Hawley, Massachusetts

The East Hawley Center Historic District encompasses the principal institutional center of the town of Hawley, Massachusetts, with a history dating to the 1780s. Although it was settled in the late 18th century, issues with Hawley's boundaries meant that the development of a central village did not take place until later. East Hawley was developing as a local transportation hub by the mid-1820s, with several roads (mainly East Hawley Road, Plainfield Road, Ashfield Road, and Buckland Road, the latter three leading to eponymous neighboring towns) converging in the area. The establishment of a store and post office, and the relocation of the Congregational Church into the area cemented its importance in the town's civic life. There was some industrial mill activity in the area during the 19th century, but this came to an end near the end of the century, and only a mill pond remains. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.The historic district occupies a small plateau in the eastern part of the hilly town, extending along Plainfield Road between Buckland Road and Ashfield Road. The northern junction is the focal point of the village, where the town's small common (laid out in 1848) and church are located. The architecture in the district is largely vernacular in character, with modest stylistic elements from late 18th to late 19th century architectural styles. The church is probably the most architecturally sophisticated building; it is Greek Revival in character and dates to the late 1840s. One unusual feature of the district is a rare 19th-century charcoal-making kiln, which is set in the woods at the western edge of the district; it is one of the reminder's of the village's modest industrial history.

Mount Institute, 1,538 ft., is a peak located in Hawley, Massachusetts, just south of the village of Charlemont.

Berkshire East Ski Resort is a medium-sized alpine ski area in the northeastern United States, located in the Berkshires on Mount Institute in Charlemont and Hawley, Massachusetts.

Bear Swamp is a forested parkland in Ashfield, Massachusetts. The Trustees of Reservations owns and maintains the property. Although Bear Swamp was once a sheep pasture and later a source of cordwood and lumber, it now seems much like an untouched wilderness. The landscape is irregular, well-drained, and covered with nutrient-rich soils. Protected from the elements, hardwood trees such as ash, hickory, basswood, maple, and cherry grow straight and tall. Three miles (5 km) of trails lead to different parts of the reservation. The Beaver Brook Trail traces the southern rim of a shallow pond and wet meadow where an old beaver dam rests atop an old stone milldam. Although many trees have died in the flooded zone, the water is receding and the forest is returning. The Fern Glade Trail features a variety of ferns and woodland wildflowers. A scenic vista on the Lookout Trail and the hillside meadow at the Apple Valley Overlook both offer views of nearby apple orchards and the Green Mountains of Vermont beyond. Seasonal hunting is permitted at this property subject to all state and town laws.

Hawlemont Regional Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Charlemont, Massachusetts, United States. The school's name is a portmanteau derived from the two towns it serves, Hawley and Charlemont. In addition to those two towns, students from other nearby towns attend Hawlemont via school choice.

The Charlemont Village Historic District is a historic district on Massachusetts Route 2 between South Street and Harmony Lane, encompassing much of the village center of Charlemont, Massachusetts, United States. The district's properties represent the growth of the village center from its rural origin through a period of 19th century industrialization, including 18th and 19th century farmsteads, Greek Revival buildings of the mid 19th century, and later 19th century Victorian architectural styles. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

Charlemont is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,185 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The former Deerfield Valley Agricultural Society Fairgrounds or Charlemont Fairgrounds, now known as Memorial Park, is a public park in Charlemont, Massachusetts, United States. The 24-acre (9.7 ha) property occupies a plateau above the town, and is reached via an access road (Park Road) from Massachusetts Route 8A near the Bissell Bridge. Now a passive recreation facility managed by the town, it is one of the least-altered 19th-century fairgrounds in the state, with a grandstand, exhibition building, and racetrack built in the late 19th century. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.

The Bissell Bridge is a historic covered bridge on Heath Road (Massachusetts Route 8A) over Mill Brook in Charlemont, Massachusetts. The TECO Enhanced Long through truss bridge was built in 1951 by the T. J. Harvey Company, to a design by the Timber Engineering Company (TECO) and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (DOT). The bridge is 92 feet (28 m) long, and rests on stone-faced reinforced concrete abutments. Mill Brook passes fifteen to twenty feet below the bridge at normal water levels. It was the first covered bridge to be built in Massachusetts in the 20th century, replacing an earlier covered bridge that dated to about 1881.The bridge is sited near an old mill dam and pond, and is not far (about 200 feet (61 m)) from the house of Henry W. Bissell, for whom it is named. The town appropriated $1000 for its construction in 1880, and it is assumed to have been built not long afterward. By the mid 20th century the bridge was deteriorating, and the DOT condemned it. The town vehemently opposed the construction of a modern steel-and-concrete structure as its replacement, and the matter drew a great deal of media attention. The design that resulted from the decision-making process was a near replica of the original bridge. It was built at a cost (shared by all levels of government) of $50,000 to $55,000. The only major deviations from the original design were made to accommodate modern roadway requirements. By the end of the 20th century, the new bridge was also deteriorating, and was closed and rehabilitated. The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

The Academy at Charlemont is a small, private, college-preparatory day school, located on the Deerfield River in Charlemont, Massachusetts, that serves grade 6 through postgraduate. The school was founded by Eric Grinnell, Dianne Grinnell, David W. McKay, Patricia D. W. McKay, Margaret J. Carlson, and Lucille Joy in 1981 as an experiment in bringing classical and community-oriented education to rural Western Massachusetts—specifically Franklin County, Massachusetts.

The Robert Strong Woodward House and Studio is a historic property at 43 Upper Street in Buckland, Massachusetts. Built about 1850, it was the home and studio of prominent New England landscape artist Robert Strong Woodward from 1936 until his death in 1957. The property has been maintained virtually intact except for maintenance and minor alterations since his death. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018.

The Maj. Joseph Griswold House, also sometimes referred to as the Mary Lyon House, is a historic house on Upper Street in Buckland, Massachusetts. Built in 1818, it is one of the region's finest examples of residential Federal period architecture. It is further notable for its association with pioneering women's educator Mary Lyon, who operated a school here before establishing Mount Holyoke College. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.