Jan 17
[Speaking of which, parts of this post may be “dated” because I began writing it about 3 years ago (in early 2019) and then set it aside awaiting further research, which I have never quite completed. So, now (early 2022) I will publish a slightly revised and updated version to reflect what I now know …
Dec 05
In preparing for my next OLLI course on local (Northeast) indigenous culture https://berkshireolli.org/IndigenousWinter2022 I have written a short essay on reparations. I will be able to devote only a short amount of time in one class (out of six) that will focus on the issue of racism: its origins in 15th century Europe, and its …
Sep 18
Here is a collection of historical trivia, collected as Volume XI Number 5 of The General Daniel Davidson Bidwell Memorial Association, dated October 1, 1935. At the end of page 4 (of 4) in the images below there is an explanation of the Association. There is also a pdf version filed here. I am a …
Sep 11
The New England Historical Society (NEHS) has provided a somewhat light-hearted survey of the highest points in each of the New England states. The entry for Massachusetts, however, contains at least a couple of errors. One has to do with Herman Melville: The snow-covered mountain reminded Herman Melville of a great white sperm whale, which …
May 05
Here’s a rather offbeat entry. I happened to come across an old (June 2011) issue of The Atlantic, and this article caught my eye. It is an intriguing tale of a 1986 murder case that gone “cold” in the LAPD, only to be revived after DNA evidence became a thing. The piece is well-written, and …
May 03
Scientific American published an important article in the May 2021 issue (pages 26-33) entitled “Journey into the Americas: Genetic and archaeological discoveries tell a new story about how the continents were populated” — although not much of the story is “new” to those of us who have been following developments in academic research. See the …
Apr 01
This post is an abbreviated version of a longer page on “Native American Heritage in the Upper Housatonic River Valley” by the Housatonic Heritage organization. Here, I cover only the portion that relates to a walking tour of Main Street in Stockbridge Massachusetts called “Footprints of Our Ancestors” – providing links to 12 short videos. …
Jan 20
Here is a list of links to the slides I used in my classes, as well as various blog posts, articles, and other resources that have been referenced during my lectures, or mentioned in my emails to the OLLI students, or that came to mind as I was preparing this list. Background Here is a …
Mar 02
Caveat: I’m not an attorney. My interest in this legal term derives from research I’ve been conducting relating to my upcoming (April/May 2019) OLLI course on Berkshire history. Specifically, I’ve been reading a wonderful 1983 book, recommended to me by two different people; Changes in the Land, by William Cronon, who is now at the University …
Nov 05
My grandmother (Grace Josephine Bidwell) Wilcox was one of the seminal figures of my youth. She was a wonderful story-teller, and she would enthrall me with tales of Stockbridge history, as well as stories of her younger days. Some of those stories involved her grandfather, Edwin Curtis Bidwell. I sensed that she had the same …