Fun Facts About the Berkshires

  • Herman Melville wrote the novel Moby Dick at his home, Arrowhead now a National Historic Landmark in Pittsfield, www.mobydick.org.
  • At 3,491 feet, Mount Greylock is the highest point in Massachusetts, http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/massparks/region-west/mt-greylock-state-reservation-generic.html
  • Norman Rockwell, an American illustrator, made his home in Stockbridge, www.nrm.org
  • The Mount in Lenox was the home of famed writer Edith Wharton, www.edithwharton.org.
  • The movie Cider House Rules was filmed at Ventfort Hall Gilded Age Mansion in Lenox, http://gildedage.org/.
  • The Quaker Homestead of the famed womens’ rights advocate Susan. B. Anthony is located in Adams, http://www.susanbanthonybirthplace.com/.
  • Chesterwood in Stockbridge was the home of Daniel Chester French, sculptor of Abraham Lincoln, Lincoln Memorial, http://chesterwood.org/.
  • Actress Karen Allen, best known for her roles in Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Animal House lives in Great Barrington. She is an avid knitter and started her own textile company in 2003, Karen Allen Fiber Arts, http://karenallen-fiberarts.com/.
  • Bousquet Ski Resort in Pittsfield was the first ski area in Berkshire County to have night skiing and invented the rope tow gripper, http://www.bousquets.com/.
  • American folk singer Arlo Guthrie wrote the song Alice’s Restaurant, based on a true incident in his life that happened on Thanksgiving Day, 1965 in Stockbridge, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arlo_Guthrie#.22Alice.27s_Restaurant.22.
  • Crane & Company based in Dalton is the manufacturer of cotton-based paper products used in the printing of US currency, http://www.crane.com/.
  • Olympian downhill skier Heidi Voelker grew up in Lee, MA.
  • James Taylor, Singer/Songwriter has a home in Lenox.
  • Gwyneth Paltrow began her career at Williamstown Theatre Festival under the direction of her father, Bruce.
  • 1791 Baseball document found in Pittsfield – was baseball born in
    Pittsfield.