Recent Stories
Armistice Day 1918 - What Was It Like?
The end of World War I did not come all at once; rather it occurred over a period of several days. There had been false reports during the first week of November that the war was about to end as the news services had received word from Germany of…
1908 Measles Outbreak in North Adams
A few things catch the eye as one looks through the Report of the Board of Health of North Adams from 1917. For one, the causes of death. July in particular seemed to be an odd month—“acute indigestion” was the demise of four North Adams residents…
Spires/Kaleidoscope Magazine
Spires is the Massachusetts College of Liberal Art’s student literary and arts journal. This version of the literary journal began publishing in 2001 and just recently published their twenty-third edition. The magazine, however, has a much longer…
The Monday Club
In the wake of the centennial anniversary of the 19th Amendment, it seems only fitting to spend some time focusing on the role of women in society prior to earning the long sought-after vote. It is often assumed that because women could not vote,…
A.C. Houghton: North Adams' First Mayor
Albert Charles Houghton, though born in Stamford, Vermont, became North Adams’ first mayor in 1895. He was first drawn to the area by business interests. Alongside his brother, he ran a chemical manufacturing business, Houghton Chemical Works, which…
Smith House
The Smith House, home to MCLA’s admissions office, is the second oldest building on the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts campus. Although it was officially named for Roy Leon Smith in 1967, Smith House was re-dedicated on June 8, 1985, during…
Featured Stories
St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church
Michael Ryan was the first Irish Catholic to settle in North Adams, and he was the first of many. The population of Irish migrants in North Adams grew in years to follow, increasing even more after the Irish Famine of the 1840s. Religious bigotry…
The Mascots of the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA)
North Adams State Teacher’s College (NASTC) did not receive an official sports identity until the establishment of the men’s basketball team in 1945. Sports teams at NASTC were called the Professors or Teachers, which were used interchangeably.…
First Congregational Church
The First Congregational Church was established in 1827 after attempts to establish a church in the center of Adams (once including North Adams under the name of East Hoosuck) failed. The church is located on Main Street in North Adams, near the…
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City of Steeples Downtown Religious Sites Tour
9 Locations ~ Curated by the Historic North Adams TeamHistoric North Adams
A project by Historic North AdamsHistoric North Adams is a free website and mobile app that puts North Adams’ history at your fingertips. Explore interesting people, places, and events in North Adams’ history, and take historical walking tours of the city. With a growing list of interpretive stories, each point on the interactive GPS-enabled map includes historical information about the location, along with historic images from archival collections and historical publications.
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