Berkshire County Historical Society

Author Talk and Book Signing: Mark Vanhoenacker in conversation with Kirun Kapur
2023-07-27 17:30 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Mark Vanhoenacker is a native of Pittsfield, a commercial airline pilot and the author of the international bestseller Skyfaring as well as a columnist for the Financial Times and a frequent contributor to the New York Times. In his latest book, Imagine a City—“a love song to cities the world over,” according to the Wall Street Journal—he explores the storied metropolises he visits as an airline pilot, through the lens of the hometown his heart has never left. Vanhoenacker will be in conversation with the poet Kirun Kapur, author of Women in the Waiting Room and the Director of Creative Writing at Amherst College. $10 BCHS Members, $15 non members. Use the Book Now button to purchase tickets.
Not a member? Join here and start saving on programs and events.
Sponsored by MountainOne, MCC, Housatonic Heritage

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Debby Applegate in conversation with local author Kevin O’Hara.
2023-08-02 17:30 - 18:30 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Please join authors Kevin O’Hara and Debby Applegate for an entertaining and wide-ranging conversation on literary life and the Berkshires. O’Hara is a memoirist and columnist for the Berkshire Eagle (and former Writer-in-Residence at Arrowhead). Applegate is a Pulitzer Prize winning historian for The Most Famous Man in America: The Biography of Henry Ward Beecher who has written about the role of the Berkshires in creating the American literary renaissance of the 19th century.
$10 BCHS members, $15 non members. Use the Book Now button to purchase tickets.
Not a member? Join here and start saving on programs and events.
Sponsored by MountainOne, MCC, Housatonic Heritage

Seventh Annual Moby-Dick Read-A-Thon
2023-08-03 10:00 - 17:00 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Beginning Thursday, August 3
“Call me Ishmael” and sign up to read part of Melville’s masterpiece on the site where it was written. Come on your own or bring a group to read with us until we finish the book. Or join online with people from around the globe.
Pre-registration is required, sign up HERE.
$5 recommended donation.
This event is sponsored by MountainOne, MCC, Housatonic Heritage, Berkshire Bank, and Adams Community Bank.

Monument Mountain Hike
2023-08-05 09:00 - 12:00 | Monument Mountain, Rte 7, Great Barrington, MA, United States
Celebrate the day (August 5, 1850) when Melville met Hawthorne on a hike up Monument Mountain. Read the poem they read together at the summit and share sparkling wine (they had champagne). Meet in the parking lot at Monument Mountain, off Route 7 in Great Barrington.
FREE
Sponsored by MountainOne

Historian Tim Abbott speaks about Shay’s Rebellion
2023-08-22 17:30 - 18:30 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Tim Abbott, an independent researcher and 18th century living history practitioner living in North Canaan, Connecticut, has made a study of Shay’s Rebellion in the Berkshires. He will present his research on the final fight of that conflict that took place in Sheffield on February 27, 1787, and its impact not only on local communities but on larger issues that would play out in the Constitutional Convention later that summer in Philadelphia.
$10 BCHS members, $15 non-members. Use the Book Now button to purchase tickets.
Not a member? Join here and start saving on programs and events.
Sponsored by MountainOne, MCC, Housatonic Heritage

Writer’s Salon
2023-09-08 17:30 - 18:30 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Join us in Herman Melville’s historic barn at Arrowhead for an evening of new and inspired writing. Participants from our recent and highly successful Writers Workshop Series will celebrate the series with readings of their works. Reception to follow, FREE
This event is sponsored by Greylock Federal Credit Union, Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Arrowhead Community Day
2023-09-16 10:00 - 16:00 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Enjoy the start of the fall season at Arrowhead with a FREE day of food, fun, music, history, hands-on activities, traditional craft demonstrations, and more! House tours are available by ticket only,
Revolutionary War reenactors will be interpreting camp life, and visitors are encouraged to speak with participants about their activities and everyday life during the war. Drills will be performed, along with three separate musket demonstrations throughout the day.
Refreshments for purchase will be provided by SoCo Creamery. In addition, Berkshire Cider Project will offer free tastings and bottled cider for sale.
This event is sponsored by Greylock Federal Credit Union, Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Fall Fundraising Dinner
2023-09-20 17:00 - 19:00 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Enjoy a special farm to table dinner in Arrowhead’s historic barn. Brennan’s Catering has created a menu highlighting the bounty of fall including pork, brisket and butternut squash ravioli. Dinner will be served with cider pairings selected by Berkshire Cider Project. .
Our special guest is renown historian John Demos, who will present the lecture In the Shadow of the Founders: Greatest Generations in American History (see more info below). The event also includes a silent auction that includes food, recreation, art and history packages (see list below)..
Use the BOOK NOW button to purchase tickets.
$150 for BCHS members; $175 for non-members
ALL PROCEEDS BENEFIT BERKSHIRE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY’S EDUCATION AND PRESERVATION PROGRAMS.

The Evening’s Menu
Appetizers
Asparagus, Gruyere and Caramelized Onion Tarts
Spanikopita
Scallops Wrapped in Bacon with Maple Glaze
Buffet Dinner
Pear, Walnut and Gorgonzola Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette or House Salad
Roast Pork Tenderloin with Apples, Leeks and Cider Brandy Sauce
Beef Brisket with Berkshire Brewing Coffee House Reduction
Roasted Red Potatoes with Garlic and Rosemary
Autumn Vegetable Medley
Butternut Ravioli with Brown Butter Sage Sauce with Pistachios
Dessert
Warm Apple Crisp with Vanilla Ice Cream
About the Ciders
Golden Russet Champagne
A fine champagne-method cider featuring one of our favorite apples. Delicate acid and a nutty profile pairs well with cheese and lighter faire.
Windy Hill
Sparkling barrel-aged cider selected and pressed right at the orchard in Great Barrington. Bright acid pairs well with pasta and fish with subtle oak finish.
Bittersweet
Dry and hazy, inspired by our favorite draught ciders and cozy pubs. English bittersweet apples add bold tannins and warm cider notes, pairs well with pork and slow-cooked meats.
About John Demos
John Demos, Samuel Knight Professor of American History Emeritus at Yale University, is an award-winning author and Tyringham resident. He is the author of numerous books, including The Unredeemed Captive: A Family Story from Early America, and The Heathen School: A Story of Hope and Betrayal in the Age of the Early Republic, a 2014 National Book Award finalist, and most recently Puritan Girl Mohawk Girl. His book Entertaining Satan: Witchcraft and the Culture of Early New England (1982) won the Bancroft Prize.
At several strategic points in the American past, events have cast a particular generational cohort in a special, outsize role. The first colonial “settlers” (born 1580-1600); the nation’s “founding fathers” (born 1740-1760); the generation that fought the Civil War (born 1810-1840); and, most recently, the so-called “greatest generation,” the one that overcame the Great Depression and won World War Two (born 1890-1920): those are the leading examples. Their lives and deeds have given a distinctive shape to our history, a recurrent and transformative charge of renewal. In each case, the immediately following generations have lived in their shadow–beholden, as it were, to their “greatness.” The regularity of their spacing is notable; with one omission they appear at 70-80 year intervals, which might suggest that we’re about due for the next one. Born 1981-1996, hello, millennials. What have you got for us?
Silent Auction Items

FORE! Experience the beauty of fall golf in the Berkshires with a round of golf and cart for two at Miraval Resort and Country Club of Pittsfield. Sharpen up your game pre-round with tees and practice balls.
The Spirit of the Berkshires The Berkshires is fast becoming a hub for creative wine and spirit makers. Enjoy the bounty with a gift basket from Balderdash Cellar, a tasting for six at Berkshire Mountain Distillery Tasting plus two Complimentary Bottles of Spirits, and a gift basket from one of Berkshire County’s most respected food and spirits stores, Spirited Wine and Liquor.
Let’s Get Cookin’ Restock your kitchen drawers and cupboards with Cutting Boards, a vegetable peeler, an ice cream scoop and towels and oven mitts from Berkshire County’s inimitable Blue Q.
Coffee’s on Us! Gift certificates from some of Berkshire County’s favorite coffee purveyors: Currency Coffee, Panera Bread, Dottie’s Coffee Lounge, and Dory and Ginger.
A Whale of a Time Visit the New Bedford Whaling Museum (and bring a friend!), followed by a meal at The Black Whale Kitchen + Restaurant courtesy of a $50 gift certificate.
Hopping along with Brewers of the Berkshires Explore the Berkshires craft beer scene with a $25 gift certificate from Downtown Pittsfield’s Hot Plate Brewing and a $50 gift certificate from Antimony Brewing in Lenox. Needing to chill after that? We’re throwing in four tickets to the Beacon Cinema.
A Hauntingly Fun Evening Do you love ghost stories? Have a frighteningly good time learning about some of the Berkshires famous hauntings with a haunted tour of The Mount, and Ventfort Hall. Can’t get enough of spooky stories? This item also includes the book Ghosts of the Berkshires, by Robert Oakes.
It’s Doggone Pawfect We know you love them. It’s time to treat your fur baby with a $50 gift certificate to Benson’s, a doggie toy basket with accessories, and a $75 gift certificate to Animal Inn.

Author Talk with Tom Piazza
2023-09-22 17:30 - 18:30 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Noted author Tom Piazza will discuss The Auburn Conference, his new historical novel that features Herman Melville, Mark Twain, Frederick Douglass, Walt Whitman, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and other notable figures appearing at a fictionalized tiny upstate New York college in 1883.
Tom Piazza is celebrated both as a novelist and as a writer on American music. His twelve books include the novels The Auburn Conference and City Of Refuge, the short-story collection Blues and Trouble, the post-Katrina manifesto Why New Orleans Matters, and the essay collection Devil Sent The Rain: Music and Writing in Desperate America.
He was a principal writer for the innovative New Orleans-based HBO drama series Treme, and the winner of a Grammy Award for his album notes to Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues: A Musical Journey.
$10 BCHS members, $15 non-members
Use the BOOK NOW button to reserve tickets.
This event is sponsored by Greylock Federal Credit Union, Massachusetts Cultural Council.
Read Elvis Costello’s interview with Tom here.
Read Library of American interview with Tom here.
Photo by Mary Howell

Planting Lucretia’s Elm
2023-09-28 17:30 - 18:30 | BCHS Park Square
Join us on Park Square for the ceremonial planting of a young elm tree on Plant a Tree Day. The tree will be planted to honor the Berkshires’ first known environmentalist Lucretia Williams. Learn about the woman who threw herself before the woodsman’s axe to save the towering elm on Park Square in 1789. The tree planting is made possible with the help of the Pittsfield Parks Department and George and Alice Wislocki.
Image: The Old Elm, mid-19th century. Collection of the Berkshire County Historical Society.

Architecture and Landscape at Herman Melville’s Arrowhead
2023-09-30 11:00 - 12:00 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Join veteran tour guide John Dickson and Executive Director Lesley Herzberg for a FREE enlightening walk around the grounds of Arrowhead. John Dickson will provide an overview of the evolution of the architectural features of the building from the 1780s to the present. This talk is followed by Lesley Herzberg’s walk through the north field to discuss the cultural landscape where the entire Melville family participated in the cultivation of the farm and gardens in the 19th century. (Rain date: Sunday, October 1, 11 am)
This event is sponsored by Greylock Federal Credit Union, Massachusetts Cultural Council; offered as part of the Housatonic Heritage Walks.

Virtual Discussion with Dayswork Authors
2023-10-03 16:00 - 17:00 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Please join us online as we discuss, Dayswork, a new novel written collaboratively by Chris Bachelder and Jennifer Habel. The novel is about a woman, who during the pandemic quarantine, becomes obsessed with Melville and particularly his life at Arrowhead.
The novel has been hailed as “A remarkable, unusually rewarding work” by Kirkus Reviews and “A love letter to literature” Alexander Chee

email melville@berkshirehistory.org to receive the zoom link

Highlights of Massachusetts Archaeology
2023-10-10 17:30 - 18:30 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
When you think of archaeology, you might think of Egypt, Ancient Greece, or Mexico before considering Massachusetts. But here in our state we have some fascinating archaeology and some sites with memorable stories to tell. This FREE lecture takes you from Boston to the Berkshires showing sites from thousands of years ago to the late-nineteenth century.
The lecture is presented by Eric Johnson, PhD, a semi-retired lecturer from the Department of Anthropology at University of Massachusetts, Amherst. FREE
This event is sponsored by Greylock Federal Credit Union, Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Tour of the Church on the Hill Cemetery in Lenox
2023-10-11 17:00 - 18:00 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Join Tyringham resident and historian John Hanson on a walking tour of significant gravestones in this historic Lenox cemetery. Hanson has been collecting epitaphs and studying early New England gravestones for years. On this tour, he will discuss the iconography of the stones, share some noteworthy verses, and discuss what they tell us about early New Englanders’ attitudes towards life and death. Meet at the Church on the Hill parking lot.
$15 BCHS members, $20 nonmembers
Use the BOOK NOW button to reserve tickets.
This event is sponsored by Greylock Federal Credit Union, Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Theater: Bartleby Prefers Not To - October 13
2023-10-13 17:30 - 18:30 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Join us at the Arrowhead barn for a theatrical performance of one of Herman Melville’s most iconic and enigmatic short stories – “Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street.” Presented by the Amateur Comedy Club’s Special Projects Committee of New York, “Bartleby Prefers Not To’ is adapted and written by Jim Aucoin and directed by Steve Butler.
Originally produced at the Amateur Comedy Club in New York, “Bartleby Prefers Not To” is the tale of a young man who gains employment as a scrivener in the well-respected Wall Street law office of Mr. Allan Gansevoort, Esquire. Excelling at his job at first, he gradually stops working exasperating his boss and the other copyists. A moral dilemma erupts.
This performance will also be presented on October 14.
$20 BCHS members, $25 non-members
Use the BOOK NOW button to reserve tickets.
This event is sponsored by Greylock Federal Credit Union, Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Theater: Bartleby Prefers Not To - October 14
2023-10-14 17:30 - 18:30 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Join us at the Arrowhead barn for a theatrical performance of one of Herman Melville’s most iconic and enigmatic short stories – “Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street.” Presented by the Amateur Comedy Club’s Special Projects Committee of New York, “Bartleby Prefers Not To’ is adapted and written by Jim Aucoin and directed by Steve Butler.
Originally produced at the Amateur Comedy Club in New York, “Bartleby Prefers Not To” is the tale of a young man who gains employment as a scrivener in the well-respected Wall Street law office of Mr. Allan Gansevoort, Esquire. Excelling at his job at first, he gradually stops working exasperating his boss and the other copyists. A moral dilemma erupts.
This performance is also presented on October 13.
$20 BCHS members, $25 non-members
Use the BOOK NOW button to reserve tickets.
This event is sponsored by Greylock Federal Credit Union, Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Tour of Hillside Cemetery, North Adams
2023-10-22 14:00 - 15:00 | Hillside Cemetery, Brown Street, North Adams
Where can you find a personal friend of two U.S. Presidents, the attorney who invented a railroad brake, the Father of Archaeological Photography, two physicians who started a school, and an eyewitness to President Lincoln’s delivery of the Gettysburg Address?
Join historian Jason Vivori for a walk through one of the historic cemeteries of northern Berkshire County and learn about some of the fascinating people laid to rest there. Please wear sensible walking shoes and meet at the top of the hill off Brown Street.
$15 BCHS members, $20 non-members
Use the BOOK NOW button to reserve tickets.
This event is sponsored by Greylock Federal Credit Union, Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Tour of the Woods Cemetery in Monterey
2023-10-25 16:30 - 17:30 | Woods Cemetery, Monterey
Join historian Robert Hoogs as we explore the historic Woods Cemetery. Take a walking tour of the oldest cemetery in Monterey where Rev. Adonijah Bidwell and two of his wives are buried along with many of the early settlers of what was once Township #1 (modern day Tyringham and Monterey).
Meet at the Bidwell House Museum parking lot at the end of Art School Road. We will carpool from there to the cemetery as parking is limited on Beartown Mountain Road. Wear sturdy walking shoes and bring bug repellant.
$15 BCHS members, $20 non-members
Use the BOOK NOW button to reserve tickets.
This event is sponsored by Greylock Federal Credit Union, Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Forest Bathing at Arrowhead
2023-10-29 11:00 - 12:00 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Join licensed leader Kathleen Schoenberg on a new adventure in ecotherapy. Start your Sunday with a guided, gentle stroll on the peaceful nature trail at Arrowhead. Forest bathing can elevate your mood, reduce stress and improve your health. The walk will be less than a mile and includes several breaks for meditation and mindful activities.
The term “forest bathing” emerged in Japan in the 1980s as a physiological and psychological exercise called shinrin-yoku (“forest bathing” or “taking in the forest atmosphere”). The purpose was twofold: to offer an eco-antidote to tech-boom burnout and to inspire residents to reconnect with and protect the country’s forests.
$25 BCHS members, $30 non-members
Use the BOOK NOW button to reserve tickets.
This event is sponsored by Greylock Federal Credit Union, Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Community Ofrenda
2023-11-01 18:00 - 22:00 | Hot Plate Brewing, 1 School Stret, Pittsfield, MA, United States
Continue celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with a first-of-its-kind Dia De Los Muertos event in the heart of the Berkshires! Hot Plate Brewing, a local Latina-owned brewery will host The Community Ofrenda event in partnership with Latinas413 and the Berkshire County Historical Society. The community will come together to honor the history of Dia De Los Muertos and our shared experiences. The event will be held at Hot Plate’s taproom, located 1 School Street in Pittsfield. Doors open at 3:30 pm.
One of the key aspects of the event will be the creation of a Community Ofrenda, which provides community members from all backgrounds to celebrate their ancestry and honor the past. A physical ofrenda will be housed at Hot Plate Brewing’s taproom throughout the holiday season.
The event will also feature food prepared by Tito’s, Decoraciónde Calaveras de chocolate (chocolate skulls decoration activity), an oral history project with Berkshire Community College, music, discussions, and much more!

History of the Country Club of Pittsfield
2023-11-02 17:30 - 18:30 | Country Club of Pittsfield, 639 South Street, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Join us at the historic Country Club of Pittsfield for a talk about the house, its famous residents and visitors including Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, John Tyler, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Elkanah Watson, General Benjamin Lincoln, and more. Also hear the ghost story of Sarah Morewood’s haunting. Refreshments will be served.
$30 BCHS and Country Club of Pittsfield members, $35 non-members
Use the BOOK NOW button to reserve tickets.
This event is sponsored by Greylock Federal Credit Union, Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Virtual Author Talk: Skip Finley’s Whaling Captains of Color, America’s First Meritocracy
2023-11-09 17:30 - 18:30 | Virtual Event
Join us online to learn about the fascinating history of whaling captains of color with author, Skip Finley. In his fascinating book Whaling Captains of Color, America’s First Meritocracy, Mr. Finley covers such topics as Ambergris and rats, while intertwining the individual stories of more than fifty whaling masters of color, their adventures, successes, and struggles.
Whaling was the first American industry to exhibit any diversity, and the proportion of men of color was high. A man got to be captain not because he was white or well connected, but because he knew how to kill a whale. Along the way he would also learn navigation and how to read and write. Whaling presented a tantalizing alternative to mainland life. Working with archival records at whaling museums, in libraries, from private archives and studying hundreds of books and thesis, Finley portrays the exciting era of whaling.
$10 BCHS members, $15 non-members
Use the BOOK NOW button to reserve tickets.
This event is sponsored by Greylock Federal Credit Union, Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Holiday Tea at Arrowhead
2023-12-03 15:00 - 16:00 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Celebrate the winter season at Arrowhead with a cozy tea in the historic house. Traditional tea with all the accompaniments provided by Kate Baldwin, with readings by local author Kevin O’Hara.
$25 BCHS members, $30 non-members
Use the BOOK NOW button to reserve tickets.
About Kevin O’Hara
O’Hara is the author of Last of The Donkey Pilgrims, about his travels with Missie the donkey around Ireland; A Lucky Irish Lad, about his boyhood; Ins and Outs of a Locked Ward, which chronicles O’Hara’s three decades as a nurse in Berkshire Medical Center’s psychiatric ward; and A Christmas Journey which includes sixteen of his annual Christmas columns published in The Berkshire Eagle.
MENU
Assorted teas
Traditional tea sandwiches – egg salad and cucumber and dill
Buttery scones with clotted cream served with preserves and marmalade
Cherry Bakewell tarts

This event is sponsored by Greylock Federal Credit Union, Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Berkshire County Historical Society Annual Meeting
2023-12-14 16:00 - 18:00 | Country Club of Pittsfield, 639 South Street, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Country Club of Pittsfield, Collection of BCHS
Join us at the historic Country Club of Pittsfield for the Berkshire County Historical Society annual meeting. The meeting will include an overview of 2023 BCHS activities by Executive Director Lesley Herzberg as well as election of directors and officers for 2024.
The meeting is free and open to the public; no reservation required.
A reception immediately follows the meeting from 5 – 6 pm. Hot and cold appetizers will be served and a cash bar will be available. Reservations are required and can be made by using the BOOK NOW button. Cost is $30 per person.
BCHS Annual Meeting Agenda 2023

Museum Shop Special Holiday Hours
2023-12-16 11:30 - 14:00 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Shop the Berkshire County Historical Society museum shop and get great gifts for family and friends while supporting the work of BCHS. Can’t wait for December 16? Shop the online store here. Don’t forget – Members receive a 10% discount on all purchases. Not a member yet? Click here to join, or sign up on December 16.
Got writer’s block?

Looking to make a fashion statement?

Need to wake up your morning coffee routine?

Looking for books by local authors? Or those inspired by Melville’s writing?

Of course we have a great selection of works by Herman Melville, including the newest Oxford edition of Moby-Dick, as well as the award winning audio book of Moby-Dick narrated by Jonathan Epstein. Looking for the ultimate gift for the Melville enthusiast? We have the 13 volume set of Melville’s works edited by Harrison Hayford, Hershel Parker, and G. Thomas Tanselle.

Virtual Lecture – Why Here? The Rise of Berkshire County Industry
2024-01-31 17:30 - 18:30 | Virtual Event
Robbins, Kellogg & Company, Wholesale Shoe Manufacturers, c. 1880. Collection of the Berkshire County Historical Society
Drive around Berkshire county, and it’s hard to miss the large, brick buildings on the corner, behind the trees, or down the street. These old mills are in almost every town; over five hundred of them were built in the Berkshires by the end of the 1800s. They produced glass, cloth, iron, paper, shoes, rakes, or dozens of other goods sold to the farthest reaches of the globe. Join historian John Dickson as he reprises his popular virtual exploration of the forgotten world of these mills, their owners and innovators, and the ancestors who worked there.
FREE, pre-registration required – email melville@berkshirehistory.org to receive the Zoom link.

Daf Moby: A Voyage through Melville's Talmud
2024-03-06 17:30 - 18:30 | Virtual Event
There is a Jewish tradition of studying a single page of the Talmud every day until its completion. This tradition is called Daf Yomi (Hebrew for “page of the day”). Because the Talmud is a multi-volume work of ancient law, narrative, and commentary, a full cycle of Daf Yomi takes about seven and a half years to complete. Jews from around the world who study the same page on the same day over this long period of time share a distinct sacred experience. Two professors of Religion and Jewish Studies at Williams College wondered what would happen if they studied a page of Moby-Dick every day in the tradition of Daf Yomi. They called their project Daf Moby. Join them for this free, virtual discussion of their voyage.
Pre-registration is required; email melville@berkshirehistory.org to receive the event link.
Jeffrey Israel is an associate professor and chair of the religion department at Williams College, where he also teaches in the Jewish Studies program. He is the author of Living with Hate in American Politics and Religion (Columbia, 2019).
Edan Dekel is the Garfield Professor of Ancient Languages and chair of the Jewish studies program at Williams College. His teaching and research interests include ancient Greek and Latin poetry, biblical studies, Jewish folklore, medieval literature, classical and biblical reception, and the history of the book.

Winter Hike/Snowshoeing
2024-03-09 12:30 - 14:30 | Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Enjoy a free guided hike around the grounds of Arrowhead with Berkshire Natural Resources Council. The hike begins with an introduction to Arrowhead and its grounds by the Berkshire County Historical Society. Learn about Melville’s sleighrides, and see how Mt. Greylock looks in the winter – does it really look like a white whale? BNRC will provide snowshoes if weather allows.
Register here through BNRC.

Getting Started in Genealogy
2024-03-20 17:30 - 18:30 | Virtual Event
The Berkshire County Historical Society welcomes Senior Genealogist Rhonda R. McClure for a virtual presentation introducing the genealogical research process and the tools and techniques that support the research. Participants will learn how to create a solid research plan. The first part of the lecture introduces key genealogical tools such as the multi-generational chart, family group sheet, and the research log. The second part of the lecture introduces the range of records and documents that genealogists use in the course of research. Census, vital, and immigration records are highlighted. By the end of the program, participants will understand the most important types of records used in genealogical research and the strengths and weaknesses of each.
Pre-registration is required; use the BOOK NOW button to reserve your spot. Fee is $15 for BCHS members, $20 for non-members. Become a member here.
About Rhonda R. McClure
Rhonda is a nationally recognized professional genealogist and lecturer. Before joining American Ancestors/NEHGS in 2006, she ran her own genealogical business for 18 years. She was a contributing editor for Heritage Quest Magazine, Biography magazine and was a contributor to The History Channel Magazine and American History Magazine. In addition to numerous articles, she is the author of twelve books including the award-winning The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Online Genealogy, Finding your Famous and Infamous Ancestors, and Digitizing Your Family History. She is also the editor of the recently released 6th edition of the Genealogist’s Handbook for New England Research. Her areas of expertise include: immigration and naturalization, Late 19th and early 20th Century urban research, New England, Mid-West, Southern, German, Italian, Scottish, Irish, French Canadian, and New Brunswick research.

Marathon Reading of Billy Budd, Sailor
2024-04-07 12:00 - 16:00 | Hot Plate Brewing, 1 School Stret, Pittsfield, MA, United States
Join us and our friends at Hot Plate Brewing Co. (1 School Street, Pittsfield, MA) for a special marathon reading of Herman Melville’s Billy Budd, Sailor. The event is the official kickoff of a months-long celebration of the centennial of the novella’s publication. To mark the occasion, Sarah Real, Hot Plate owner and head brewer, has created an English IPA, appropriately named the Handsome Sailor. Sign up for a reading slot or just come, imbibe, and listen!
Published posthumously in 1924, Billy Budd, Sailor brought Melville out of obscurity, earning him the fame he so richly deserved, and ensuring his place among America’s literary giants.
Use the BOOK NOW button at berkshirehistory.org to sign up for a 15-minute reading slot. The event is free, but a $5 donation is appreciated.
This event is sponsored by The Feigenbaum Foundation.
