100 Years in White: Architecture of the First Congregational Church
100 Years in White: Architecture of the First Congregational Church What do shirt collars and the current building of the First Congregational Church have in common? How did Williams College create the circumstances making it necessary to redesign our building? Some of this information is common knowledge in Williamstown, but you may be surprised by some information that has newly been connected to this story. Moira Jones ties new information with the old in this exhibit to tell the whole story of why the 1869 Neo-Romanesque building was renovated before its 50th birthday. Exhibit...
Read More1753 House
The 1753 House in the Rotary In 1750, village lots in the newly surveyed West Hoosac plantation were first offered for sale by the General Court of Massachusetts Bay Colony. The Court probably had two motives in establishing the plantation: to settle and fortify the northwest corner of the colony, lying along a heavily used Indian path (now called the Mohawk Trail), and thereby protect towns to the east and south; and to prevent Dutch settlers in New York from inching over their eastern boundary into Massachusetts. The area was a heavily forested wilderness and, although some of the lots...
Read MoreReverend Seth Swift House
Reverend Seth Swift House (630 Water Street) This home was built by the Reverend Seth Swift in 1780. Rev. Swift was one of the original trustees and the first treasurer of Williams College. He was ordained to the ministry at the First Congregational Church in 1779, was married in 1781 and had his first child in 1782. During his long tenure as pastor the church grew from 63 member to 273 members. Robert R.R.Brooks says in Williamstown: The First 250 Years: “The handsome, almost massive lines of the gambrel roofed house….testify to the minister’s skill in supplementing by...
Read MoreIde/Phillips house
Ide/Phillips house (102 Ide Road) This home was designed by Boston architect Ralph Adams Cram, of the firm of Cram and Ferguson, for James M. Ide between 1891 and 1893. Cram was a prolific and influential American architect, who also designed Philips Exeter Academy in Exeter NH, the Courthouse in Boston, and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. In Williamstown, Cram also designed Chapin Hall, the Williams and Sage dormitories, and the Stetson Library at Williams College, as well as the original Adams Memorial Theater. His theater design was deemed a little too modern and...
Read MoreBig Days in a Small Town
One of the leading features of small town life is that on several occasions during the year a substantial part of the population, young and old, gathers at some central place for a townwide meeting, a parade, or holiday festivities. These events are a means to bring everybody together and to reaffirm their participation in a small community. Community celebrations will be the topic of both our new exhibition curated by Dusty Griffin. These townwide events are a prominent part of the Williamstown’s annual calendar, and have been going on for a long time. Some events — Town Meeting,...
Read MoreMount Hope Estate
The legendary Mount Hope estate fascinates us with stories of wealth and innovation. In November, 2013, Joe Bergeron lectured about the evolution of the estate, its rise to prototype farm, its “million dollar” barn and other buildings, and the development around its windy road since Mount Hope’s founding by the Prentice family. This talk was given in conjunction with the opening of our winter exhibit, also on the Mount Hope Estate, curated by Joe Bergeron. Joe is a relatively new Williamstown resident, having first arrived in town 17 years ago to attend Williams College. He,...
Read More