Stockbridge Massachusetts and Beyond

…continuing with day 18 of our August 2018 road trip to the northeastern United States.

Following our tour of the Norman Rockwell Museum, we headed into Stockbridge for lunch and to look around the town.

This is the Red Lion Inn, located in the center of Stockbridge.  As per tradition, a small tavern was established on this corner in 1773.  Over the years it was expanded several times.  By 1884, it was known as the Stockbridge House and it provided accommodations for 100 guests.  However, a fire in August of 1896 completely destroyed the building.  The rebuilt hotel was opened in May of 1897.  It remained in the same family for over 90 years. 

These photos show the lobby area and the stairs leading to the rooms upstairs.  Note the low ceilings as compared to today’s hotels…

The Fitzpatrick family has owned the Red Lion Inn since 1968.  It is the last of the nineteenth century hotels still in business in the Berkshire Mountains.  A Red Lion has always been the hotels symbol and the name has been used since ca. 1900.  Noted guests have included Presidents Cleveland, McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, Coolidge, and Franklin Roosevelt.  Other guests have included Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Thornton Wilder, John Wayne and Bob Dylan. 

This is the bar area at the Red Lion Inn.  Note the old wood plank floors!  The bar really looks like an old time pub doesn’t it?

It was another beautiful day and the outdoor dining option was a popular choice.

These are 2 views of the main dining room at the Red Lion Inn.  We were seated in this room by a window.  It was like taking a step back in history.

Tomatoes were in season during our visit so Laurie started out with this luscious and attractive Tomato Salad.  At $14.00, it was a little pricey…but it was good.  Laurie also had a glass of Pinot Grigio. ($9.00)

I started my meal with a good if not great, cup of clam chowder. ($8.00)

For her entrée, Laurie selected the Quiche. ($16.00) I don’t recall what was in the Quiche but Laurie thought that it was very nice.

For my main dish, I ordered a Grilled Grass-Fed Beef Burger with Cabot Cheddar Cheese and a small side salad. ($17.00)

The food at the Red Lion Inn was competent but not great.  It was a very expensive lunch but hey, we were paying for history and ambiance! 

This cat was hanging out in the lobby area.  From his attitude, he owned the place…tolerating the continuous attention for visitors.

The Red Lion’s Porch was our favorite place of the whole Inn!  We relaxed for a little while before moving along…

The Red Lion Inn is located at 30 Main Street in Stockbridge.  The Inn is one of the Historic Hotels of America. (https://www.historichotels.org/) 

To learn more about dining options at the Red Lion Inn as well as information regarding their accommodations, just go to http://www.redlioninn.com/.

This antique car rolling by seemed fitting given the history of the Red Lion Inn and Stockbridge itself. 

This brick Dutch Colonial building provided offices for the board of selectmen, the town clerk, assessors and the town’s police department beginning in 1884 when it was completed until 1963 when they moved to the newly renovated Town Hall.  Today, as the photo shows, the building is home to a Yankee Candle Store and The Image Gallery. 

The Williams and Sons Country Store at 38 Main Street in Stockbridge is a gift shop.  The building has been here ca. 1790s. 

Stockbridge’s Main Street Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places…but related information has not been entered into the Federal information base. 

Despite the sign, the Stockbridge General Store is a bit of a misnomer.  It is operating as the Main Street Café and they serve breakfast, lunch and coffee.  I wasn’t able to learn more about this old building…except that it has a current estimated real estate value of about $758,000. 

This attractive old building at 44 Main Street is currently occupied by the 7 Arts Gift Shop.  Note the attractive window décor and the outstanding architectural touches on the upper front portion of the store.  This store is focused on used vinyl and CD’s along with related equipment needed to play the music and vintage clothing. 

This handsome Victorian Italianate home is located at 39 Main Street in Stockbridge, right across from the stores and restaurants.  From what I read, it was built ca. 1900.  I can’t determine if it’s still on the market or not…but interior photos on realtor.com reveal that a new owner should have plenty of money available to restore the home and modernize it!  Check it out at https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/39-Main-St_Stockbridge_MA_01262_M33314-77933.

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Stockbridge was organized in 1834.  This is the second church, replacing an earlier wood structure that had been built in 1840.  This stone church was completed in 1884.  Built with Berkshire limestone, the church was a gift from Charles Butler, the same New York attorney whose summer “cottage” is on the grounds of the Rockwell museum.

The church uses a Norman Rockwell image of the building on their website.  Rockwell was a St. Paul’s parishioner.  A bronze sculpture entitled “The Spirit of Life” completed by Daniel Chester French resides on the covered porch leading to the main entrance.   French is best known as the sculptor of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.  He was also a member of this church.  The marble Baptistery in the church was designed by Sanford White, a noted architect. (White was famously murdered at New York’s Madison Square Garden by a jealous husband)   

To learn more about St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Stockbridge Massachusetts, go to http://www.stpaulsstockbridge.org/.

This is the old Gothic revival style Stockbridge railway depot.  It was built in 1893, replacing an earlier structure that had been completed in 1850.  This rail line was originally served by the Stockbridge and Pittsfield Railroad, then the Housatonic Railroad and finally the New York, New Haven and Hartford.  The latter railroad provided passenger service to Stockbridge until 1968 when the Penn Central Railroad took over the line.  All passenger service ended in 1971. 

The Stockbridge Depot is now leased by the Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum. The Museum is planning to use this historic building to display historic exhibits and to use the property for special events once tourist train service by the Berkshire Line is re-established to Stockbridge.

This diner wasn’t open when we drove through Canaan Connecticut.  The New York Times called the Collins Diner one of the top 10 diners in New England.  This diner has been designated as a National Historic Landmark.  It is an original Jerry O’Mahony design.  It was named after the original early 1900s horse drawn eatery that was based in the same location.

Collins Diner is located at 53 Main Street (Railroad Plaza) in North Canaan Connecticut.  Website: http://www.collinsdiner.com/home_1.html.

To learn more about the Jerry O’Mahony Diner Company (New Jersey), go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_O%27Mahony_Diner_Company.  

This is the Canaan Union Depot.  This former union station (serving more than one railroad) was built in 1872.  It was at the junction of the Housatonic Railroad and the Connecticut Western Railroad…with the latter acquired by the Central New England Railway.

Look at the track configuration.  The depot or station was located between 2 rail lines.  The depot is in the center of a triangle…with tracks on all 3 sides of the building.  The 3-story tower was occupied by the electric telegraph operator.  Each of the 2 90-foot wings of the building were occupied by a railroad company.  The first floor contained a large restaurants, very important before dining cars became common.

 

More than half of this station was destroyed by an arsonist in the fall of 2001.  The Connecticut Railroad Historical Association purchased the remainder in 2003 and they began to restore it.  From the way it looked when we stopped by, it looked like the restoration was complete!  It’s a beautiful depot.  I wasn’t alone taking photos.  Three other families or individuals were taking pictures too…with the locomotive way down the track in the second photo, eventually switching back and forth on the tracks around the depot.

To learn more about the Canaan Union Station and The Connecticut Railroad Historical Association, you can go to https://www.canaanunionstation.com/.  

One more night in New England and then we start the drive home…with a few stops along the way. 

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave