NAPL: Hometown Heroes in the Civil War

08:44AM / Friday, May 15, 2026Print Story | Email Story

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — On May 28 at 2 pm, visit the North Adams Public Library to meet author Dennis G. Pregent, as he discusses and shares readings from his latest book "Hometown Heroes in the Civil War."

Hometown Heroes in the Civil War features twentyseven narratives of Berkshire County men who answered President Lincoln's call to preserve the Republic. They left farms and factories to become infantrymen, artillerists, chaplains, surgeons, and sailors, experiencing the terror of Antietam, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, and Chancellorsville, facing unrelenting combat, disease, exposure, malnutrition, and scarce medical treatment, stated a press releas.

Marine Corps veteran and Berkshire native Dennis Pregent researched and included a wealth of original documents and photographs to enhance these accounts. The profiles include two soldiers from the famous 54th Black Regiment, four brothers who fought simultaneously, POWs in the notorious prisons of Libby and Andersonville, a survivor of the first-ever submarine attack, President Lincoln's carriage driver, a battlefield surgeon, and a modest bootmaker who earned the Medal of Honor.

Held in the front parlor. All are welcome. There will be books for sale.

This event is co-hosted with the North Adams Historical Society.

The North Adams Public Library is located at 74 Church Street, North Adams, MA, 01247.

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Berkshires Remember First Responders, Military Personnel Lost at 9/11 and Aftermath

By Jack Guerino & Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
02:30PM / Friday, September 11, 2026

North Adams Mayor Jennifer Macksey, with Fire Chief Brent Lefebvre speaks at Friday's memorial.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The county's two cities held memorials on Friday morning to mark the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

Great Barrington was scheduled to hold a dedication of piece of steel from the World Trade Center at 6 p.m.

North Adams held its ceremony in the fire station's side garden starting at exactly 8:46 a.m., the time Flight 11 crashed into the World Trade Center's North Tower.

The small square of grass was packed with police officers, firefighters, wire and alarm personnel, dispatchers, and Northern Berkshire EMS employees, and city employees, officials and community members.

After the ceremonial tolling of the bell, an honor guard presented the colors.

Mayor Jennifer Macksey said it felt odd welcoming people to a very solemn event.

"What happened 25 years ago put a mark on emergency services. It put additional pressure on police, fire, EMS, and dispatchers," Macksey said. "While we remember those who lost their lives during 9/11, and those who ran to help as many as they could during 9/11, we have to pause and appreciate those who continue to serve despite that awful threat that occurred 25 years ago."

She said it was a direct attack on the United States and all of its people.

"It was a question of our freedoms and our ability to be safe in our communities," the mayor said. "I can say today that here in North Adams, it could happen to us, but I know with the professionalism of our Fire Department, Police Department, EMS, and our dispatch team, we are a better community; we are a safer community than we were 25 years ago."

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