Adams

Adams is an inspiring place to visit. A history rich with religious and patriotic significance has produced this thriving community that sustains its industrial roots. Adams maintains a small town charm and friendliness, attracting visitors again and again.

Adams began as a tiny farm village that became an industrial small town. Farmers and their sons tapped the energy of the nearby Hoosic River to provide power to textile and paper-making machinery. The result is today’s pleasant town surrounded by the lush landscape of the river valley and the Berkshire Hills.

Mount Greylock State Reservation, which adjoins Adams, is the highest peak in Massachusetts and can be seen from five states. The reservation is a rich source of outdoor recreation in all seasons.

The Quakers, who played an important role in the settling of Adams in the 1700s, built a simple wood meeting house in 1782. The Quaker Meeting House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. It is on the west side of Maple Street cemetery and is open Sundays, May to September. The Susan B. Anthony Days events occur during the same time. The public is invited to attend the Society of Friends annual meeting for worship on the last Sunday in August.

Adams is known for being the birthplace of Susan B. Anthony, who worked tirelessly for women’s suffrage. Her efforts resulted in the passage of the 19^th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1921. Miss Anthony, who was born in Adams February 15, 1820, died 15 years before the amendment was passed and did not live to see her dream for women realized. Her birthplace on the eastern slope of Adams is now a private residence.

The Although President William McKinley was not a resident of Adams, the statue in McKinley Square commemorating the memory of the Ohio native was dedicated on October 10, 1903 after the President was shot in 1901. McKinley was friends with William Plunkett, son of a prominent Adams family, who shared his interest in the nation’s economic policy. Plunkett spearheaded the erection of the President’s statue in Adams.

For more information on Adams, write or call the Northern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce, 57 Main St., North Adams, MA 01247, 413-663-3735.