The North Adams Shoe Company, also known as the Weber Brothers Shoe Company, was established in 1889. The Weber Brothers consisting of A. C. Weber, William J. Weber, Theodore L. Weber, Emmet C. Weber and Arthur J. Weber were the very capable business men and shoemakers who established this company. Their father before them was also known as a practical shoe maker. The company first started by taking over the wooden factory owned by W. G. Cady on Holden Street very near the bridge. Later this factory was moved  near the old Sampson factory and a new brick addition built. The demand being so great and business increasing so rapidly it became necessary to double the capacity of the plant by yet another large addition. From 1889-1892, the Messrs. Weber Bros. had a large jobbing business in shoes from this town and in early May of 1892 began the erection of a warehouse at the corner of Brooklyn street and Bracewell avenue. The warehouse extended 100 feet on Brooklyn street and thirty-four feet on Bracewell avenue and was be three stories in height. The Weber brothers produced a line that were solid, common sense shoes guaranteed to be the best produced for the money. They instinctively knew what were good and what were bad in shoes and what would meet the public demand and what would not.  Their trade instantly assumed considerable proportions and yearly experienced a large growth.  All shoes sent out by the company were guaranteed to be the best that could be produced for the money, in fact, one line of shoes had printed on its sole. “A Better Shoe Man Never Made”. The company shipped shoes to every major city in the United states.  Many shoe manufacturers tried but failed to copy the Weber shoes, they simply could not produce the same quality for the same money. The Weber Company had the very latest machinery and equipment and were no match for their competitors. The Weber Company enjoyed a very successful business and an excellent reputation. The firm has conducted its business so modestly and in such a quiet way, that many of the residents of North Adams hardly knew that there was such a business house in this town, yet they handled several hundred thousand dollars worth of the products of the North Adams shoe factories each year. They ship directly to the retail dealers and as they always have one or more representatives of their firm on the ground, they are able to superintend the manufacture of the goods for their trade as well as to take advantage of the market. One sales tactic was to have their salesmen bring back from the field the latest trends and styles. The Weber Company was always up-to-date and often ahead of other companies in styles and lasts. The shoe trade of the United States generally recognized the fact that if anything new in footwear appeared, the North Adams Company had it. The main office of the company was in Chicago and they had a branch office in St. Paul but with the completion of the warehouse much of the business was transacted in North Adams which had hitherto been done at other points. During six months of the year at least, the members of the firm were required to make their home in North Adams. The Weber Brothers also had a retail store at 82 Main Street.  This shoe store was considered to be the finest and most modern shoe store in Western Massachusetts. Its large and comprehensive stock and store fittings and furnishings were strictly modern. It was under the direct management of Mr. E. E. Dutton, one of the most competent shoe men to be found. The Weber Brothers from such a humble beginning, contributed much toward the support of a large number of workers in the city of North Adams. The Weber Shoe Company was an institution that North Adams could be very proud of, and justly so, for no institution contributed more to its wide reputation as a shoe center.

Map Coordinates: 42.6755405, -73.0990553 Adapted from a Story by the North Adams Historical Society.

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In the River Street neighborhood of North Adams, just west of Veazie Street, a modest brick building long known as the Attala Block stood as one of many mixed-use structures common across Northern Berkshire County. With a grocery store on the ground floor and apartments above, it blended easily into the cityscape—an ordinary four-story building that few residents gave much thought. That changed in the early morning hours of February 3, 1958. Before dawn on a bitterly cold winter morning, a fire broke out in a second-floor apartment believed to have been caused by smoking materials. At the time, thirty-two residents lived in the building’s upper floors. The flames were first discovered by a tenant, who rushed upstairs to alert neighbors and call the fire department. Within minutes, residents were scrambling through smoke-filled hallways and down the building’s rear porches in desperate attempts to escape. Among the families living there were the Kings and the Greys. Fourteen-year-old Ruth King ran through the building warning neighbors as the fire spread upward. Many residents fled through the back exits in their nightclothes, seeking refuge with nearby neighbors in the freezing darkness. When firefighters arrived, some children were trapped at the fourth-floor windows. Firefighters shouted for them to wait, but eight-year-old David Grey leapt before rescuers could position themselves to catch him. He died shortly afterward at the hospital. His sister Doris, who jumped moments later, was caught by firefighters and survived. A third child, four-year-old Dolores Grey, became separated from her family during the evacuation. Firefighters later found her body in the burned apartment. Despite the devastating losses, the outcome might have been far worse. With more than thirty people inside the building, the rapid response of neighbors, firefighters, police, and Civil Defense volunteers helped many residents escape the blaze. Ironically, the building’s owner at the time, Martin J. Taylor, was a former captain in the city’s fire department who operated Taylor’s Old Fashioned Variety Store in the ground-floor storefront. During the fire, Taylor rushed inside to retrieve business records as firefighters battled the flames above. By the end of the day, the building’s roof had collapsed and the upper walls had buckled from the heat. Fire officials declared the structure a total loss. Yet the Attala Block endured. Rebuilt as a two-story building, it remained standing for decades afterward. To passersby it still looked like an unremarkable neighborhood structure, but traces of the fire—darkened brick and sealed exits—remained quiet reminders of the tragedy that unfolded there on a winter morning in 1958.

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In 1925, the year that William Henry Johnson was first elected as Mayor of North Adams, the City Hall occupied space roughly where the Burger King is located today. A man of frail health when he took office, the new mayor met with the public there on Saturday mornings and occasionally on weekday afternoons. For the most part, he transacted the city’s business from the office of the foundry that he owned.

Mayor Johnson was not a native of North Adams. Born in Copake, N.Y. in 1871 he received his early education there before apprenticing himself as a foundry man--a trade that he worked at throughout his early manhood. Later he moved to Lee where he pursued the trade until the age of 20 when he moved to North Adams to work at the James Hunter Machine Company.

Within a few years, Johnson and the late W. F. Corkum bought the foundry building on Houghton street from William Hodge. The two began a partnership that ended eight years later when Johnson purchased Corkum’s interest and continued the business under his own name. Within a short time, Johnson purchased the adjoining land and buildings north of the foundry as far as the corner of North Street--a few doors from his own home at Number 16 around the corner.

The sickness that began to plague him as a young man continued to the point where he was forced to give up the physically exhausting work in the foundry itself, leaving that aspect of the business to others. He continued the office work in the burgeoning enterprise. An astute business man, he began to acquire other properties throughout the city.

Early on, after settling in North Adams, the young businessman became a member in the fraternal societies which were numerous during that period of time of the ‘Twenties: the Elks, the Eagles and the Moose--in which he held offices. He went through the chairs at the Elks and in 1909 was elected Exalted Ruler, an office that he would attain again in 1925. In appreciation of his work, the Elks voted him a life membership.

Johnson’s activities in these clubs found fertile ground for him when he entered civic politics. He was persuaded to fill the vacancy on the city council in 1920 created by the death of Councilor Alton J. Hurd, proprietor of the jewelry store on Main Street. When this term expired, Johnson ran for the Council in 1921 and was elected with the endorsement of both the Republicans and Democrats. A Republican, he served three years.

In 1924, Johnson was persuaded by a powerful local group to run for Mayor against Edward S. Wilkinson who earlier in the century had been the city’s third mayor. Wilkinson’s political support was negligible and Johnson carried six of the seven wards with a plurality of 787 votes. In 1926 Johnson stood for re-election against Nelson S. McCraw, Republican, and Attorney Bernard J. Boland, Independent. His plurality over McGraw was 845 votes. In 1928, running against former representative James T. Welch and Dr. Wallace E. Brown, he rolled up a plurality of 1710 votes and the largest that he would ever attain as a mayoralty candidate. However, in 1930 his popularity with the voters was on the wane. He defeated John Morrissey by only 75 votes in retaining the office.

In 1932, popular druggist, Archie Pratt, a partner of Edward Rice at Rice’s Drug Store, opposed Mayor Johnson and gained one of the biggest upsets in the political history of the city by a plurality of 788 votes--setting off a boisterous celebration downtown on election night.

In 1934, at the end of a lackluster administration, Mayor Pratt found himself facing Johnson again and this time he wasn’t as lucky as Johnson defeated him and former assessor and funeral director, Walter F. Pringle, by a total of 1313 votes.

Johnson, seeking his seventh term, lost to Dr. Francis J. O’Hara in 1936, squeezed out by 67 votes. Again, in 1938, the two opposed each other and this time Mayor O’Hara raised the plurality by 1100 votes. Never again, with his health steadily declining, could he be induced to seek public office. People who had been steadfast in their support of Johnson, turned their backing to one of his most vocal critics, Faxon Bowen, in 1940.

Mayor Johnson had based his campaigns on a platform of rigid economy. Nevertheless, he managed to pave River Street, Hospital Avenue, portions of Eagle and Main Streets, West Main Street as far as Brown Street and part of Union Street on the approach to the Mohawk Trail. New resurfacing took place on Church and Franklin Streets and he reconstructed all of the city’s downtown bridges except Eagle Street’s. He extended sewer and water lines as well as sidewalks throughout the city.

Mayor Johnson was not without his critics. He had many. His choice of people for his cabinet came under fire. He was accused of corruption. When he finally left office--following his decision to give up politics--there was an almost complete turnover of officials at City Hall. Only Michael W. Conlon, Chief of Police and Fire Chief John E. Saulnier retained their jobs.

Death came to the 71-year old William Johnson on Wednesday afternoon, May 17, 1941 ending the protracted illness from which he suffered. His funeral was on the following Sunday afternoon in the St. John’s Episcopal Church with the Reverend William Crittenden officiating. Across the street the nation’s flag flew at half-mast on orders from Mayor Faxon Bowen; his friend, antagonist and political opponent.

Map Coordinates: 42.6731110, -73.1002157 Adapted from the original article for the North Adams Historical Society.

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Like the city of North Adams itself, the Richmond Theater suffered its up and downs. It opened in 1900 and had most successful years during the first and second decades of the 20th century. It held its own during the Great Depression and it survived the effects of a disastrous Richmond House fire and the flood of 1927. It had its share of labor difficulties and disputes as well. All in all, it would seem in retrospect to have had a fairly productive life. In its early day vaudeville and legitimate theater played to full houses. The Richmond, at that time, was managed by Benjamin A. Taylor and his wife. Such stalwarts of the stage as Ethyl Barrymore, John Drew and Maude Adams appeared on the stage there during the first five years of the century. The admission fee for a weekly vaudeville show during Christmas week in 1905 was 10¢ for ladies and 20¢ for men for matinees.  By 1906 Mr. Taylor announced that the Richmond would also be a motion picture facility. During the next 6 years, the format changed from straight vaudeville to a combination with motion pictures. Summer stock companies also appeared and in 1909 the Taylors began to advertise in the Transcript for the first time stressing the admission price of a nickel. In 1921 business was so good that the theater was enlarged to seat 1,700 people. It became the largest theater in Western Massachusetts. The theater was closed for 8 weeks for the extensive renovations. All posts and pillars had been removed and, quoting management, it was a “complete and modern theater with special attention paid to the comfort of the patrons.” The balcony now could seat 650 patrons and there were 15 individual dressing rooms backstage for the stage plays.  In the days of the silent movies the Richmond employed a small orchestra to enhance the images on the screen. This led to labor difficulties with the National Federation of Musicians when a non-union man was hired. There was talk of a walkout, but the matter was resolved amicably when the local came to an agreement with management that was ratified by the national organization. At the beginning of the third decade, Ben Taylor and his wife, retired from the theater business and moved to South America. The Richmond was now in the hands of the E.M. Lowe Corporation who in turn sold its interests to the Goldstein brothers who also controlled the Paramount Theater on the other side of Main Street. In 1938, the Paramount featured films from all the big studios; Paramount, MGM, Warner Bros. and others who had all the big stars under contract. The newly opened Mohawk had it glitz and glamour. So it was that the Richmond was put on the back burner and became a second run or family-type movie house. For the next two decades, the Richmond was under various managerial groups causing the theater’s box office to decline in revenue. This in turn caused the Richmond to go through a series of closings and openings. Finally, in March of 1952, the management of the Richmond decided to cash in its chips and put the theater up for sale to the highest bidder. In the fall of ’52, the fraternal Order of Eagles voted to purchase the Richmond for $36,000, and so it was a theater no longer. It was not long after the sale that a dispute arose over the use of the lobby. The hotel corporation contended that the sale of the theater did not include its use. It filed suit and the case was heard in Superior Court in Pittsfield. With the judge agreeing with the plaintiff. The Eagles appealed to the State Supreme Court which upheld the verdict of the lower court. When rumors abounded that the Richmond Hotel building would be included for demolition in the upcoming downtown urban renewal project, the Eagles bought land at its present location and built its new quarters there.  And this is how the Richmond Hotel and Theater met its demise and it was not long afterwards that the Paramount met the same fate, being partially burned as it was being dismantled.

Adapted from a story for the North Adams Historical Society.

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It was a sad day when the Transcript announced that Molly’s Bakery, an Eagle Street landmark since 1937, was closing its doors on March 29, 2008. The business began in 1931 by John, Sam and Joseph Mazza where the store was located at 165 State Street. The origin of the name “Molly” is a mystery, although there are a couple of possibilities. A simple explanation was the Mazza brothers wanted a common name that people would remember easily. A more detailed interpretation involves the brothers and a wartime romance. It seems that one of the brothers met an Italian lady who had lost her husband in the war. The brother took her in for a time and cared for her. The woman’s middle name was “Millet” and from that the name “Molly” was created. The Mazza bothers were successful enough to move to a larger store on Eagle Street in 1937. There they ran their bakery for 29 more years. At one time they had branches in Adams, Williamstown and the old Adams Supermarket. In 1966 they retired and sold Molly’s to Peter Gresser and Kurt Halder. Through the years, the business changed hands two more times ending with Sheryl Gibson, Greg Bascom, and Kevin Poette. When Molly’s was in its heyday, the smells of fresh loaves of rye, raisin, cinnamon or English muffin breads swirled around the Eagle Street bakery inviting customers to come inside. Once there, people had choices of doughnuts, whoopie pies, smiley cookies and all-occasion cakes. Everything was baked fresh daily from scratch.

Adapted from a story for the North Adams Historical Society.

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John Dwight Chesbro was born in North Adams on June 5, 1874 and grew up at 177 Bracewell Avenue. His personality was such that he was dubbed “Happy Jack” at an early age. As he matured his interests turned to the game of baseball, specifically the position of pitcher. He played on most any team that would have him here in Berkshire County as well as teams in an around the Springfield area. In 1894 he answered a posting in the newspaper to work at a Massachusetts mental hospital which also fielded a baseball team. The following year, he moved to the Albany area, pitching for Johnston in the New York League. Unfortunately, that didn’t last long because the league folded due to lack of money. By 1896, Jack was playing semi-pro ball in Cooperstown, NY.  A year later, the 5 foot 8 inch, 180 pound Chesbro was playing in the Atlantic League. It was there that the major league ball clubs began to show an interest in Happy Jack. He came very close to signing with Baltimore until the Orioles backed off without a known reason. His disappointment didn’t last long however when the Pittsburg Pirates came knocking on his door. He signed a $1,500 contract and, to show Baltimore they made a mistake, Jack won 17 games and lost only 4. Chesbro, backed up by Honus Wagner and other great players, helped Pittsburg move from 7th place, in 1899, to the National League Pennant in 1901. He led the league with 21 victories and 10 loses. In 1902 Jack perfected the spitball, then a legal pitch. That year he won 28 games and lost only 6. Changes would come to Chesbro in 1903.  In 1903, the American League was formed to counter the dominance of the National League. Happy Jack took his spitball to play for the New York Highlanders (later the New York Yankees). He pitched in their very first home game, beating the Washington Senators 6-2. The Highlanders ended the season in 4th place. This only made Jack more determined to win the following season. In 1904, he won 41 games and lost 12 (a winning record that stands to this day), gave up 338 hits, 88 walks and struck out 239. His earned run average was 1.82. Despite these stats, the Highlanders lost the pennant on the last day when Chesbro throw a wild pitch. It was said to be his greatest disappointment.  His last season in the majors was in 1909 when he was released by the New York team and signed by the Boston Red Sox. He only needed eight more wins to reach 400 games, but that was not meant to be. Jack only pitched in one game for the Boston team, which he lost to New York. When he retired from baseball, he moved to Conway, MA and bought a farm to raise chickens. He kept his hand in baseball however by coaching the Amherst College baseball team. In 1924, he accepted a coaching job with the Washing Senators. Because of failing health, Jack left the team moved back to Conway. In 1931 he suffered a heart attack and passed away on November 6, 1931 and was buried in Howland Cemetery in Conway.

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Harvey Arnold with his brother Oliver and his friend Nathanial Blinn built the Eclipse Mill in the 1830s and began manufacturing cotton goods. The three owned Eclipse and Slater mill by the mid-1830s. Things went bad for the company during a financial depression when the company fell heavily in debt. John F. Arnold, the youngest brother, helped his two brothers out of debt. In 1843, the three Arnold brothers combined three mills into one which was called Eclipse Mill.

As the brothers became interested in printing and finishing cotton they hired Union Print Works in 1844. In 1856, Union Print Works was purchased by another company, and the Arnolds made a deal with the company to supply cloth for five years. Soon after, the Arnolds built a dedicated print works on Marshall Street, which began operation in 1863. In 1896, the mill was rebuilt and enlarged. The mill was rebuilt again eight years later which doubled the size of the mill.

By 1907, due to economic problems, the operation of the mill was reduced and the mill was sold to William Butler. Butler came up with a plan in 1919 to replace old structures which were considered unsafe. In 1929 the Eclipse Mill became part of the Associated Textile Corporation. The same year due to economic difficulties the company Hoosac Cotton started selling property that was considered not worth the cost. One of the properties in 1933 was bought for $105,000, which was $2,000 dollars more than its value.

When the economy recovered, Rayon, a manufacturer of synthetic fabric, started production, continuing through World War II. In January of 1945 the Hoosac Mill was put on sale and it was bought by Steven Reality. Gevaert Company of America bought it in 1947 to store flammable material but had a hard time gaining permission to store their materials. Sprague Electric bought the building for storage in 1957; in the 1970s it was purchased by Hunter Outdoor Products.

After a period of ownership by the Community Development Corporation, at the dawn of a new century a new chapter opened in the history of the Eclipse Mill: Eric Rudd, artist and businessman, purchased the mill and invested millions of dollars in creating 40 living and working spaces. Today the Eclipse Mill is home to many residents and small businesses.

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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 during the dog days of summer, along with one local losing their life due to an “accidental cannon discharge.” On another page, contagious disease cases and deaths are counted from 1917 and earlier years. Diphtheria, Chicken Pox, Tuberculosis—most of these range from 0 cases to 100, the highest numbers going to diseases like Typhoid Fever and Diphtheria. A number jumped out at me though: 728. Seven-hundred-and-twenty-eight. This number came under the 1908 line, in the section for measles cases. According the United States census in 1910 that would have been about 3% to 4% of the population of North Adams at the time.

In total, 830 cases of contagious disease were reported to the Department of Health in 1908, most of them being from measles—this is in comparison to 141 contagious disease cases in 1907. Two deaths occurred because of the disease itself, but other deaths occurred because of the respiratory complications measles brings about in the body. The main complication of measles is tuberculosis. In 1908 there were 26 cases of tuberculosis, compared to 14 in 1907. Of these 26, 15 died. Before a measles vaccine was licensed in 1963, 2.6 million deaths occurred a year from the disease and the complications it leads to.

The measles virus is a part of the paramyxovirus family. Also in this family are parainfluenza virus, the mumps virus, and the respiratory syncytial virus. The virus is passed on like many others—through the air or through direct contact. However, unlike other viruses, there is no evidence of measles occurring in any animal other than humans.

Infected North Adams residents would have started to feel feverish about 10 to 12 days after being exposed to the virus. The high fever itself would last from 4 to 7 days. Then the telltale signs of measles would set in—runny nose, cough, red and watery eyes, and small white spots develop on the inside of the cheeks. These symptoms last for several days, but once those days had passed a new symptom would appear. A rash begins popping up on the upper neck and face. The rash will spread across the body within 3 days, and last up to a week. Best case scenario, someone exposed to measles will be sick for about 7 days, but symptoms can remain for 18 days.

Most deaths from the virus occur for those under five and over twenty. The most common complications are pneumonia and an ear infection. In severe cases, measles can lead to encephalitis, blindness, and diarrhea. Measles, like chickenpox and smallpox, leaves its host with lifetime immunity, so once you catch it, you cannot catch it again. Diseases like this tend to make their rounds because of this—there will be a substantial amount of a town or city’s population that will fall ill, meaning a large portion will have immunity if they get through the sickness, but once the population begins to grow again with those not exposed to a virus, the disease returns. Looking again at the 1917 annual report, one can see the pattern that every couple of years an outbreak will occur after a low case year.

The bulk of the cases came from December 1907 (151 cases), January 1908 (399 cases), and February (142 cases). By May there was only one case a month, and by August no cases would be reported for the rest of the year. There were 1,660 quarantine inspections because of the outbreak, which caused the Department of Health to go over $1,460 of their $7,000 yearly budget. According to the report, the overdrawn money was also due to a recent law which made impoverished citizens suffering from a contagious disease the charge of the Department of Health. A place to comprehensively treat contagious diseases had yet to be established in North Adams at this time.

In the 1908 report, the Board of Health kept demanding a place be built where they could actually treat contagious diseases like measles, scarlet fever, and diphtheria. They had received one new building and technological aid in 1907, and that was a bacteriological laboratory. They Board of Health claimed that it saved them time in diagnosing, and though their budget ran over with the quarantines, it would have overdrawn far more without the lab. To create the lab, it cost the city $100.00 in 1907. The lab may have been a part of the North Adams hospital when it was made, as there is no evidence of it being a standalone building.

In their 1917 report, the Board of Health pushed for more funding from the city to prevent further outbreaks of disease in the city. They claimed that the city had been lucky, until 1908, that there had not been a major contagious epidemic—“…what shall we do when our turn comes? How many times the realization of the almost criminal carelessness of this city in not providing a place for the treatment of contagious diseases has been forced upon this Board, which must meet them when they appear.” The Board of Health actually advocated for much more than what they would they would need to treat the city, including new school buildings, a better sewage system, and a playground for the children in school and the factories.

A vaccine for measles would finally be licensed in 1963, so in 2016 America we tend not to worry much about measles outbreaks like this. However, cases of contagious disease thought to be well under control seem to have been appearing in the last couple of years due to the anti-vaccination movement. These new cases tend to mostly be in children as most teens and adults are vaccinated.

Adapted from the original article in Hoosac Trails: The Journal of the North Adams Historical Society and Museum of History and Science, Volume XXV, Number IV (June 2016)

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The Appalachian Trail was completed in 1937, after 10 years of work connecting existing trails to new trail sections. The exact length of this hiking trail is unknown, as it changes each year due to rerouting and trail closures, but it is usually just under 2,200 miles, or 3,500 kilometers. It runs from Georgia to Maine, through 14 different states. The Appalachian Trail is best known as the longest “hiking-only” foot path in the world, reserved only for pedestrian use. It is also known for the people who hike its entire length, commonly referred to as thru-hikers. It generally takes hikers 5 to 7 months to walk the entire trail, the world record being 40 days, 18 hours, and 6 minutes, set by Tara Dower in 2024. Most hikers head North, known as NoBo, but a fair number complete the trail coming South, known as SoBo. Along with the Pacific Crest Trail on the West Coast, and the Continental Divide trail along the Rocky Mountains, it makes up a group known as the Triple Crown Trails. This historic trail is world famous, drawing thousands of hikers each year attempting to hike its entire length. Roughly 25% of the three to four thousand complete the trail from start to finish annually. Ninety miles of the Appalachian Trail are located in Massachusetts, traversing 17 towns in Berkshire County. In Massachusetts, the trail is managed by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, the National Park Service – Appalachian Trail Park, and local nonprofit and volunteer groups. The official trailhead to the Appalachian Trail in North Adams was constructed in 2003, which put North Adams on the footpath’s map. Amenities available to hikers in North Adams, such as laundromats and restaurants were put at the trailhead as well, to encourage thru-hikers to stop in North Adams on their way through the town. The AT is marked by characteristic white blazes throughout its entirety. It is also home to a vast array of approximately 260 shelters, located roughly every 8.5 miles along the trail. Two of these shelters, Wilbur Clearing Shelter and Bellows Pipe Shelter are located in Mount Greylock State Reservation, the closest shelters to North Adams. The AT crosses through approximately five miles of North Adams, making it an easy section to hike through in less than a day, when most thru-hikers are walking 15 to 20 miles a day.

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John Henry Haynes was born in 1849 in Rowe, Massachusetts. He came from humble beginnings, having taken on a parental role to his younger siblings after their father’s death. At 21 years old he began his education at Drury Academy in North Adams, and two years later began his studies at Williams College, in Williamstown. He is noted to have actually “dragged his personal effects (in a sled) over the hills to reach his destination (Williams College).” It was here that he received his A.B. (today’s bachelors), A.M. (master’s) and an honorary Sc.D. (Doctor of Science) degrees. He also received an honorary Sc.D. from University of Pennsylvania, and a PhD from Robert College in Constantinople, where he worked as a tutor and English teacher. Haynes was married to Cassandria Artella Smith later in life, and she accompanied him on his last expedition to Nippur, Iraq in 1899. After his final expedition he returned to the United States “broken in body and spirit” and ended his life in an asylum in Massachusetts on June 29, 1910. He is buried in North Adams, at the Hillside Cemetery. His gravestone is a duplicate of the Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III (Nimrud, Iraq, 827 B.C.E.) in size and shape, and depicts a relief of the Temple of Bel. He is known as the father of archeological photography, and his photography and work as an archeologist is still prized today. He was known by most as an exceptional man, “remembered by the scientific world as one who did much to bring to light many important facts bearing on the remote ages of the world.” Haynes began his career as a photographer as assistant to William Stillman in Athens, which led to his going to photograph the American School of Classical Studies at Athens excavations from 1881 to 1883. He traveled through Anatolia, Syria, and Mesopotamia, documenting his journey, all while depending on pack animals to carry photographic plates, likely damaging or losing many in the process. Haynes is most well-known for his archeological expeditions to Nippur, Iraq, throughout the late 1800’s. On his final expedition he was directly in charge of the excavation and discovery of the Temple Library and Temple of Bel at Nippur in Babylonia, the first of which uncovered roughly 23,000 inscribed tablets. The discovery held so much esteem that Professor H. V. Hilprecht “claimed the honor of finding them”, and this honor stayed with him for quite some time. This robbing of credit was part of what led to Haynes being institutionalized upon his return to the states. Some of the original artifacts, as well as plaster molds of others, from Haynes’s expeditions can be found at the North Adams Public Library, including casts of inscriptions from Nippur, Terra Cotta figurines, and clay tablets, some dating back almost 5,000 years.

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