perspective to the river, not just as a natural resource, but as a source of economy," he said. In the 1960s, he said, Crane & Company invested in machinery to lessen the environmental impact of its mills, well before government regulations dictated the upgrades. This decision was driven by the company’s affection for the community and the long-term interests of a healthy environment.

"When you know the history—the people, the stories, the faces that go with the people--then you don’t want to screw it up," Crane said.

As it stands now, many people in the public hearing process said there is very little appreciation for the history of the Housatonic River. Information is fragmented among many different sources. The last book about the river is more than fifty years old and out of print.

Repeatedly, participants said they would like to see the publication of a history of the river and the creation of interpretive stations along the Housatonic highlighting interesting aspects of its history and natural history.

Historian Bernie Drew of Great Barrington suggested developing a Historic Housatonic River Trail, similar to the Freedom Trail in Boston, with interpretive stations placed up and down the river highlighting important features. This could provide information for local residents and serve as an attraction for visitors. 

Susan Eisley said that an inventory should be taken of the river’s historic attributes, assessed according to accessibility and interest, and a plan on how to best mark their significance drawn up and implemented. She suggested that the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism has grants available to find new ways to attract people to the region.

Some of the specific historical features brought up during the public hearing process included Center (or Weston) Pond in Dalton, William Stanley’s original laboratory in Great Barrington, an ironworks furnace in Richmond, Bartholomew’s Cobble, the Colonel Ashley House, Lenox Dale glass and iron works factories, two archeological sites of Native American settlements, and several bridges. Aside from a dated Berkshire Regional Planning Commission booklet with a scanty list of river features, Drew said nobody has prepared a thorough inventory of historical features along the river. "Really the only way you could do it is to ferret the information out from the individual town histories that have been done," he said. Drew, however, said the trail would have to consider accessibility and private ownership issues.

"Plaques aren’t going to tell the whole story," Eisley cautioned. She suggested that a history of the river could be done and then used for educational programs. "This is something the Berkshire County Historical Society could be involved in," she said. The society is establishing a web page that could include a component on the Housatonic River. 

Several people echoed Eisley’s desire to have a history of the river written. The last book published on the Housatonic River was The Housatonic: Puritan River in Henry Holt’s Rivers of America series published in the 1940s, Great Barrington publisher David Emblidge said. He suggested the rights be acquired and the book be reprinted to raise money and consciousness about the river.

Rachel Fletcher noted that Drew, who has worked more than 100 hours on the Great Barrington River Walk, wrote a booklet about the history of the properties that the trail traverses in downtown Great Barrington. The publication alerted other volunteers and users of the trail to several historic features. "People get a deeper understanding of the Housatonic River through the historic layers," she said. "When we acknowledge the history of past generations, we are better able to acknowledge the generations of the future and make decisions not just for our own immediate gain, but for the long haul. When we expand our sense of time back in one direction, we can better expand forward into the future."

Several other specific suggestions and observations were made during the public hearing process pertaining to the history of the river. These included:

• Developing an educational unit around the history of the Housatonic River. Eisley said the Berkshire County Historical Society is working with area schools to teach students about local history. The Housatonic River could play an important part in the program.

• Recording an oral history of the river. In several of the meetings, older residents frequently recalled their own experiences on the Housatonic from many years ago. This prompted discussions of developing an oral history of the river, which was widely endorsed at the Berkshire County Historical Society meeting.

• Enhancing appreciation for the ways in which Native Americans used the river. Michael Johnson of Great Barrington suggested that ceremonies be held honoring the river’s sacredness, incorporating the Native American perspective. "They offer a long-term perspective that goes back hundreds of generations," he said.

     "The primary issue is how do we tie the river back to the stewardship values of the Indians," Michael Makes said. "Only 250 years ago the Housatonic River was owned by the Native Americans. We’ve moved from an Indian settlement to a Pittsfield corporation in 250 years. We’ve spent the last fifty years trying to turn a bad situation around and revive the old stewardship practices of the river."
 

• Using history as a source of inspiration for contemporary river projects. Barbara Cianfarini of Pittsfield said the city of Pittsfield should consider undertaking an economic development project based on the river and the city’s history. She specifically suggested that a historic mill be re-created. "Make this a destination that would be unlike any other place," she said. Members of the Monterey Historical Society also advocated renovating a historic mill so people could see how they worked.

• Developing an historic map. Monterey Historical Society members suggested creating a historic map of the Housatonic River that is layered according to different periods in history. Crane noted that it is important to understand how the river has changed and its path altered in determining the restoration process. "Let’s not make the mistake of restoring something we take as original, but which is in fact artificial," Crane said.

• Documenting the river as changes are made. Emilie Piper of Pittsfield strongly urged that changes occurring along the river be documented, especially features that are to be removed, so future generations will know about how changes were made on and along the river.

• Expanding archeological research on Native American settlements. Piper noted there are plowed fields in Sheffield and Canaan, Connecticut, along the river where Native American artifacts have been collected for generations. There are some large collections of these artifacts in the Great Barrington Library, for example, and another smaller batch at the Mill River Town Hall. A number of private individuals have large collections. Ideally, she wrote, they should be photographed and studied, which would enhance river history. She added that it is likely there are other undisturbed sites, "which is another reason to protect a river corridor."

• Protecting furnace properties along the river. The iron works were started before settlements became incorporated towns, said historian and industrial archeologist Ed Kirby, and are what brought settlers to the region. He advocated that a property in Richmond with an iron works furnace be acquired and preserved, and that educational programs about iron works be developed. Kirby is involved in the restoration of the Lime Wood Furnace, Kent Furnace, and Copake Furnace, and is helping to develop an iron heritage trail. 

• Kirby announced that a National Heritage designation has been proposed for the Upper Housatonic Valley in Connecticut and Massachusetts to "preserve its natural, historic, and cultural assets."  The designation could help to preserve early American iron industry sites in the Heritage Area and support a visitor's center and publications of maps and guides.

"The river is our local history," Kirby said. 

[top of page]