Chesterwood was once the home of one of America's foremost sculptors, Daniel Chester French (1850-1931), who created two of the most iconic sculptures in the country: the Minute Man and the massive statue of Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. The home was built in 1896 and designed by his architect friend Henry Bacon in the Colonial Revival style. The 122 acre property features gardens, woodland paths, and permanent sculptures; there are also exhibitions of sculptures as well. The Barn Gallery contains a permanent exhibition about French's life and work, featuring sketches, plaster casts and bronze molds.
The Norman Rockwell Museum contains the largest and most significant collection of paintings and drawings of American artist Norman Rockwell, who lived in Stockbridge during the last 25 years of his life. The museum, which opened in 1969 in his house, contains 998 of Rockwell's works. A new building was constructed in 1993 and Rockwell's studio was moved to the new museum site. Inside the studio visitors will find original art materials, furnishings and personal items in the studio. There is also an archives which houses a collection of 100,000 items related to Rockwell—photographs, letters, correspondence, etc.
This house was built in c. 1742 by Reverend John Sergeant, the first Christian missionary to the Stockbridge Indians. It is now owned and operated by The Trustees of Reservations as a house museum.
This Gilded Age mansion and country estate was designed by McKim, Mead & White, with landscaping by Fletcher Steele. Built in the 1880s for lawyer Joseph Choate, it was given by his daughter to The Trustees of Reservations, who operate it as a museum.
The Mount was designed by Edith Wharton in 1902. The building is an example of the wide ranging talents of one of the finest American novelists of the 20th century. During an era of flamboyant house decoration, Wharton designed an airy, informal mansion with many design elements drawn from the houses of continental Europe. Wharton teamed up with her niece, an acclaimed landscape architect, to design the gardens of The Mount. Wharton wrote her 1911 novel Ethan Frome while living at The Mount. The Mount survived as the Foxhollow School for Girls until the 1970. It was later purchased and saved from neglect by Edith Wharton Restoration, Inc.
The Frelinghuysen Morris House & Studio is a museum dedicated to two of America's leading abstract artists, George and Suzy Morris. The house and studio is open for tours and feature works by both artists, as well as contemporaries such Pablo Picasso. In addition to their works of oil on canvass, the couple created fresco paintings that also adorn the walls in the house. The house and studio opened to the public in 1998.
Founded in 1894 by train enthusiast John W. Herbert and others, the Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum preserves and promotes the history of railroading in this part of the Massachusetts. The museum offers train rides from North Adams to Adams, features several pieces of vintage railroading stock and equipment, and manages historic buildings including the Lennox Train Station which was built in 1850 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
This Tour is a Walking Tour.
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This scenic drive includes numerous historic homes and studios that were home to leading novelists and artists. The tour also includes elegant mansions and homes that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The tour concludes at the Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum which is located in a historic depot.
