The mid to late 1890’s was a banner time for the North Adams School System. Between 1896 and 1897, three new schools were built, Houghton, Brayton and Johnson Schools. Houghton stood tall in the east…

John J. Fachini was the master of many Big Band shows during the age of the Depression. He promoted dances in the upstairs ballroom of the Wellington Hotel under the name of Johnny’s Dance Palace. On…

In Stan Pasierbiak junior and senior year, between 1937-1938, he was considered one of the best high school pitchers in Western Massachusetts. During that span, he won 17 games while losing only one.…

Does anyone remember the 2-alarm fire which occurred on March 31, 1971 totally involving this old mill? I sure do. I walked right by it on my way home from Drury High School. Here’s a little history…

President William McKinley visited this area in the fall of 1897 arriving at the home of W.B. Plunkett approximately at 9:45 AM after traveling by train through Williamstown and North Adams. “The…

Lloyd’s Bakery was one of the first successful bakeries in North Adams. It was opened in 1912 by Ralph and Harold Lloyd on the corner of River and Houghton Streets. By 1916, business was so brisk that…

With the completion of St. Francis of Assisi Church, members of the church, under the leadership Rev. Charles Burke, focused on a new goal of building a parish school. On September 6, 1886, the new…

S.B. Dibble arrived in North Adams in 1871 when he accepted a position with E.J. Cary, a lumber dealer based in this city. Three years later in 1874, Mr. Dibble purchased half interest in this…

When the old school was built in 1890, it was called the Church Street School. The name was changed to Mark Hopkins sometime between 1896 and 1897. It cost $20,500 to build under the direction of the…

On August 30, 1890, the Sisters of Ste. Anne arrived at Notre Dame du Sacre Coeur parish. They came at the request of Father Louis LeDuc for the purpose of teaching the children of the parish. At that…