Poor in the Berkshires: Poverty and Public Relief Before 1935

In this lecture presented by the Berkshire County Historical Society and The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Cynthia Farr Brown examines questions related to related to poverty and public relief in the Berkshires before 1935. What happened two centuries ago when people had no food, no housing, or no fuel? Where did people go for support? How did they understand poverty? What did law and custom prescribe? What changed over time – and how quickly or slowly? This talk will examine being poor in the Berkshires, from the mid-18th century when Europeans settled in the region, until the depths of the Great Depression. Using primary records, newspaper accounts, and more, we can learn about who was among the poor and how communities both supported and at times chose not to support those in need. 

This lecture takes place in the Susan B Anthony Center, room G-12 Berkshire Community College and will be available online. Register for this event here. $10

About Cynthia Farr Brown
Brown is President of the Board of Directors of the Berkshire County Historical Society at Arrowhead. She also serves on the board of the Non-Profit Center of the Berkshires and on the executive committee of Berkshire Educational Resources K12 (BERK12). Brown has a doctorate in United States history and her scholarly publications have included co-editing the institutional history, “Lesley University: Celebrating Excellence 1909-2009”; as well as other publications. She is currently Senior Associate Commissioner for Regulatory and Veterans Affairs at the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education.

About OLLI
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Berkshire Community College in western Massachusetts is a dynamic learning community with over 1,500 members that offers 200+ programs a year, including five terms of courses, lectures, special events and trips, shared interest groups, and more! Our programs meet both online, and in-person.