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…

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.…

The Blackinton Cemetery located on Massachusetts Avenue is one of the oldest known burial grounds in North Adams. It was originally a 100-acre farm owned by Deacon Otis Blackinton. He was the father of Sanford Blackinton, whose mills served as the…

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 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…

In March 1822 Sanford Blackinton, Rufus Wells, and Joseph L. White built a small two story factory that stood near the road of the presentday mill.  The mill cost roughly eight hundred dollars and was fitted with second hand machinery from an old…

Methodism in North Adams can be traced back to 1823, when there were only 2,000 citizens in the village of Adams, (which included present-day North Adams). Laymen Ebenezer Alden and Joseph Hayden held a meeting of prayer in Alden’s house. This…

The first Episcopal Service held in North Adams was in June of 1855. Using the Methodist Church, the Universalist Church, and Thayer’s Harmony Hall for the various locations, the early community was comprised of individuals from northwestern…

Native Americans were the first to travel along the Mohawk Trail, through the Northern Berkshires and between the Hudson and Connecticut rivers. Today, a scenic drive east from North Adams past the “Hairpin Turn” leads to a unique spot known as the…

Meadowbrook was an outdoor ballroom and boxing arena built in 1922 by William Craven and William Kelly of North Adams, and Wilfred Guerin of Adams. During their ownership of Meadowbrook, they hosted both musical performances and boxing matches.…