Berkshire County Location
Berkshire County Towns
Alford [1]
Becket [2]
Cheshire
Clarksburg
Dalton [1]
Egremont
Florida
Great Barrington
Hancock
Hinsdale [2]
Lanesborough [1]
Lee [1]
Lenox
Monterey
Mount Washington
New Ashford [1]
New Marlborough
North Adams [2]
Otis
Peru
Pittsfield [2]
Richmond
Sandisfield
Savoy
Sheffield
Stockbridge [1]
Tyringham
Washington
West Stockbridge
Williamstown [1]
Windsor
About
I'm a western MA (Holyoke) expat now living in New York City. This site contains interesting reproductions of text and images about subjects and places I love: history and genealogy of Western MA, Manhattan, Brooklyn and the UK.
April 23, 2024
Berkshire County, MA
Berkshire County, originally a part of Hampshire County, was incorporated April 24, 1761, and named from Berkshire County in England. It occupies the western extremity of the State, and is bounded on the north by Vermont, on the east by Franklin, Hampshire and Hampden counties, on the south by Connecticut, and on the west by New York. It has an area of about 1,000 square miles,—not including water surfaces. The city of Pittsfield is the county seat.
Literary Associations of Berkshire County, by James Tucker Cutler
Literary Associations of Berkshire County is a reproduction of an 1893 article describing the many authors of Berkshire County including: Catherine Sedgwick, William Cullen Bryant, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, the Field brothers and many others. Some discussion of the author's books and relationships—includes a number of towns in the county.
History of North Adams
History of North Adams, Mass. by W. F. Spear — 1885 Town history of North Adams. Includes material on founding, churches, schools, prominent citizens, Hoosac Tunnel, Fort Massachusetts, industry and manufactories and much more.
A New England Village
A New England Village, by Leverett W. Spring —Originally published in Harper's New Monthly Magazine, 1871. Describes the history of the town of Stockbridge, John Sergeant and his relationship with Native American tribes, Jonathan Edwards, Cyrus Field, founding of the Library and much more.
The Home of Josh Billings
The Home of Josh Billings, by Edith Parker Thomson. — Short article describing the author Henry Wheeler Shaw (1818-1885), who had the pen name of "Josh Billings" Shaw was a well-known humorist and was said to be better known than his contemporary, Mark Twain—he is often quoted even today. Shaw was originally from Lanesborough, a focus of this article.
Vital Records, Postcards, & more ...
Look within each town listing, in the left column, to see resources available. There is also a collection of Postcards depicting a variety of Berkshire County scenes.
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