Quick History Stops: New Marlborough, MA

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A black, white, and dark blue striped header image with the text Quick History Stops: New Marlborough, MA

For my final post on my adventure to the Berkshires in July 2023, I visited the tiny town of New Marlborough, MA to see a pair of churches, a historic inn, a town hall, and an unusual monument.

New Marlborough Meeting House

While this building was constructed by Henry Alexander Sykes in 1839, a version of New Marlborough Meeting House has stood on the site since the 1740s. The site has historically been a place for rebellion, as its congregants gathered to “record their opposition to certain acts of the British Parliament” on July 11, 1774 according to signage funded by the New Marlborough Bicentennial Commission in 1976. As for the current structure, its Neoclassical Greek Revival design has never undergone significant renovation due to lack of funding. Today, the building is managed by the New Marlborough Village Association.

New Marlborough Meeting House; a whitewashed Greek Revival style church with a pair of thick columns holding up the porch roof and an octagonal steeple Sign for New Marlborough Meeting House; a white sign with black text reading Established in 1744. This building erected 1839, New Marlborough Village Association Henry A. Sykes (1810-1860) Architect Historic Town Meeting Informational Sign; a blue metal sign describing the events at the New Marlborough Meeting House on July 11, 1774.

Elihu Burritt Monument

This unusual monument features a pillar made of fieldstones embedded with a metal plaque and an iron anvil cemented on top. According to the plaque, Elihu Burritt lived from 1810 to 1879 and was called “The Learned Blacksmith”. Further investigation revealed that Burritt learned to be a blacksmith in Worcester, MA and founded a city newspaper called Christian Citizen in 1844. He worked with the American Peace Society and later The League of Universal Brotherhood, which worked with the American Anti-Slavery Society and William Lloyd Garrison to support abolition and temperance. Burritt’s other interest was a low rate of ocean postage, reducing the cost of shipping a package across the Atlantic from twelve pence to three pence. Today, New Marlborough hosts an annual Elihu Burritt Day, as he briefly lived in the area during the early 1830s.

Elihu Burritt Monument; a pillar made of fieldstones embedded with a metal plaque and an iron anvil cemented on top Plaque on the Elihu Burritt Monument; a summary of the life of Elihu Burritt

The Old Inn on the Green

Once ranked the number one historic inn in New England by Yankee magazine, The Old Inn on the Green has hosted guests since 1760. The inn began as a stagecoach stop where riders would exchange tired horses for rested horses to reach their destination as quickly as possible. Today, travelers looking for a historic experience can stay the night or have dinner while admiring the restored interior.

The Old Inn on the Green; a two-story whitewashed building with a porch and a balcony stretching across the front. The Old Inn on the Green Sign; a white sign with green text reading The Old Inn on the Green Dinner Lodging

Mill River Historic District

Now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Mill River Historic District was once a little mill village in the 19th century. New Marlborough Town Hall hosts annual open town meetings for the population of about 1,500. Up the hill, Mill River Church is currently undergoing renovation. This is one of three churches that combined in the 1960s to form Southfield Church, also known as United Church of New Marlborough, which is located about five minutes down the road. According to a 2016 article in The Berkshire Edge, congregants founded these churches as offshoots of New Marlborough Meeting House during the late 18th to early 19th century when church attendance was all but required.

Three-Quarters View of Mill River Church; a classic whitewashed New England church with a tall, pointed steeple and bright red front door Side View of Mill River Church; a classic whitewashed New England church with a tall, pointed steeple and floor-to-ceiling windows. New Marlborough Town Hall; a whitewashed, one-and-a-half story mill building with a pair of staircases and a ramp. Village of Mill River Informational Sign; arrows directing visitors to the handful of businesses in the village along with nearby towns.
Location: New Marlborough, MA, USA