History
The Berkshires is a hilly region in the western-most part of Massachusetts, stretching north to the Vermont border and south to Connecticut. To the west is New York State, and to the east a ridge of hills over which runs the Appalachian Trail.
Settled in the late 1700s and early 1800s, the region is, in many ways, classic New England. It embraces 30 mainly rural towns and two small cities, Pittsfield, the Berkshire County seat, and North Adams. The region is equidistant from Boston — about 120 miles east — and New York City — about 120 miles southwest, or a two to two-and-a-half-hour drive.
The history of the area boasts a tradition of arts and letters from the 19th century, with famous American authors such as Herman Melville and Nathaniel Hawthorne, who resided in the area, and Henry David Thoreau, whose visits to
the Berkshires are well-documented. In the early 20th century, this was home to Edith Wharton, who built a summer estate called, simply, The Mount. This was also the summer getaway for the rich and powerful during the Gilded Age, when many of the luxurious Berkshire “Cottages” were built. These summer homes were, in fact, grand homes for residents of metropolitan New York who summered here at the turn of the 20th century.
|
