Past Talks – Page 16 – Williamstown Historical Museum

The Forgotten Ledge of Fort Massachusetts

Program for Children and Families!

Saturday, September 24, 11 am

Milne Public Library

Wendy Champney will led the audience on a journey through hits where they followed the clues as to reveal the location of Indian Ledge and uncover its vibrant, lost history.

View the video here: The Forgotten Ledge of Fort Massachusetts

Audience members also discovered the significance of the relationship between the ledge and the 1746 attack on Fort Massachusetts located in present-day North Adams. Wendy is author of the book The Forgotten Ledge of Fort Massachusetts and the coloring book Colorful History of Fort Massachusetts. This program is perfect for families hoping to learn more about our local history dating to the earliest days of settlement when North Adams was the westernmost outpost of Massachusetts.

Mrs. Champney is a lifelong resident of North Adams and is a retired McCann Technical School teacher. She hopes to inspire curiosity about local history in students throughout the Berkshires. She serves on the Historical Commission in North Adams and is a member of the Friends of Fort Massachusetts. The home on the Ledge which inspired her book has been in her family since the 1960s. Wendy’s book and coloring book will be available at the lecture for you to enjoy.

First Church & Williamstown: 250 Years Together ~ on exhibit through Autumn, 2016

It is no coincidence that First Congregational Church, Williamstown, and the town itself share a birthdate. In 1750 Massachusetts General Assembly passed legislation requiring a “settled and learned pastor” in order to incorporate a town. So, no matter what the religious fervor of the town in those early days, forming a Congregational Church (this is Massachusetts) was necessary for them to claim their land. So the story of the Church is the story of the town. Come hear about the significant events in the Church’s history, which show what was happening in town along the way.

Moira Jones has been Moderator of the First Congregational Church since February 2013. In this last fall of her term as Moderator, she has been researching the Church History, and really looks forward to sharing it with you.

Tour of exhibit May 18th 6 pm

Moira Jones would like to encourage you to see this exhibit on Wednesday, May 18th, and is offering to conduct a tour of the exhibit for you on that day at 6 pm. Please mark this on your calendars, and get this personal tour from the person who put together the exhibit, before she leaves town at the end of this month. Moira looks forward to seeing you on the 18th!

If you missed this talk in November, you can see it online here:

Conservation in Williamstown: Its Historic Roots with Phillip McKnight

On Saturday, September 25th, 2015, Phil McKnight presented a lecture on the historic roots of conservation. Phil’s lecture included images of 19th century American Romantic paintings and traced the development of the practice of land conservation here in Williamstown by first briefly tracing the historical development of an American consciousness towards the environment. What were the driving forces which brought northern Europeans to the New World and how did those forces begin to change as we as a people began our westward journey across this vast continent? In what manner did we confront the enormous challenges of the frontier and in doing so, how did we change the natural environment? This story was applied to Williamstown, using both the Williamstown Conservation Commission and the Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation as examples of promoting orderly change within the concept of land conservation.

If you missed his lecture, you can view it online here at the WilliNet website: Conservation in Williamstown: Its Historic Roots

Phil teaches a course on environmental law and environmental history during the fall semester at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams and during the winter term at Williams College.