Berkshire County Historical Opens Arrowhead on May 17

04:29PM / Tuesday, May 13, 2025Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire County Historical Society (BCHS)will open Herman Melville's historic home, Arrowhead, for guided tours beginning May 17.

Melville lived at Arrowhead from 1850-1863 and there wrote his masterpiece "Moby-Dick" inspired by the view of Mount Greylock outside his study window.

Tours are offered Thursday through Monday on the hour with the first tour beginning at 10 am and the last at 3 pm. Rates for guided tours are: adults $20, students $10, children 12 and under free. Reservations are not required but can be made by using the BOOK NOW button at berkshirehistory.org. Group tours are available by appointment for groups of twelve or more; $15 per person.

To celebrate the seasonal re-opening, BCHS will offer special orchard tours in collaboration with Berkshire Cider Project.

In 2022, BCHS teamed up with Berkshire Cider Project to plant a new orchard at Arrowhead. About 25 apple varieties were selected to represent the historic orchard on site during Melville's time and other important heirloom varieties. The orchard provides a learning destination for fruit growers, activities for kids and family, and provides apples to be used for cider making. Throughout the day Berkshire Cider Project's Matt Brogan will be pruning the orchard and at 10 am and 2 pm will demonstrate proper pruning and grafting techniques and discuss the history of apples in New England.

Cider samples will be available for guests 21+.

The celebration continues into the evening with a special concert of sea shanties by Alex Harvey and Shinbone Alley at 7 pm. Come early and picnic on the grounds and step into the tavern and warm up those swashbuckling vocal chords with hard ciders and beer from Berkshire Cider Project and Hot Plate Brewing Company for sale during the event.

Alex Harvey is an old-world folklorist who performs street ballads and songs of the sea in a project he calls Shinbone Alley. Tickets are available by using the BOOK NOW button at berkshirehistory.org - $15 BCHS Members, $20 nonmembers.

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Pittsfield Council Revisiting DEI Office Rename

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
04:11PM / Tuesday, October 13, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The conversation about the DEI office renaming that was halted by a charter objection will resume on Tuesday.

The City Council will discuss a request from Mayor Peter Marchetti to rename the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

It proposes to rename the DEI office to the Office of Equity, Access, and Opportunity and merge the Human Rights Commission and Affirmative Action Committee into an Equity, Access and Opportunity Commission.

The Ordinance and Rules Subcommittee supported the changes in August, and in September, Ward 2 Councilor Cameron Cunningham delayed the vote with a charter objection.

Pittsfield's City Code prohibits charter states that "if a single member present objects to the taking of the vote, the vote shall be postponed until the next meeting of the city council." It also stipulates that at least four members must object if it is an emergency measure.

Cunningham also submitted a petition, which was referred to O&R under Rule 27, to replace the DEI Office and the Human Rights Commission with an equity, access, and opportunity coordinator in the Department of Community Development, with formal complaints and Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action functions assigned to Human Resources.

At the last meeting, he spent more than an hour querying the mayor and chief diversity officer about functions and effectiveness of the department, wanting more quantitative data. Cunningham proposed an ordinance that he says keeps Pittsfield's commitment to equity, access, and opportunity, "refocuses it on measurable results for our residents, and delivers it at a fraction of the current cost."

Under this petition, the equity, access, and opportunity coordinator would be a $60,000 to $80,000 per year position.

The DEI Office's fiscal year 2027 budget was about $200,000 after cuts during budget season; $106,700 for the chief diversity officer and $58,000 for the administrative assistant. The coordinator would be appointed by the director of community development and the mayor.

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