Dispatches from behind the Rte 495 soft iron curtain: Hip retailer takes over a bank

Urban Outfitters land in an old bank structure in Northampton. Worth a visit; one of the few national retailers paying rents in the town.

West of 495 - it's mostly thumbs down on the easterner's except for the Red Sox

Face it; you know it exists.

There's that subtle tension between the western communities of Massachusetts and its' eastern counterparts,....

For one jaded hub resident; I empathize with our Berkshire brethren. The hub is a Machiavellian incubator.

I don't miss route 93 or Weymouth for that matter.

Within the Berkshire hills lies joys of discovery. There's a lot of history out here; a lot of economic history. At one time the place was almost clear cut and de-forested. There was much industry out here; cotton trades; lumber, mills of all sorts producing tools, woolens, shoes, uniforms, on and on.

Sprague Electric, GE and many more names, like Berkshire Cotton Manufacturing which eventually became Berkshire Hathaway.

There were great engineering feats pulled off within the hills. Dams, hydro-electric power stations and transportation depots were and are part of it's legacy.

With the industry came damage to natural resources. The industries of legacy have faded and receded from peak economic productivity.

As noted by a local historian, the rivers are now back - and clean.

The Deerfield River has attracted many over time; hunters, trappers and finally, industrialists -who knew you could harness the power of water and turn gears.

Click on the pictures for close ups.

Dispatches from behind the Rte 495 soft iron curtain

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Hip retailer takes over a bank

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West of 495 - it's mostly thumbs down on the easterner's except for the Red Sox

Looking east from Mt. Greylock

URS Corp helping DCAM spend ARRA money

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