Quabbin Flooding 75th Anniversary

Gene H. Theroux, President of “Friends of Quabbin, Inc,” and Bob Wilder, resident of one of the towns taken by the state for the flooding of the Swift River Valley, discuss the 75th anniversary of the decommissioning of the four towns and the anniversary ball planned...

Indian Motorcycles

With spring comes motorcycles on the roads, and Springfield has a storied past with those motorized two-wheel wonders! Guy McLain from the Springfield Museums takes us on a tour of the history of the Indian Motorcycle Company which once dominated the market and was a...
Mt. Tom Inclined Railroad

Mt. Tom Inclined Railroad

The summit of Mt. Tom was not easily accessible until the construction of the Mt. Tom Railroad in  1897. Over a thousand feet above sea level, a ride on the inclined railroad was a popular summer attraction until the Great Depression struck and the railroad and Summit...

Howes Brothers Photography

The Howes Brothers Alvah, Walter, and George, traveled the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts taking photographs of the residents, documenting pictorially the customs, fashions, architecture, industry, technology, and economic conditions of rural New England at the turn...

French Heritage Center

Marie Meder, Acting Director of the  French Heritage Center Committee; Jeanne Hebert, Assistant Director; and Elise Bernier Feeley, history and genealogy consultant for the Committee — discuss efforts to establish a French Heritage Center in the...

Irish Legacy Book

“The Irish Legacy: The History of the Irish in Western Massachusetts” is the first of a planned series of books from the Republican looking at the history of various ethnic groups in the region. Scheduled guests are Anne-Gerard Flynn, Lifestyle Editor of...

Berkshire Glass

Authors Julie L. Sloan and William J. Patriquin discuss the former Berkshire Glassworks in Lanesborough, MA. It was the first company in the country to make stained cathedral glass. Carrie Saldo visits the site of the former factory, the Berkshire Museum, home to some...

1903 Stevens-Duryea Car

Guy McClain, Director of the Wood Museum of Springfield History, discusses concerns that a classic 1903 Stevens-Duryea car, which was built in Springfield and is currently being loaned to the museum, will return to private hands. The car, currently for sale for...

Emily Dickinson Photo

Jane Wald, Executive Director of the Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst discusses the excitement surrounding  the discovery of an 1859 daguerreotype, believed to be the only second known photo of the poet Emily Dickinson. Emily Dickinson Museum      ...

October Mountain, Part 1

Alec Gillman of the DCR and folklorist Joe Durwin explain the colorful history of the Berkshires’ October Mountain, and its transformation from a private estate and nature preserve into the largest state forest in Massachusetts. October Mountain State...

Babbs Roller Rink

Originally built in 1930 as a dance hall, the Babbs Roller Rink on Lake Congamond is undergoing a renovation in the hopes of re-opening to the public. The Citizens Restoring Congamond (CRC) group agreed to utilize its non-profit status to conduct fundraising and...