Sarah Currie – Page 11 – Williamstown Historical Museum

Volunteer Voices Needed

Do you like to read aloud? Perhaps you could lend your voice to our recording project!

In the spring of 2018, the WHM was awarded a grant from the Fund for Williamstown, a fund of the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, to support the Williamstown History Accessibility Project and the purchase of recording equipment to create an audio book version of Williamstown’s history book, Williamstown the First 250 Years and to create an audio tour recording of the captions from the permanent orientation exhibit at the WHM.

The Williamstown History Accessibility Project and its resultant audio book and audio tour will enhance the local history resources available to community members who seek to learn more about our town’s past. The Value of History Statement presented by History Relevance states that, “History, saved and preserved, is the foundation for future generations. History is crucial to preserving democracy for the future by explaining our shared past…History lays the groundwork for strong, resilient communities…” This statement underscores the importance of our project which will provide opportunities for all residents to connect with and understand the past and can encourage residents to analyze our ideas and experiences through a broader context, thus making Williamstown a stronger and better community in which to live.

Once the audio book is recorded, the goal is to upload it to multiple online platforms and to provide the audiobook to all listeners for free. The audio tour of the WHM exhibit will be uploaded to the WHM website. Your help in recording would be a great way to give back to your community. Contact the WHM today to learn more: 413-458-2160 or info@williamstownhistoricalmuseum.org.

The History of the Hopper by Dustin Griffin

Tractor View from the Haley Farm, Robert Lafond, 2018

Video of the History of the Hopper

The Williamstown Historical Museum presented a free talk on The History of The Hopper with Dusty Griffin on Saturday, September 14 at 11 am in the community room at Sweetwood, 1611 Cold Spring Road in Williamstown. The talk was illustrated with more than 50 slides.

We are so used to looking at The Hopper from afar, from Rt. 7 in front of the high school or as we come home over the Taconic Trail or up Rt. 43. It is the topographic feature that defines Williamstown, the one we chose to grace our town flag. But what do we really know about this secluded valley at the foot of Mt. Greylock and the people who call it home?

Based on research in old newspapers, property records, materials in the WHM collection, and interviews with current and former residents, Griffin told a number of stories about The Hopper, from its earliest days to the present. Tales of the original settlers and the mills that sprang up on the streams that run down the slopes of the Greylock massive; farms at Mt. Hope and Arbor Acres in the mid-20^th Century and the surviving Bacon and Haley Farms of today; the old village of Sweet’s Corners; the hikers, campers, and preservationists who enjoy the area’s many trails; and the year-round residents and second-homers who have found rural peace and quiet in the valley.

ABOUT DUSTY GRIFFIN
Local historian Dustin “Dusty” Griffin, Professor of English Emeritus at New York University, has been a Williamstown resident since 2003. A 1965 graduate of Williams College, he is the author of many books on English literature. Griffin has

A former board member of the Williamstown Historical Museum, he curated exhibitions on “Williamstown in the Civil War” (2012) and on “Big Days in a Small Town” (2014). His recent talks for WHM audiences covered the writing career of Col. Prentice of Mt. Hope, and introduced his own book, Williamstown and Williams College: Explorations in Local History (University of Massachusetts Press, 2018).

Robert H. Lafond artist of
Tractor View from the Haley Farm, 2018

Bob Lafond attended the Boston Museum School, and has an undergraduate degree in Art History (summa cum laude) from Princeton University where he studied under painter Esteban Vicente. He paints both country and city landscapes in oils and pastels, concentrating on the Berkshires and Brooklyn. He lives in Williamstown, MA.

You can learn more at:
Art blog: markandremark.blogspot.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/RHLafond/Artwork
Instagram: @roberthlafond
You can contact the artist at rhlafond0@gmail.com.