The Soldiers’ Monument is a statue created by Charles N. Pike with the help of generous donations by the Ladies Aid (or Soldiers Aid) society and fellow businessmen Sanford Blackinton, George M. Mowbray, and C.T. Sampson. Charles N. Pike volunteered his own labor towards the creation of the monument in honor of local soldiers who had lost their lives in the war, as it depicts a typical Union soldier standing at parade rest. The monument stood for over 100 years without any damage until 1978.

Since the end of the Civil War in 1865, the townspeople in the area had brought up the idea of creating a memorial for the fallen soldiers. During the year 1878, the north village of Adams split up with the south village to create the independent towns of Adams and North Adams. After the new town of North Adams was created, the Ladies Aid Society, which was organized during the war to prepare supplies for the army hospitals of New York, Washington and Harper’s Ferry, offered $1,200 from its own treasury as a gift for the monument, along with the help of contributions from local businessmen Sanford Blackinton, George M. Mowbray, and C.T. Sampson. The citizens of North Adams later convened in a town meeting to provide another $300 toward the project and to donate the land necessary.

The project was put in the hands of Charles N. Pike, who volunteered his own services and reduced the expenses for the work substantially. He was a native of the city, born in 1839. In early life, Mr. Pike enlisted in the Ohio regiment during the start of the Civil War and served as credit to the state.

The Soldiers' Monument was dedicated by the new town of North Adams on July 4, 1878. The statue stood 11 feet high and was carved from a block of Sicilian marble. It depicts a typical Union soldier standing at parade rest. The dado of the pedestal is ornamented with the national shield, with the dates 1861 and 1865 and the inscription, “presented to the Town of North Adams by Ladies’ Aid Society.” The original intent for the inscription was to present the names of the local soldiers who had lost their lives in the war.

The statue was destroyed for the first time just before its 100-year anniversary. The first time was in March 1978 when an out-of-control vehicle crashed into the statue. The city and the community tried several ways to fix the statue with no luck. Paul F. Dilego, president of North Adam’s Kiwanis club, said they would be willing to raise funds to repair the statue. The Kiwanis Club started a fund drive in April 1979. However, after receiving bids from professional sculptors, Kiwanis Club announced they would not be able to raise $35,000 for the statue. The Kiwanis Club agreed that an amount that large would be better used for youth programs.

Another attempt to fix the statue was made by Lewis C. Cuyler, administrator of North Adams NOW, a revitalization program of downtown North Adams. Cuyler put an ad in "Yankee Magazine" in hopes of broadening the search for a new union soldier and to help save North Adams from paying the high prices of hiring a professional sculptor.

After not being able to raise the funds and with no response from the ad, the city thought they would have to scrap the statue. That is until Carl Robare from Stamford, Vermont took it upon himself to repair the statue. Robare worked for New England Telephone and was known for being able to fix anything. Robare’s rational for repairing the statue was that he grew up seeing the statue and felt sorry for it when no one was able to fix it. He said other people want to “get rich” from the work, and he will give it a try for $3,500, but North Adams doesn’t have to pay him if they don’t like the work. Robare spent 240 hours rebuilding the statue. The statue was restored on July 3, 1981, and an early 4th of July celebration was held to celebrate the return of the statue.

The statue was destroyed again on December 10,1999, when a storm knocked over the city’s Christmas tree into the statue. Police and firefighters were unable to secure the tree before it fell, due to the scaffolding around the First Babtist Church, which had broken free from the building in the high winds.

North Adams Mayor John Barret asked Robare if he would be able to fix the statue again, since Robare had been able to do it so successfully 20 years before. Robare was reluctant at first, but the community kept him going with the repairs. He also felt bad for the statue as no one would could or wanted to repair it again. Through his efforts, Robare became the self-appointed caretaker of the statue after repairing it a second time, coming into North Adams periodically to maintain and check on the statue, describing it as taking care of his baby The statue was fixed in August 2000 and was unveiled in time for the Fall Foliage Parade weekend.

Today, the Soldiers’ Monument remains a defining feature of North Adams’ downtown and a remembrance of its Civil War past.

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North Adams’ history is rich with industrial factories, with many old buildings still remaining either unused or having been restored and made to fit the needs of the city residents in the twenty-first century. As America moved away from industrialization and factories started to close around the late twentieth century, a program was launched in 1978 by Governor Dukakis called The Massachusetts Heritage State Park Program. This program was meant to bring new life to industrial cities throughout the Commonwealth, bringing tourists and economic growth to these areas. Western Gateway Heritage State Park was originally North Adams’ railroad distribution center in the 1850’s. It served to connect North Adams to the west for the import and export of goods. The distribution center saw less use over the next century; creating isolated and unused properties. With the building of the Hadley Route 8 overpass, it became completely obsolete. In 1978, the City of North Adams applied to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to designate the railroad area as a Heritage State park.

The state awarded the city a grant in 1979 to rehabilitate the park. In 1979, eight downtown parks were approved in Lynn, North Adams, Lawrence, Fall River, Lowell, Gardner, Holyoke, and Springfield. The Western Gateway Heritage State Park opened in North Adams in 1986, its original site once a Boston and Maine freight yard now transformed into a village offering shopping, casual dining and a visitor center. The Heritage State Park offered exhibits on North Adams history, life in North Adams at the turn of the nineteenth century and featured the history of the Hoosac Tunnel.

With its exhibitions on the Hoosac Tunnel, shopping centers and casual dining offered, the Heritage State Park hoped to draw around 300,000 tourists in a year but the instead the park has drawn closer to 50,000 visitors annually. The Park hosted numerous events for residents of the area from the 1980s up to the 2010s, drawing visitors from outside the areas as well as involving the local community. Many of the events were family friendly and focused on including children. The Junior Duck Stamp Art in 2005 presented art by students from public, private and home schools, the program itself was sponsored by Mass Wildlife and promoted habitat conservation to school children. Other events included pumpkin decorating, “Family Fun Day” hand collages, a Father's Day Workshop and more. For exhibits beyond the Hoosac Tunnel display that has run since the Park’s opening, there were various seminars that focused on topics as varied as antiques and collectibles (1992) and slide show examining “The Italians and the Vatican” (1987).

In 2013, talks over the redevelopment and reconstruction of the State Park took place. While events were still being held at the park, it was clear that the number of visitors had been decreasing in the 2010s. What dominated the conversation about the redevelopment of the park was that it needed to become a tourist destination again. In 2022, much of the Western Gateway Heritage State Park was forced to close its doors due to mold and roof problems, though some buildings remain open even with the Parks closure like The Freight Yard Pub. The future of the Heritage State Park remains up in the air, as hopes to reopen the site endure.

The Western Gateway State Park today remains a symbol of North Adams' past and its mixed results efforts to progress forward with economic development.

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The Galvin Road Bridge, now known as the Blackington Bridge, was originally constructed in 1884. It spanned the Hoosac River near the Williamstown border along Galvin Road, serving as a functional piece of infrastructure during a period of industrial growth in North Adams. Like many of the bridges of its era, it features a truss design with wooden components, a commonplace procedure of the late nineteenth century.

By the mid-twentieth century, the bridge had begun to show signs of wear. In 1960, repairs were undertaken to replace rotting carrying beams and deteriorating wood flooring. While these updates extended the bridge’s usability, they did not eliminate long term challenges of maintaining an aging structure exposed to the harsh weather conditions of Berkshire County.

The bridge’s fate took a dramatic turn in 1987. A letter from the Massachusetts Department of Public Works warned that the bridge could fail at any moment, deeming it unsafe for continued use. As a result, the bridge was closed and demolition appeared imminent. For many structures in similar condition, this would have marked the end of their service.

Upon hearing this news, North Adams State College professor and local historian Daniel P. Connorton saw things differently. As a member of the city’s Historical Commission, Connerton argued that the bridge held significant historical value. He proposed that if the bridge had to be replaced, the original structure should be preserved.

Connorton’s argument gained momentum when he uncovered a connection between the bridge and Dr. Elisha Baker, a figure associated with the Revolutionary War era. This discovery reframed the bridge not simply as outdated infrastructure, but as a tangible link to early American history. The North Adams Historical Commission supported these findings, strengthening the case for preservation.

Faced with growing local pressure, the state reconsidered its plans. Instead of demolishing the bridge, officials proposed relocating it. While this compromise ensured its survival, it introduced a new challenge: finding a suitable location. Suggestions ranged from placing the bridge in downtown North Adams as a pedestrian walkway to transforming it into a public art feature. Ultimately, these ideas were dismissed as impractical.

After years of uncertainty, a solution was finally reached. The Galvin Road Bridge was relocated to Amherst, Massachusetts and is in storage at the University of Massachusetts Amherst as part of its Adaptive Use Bridge Project. Though no longer in its hometown, the structure was preserved, allowing its history to survive.

The story of the Galvin Road Bridge illustrates how local advocacy can shape the fate of historic structures. What once seemed destined for collapse and removal instead became a symbol of historic preservation. Through the efforts of local historians, the bridge survives as a reminder that overlooked landmarks can carry deep historical significance.

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Fred Forest Dowlin was a North Adams native, born on June 19, 1868. Dowlin studied at St. Joseph’s College in Ottawa, Canada. He also studied and graduated from the Boston University Law School, which led him to starting his law firm in partnership with E.H. Beer, called Beer & Dowlin. He was also involved in real estate development, and he financed the construction of the Dowlin Block on Main Street of North Adams in 1894. It was designed by the prominent local architect Edwin Thayer Barlow.

The Dowlin Block, from the early 1900s to the 1960s, operated as a store front at the bottom of the building and over time many businesses came and went. There were also office spaces on the higher floors, but one aspect of the building that has stood the test of time has been its use for apartments. Ever since its construction, the Dowlin Block has been home to multiple apartments. In the 1960s, the construction of an elevator in the building modernized the building even more.

One major change came in 1981, when a shopping mall was constructed at the bottom of the Dowlin Block. The shopping mall opened on May 2nd, 1981, under the name “Dowlin Square”. It first started with 7 retail firms that occupied the spaces and gave North Adams a new source of shopping and entertainment. A party was held on the night of the opening to give workers at the retail stores an opportunity to preview these newly renovated spaces. 150 workers gathered to celebrate the opening of the mall.

This new mall was an important development l for the block and North Adams itself. There were certainly high hopes for this mall as a spokesperson at the time named Arthur Del Negro stated, “Let’s see if we can make this a miniature Quincy Marketplace.” Unfortunately, the new mall’s success did not last long. By 1983, some stores such as Gatsby’s Screen Printing and Butcher Block Delicatessen had already decided to leave due to flooding in the building that was costing them money they did not have to repair. After the departure of these stores and a bookstore called Book End’s, Dowlin Square was left with only 3 of the 7 stores they had when they first opened.

The Dowlin Block remains on Main Street today, having undergone several slight renovations over the years but with its marble façade remaining relatively intact. In 2013, plans were put forward to knock down the back part of the building for more apartments, but those designs were never followed through on. As of 2026, the Dowlin Block does not currently have any business or apartments being operated in the building. Restoration work is ongoing so hopefully the Dowlin Block will soon be a part of North Adams’ retail and residential community again.

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On Summer Street, in one of the oldest parts of North Adams, Massachusetts, stood the old North Adams City Hall. It may not have ever been the tallest building or still holding city council meetings today, but memories of it still carry the decades of decisions, voices, and footsteps that will forever live on.

In the late nineteenth century, North Adams began to separate itself from the neighboring town of Adams. Col. John Barcewell brought up the discussion of separation at the 1894 town meeting. They met in the boardrooms to discuss not only becoming their own city but also forming their own city government. The suggestion created a strong stir amongst the people, who believed that if they made this decision, their taxes would start to increase. But in the end, the decision was made in favor of becoming a city, a strong symbol of the independence and growing ambition that existed all throughout North Adams.

Supporters also suggested the possibility that this would result in much better service management of the town's affairs. The new City Council members would take responsibility for the entire city. The mayor would receive a good salary, wield significant power, and devote his time to the city's business. He would also be the one to appoint department heads.

As the newly incorporated city searched for municipal offices, attention turned to a prominent building on Summer Street that had originally been constructed as the stable and carriage barn of industrialist Albert C. Houghton. Houghton had already converted the structure for commercial use after moving from his nearby residence to the Blackinton mansion on Church Street, later the home of the public library. By the mid-1890s, the town was already renting the lower floor of the remodeled building for offices, while the North Adams district court was also considering the site for new quarters.

The proposal to purchase the building quickly became one of the city’s first major political controversies. Houghton offered to sell the property for $30,000 after further renovations designed by architect H. Neill Wilson, but debate erupted over whether the cost was excessive or whether North Adams should instead construct an entirely new city hall. Local newspapers took opposing sides, with the North Adams Evening Herald criticizing the purchase while the Transcript endorsed it as a practical investment in a centrally located, modern building equipped with electricity, gas lighting, and hot-water heat. In October 1895, the Finance Committee recommended the purchase, and a town meeting approved it by a two-to-one margin through a 30-year mortgage arrangement. Houghton himself was elected the city’s first mayor that same year while also serving as president of Arnold Print Works, the city’s largest employer. City Hall housed the mayor’s office, city council chambers, and other municipal departments while also serving as a gathering place for public ceremonies, political meetings, and community events.

Although originally viewed by some as a temporary solution, the former stable served as North Adams’ City Hall for decades until the 1970s. Beginning the 1960s and continuing in the 1970s, North Adams’ officials increasingly turned towards the idea of urban renewal. During this time, leaders created the Redevelopment Authority, which played a major role in reshaping the city. By 1970, reconstruction efforts along Main Street were well underway, marking an important shift in how North Adams from its earlier architecture towards a urban development. City planners turned their eyes towards replacing City Hall with a more modern replacement.

The James Hunter Machine Company stepped in with an offer to donate their former factory and land on Main Street for the purpose of building a new City Hall. While some voices were raised in favor of rehabilitating the Hunter building and turning it into the new City Hall, the decision was made to raze the area to build a brand-new center for the city government. The new City Hall opened in the summer of 1974, built at the cost of $1.23 million, and remains in use today.

The old City Hall was demolished shortly thereafter, another victim of North Adams’ era of urban development.

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The Boardman Block was constructed between 1901 and 1914 by local industrialists with the intention of housing employees of the Adams Print Works. The building was intentionally built to be more ornate and decorative than other neighboring properties. This was because the residents of the Boardman Block were more specialized than other working-class tenants. Housed in the Block were in-house chemists and dyers who worked for the Adams Print Works, who were more socially elevated than their peers because of their specialization. Later, teachers at the North Adams Normal School and other middle-class tenants occupied the building.

Vadnais Homes Inc. purchased the Boardman Block in September of 1961. Vadnais was a real estate group who quickly purchased property across the city in the early 1960’s, with the intention of renovating out-of-date housing facilities. When they purchased the Boardman Block in 1961, they stated that the apartments were in great shape, but the outside of the building needed repairs. Looming repairs were of great concern to residents of the Boardman Block who feared that the historical significance of the building’s appearance would be sacrificed in the repairs on the outside of the building.

These concerns increased when Pen-Bob Realty purchased the Boardman Block from Vadnais Inc in December 1972. Robert T. Arnold of Pen-Bob Realty was greatly concerned with the outside of the Boardman Block, particularly the roofing and outside facing ornamental elements, and signaled the need for repairs. These changes concerned residents, prompting more than 50 residents in the Montana Street area to sign a petition to prevent renovations that would change the historical appearance of the building.

The movement to preserve the historic appearance of the Boardman Block was spearheaded by North Adams State Professor Daniel P. Connerton, who was very vocal publicly about preserving its historic features. Connerton was personally invested in matters of public history and preservation, since he was a professor of history at North Adams State College, and a member of the city’s Historical Commission. These concerns escalated when the city inspector found that the chipping interior and exterior paint of the Block contained significant amounts of lead and would require remediation work to provide safe-living conditions. Pen-Bob threatened to evict their tenants during the remediation process, which caused even more public controversy surrounding the Block.

Eventually, at the height of this public controversy, Pen-Bob sold the property to William and Geraldine Eastler of Williamstown for $82,000 in February 1973. William Eastler was the executive director of the Hoosuck Community Resources Corp, and shared concerns of architectural preservation with residents such as Connerton. Despite his preservation concerns, Eastler did still make significant renovations to the property, such as installing modern aluminum doors and storm windows to meet modern safety requirements.

Eastler’s reputation did not stay in good standing with the tenants of the Block for long, though. While on honeymoon in Hawaii, Eastler sent notifications of significant rent increases to the tenants of the block. In response, tenants attempted to rally and get the city to enact rent control initiatives, which ultimately failed. This resulted in a significant increase in the cost of living for tenants of the Boardman Block.

The Boardman Block passed through the hands of several different owners over the preceding decades. From the 1980s on, students at the nearby North Adams State College (now MCLA) were the primary occupants. As of 2023, the Boardman Block is a sober living facility managed by Alternative Living Centers, who provide outpatient addiction treatment services.

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In the middle of the 1890s, when the city's mills, banks, and commercial enterprises were growing quickly, Bliss Business College was established in North Adams. The college had already made a name for itself in the city's economic and educational scene, as evidenced by the first reference to it in the North Adams Transcript in December 1896. Since its founding, the institution was closely associated with the local economy, preparing students for office and clerical work in a city that is becoming more and more influenced by business and industry.

Bliss Business College was situated in the heart of North Adams' business sector and took up an entire floor of the Adams National Bank building. The school's practical goal of teaching students about the day-to-day operations of contemporary business rather than abstract theory was strengthened by its urban surroundings. This goal was mirrored in the college's curriculum. Bliss Business College focused on accountancy, shorthand, typewriting, penmanship, and office operations rather than providing a traditional education. In the late nineteenth century, when companies relied more and more on written records, effective correspondence, and well-organized financial administration, these were crucial abilities.

The college was commended in a promotional piece in Vicinity Illustrated for training students in "a variety of subjects" in addition to bookkeeping, with the goal of producing intelligent and competent businesspeople. The institution guaranteed upward mobility through practical education, particularly for students who lacked the resources to pursue more conventional types of higher education outside the area.

Early in the college's history, ownership changed hands. The college was sold to E. J. Shaw in February 1896, according to the North Adams Transcript, which signaled the start of Shaw's administration and the period most closely linked to the institution's expansion. Shaw became Bliss Business College's public face, and his image in marketing materials portrays him as polished, respectable, and a symbol of the professional values the institution aimed to foster.

The college's standing as a hub for business education in western Massachusetts grew under Shaw. However, Shaw's leadership came to an end by the close of the decade. According to a farewell story, students gave a gold-headed cane to the "former proprietor, E. J. Shaw" before he left North Adams, and Sherman McVeigh became the new owner. Later, McVeigh's picture was published in the Bliss Business College Journal, solidifying his position as Shaw's replacement and the college's new owner. This change connected the institution's early years under Shaw to its subsequent growth under McVeigh, marking a watershed in its history.

Shaw pursued various career prospects after graduating from Bliss Business College. He went on to occupy a responsible post in New York City, according to a 1905 North Adams Transcript article, indicating that his own career followed the same path of commercial mobility and promotion that the college fostered in its pupils. Shaw left North Adams, but his influence on the school's early reputation was crucial to its legacy.

Bliss Business College served students in North Adams well into the 20th century, not closing until December 20, 1956. However, its influence persisted long after. Bliss College left a lasting impression on the community, as evidenced by a 1993 North Adams Transcript article mentioning a former student. Bliss Business College contributed significantly to the contemporary education and economic opportunities in North Adams with its hands-on curriculum, its urban setting, and focus on disciplined professional training.

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In its earliest form, MCLA was called the North Adams Normal School and instructed students in the ways of teaching. Formal classes were held in College Hall and the neighboring Church Street School was a functioning elementary school where the Normal School students would practice the teaching methods they had learned.

North Adams was awarded state funding to build a normal school in 1894, after competing bids from other Massachusetts communities, including nearby Pittsfield. College Hall was designed by Pittsfield native Henry Neill Wilson, and the construction contract was given to Porter and Hannum. It was constructed at a cost of roughly $116,000 for the building, plumbing, and heating, beginning in 1895. Albert C. Houghton, then the mayor of North Adams, contributed a $25,000 deposit of his own money to get it started, which was eventually reimbursed by the city.

On September 3, 1897, a dedication ceremony was held on-site. It was attended by many notable figures, including Mayor Houghton, the presidents of Williams College, Worcester Polytechnical Institute, Bridgewater State, and several state senators. Live music was provided by the Schubert Orchestra. Attendees were invited to tour the building after the ceremony, showcasing the building’s many rooms, from the boiler room, dark room, gymnasium and lunchroom to the mineral-science and biology laboratories, and up through the assembly hall, library, and classrooms.

Not all aspects of the building’s design were perfect, however. Soon after classes began, President Murdock requested and was granted funds to remediate some glaring flaws. It was discovered that the building’s design accounted for no hot water in the kitchen and lunchroom areas, which then required additional plumbing to be installed. The school also realized that the sinks in the chemistry labs were made of zinc rather than lead or porcelain, which caused them to break down quickly.

College Hall was renamed Murdock Hall in 1967 for the first president (then principle), Frank Fuller Murdock. There has been much work done to the building over the years, including repairs from a lightning-caused attic fire in 1947, the addition of an observation tower in 1957, and a major modernizing renovation in the early 2000s. Today, the building houses several academic departments, the Information Technology department, the Computer HelpDesk team, a writing computer lab, and many well-used classrooms.

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For most students, attending the college meant more than enrolling in classes, it required finding a place to live. Housing, however, had become a patchwork solution. Students were scattered between a makeshift trailer park and a collection of school-owned houses—arrangements that, while functional, reflected a college struggling to keep pace with its own growth. Nearly every applicant requested residency, and the demand was quickly exceeding what the college could provide. Without a significant expansion, the school risked turning away students not for lack of academic space, but for lack of somewhere to sleep.

On January 3, 1974, Dean of Admissions Anthony F. Ceddia formally addressed this issue in a proposal to the Massachusetts Committee of Education Affairs. His memo was more than a request—it was a blueprint for transformation. At its center was a plan to construct new townhouse-style residence facilities, designed not only to replace the existing housing options but to surpass them in both capacity and quality. These townhouses, Ceddia argued, would hold more students than the trailer park and school-owned houses combined, offering a modern solution to an increasingly urgent problem.

The proposal came with a clear financial vision. Estimated in December 1973 at a total cost of $3,734,700, the project was also expected to generate steady revenue. By renting both living spaces and parking accommodations to students, the college projected an annual income of $269,000—an investment not just in infrastructure, but in long-term institutional growth.

The plan itself extended beyond a single phase. A third stage—Phase III—was proposed, hinting at even greater expansion to come. Yet, despite the college’s aspirations, that final phase would never be realized. What remained were Phases I and II: tangible reminders of both the ambition and the limitations of the era.

Still, the townhouse project marked a turning point. It stood for a shift from temporary fixes to intentional planning, from reactive solutions to strategic growth. In replacing trailers with townhouses, North Adams State College was not just building housing—it was reshaping its identity, preparing itself to welcome a broader, more diverse student body, and laying the groundwork for the campus it would eventually become.

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The Governor of Massachusetts, beginning in the early 1930s, threatened to close the State Teachers College of North Adams in hopes of saving the state one and a half million dollars. Word spread about the idea of abandoning the college back in 1933 to the West Pittsfield Shakers, who sent out a plea in hopes of them to stay open. The discussion of closing the college gained traction again in 1936, though it was ultimately rejected in 1939 due to the strong presence at a Boston hearing by Northern Berkshire citizens.

On April 4, 1939, Grover C. Bowman discussed the impact of the college at a Kiwanis club’s weekly luncheon meeting address. He felt that if the college were to close, the learning opportunities of the less fortunate boys and girls in Western Massachusetts would disappear as they would not have anywhere else to go for a good education. Considering most of the students at the time were low income yet highly ambitious, Bowman had the right to speak out on their behalf. Not long afterwards, the state commissioner Walter F. Downey, took a visit to the college. He enjoyed his trip to the extent that he proclaimed to be very interested in keeping it open like he was the owner.

North Adams had politically powerful figures on its side to win the fight to keep the college open. Politician Arthur M. Robinson and newspaperman John W. Haigis were among the biggest defenders, as they unified both the Berkshire and Franklin counties to gain support. On April 12, 1939, the parent-teacher association at C.T. Plunkett Junior High held a meeting to read the opposition letters that would be sent to the governor to reverse his decision. The next day, plans were in place for residents of Adams to get involved in a formal protest against the closing of State Teachers College of North Adams in Boston. Students from Adams were always included during the college enrollment period, and most of the teaching force of the schools in the area consisted of graduates from the college.

On April 18, 1939, a motorized march on Boston was held to present the facts-and-figures argument to keep the college open. Representatives from Berkshire and Franklin counties, as well as the cities of North Adams, Adams, and Williamstown, rallied together to send out copies of the resolution. Judge Israel Ruby of Williamstown cited the colleges high placement record as conclusive proof for it to remain open. All copies reached the Governor as well as thirty-two crucial members of the state legislature. Due to the unanimous local support and statewide agreement, the governor ultimately made the decision to no longer pursue the closure of the State Teachers College of North Adams.

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