Quick History Stops: Stockbridge, MA | Part 1

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During my adventure through the Berkshires in July 2023, I made several quick history stops in Stockbridge, MA. In Part 1 of a two part series, I explore a carillon tower, former town hall, cemetery, library, inn, and country store.

Chime Tower & Procter Hall

Also known as the Children’s Chime Tower, David Dudley Field II funded the construction of this four-story stone structure in 1878, thirteen years before he donated the property that became Ice Glen Trail at Laurel Hill Association to the town of Stockbridge. The building reminded me of the Women’s Memorial Bell Tower at Cathedral of the Pines in Rindge, NH, which I visited in October 2022. According to a stone inscription on the tower, it stands on top of the site where missionary John Sergeant built a chapel for Stockbridge Mohicans in 1738, three years before he built his own home, Mission House. A whitewashed Neoclassical building just across the lawn is Procter Hall, which once served as the town hall of Stockbridge. First constructed in 1829, the building currently undergoes renovations to become the site of Berkshire Waldorf High School.

Chime Tower in Stockbridge, MA; a four-story narrow stone tower with a door at the ground floor, bells on the top floor, and a clock on each of the four sides. Proctor Hall in Stockbridge, MA; whitewashed Neoclassical style three story building across from a vast green lawn Sign for Chime Tower, Veterans War Memorials, Procter Hall, Stockbridge Golf Club and Congregational Church

First Congregational Church of Stockbridge

With a congregation founded in 1734 by Sergeant, two previous buildings house First Congregational Church of Stockbridge have stood on the site. According to the thorough history found on the official website of the church, the first building was made of wood and stood from 1739 to 1785 until congregants tore it down. The second building, also made of wood, stood from 1785 to 1824 but became unsafe. The congregants built the current red brick building with unique triple front doors in 1824, the same year that this church separated from the state. Renovations and additions to the building took place in 1865, 1954, and 1998.

First Congregational Church of Stockbridge; a two-story plus steeple red brick church with three doors at the front. Sign for First Congregational Church of Stockbridge; a white sign with black text reading First Congregational Church U.C.C. Rev. Brent Damrow Pastor Worship 10am Sunday All Welcome

Stockbridge Cemetery

Many important figures in Stockbridge history, including Sergeant and Field, are buried in Stockbridge Cemetery, but the most visited grave site belongs to American illustrator Norman Rockwell. He is buried near the back of the cemetery along with his second wife Mary Rhodes Barstow Rockwell and third wife Mary Leete “Molly” Punderson Rockwell. Rockwell is famously known for illustrating covers of The Saturday Evening Post with portrayals of small town American life. He hired residents of Stockbridge, Lee, and other nearby towns as models along with using local businesses, like Joe’s Diner in Lee, as set locations. The town currently maintains this cemetery, although it fell under the jurisdiction of the Laurel Hill Association during the mid to late 19th century, while the town library website hosts a well-designed digital map displaying the burial sites of important Stockbridge.

Stone Crypt in Stockbridge Cemetery; a Swiss Chalet style stone building with Art Nouveau details and a stone inscription above the pale green wooden door reading I know that my Redeemer liveth. Grave Marker of Norman Rockwell; a simple stone embedded in the grassy ground
Back of the Rockwell Family Headstone; listing the names, birth dates, and death dates of Norman Rockwell and his two wives Front of the Rockwell Family Headstone; the name Rockwell engraved in a standard mid 20th century headstone

Stockbridge Library Museum & Archives

Speaking of the library, a version of Stockbridge Library Museum & Archives was formed all the way back in 1789 as Berkshire Republican Library. The current red brick library was constructed in 1864 during the American Civil War, one of only five libraries constructed during this time according to the history page of the official library website. The building received an addition that opened in 1938 and completed its latest renovation in 2014. While I did not have the chance to visit the museum & archives, the space hosts exhibits and programs on Stockbridge history and culture throughout the year.

Stockbridge Library, Museum, & Archives; A red brick one-story building with a central entrance connected two equal buildings on either side. Sign for Stockbridge Library, Museum, & Archives; a white wooden sign with black text hanging from an iron rod. Sign includes a wheel chair icon and the text Accessible entrance on Elm Street

Red Lion Inn

Among the best known luxury hotels in the Berkshires, the Red Lion Inn is traditionally said to have begun as a tavern in 1773, making this year the 250th anniversary of the inn. Proprietor Silas Pepoon wanted a place halfway between the colonial cities of Albany and Boston. Detailed history of the establishment is not known until a hundred years later in 1873 when the husband and wife team Charles Hempstead Plumb and Mert Heaton Plumb bought the property and filled it with antiques. The current owners, the Fitzpatrick family, have run the inn since 1968 and proudly claim their business to be “the last of the 19th Century hotels still in business in the Berkshires”. Grandparents John Hitchcock “Jack” Fitzpatrick and Jane Hayes Pratt Fitzpatrick bought the property and passed it to their daughter Nancy Fitzpatrick, who in turn has given it to her daughter Sarah Eustis. A shortlist of guests at the in includes some of my favorite New England historic figures, such as authors Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (whose home I recently visited; blog post coming soon!) and Nathaniel Hawthorne and 30th United States President Calvin Coolidge.

The Red Lion Inn; a two-story, whitewashed building with a long front porch and floor-to-ceiling windows divided into many small, square panes. Front Sign for the Red Lion Inn; a black wooden sign with a red lion silhouette above the golden words The Red Lion Inn. Below the main sign are two smaller signs reading Serving Breakfast Lunch Dinner and Gift Shops Side Sign for the Red Lion Inn; a white sign with a red border on the top and the bottom. In the middle of the sign is a red cutout of a lion silhouette. Below the lion are the words Red Lion Inn Tavern Lion’s Den Gift Shop Meeting Rooms

Williams & Sons Country Store

The final stop for Part 1 is Williams & Sons Country Store, a classic New England general store that celebrated its two-hundredth birthday in 2022, as store owner Cyrus Williams constructed the building in 1822. Like many quaint Berkshire buildings, this store made appearances in Rockwell’s art. The store and the nearby Housatonic Bank building share the prize for oldest buildings in town because of their brick construction. A fire in 1896 destroyed all wooden buildings, including an older edition of the Red Lion Inn. Fortunately, the street was rebuilt, creating the charming and history-filled downtown that visitors enjoy today.

Stockbridge Shops including William & Sons Country Store; a light yellow painted brick mid-19th century building with red trim. Signage for shops in the row hangs from the side of the building More of Stockbridge Shops including William & Sons Country Store Looking up at the façade of William & Sons Country Store; a two-story, yellow painted, brick building. Windows on the second floor have red shutters. Above the windows is a black sign with golden text reading William & Sons. Below the center window is another black sign with gold text reading Country Store
Location: Stockbridge, MA, USA