By Marcia Parnell The appreciation, love, and sense of loss for owners Bob and Tami Scott was abundant in the 294 emojis and 126 comments on the Facebook post announcing the closure of local favorite Papa Bob’s Entertainment Hall on February 4th. Very much a family affair, Tami’s dad purchased the property, and Bob and […]
Tag: Town History
Becket Was in Ruins
By Marilyn Fish On November 4, 1927, Becket experienced a natural disaster that changed the lives and challenged the fortitude of its entire population. Most present-day residents have heard of the flood of ‘27, but not all are aware that Becket was one of many cities and towns in New England that were nearly destroyed […]
The Giving Tree
By Marilyn Fish In the 1920s, a skeletal old tree that stood guard over the misty hills and deep forests of Becket inspired artist Thomas Hart Benton (1889-1975) to make a sketch. He later transformed that sketch into a robust painting of twisting sculptural forms, typical of his Regionalist style. He titled it The Old […]
What’s Happening with Real Estate in Becket?
By Tom Lynch Prior to the COVID pandemic, real estate agent Thom Garvey would see Berkshire County’s annual housing inventory consistently hover around 250 to 300 homes for sale. But when COVID hit, many city people decided life in the country would be a great idea, and country people were happy to accommodate them. Consequently, […]
“A Murder of the Most Revolting Kind”
By Marilyn Fish On a rainy day in October, 1891, A. B. Pomeroy was hunting with his dog, Jack, in a wooded area of Washington. Suddenly Jack ran toward a leaf-covered area and began digging frantically. When the hound pulled a man’s suspender out of the earth, Pomeroy, further noting the sickening odor of decomposing […]
The Becket Truant School Experiment
By Marilyn Fish The school year in Becket has always begun in September and ended in June, right? Actually, wrong. It was only in 1852 that Massachusetts began to regulate school terms and make attendance compulsory. A new law intended to give youngsters a basic education and keep them off the streets provided that children […]