Past Events

Enjoy a guided hike led by Charlotte Hood of Berkshire Natural Resources Council. We'll begin with an introduction to the site by the Berkshire County Historical Society. Learn about Melville’s sleigh rides, and see what Mt. Greylock looks in the winter – does it really look like a white whale?   FREE Event Trail Details: Easy (gentle pace, minimal elevation gain)  What to Bring: Please remember to bring appropriate clothing (warm, non-cotton layers) and water. Snowshoes will be available for…

This virtual talk by historian Cynthia Farr Brown will look at some of the stories of the Black men from the Berkshires who served in the Continental Army and as minutemen and militia during the American Revolution, as well as what happened to veterans living in the Berkshires after the war was over. You may have heard of Agrippa Hull, but perhaps not about his comrade in arms Frank Duncan; Bacchus Boardman, who came from the eastern part of Massachusetts,…

 Free event taking place at Hot Plate Brewery in Downtown Pittsfield. Reservations are not required. Pittsfield’s commercial brewing history was over 60 years in the making when, in 1886, Jacob Gimlich, one of the principals of the successful Pittsfield brewery firm Gimlich and White, declared people should “use beer for their refreshment and invigoration in a temperate, manly, proper way.” A part of Pittsfield and Berkshires culture since the English and Dutch came to the area in the early eighteenth…

Marking the 200th anniversary of the Marquise de Lafayette’s visit to the Berkshires, New York Times-bestselling author Sarah Vowell joins us for a online conversation on April 8. Vowell’s book, Lafayette in the Somewhat United States, explores the patriot founders' alliance with France as personified by the teenage volunteer in George Washington's army, the Marquis de Lafayette. Part of the Berkshires250 and Lafayette200 celebrations, this event is presented in partnership with OLLI at Berkshire Community College and Housatonic Heritage. FREE…

When war between the colonies and the King broke out in Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, the question arose: What’s next? A band of patriots from Connecticut, Massachusetts, and the future Vermont had an answer. Setting out from Hartford on April 28, and gathering more men en route, including 40 from the Pittsfield area under Col. James Easton, the expedition snatched Fort Ticonderoga from the British on May 10 in a daring pre-dawn raid, setting the course that…

Celebrate Arrowhead’s opening day with a special concert of sea shanties by Alex Harvey and Shinbone Alley. Come early and picnic on the grounds. Step into the tavern and warm up those swashbuckling vocal chords with hard ciders and beer from Berkshire Cider Project and Hot Plate Brewing Company ,for sale during the event. Alex Harvey is an old-world folklorist who performs street ballads and songs of the sea in a project he calls Shinbone Alley. At his performances listeners…

Celebrate opening day at Arrowhead and learn about the history of apples in New England. Walk through Arrowhead’s orchard and learn tips for selecting heirloom apples and proper fruit tree pruning. Matt Brogan of Berkshire Cider Project will also demonstrate tree grafting; cider samples will also be available for guests 21+. Free event, 10 am and 2 pm In 2022, Berkshire County Historical Society teamed up with Berkshire Cider Project to plant a new orchard at Arrowhead. About 25 apple…