Featured Stories
Blackinton Mill
From modest beginnings in the 1820s, the Blackinton Mill grew to form the center of a thriving community.
The Mascots of the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA): School spirit always finds a way at MCLA!
Since its origins as a teacher's college, MCLA's mascots have reflected the changing nature of the college over time.
North Adams Fairgrounds
I see London, I see France, I see… North Adams? In the early twentieth century, all three were almost equally popular tourist destinations for the same reason
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Sprague Electric through Workers' Eyes
6 Locations ~ Curated by The Historic North Adams TeamSince Arnold Print Works first opened at this site in 1860, 87 Marshall Street has been a center for economic activity in North Adams. Beginning in 1942, Sprague Electric Company employed thousands of North Adams residents until its closure in 1985. Now the site of MASS MoCA, this tour provides a view of what life was like at Sprague Electric through the perspectives of the men and women who worked there.
Southview Cemetery Tour
12 Locations ~ Curated by Historic North Adams TeamEstablished in 1888 on the outskirts of an existing neighborhood graveyard, Southview Cemetery is the city's second oldest municipal cemetery. Much of the area that makes up Southview was originally the town and, later, city farm and also housed the city infirmary until 1968.
Come explore Southview Cemetery and learn the stories of some of the people who are buried there!
MCLA Narratives
7 Locations ~ Curated by MLCA Students in ARTH 311 Art & Collective IdentityAre you curious about the first African American to graduate from MCLA with a four-year degree? Did you ever wonder what the rules and regulations were for students in the 1950s? The MCLA Narratives tour investigates the history of MCLA’s people, programs, and buildings by examining a handful of individuals and events in the college’s past.
In spring 2018, students in Art & Collective Identity (ARTH 311), taught by Katherine Carroll, conducted research in the college archives and created this…
Hillside Cemetery Tour
16 Locations ~ Curated by Ely JanisHill Side Cemetery is the oldest municipal cemetery in North Adams; it is the city’s second oldest existing cemetery, its age being exceeded only by the so-called Congregational Cemetery, which dates to the 1780's, and the now lost Fort Massachusetts burial ground, which was established in 1749.
The first burial in Hill Side (now more often referred to as Hillside) was in 1798; the deceased was one Olive Knight, the 18 year old daughter of Richard and Lilles Knight of what would become…
City of Steeples Downtown Religious Sites Tour
9 Locations ~ Curated by the Historic North Adams TeamA downtown walking tour that visits many of the historic houses of worship that helped win North Adams the name of "Steeple City."
About
Historic 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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