Abby Epplett, Historian

This post marks the 300 th entry to my blog! I visited the Berkshires in the summer of 2023 and stopped by First Congregational Church of Lee, MA . During a December blog post , I hinted that I might review the virtual tour hosted on the church website , so here it is a year after the first visit.

Continuing from Part 1 published yesterday, I visited the town of Stockbridge, MA during my trip to the Berkshires in July 2023 and visited several quick history stops. Highlights include churches, a bank, town offices, residential homes, and an American Civil War memorial. St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church A stunning stone building with a garden of daylilies, St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church is part of the Parish of Mary, Mother of the Church , which also includes the parishioners of St. Mary in Lee and St. Mary of the Lake in Otis . The church building was constructed in 1862 during the American Civil War, two years before the library was built. Just down the street from the church is an old fire station, which was converted into a residence. Housatonic National Bank Building This cute, single story bank building holds the Stockbridge branch of Berkshire Bank. The building celebrated its 125 th anniversary this year, as construction finished in ...

During my trip to the Berkshires in July 2023, I visited The Mount in Lenox, MA to see the SculptureNow art installation. Originally the home of American author and designer Edith Wharton , The Mount is currently a historic house museum with vast grounds, including gardens and walking trails. The annual SculptureNow event allows artists to display their work in an open air environment. About The Mount Edith Wharton previously appeared on this blog during my post on Beauport, the Sleeper-McCann House , which is now owned by Historic New England (HNE) . She was friends with interior designer Henry Davis Sleeper , who originally built that property as his dream home. Other members of the writer-artist social circle included Ogden Codman, Jr. of HNE’s Codman Estate , Sarah Orne Jewett of HNE’s Sarah Orne Jewett House Museum & Visitor Center , Isabella Stewart Gardner who built a self-titled museum in Boston , and many others in the New England elite at the be...