Reflections on the Marble Corridor of Western New England

Join the Bidwell House Museum on September 24 for the first lecture in a three-part series about gravestone making in Western Massachusetts in the 18th and 19th centuries. In this talk, William Hosley shares his reflections on the “marble corridor”

As early as the 1780s, western New England stonecutters, discovering high quality marble in the Berkshires and Vermont, soon began exporting artfully finished products to points south and beyond. At its height, the marble industry along the Taconic ridge (today’s Rte 7) – was a bee hive providing thousands of monuments, gravestones and architectural features to buildings, cemeteries and town squares. Rutland, VT, Pittsfield, MA and Marbledale, CT were transformed by the stonecutting industry, an art industry of national influence.

William Hosley is an independent scholar, social media expert, and photographer. He is passionate about local history and historic preservation and has developed a deep attachment to dozens of places worth caring about. He was formerly Director of the New Haven Museum and Connecticut Landmarks ,where he cared for a chain of historic attractions. Prior to that, as a curator and exhibition developer at Wadsworth Atheneum, Bill organized major exhibitions including The Great River: Art & Society of the Connecticut Valley, The Japan Idea: Art and Life in Victorian America, and Sam & Elizabeth: Legend and Legacy of Colt’s Empire, that spawned the Coltsville National Park. As an expert in heritage tourism, Bill has studied, lectured and advised museums and heritage destinations around the country.

This lecture will be in-person in front of a limited audience at the Bidwell House Museum and also available to watch live via Zoom. Registration in advance is required to attend. Zoom details will be sent to attendees a couple of days in advance.

The two following lectures in this series are:

October 1, A Field Guide to Early New England Gravestones with John Hanson

October 8, That the Dead be not Forgotten with Bob Drinkwater