On September 21 and September 22, 1938, New England experienced a devastating category-5 hurricane which caused massive damage and incurred many hundreds of casualties (both fatalities and injuries). North Adams was mostly spared from wind damage…

After weeks of rainy October weather, on November 3rd, 1927, the Hoosic River began to swell beyond its banks. Ashland and State Street were the first to flood, and soon the northern branch of the river joined the waters of the southern. As Brown…

Established through an act of Massachusetts legislature “to meet increasing demands for trained teachers,” North Adams Normal School (NANS) was established in 1894. The school offered three main courses of study as well as specialized certificate…

Originally independent in crowning a Fall Foliage Festival Queen and connected with the ever popular fashion show, the Scholarship Pageant, to name Miss Northern Berkshire, Queen of the Fall Foliage Festival, soon affiliated with and followed the…

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…

The Blizzard of ‘88 was the greatest snowstorm of the nineteenth century in Berkshire County.  Snow started falling Sunday, March 11, 1888, and did not stop until four days later. A total sum of 37 inches fell locally and it was buffeted by 30 to 40…

In March 1936, on the day of the flood that year, an event that caused substantial damage occurred on West Main Street near Richview Avenue at the same time that the Hoosic River was taking its toll elsewhere.  The ten-stall Hamer Garage and radio…

During the last week of June--and extending into the first week in July 1938, North Adams was the scene of a spectacular event, the likes of which has not been seen before or since.  The Transcript, reporting on a pageant held on Noel Field 63 years…

1927 was not a particularly good year for North Adams. Rather, it was one of disaster -- first by fire and then by flood.  At 3:15 in the morning of February 14th, a Monday, William Gomeau, driving a Yellow Cab in downtown North Adams spotted flames…

In the late 1800’s the growing Italian community in North Adams was mainly centered around the church, for both religious and social needs.  These first generation immigrants, however, did not have a church to call their own.  In 1900 an Italian…