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Rediscovering the Past: Local History & Hauntings

Local Hauntings Hauntings and history go together because ghosts are often traditionally seen as apparitions that once lived and therefore represent a past not entirely forgotten because it crosses realms and lingers in the present and future. Many historic tales of hauntings are passed down through oral histories of places. Through word of mouth, legends and ghost stories are passed down from generation to generation and become a part of a town… Read More

Category: Hilltown Families, History, Supplement Tags: Hauntings, History, Learning Ahead Seasons Sept Oct, Learning Ahead Week 8

Ancestors Come Alive in Local Cemeteries and Tours

Cemetery Tours An experiential way to learn about local history while satisfying an intrigue for ghost stories is to participate in a guided cemetery tour. With some local cemeteries pushing their 400th birthday, Western Massachusetts’ burying grounds are community-based resources filled with primary source artifacts that support an interest in history. Through facilitated tours, often hosted by local historical societies, self-directed teens and lifelong learners can explore local graveyards together in order… Read More

Category: Hilltown Families, History, Supplement Tags: Cemeteries, Cemetery Tours, Learning Ahead Seasons Sept Oct, Learning Ahead Week 8

Featured Events: Graveyards & Cemetery Tours

Graveyard Tours Support an Interest in Local History and Cultural Studies Graveyards are filled with stone markers that chronicle a community’s history. Everything from the names of buried people to the style of the stone can tell visitors something about the time period to which a headstone dates back. Photographing and sketching gravestones is a creative way to explore local cemeteries, alongside a self-guided or facilitated tour. Here are three featured guided… Read More

Category: Hilltown Families, History, Suggested Activity, Supplement Tags: Cemeteries, Cemetery Tours, Learning Ahead Seasons Sept Oct, Learning Ahead Week 8

Featured Events: Haunted Historic Buildings & Tours

Haunted Building and Tours Support Curiosity, and Learning! Towns across Western Massachusetts have tales of haunted historic buildings, ghost sightings, and supernatural suspicions that lead people to wonder whether a place is haunted or not. Haunted tales are sometimes rooted in actual events or historical accounts from people of the past, and can add to the mystery and curiosity of a place. In the Berkshires this haunted season, three events support learning… Read More

Category: Hilltown Families, History, Suggested Activity, Supplement Tags: Hauntings, Learning Ahead Seasons Sept Oct, Learning Ahead Week 8

Literature Spotlight: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

American writer, Washington Irving’s story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, doesn’t take place in Massachusetts, but it does show how the idea of a legend or passed down history is often used as a way to tell the story of a haunting.