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58-603: Brookfield Junction was a station on the main line of the Housatonic Railroad and later the Pittsfield Branch of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad . Opened in 1869, the station was originally located on Stony Hill Road in the southern part of Brookfield, Connecticut . The station was closed in 1925 and was later demolished in the 1930s. The station site also housed a turntable , of which

116-465: A holding company for the railroad's properties, including the newly formed Danbury Terminal Railroad ( reporting mark DTRR ) (an operating company) and Maybrook Properties (a land-owning company). That month the Housatonic bought the connecting Guilford trackage (Canaan Running Track) north to Pittsfield, Massachusetts , where it obtained another interchange with Conrail . In December 1992,

174-489: A humid continental climate ( Dfb ). Winters can be harsh, with temperatures dropping to 0 °F (−18 °C) or colder nine times per year. Summers are warm and pleasant, with temperatures at or above 90 °F (32 °C) four times per year. The record high is 96 °F (36 °C), recorded on July 8, 1988, and the record low is −20 °F (−29 °C), recorded on January 24, 2011 and February 6, 2015. On average, 153 days see measurable precipitation per year. As of

232-677: A city in 1895. The city is named in honor of Samuel Adams , a leader in the American Revolution , signer of the Declaration of Independence , and governor of Massachusetts . For much of its history, North Adams was a mill town . Manufacturing began in the city before the Revolutionary War , largely because the confluence of the Hoosic River's two branches provided water power for small-scale industry. By

290-507: A community of 18,000. From the post-war years to the mid-1980s, Sprague produced electrical components for the booming consumer electronics market, but competition from abroad led to declining sales and, in 1985, the company closed operations on Marshall Street. Its closure devastated the local economy. Unemployment rates rose and population declined. After Sprague closed, business and political leaders in North Adams sought ways to re-use

348-554: A household in the city was $ 35,020, and the median income for a family was $ 90,000. The per capita income for the city was $ 19,857. About 9.0% of families and 22.3% of the population were below the poverty line , including 11.0% of those age 20 or over. Due to North Adams being the location of MASS MoCA , there are numerous art galleries spread throughout the city, and a few of the old mills have been converted to lofts for artists to live and work in. A new, Frank Gehry -designed Extreme Model Railroad and Contemporary Architecture Museum

406-627: A memorial site. It was dedicated in 1933 and operated as a historical tourist site until the 1960s. The 1933 Fort's replica chimney is located at the rear of the Central Markets Supermarket that opened at the site in 1960 and closed in 2016 as a Price Chopper Supermarket. The historic site was conveyed to the City of North Adams by the Golub family in 2017. The town was incorporated separately from Adams in 1878, and reincorporated as

464-677: A point in Shelton was opened. The rest of the extension, 9.79 mi (15.76 km) from that point to the Housatonic Railroad at Botsford , was built by the Housatonic and opened on November 28. On July 9, 1889, the Housatonic leased the New Haven and Derby. On July 1, 1892, the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad leased the Housatonic, forming the Berkshire Division ; it was merged on March 29, 1898. By

522-684: Is a city in Berkshire County, Massachusetts , United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area . Its population was 12,961 as of the 2020 census . Best known as the home of the largest contemporary art museum in the United States, the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art , North Adams has in recent years become a center for tourism, culture and recreation. North Adams

580-697: Is currently represented in the United States Senate by senior Senator Elizabeth Warren and junior Senator Ed Markey . North Adams operates its own public school system, with three elementary schools (Brayton Elementary School, Greylock Elementary School and Colegrove Park Elementary School) and Drury High School , which also serves several neighboring towns. The city is also home to Charles H. McCann Technical High School , as well as several private and parochial schools. Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) enrolls about 1,980 students. Founded in 1894 as North Adams Normal School, in 1932,

638-537: Is home to Harriman-and-West Airport , a small regional airport. The nearest airport with national service is Albany International Airport . The freight rail line which passes through the city extends through the Hoosac Tunnel towards the east. The nearest passenger rail service to North Adams is the recently re-routed Amtrak Vermonter in Greenfield, Massachusetts , an hour to the east. Pittsfield , to

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696-739: Is located in the Eighth Massachusetts Governor's Council district and is represented by city resident Tara Jacobs. The city is patrolled by the Fourth (Cheshire) Station of Barracks "B" of the Massachusetts State Police . On the national level, North Adams is represented in the United States House of Representatives as part of Massachusetts's 1st congressional district , and is represented by Richard Neal of Springfield . Massachusetts

754-748: Is proposed to be built in North Adams. The city is home to the North Adams SteepleCats of the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL). The SteepleCats play at Joe Wolfe Field in North Adams. The SteepleCats hold the NECBL record for highest single-game attendance. The record was made on July 4 , 2006, in a game against the Holyoke Giants in front of 6,714 fans. Holyoke won the game 3–2. North Adams' first professional sports franchise

812-629: The Boston and Maine Railroad ( Guilford Rail System ) in Canaan and Conrail in New Milford. In April the Housatonic began to serve Becton, Dickinson and Company , a plastics plant in Canaan, but almost immediately the line was severed at Falls Village by a washout , not repaired until 14 months later. The Housatonic Transportation Company was incorporated in Delaware on January 2, 1991 as

870-997: The Hudson River in New York State as the Hudson and Berkshire Railroad . The line opened on August 10, 1838. On February 6, 1844, the Berkshire Railroad (then leased to the Housatonic) leased the West Stockbridge and Hudson and Berkshire Railroads . On November 21, 1854, the Western Railroad bought the Hudson and Berkshire, which became a branch from the Western's line (later the Boston and Albany Railroad ) from Chatham to Hudson , and

928-556: The Metro-North Commuter Railroad 's Harlem Line from White Plains (MP 22.0) to Dover Plains (MP 76.6), and north to Wassaic (MP 81.6) over trackage still owned by the New York and Harlem Railroad and leased to Conrail, crossing the east–west line at Dykemans . Finally, it obtained overhead trackage rights over Metro-North's Waterbury Branch from the east end of this line at Derby (MP 8.9) south to Devon, Connecticut (MP 0.0), (operated for freight by

986-537: The Mohawk Trail , which ascends to the West Summit along a steep, curving road. While the trail ends here, Massachusetts Route 2 , which the trail is coextensive with, continues westward into Williamstown and towards New York . Route 8 also passes through the city, passing from Adams through the city and northward into Clarksburg. Route 8A , also known as 8A-U (for "upper"), runs parallel to Route 8 east of

1044-466: The Providence and Worcester Railroad ). The Housatonic also acquired the final part of the main line, from New Milford south to the east–west line at Berkshire Junction near Danbury . With this acquisition, the Housatonic gained a much expanded system and several new customers. These new acquisitions were first operated January 2, 1993. While freight customers remained on Metro-North's Harlem Line,

1102-679: The United States Census Bureau , North Adams has a total area of 20.6 square miles (53.4 km ), of which 20.3 square miles (52.7 km ) is land and 0.27 square miles (0.7 km ), or 1.31%, is water. North Adams is bordered by Clarksburg to the north, Florida to the east, Adams to the south, and Williamstown to the west. North Adams is located in the valley created by the Hoosic River , which has been walled and floored with concrete in portions to prevent floods. The city's Natural Bridge State Park contains

1160-597: The census of 2010, there were 13,708 people, 5,652 households, and 3,156 families residing in the city. The city, which is the smallest in Massachusetts, ranks second (after Pittsfield) out of 32 cities and towns in Berkshire County by population. The population density was 665.4 inhabitants per square mile (256.9/km ), ranking it 2nd in the county. There were 6,523 housing units at an average density of 316.7 per square mile (122.3/km ). The racial makeup of

1218-835: The Danbury Terminal Railroad acquired trackage and rights belonging to Conrail in southwestern Connecticut and southeastern New York. Maybrook Properties bought the former New Haven line (then the Danbury Secondary Track ) from Beacon, New York (MP 0.0), east to Hopewell Junction (MP 12.8) (former Newburgh, Dutchess and Connecticut Railroad ), Hopewell Junction (MP 42.9) east to Derby, Connecticut (MP 104.8), (former Hartford, Providence and Fishkill Railroad , Housatonic Railroad and branch to Derby). The Danbury Terminal operated this Maybrook Properties-owned trackage. The Danbury Terminal also obtained Conrail's former trackage rights to serve freight on

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1276-598: The HRRC was not allowed to serve them directly. A few freight shipments were forwarded from Danbury by Metro-North crews, but this arrangement was only temporary until the remaining customers converted to truck transportation. On December 31, 1996, the Danbury Terminal Railroad was merged into the Housatonic Railroad. In 1984, the Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum began operating passenger excursions between Lee and Great Barrington, over tracks owned by

1334-664: The Hoosac River's water power. The 1850 census marked the official shift of the town from agriculture to industry, since more factory workers than farmers now resided in the town. In 1870 the use of Chinese strikebreakers from California to break the North Adams strike at the Sampson Shoe Factory (today part of the Mass MoCA complex) was an important step in the movement of Chinese from the west coast to

1392-465: The Housatonic Railroad. Due to deteriorating track conditions, passenger operations were suspended in 1989. The museum successfully campaigned for state assistance funds to upgrade the tracks. The excursion trains returned in 2003, based out of the restored station in Lenox, with regular schedules to Lee and Stockbridge. In 2008 HRRC considering the possibility of resuming commercial passenger service along

1450-471: The Housatonic's main line) and a southern extension to Wilson Point . In the meantime, the New Haven and Derby Railroad was chartered in 1864 to run from New Haven west to Derby, Connecticut , and north to Ansonia , planned as part of the route over the never-built Hudson Highland Suspension Bridge . It opened in 1871. On November 14, 1888, a 3.79-mile (6.10 km) extension from Derby Junction to

1508-482: The New Haven was merged into Penn Central , which named the lines as follows: The last passenger train ran over the route on April 30, 1971, the day before Amtrak took over Penn Central's passenger operations. At that time, the travel time from Danbury to Pittsfield required two hours and 45 minutes. By 1974 the middle section was abandoned, between Boardman Bridge in New Milford and Canaan, Connecticut , and

1566-697: The Normal School became the State Teachers College of North Adams. In 1960, the college changed its name to North Adams State College and added professional degrees in Business Administration and Education. In 1997, the name changed to Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, reflective of specialty school status within the Massachusetts State College system. North Adams is the western terminus of

1624-437: The U.S. government during World War II to design and manufacture crucial components of advanced weapons systems, including the atomic bomb . With state-of-the-art equipment, Sprague was a major research and development center, conducting studies on electricity and semi-conducting materials. After the war, its products were used in the launch systems for NASA's Gemini missions, and by 1966 Sprague employed 4,137 workers in

1682-646: The West Stockbridge Railroad (see below) and the never-built Lee and Hudson Railroad . Construction began in February 1841, and it was completed on December 1, 1842, the same day the line in Connecticut opened. The Housatonic Railroad leased the Berkshire Railroad on January 1, 1843. The West Stockbridge Railroad was chartered in 1831 and incorporated April 5, 1836 to run from West Stockbridge west to State Line , where it would continue to

1740-561: The city was 93.0% White , 1.8% African American , 0.4% Native American , 1.1% Asian , 0.2% Pacific Islander , 0.8% from other races , and 2.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.4% of the population. There were 5,652 households, out of which 23.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.4% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.2% were non-families. 39.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.0% had someone living alone who

1798-522: The city, including the Noel Field Athletic Complex, just south of the downtown, and the recently constructed Alcombright Athletic Complex, in the city's west end. North Adams is governed by the mayor-council form of government ( list of mayors of North Adams, Massachusetts ). The city has its own services, including police, fire and public works. The city's public library is the largest in northern Berkshire County and has access to

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1856-534: The continued operation of the Berkshire Scenic Railway on Housatonic-owned tracks is no longer possible." In July 2014, Massachusetts Department of Transportation 's Board of Directors authorized the purchase of 37 miles of the railroad's Berkshire Line. MassDOT's purchase is intended to extend rail services to New York City , following track improvements for passenger and freight service between Massachusetts and Connecticut . MassDOT finalized

1914-559: The east coast, resulting in east coast Chinatowns in the United States . On a national scale, the North Adams strike became known as the primary trigger to the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act by the U.S. Congress in 1882. North Adams was also the headquarters for building the Hoosac Tunnel starting in 1851 and completed in 1874, adding an east–west connection to Boston and Albany to the existing 1842 rail connection to New York. Prior to that time, inter-regional travel

1972-477: The end of the New Haven's life, the Housatonic's original main line had been abandoned south of Botsford , where the old New Haven branch ran only east to Derby . The main line was also gone between Brookfield and Hawleyville , with traffic using the branch to Danbury and old New York and New England Railroad . The Danbury and Norwalk was still in use, but most branches, including the original main line to State Line, Massachusetts , were gone. On January 1, 1969

2030-615: The entire line from Danbury to Pittsfield, and in May 2010 began a formal study of the same. The estimated cost of upgrading the railroad to support passenger trains was estimated to be between $ 100 million and $ 150 million, not including the cost of the required equipment. In 2011, the Housatonic Railroad decided it would not renew its agreement with BSRM to continue operating passenger excursions over their railroad. Colin Pease, spokesperson for HRRC, said, "The Housatonic Railroad has determined that

2088-515: The foundation is still largely intact. The station opened in 1869 to serve as a junction where the New York, New Haven, and Hartford's Maybrook Line would meet at a wye with the Housatonic Railroad, creating a faster connection between New York City and Western Massachusetts. The station had two platforms: one low-level side platform that connected it to an adjoining freight depot, and one low-level island platform for eastbound trains. There

2146-668: The largest employer in North Adams, with some 3,200 workers by 1905. Despite decades of success, falling cloth prices and the lingering effects of the Great Depression forced the company to close its Marshall Street operation in 1942 and consolidate at smaller facilities in Adams. Later that year, the Sprague Electric Company bought the former print works site. Sprague physicists , chemists , electrical engineers , and skilled technicians were called upon by

2204-636: The late 1700s and early 1800s, businesses included wholesale shoe manufacturers ; a brick yard ; a saw mill ; cabinet-makers ; hat manufacturers; machine shops for the construction of mill machines; marble works; wagon and sleigh-makers; and an ironworks , which provided the pig iron for armor plates on the Civil War ship, the Monitor . Expansion westwards started with the creation of three mill villages, Blackinton in 1821, Greylock in 1846 and Braytonville in 1832, located to take advantage of

2262-619: The main route, and is located entirely within city limits. The nearest interstate highway is Interstate 91 to the east, almost an hour away. North Adams appears on that highway's signs at Exit 26, located in Greenfield . The city is the northern terminus of several lines of the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority (BRTA) and also has regional service. Intercity bus service is provided in nearby Williamstown by Peter Pan Lines with connections to New York City , as well as towns and cities between. North Adams

2320-540: The only natural white marble bridge in North America. Formed by glacial melt by 11,000 BCE , the arch and abandoned quarry have long attracted attention from hikers, including Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1838, who wrote of it (among other local features) in his An American Notebook . To the east, the city is bordered by the western face of the Hoosac Range , with visibility on its West Summit extending throughout

2378-464: The proposed institution, which would serve as a platform for presenting contemporary art and developing links to the region's other cultural institutions, began in earnest. The Massachusetts legislature announced its support for the project in 1988. Subsequent economic upheaval threatened the project, but broad-based support from the community and the private sector, which pledged more than $ 8 million, ensured that it moved forward. The eventual proposal used

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2436-682: The purchase on February 5, 2015. On October 14, 2020, a HRRC employee was fatally struck by a maintenance of way vehicle while working in North Canaan, CT, prompting an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. In June 2021, Metro-North attempted to end HRRC's trackage rights over the Beacon Line in New York and abandon the line, prompting the Housatonic Railroad to file an objection. North Adams, Massachusetts North Adams

2494-857: The regional library networks. On the state level, North Adams is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives by the First Berkshire district, which covers northern Berkshire County, and is represented by former mayor John Barrett III of North Adams (elected in a special election in November, 2017). In the Massachusetts Senate , the city is represented by Sen. Paul Mark (the Berkshire, Hampshire and Franklin district, which includes all of Berkshire County and western Hampshire and Franklin counties). North Adams

2552-621: The scale and versatility of the industrial spaces to link the facility's past and its new life as the country's largest center for contemporary visual and performing arts. Since it opened, the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) has been part of a larger economic transformation in the region based on cultural, recreational, and educational offerings. North Adams has become home for several new restaurants, contemporary art galleries, and cultural organizations. In addition, once-shuttered area factories and mills have been rehabilitated as lofts for artists to live and work in. According to

2610-421: The tri-state area. To the southwest, the city has the northern end of Mount Greylock State Reservation , ending at Mount Williams , which at 2,951 feet (899 m) above sea level is the highest point in the city. The Appalachian Trail passes through the western part of the city, crossing the summit of Mount Williams and briefly passing through Williamstown before heading north towards Vermont. North Adams has

2668-548: The vast complex. Williams College Museum of Art director Thomas Krens , who would later become Director of the Guggenheim , was looking for space to exhibit large works of contemporary art that would not fit in conventional museum galleries. When mayor John Barrett III (serving 1984–2009) suggested the vast Marshall Street complex as a possible exhibition site, the idea of creating a contemporary arts center in North Adams began to take shape. The campaign to build support for

2726-452: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.98. In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.74% under the age of 18, 16.9% from 18 to 24, 21.4% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.75 males. The median income for

2784-541: Was abandoned east of Hudson. The West Stockbridge Railroad stayed part of the Housatonic system. The final section of main line was incorporated March 20, 1847, as the Stockbridge and Pittsfield Railroad . This line split from the original main line at Van Deusenville in Great Barrington and ran east and north to Pittsfield . The full line opened on January 1, 1850, under operation of the Housatonic, and

2842-526: Was also a hotel and restaurant across the street that was built to serve the station, which burned down in 2006 after sitting vacant for many years. [REDACTED] Media related to Brookfield Junction at Wikimedia Commons Housatonic Railroad The Housatonic Railroad was also a company chartered in 1836 and leased by the New Haven in 1892. It followed much the same route as the current company, but did not run west into New York. The Housatonic Railroad, originally (mis)spelled as 'Ousatonic Railroad',

2900-474: Was chartered in 1863 to run from White Plains, New York , northeast via Danbury to Brookfield, Connecticut , on the Housatonic. It was only built north of Danbury, and on May 1, 1874, the Housatonic leased and opened it. On May 6, 1881, the Housatonic outright bought it, and on July 27, 1887, the Housatonic leased the Danbury and Norwalk, by then including branches to Ridgefield and Hawleyville (the latter on

2958-474: Was chartered in 1983 by John Hanlon Jr. to lease 34 miles of the former line, from Boardman Bridge in New Milford north to Canaan, Connecticut , from the State of Connecticut . Excursion trains began operating between Canaan and just south of Cornwall Bridge (at Belsprings Siding) in November 1984. The rest of the line, south into New Milford, was made serviceable in 1989, giving the company two connections -

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3016-646: Was chartered in May 1836 to build a line from Bridgeport, Connecticut , north to the Massachusetts state line, along the Housatonic River valley. On February 19, 1840, regular service began from Bridgeport to New Milford , and on December 1, 1842, it opened to the state line. On the other side of the line, the Berkshire Railroad was incorporated April 13, 1837, to continue the line north to West Stockbridge , where it would connect to

3074-433: Was first settled in 1745 during King George's War , when the most western of a line of defensive forts was built along the bank of the Hoosic River , and occupied by Massachusetts militiamen and their families. During the war, Canadian and Native American forces laid siege to Fort Massachusetts 30 prisoners were taken to Quebec ; half died in captivity. In 1747 Fort Massachusetts was rebuilt with improved defenses, but

3132-432: Was formally leased January 25. For a time the Housatonic operated the Pittsfield and North Adams Railroad , running north from the Western Railroad east of Pittsfield to North Adams , but it was returned to the Boston and Albany Railroad , the successor to the Western, in the early 1870s. The Danbury and Norwalk Railroad opened in 1852 from Danbury south to Norwalk . The New York, Housatonic and Northern Railroad

3190-400: Was limited to weekly stagecoaches from Albany and Greenfield. Downtown in 1860, Oliver Arnold and Company was established with the latest equipment for printing cloth. Large government contracts to supply fabric for the Union Army helped the business prosper. During the next four decades, Arnold Print Works became one of the world's leading manufacturers of printed textiles . It also became

3248-404: Was never attacked again. In a period of peace following the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle , many of the soldiers who had been garrisoned at the fort turned to farming instead by opting to each take a 190-acre package of nearby land in lieu of back-pay in the nearby township of West Hoosac (now known as Williamstown ). The North Adams Women's Club began raising funds in 1895 to reconstruct the fort as

3306-450: Was not made part of Conrail on April 1, 1976, instead being bought by the State of Connecticut . In 1982 the Boston and Maine Railroad bought the line north of Canaan, renaming it the Canaan Running Track . Conrail continued to operate the line south of New Milford, and the old Danbury and Norwalk Railroad was conveyed to the Metro-North Commuter Railroad on January 1, 1983, becoming their Danbury Branch . A new Housatonic Railroad

3364-435: Was the Berkshire Battalion , an expansion team of the Federal Hockey League , which played a single season in 2014–2015. Troubled by an embezzlement charge against its coach and general manager, who had also been manager of the municipal skating ring, and fractious lease negotiations with the city, the team relocated after its single season to Dayton, Ohio . There are many athletic complexes and recreational fields throughout

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