“The Mount Washington Historical Society collects documents and artifacts, hosts events, and records oral histories.”

The Mount Washington Historical Society was founded in 2014 to preserve and share the town’s history. Originating as a campaign to preserve the 19th century North Schoolhouse, it has grown into the town’s history hub, interested in everything from the original Mohican uses of the Mountain, through the Dutch settlement, the industrial period, and on to the present day.

Uncovering, preserving, sharing, and celebrating our history is a volunteer, community effort.  Many residents generously provide photos, documents, and ephemera contained in the searchable online archive.  Others participate in our series of video oral histories, recounting town lore and family memories that, taken together, help us understand the past and how it has shaped our present.  Our monthly historical briefs, delivered to members by email, invite us to pause for mini-encounters with our history by spotlighting people, events, and ways of life gone by.  Our publications have documented the summer boardinghouse era, the clergy of the United Church of Christ, and the ‘residents’ of the town’s cemeteries.  Our historical signage program – with narratives and images placed at notable sites – invite locals and visitors to contemplate the people, industry, and landmarks of earlier eras.  And our public programs – whether rambling together through graveyards, sharing popcorn on oral history night, or joining for an expert guest lecture on the Mohican era – nourish both curious minds and community.

Join us!

RESOURCES

Town of Mt. Washington
Berkshire Historical Society
Great Barrington Historical Society
Sheffield Historical Society
The Roeliff Jansen Historical Society
Columbia County Historical Society