IHNE Field Trip #2, July 9, 2022
Under Al's watchful eye, eric uses a locally made plane at the MIH
Destination:
Museum of Our Industrial Heritage, Greenfield, MA
Great Falls Discovery Center, Turner’s Falls, MA
Participants:
Eric
Miriam
Bob
Joe
Our Hosts:
Jim Terapane, President, Museum of our Industrial Heritage
Al Shane, Vice President and Curator MIH
Scott Conti, Treasurer, MIH
Janelle, DCR interpreter at Great Falls Discovery Center
Another spectacular day for a road trip that was much longer for Miriam, than it was for Bob, Joe and me. We found ourselves at a handsome mill building tucked away on the outskirts of Greenfield. It’s a composite of structures dating from the early 19th century built along the Green River and a remnant of what many consider to be America’s first industrial park. Far from the blighted landscape that this description connotes today, the sound of rushing water from the old mill dam, surrounded by lush greenery, allowed us to easily slip back in time to when this river connected Franklin County to the amazingly active and pivotally important Connecticut River Valley industrial corridor. This extended from the location of our last site visit in Windsor VT, down to New Haven, Connecticut, and it was nice to have had previous exposure to some of the story.
Our hosts received us warmly and Jim escorted us around the wood, brick and stone structure, powerfully articulating the purpose of this museum, its shared use with local artisans and why this area should be considered “hallowed ground” in terms of our regional industrial heritage.
Jim’s passion and commitment so perfectly complemented IHNE’s mission that, by the time we entered, our collective reverence for the past was euphoric. Al took us to the next level with his intimate knowledge of the museum’s varied collections. There was no doubt that this area incubated innovation, as was evident from a host of objects outlining the development of a precision manufacturing culture. Better yet, the workshops allowed us to physically experiment with the work of threading a bolt and shaving a board with a locally manufactured tools. In the Gage room we learned about the essential roles consistency and exactitude play in industrial production and Scott connected the past to the present with stories of his work as a machinist.
Glancing at the old employee time clock, we knew it was time to punch out and take a lunch break.
Jim explains the current MIH site while Al offers an original image
Al shows us a locally made knife at the MIH
Remnant of the 1872 Keith Paper Co., eventually owned by Strathmore
Sitting at a picnic bench in the shade as we ate our food from the Wagon Wheel, brought us back to a simpler time in mid-summer’s past. We lingered and shared stories of our life-paths before heading across the bridge into Turner’s Falls. Although welcomed by the DCR ranger at the Great Falls Discovery Center, we struggled to understand why an exquisitely repurposed paper mill machine shop would focus on the natural history of the area, with scant reference to its rich industrial past. Fortunately, alongside examples of local flora and fauna, the DCR supplies an excellent self-guided walking tour around the remarkably intact remnants of the 19th century paper industry.
Strolling alongside the canal, as Bob and Joe hustled back to the city, Meriam and I admired the backside of the hydroelectric dam and the still powerful canal paralleling the Connecticut River. The hulks of old paper mills, some repurposed others decrepit, abut the water in mute testimony of an economically vital but ecologically devastating industry. Interspersed among chunks of dressed granite and layers of brick canal works, were forlorn folks and scattered trash. A reminder of the consequences of modernity and a signal that an exhilarating day of history-hunting had come to a close.
—Eric Peterson