Monterey Marks 250th Celebration of the Knox Trail

MONTEREY, Mass. — Join the Monterey Historical Society, Monterey Library and the Bidwell House Museum for a celebration of the 250th anniversary of Henry Knox's Noble Trail of Artillery through the Southern Berkshires.

Beginning in December of 1775 from Fort Ticonderoga in New York, 25-year-old Henry Knox led an expedition to move 60 tons of captured British artillery to the Continental army in Boston in order to force the British to evacuate the city. Knox's journey took three months and came through the Berkshires in January 1776, during the depths of winter, using little more than ox and horse-drawn sledges and manpower.

To commemorate the 250th anniversary of this achievement, the Monterey Historical Society, the Monterey Library and the Bidwell House Museum are collaborating on a series of Knox Trail-related programs on Jan. 16 and 17, 2026.

The weekend begins at the Monterey Library on Friday, Jan. 16, at 6 p.m. with the opening reception and program for the exhibition The Knox Trail through the Greenwoods. On Saturday, the program will continue with talks, a guided walk and a panel discussion. Rob Hoogs will present "Henry Knox and the Noble Train of Cannons Through the Greenwoods" at 10 a.m., followed by Jonathan Barkan at 11 a.m. and his Knox Trail Media Show. Barkan created a traveling slideshow about Henry Knox for the 1976 Bicentennial which has been updated and remastered for today's audience. Both of these talks will take place at the Monterey Library.

After lunch, the celebration moves to the Bidwell House Museum at 2 p.m. for the start of a guided walk on the Knox Trail, with Hoogs. Attendees will gather around the fire with hot cider while Hoogs introduces the walk and then carpool to Brett Road for a one-mile guided walk. Visitors will be encouraged to imagine the struggles of Knox and his team as they pulled 60 tons of cannons through the woods of the Southern Berkshires in mid-winter.

Finally, the celebrations will conclude back at the Monterey Library at 7 p.m. with a panel discussion with several Knox Trail historians including Hoogs, Ron Bernard, Bernie Drew, Gary Leveille and Tom Ragusa about their new book "Ye Trodden Path."

The Knox250 exhibit at the library will continue through Feb. 28.  Additional talks and programs will be scheduled during the exhibition run and will be posted on the website.  For more information and a full schedule of events, head to the Bidwell House Museum website.

The exhibit and programs are sponsored in part by grants from Housatonic Heritage and the Friends of the Monterey Library.  All programs are free and open to the public. Parking for the library is limited and visitors can also park in the public lot behind the Monterey Town Hall. Weather-related updates or cancellations to the program will be posted on the Bidwell House Museum Facebook page.

Greenagers Founder Will Conklin Honored as Business Person of the Year

By Breanna Steele12:17PM / Saturday, October 03, 2026

Casey Pease of state Sen. Paul Mark's office presents William Conklin, right, with a state Senate proclamation.

EGREMONT, Mass. — The Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce honored a local businessman and nonprofit leader on Sept. 24 at Catamount Mountain Resort.

 

William Conklin was this year's Business Person of the Year, recognizing his work as founder and executive director of Greenagers, a nonprofit that helps youth and children engage in work in environmental conservation, sustainable farming, natural resource management, and vocational skills building. 

 

Conklin and his family also run Sky View Farm and he is a managing partner of Konkapot Tree and Timber, a small-scale forest products business.

 

"If you spent any amount of time in Southern Berkshire, chances are you've heard his name, whether you realize the connection at the time or not," said board member Sierra King Watson, who emceed the event. "You might be having a conversation about farming, a new barn or structure that was built, students learning hands-on skills in sustainable agriculture, or a family that receives donated firewood to help keep their home warm through a cold Berkshire winter, or maybe you're simply talking about one of those community leaders who somehow manages to show up, support everyone, and seemingly be everywhere all at once.

 

"Well, one name has a way of continuously popping up, and that is Will Conklin."

 

Board President Mark Rulison said the region has more than 1,200 nonprofits. One in four jobs in the county is in the nonprofit sector, which ranks 27th nationally for nonprofit employment. He said the economic impact on the community is huge, thanking those who help.

 

For the event on Thursday, Conklin requested that as much of the food as possible was sourced locally. Most of it came from Greenagers, Sky View Farm, Indian Line Farm and Fancy Feast Supper Club, creative dinner series.