Adams, MA

The town of Adams, located 15 miles north of Pittsfield on Rt. 8, is noted as the birthplace in 1820 of Susan B. Anthony, a descendent of the Quakers who settled the area in the 18th century. Adams is situated along the Hoosac River, with the Hoosac Range to the east and the summit of the state’s highest peak, Mt. Greylock, immediately east of town. A statue of President William McKinley is located at McKinley Square at the intersection of Columbia & Maple Streets, Adams, MA. The base is surrounded with three scenes of his actions, in the Civil War, in Congress, and as President, with the fourth side bearing a quote from the Pan-American Exposition: “Let us remember that our interest is in concord not conflict, and that our real eminence rests in the victories of peace, not of war.”

Quaker Meeting House

The Quaker Meeting House, built in 1782, is open to visitors on Sundays between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Adams celebrates the legacy of Susan B. Anthony with a summer festival; the Adams Agricultural Fair is held every August and the annual Greylock Ramble attracts as many as 1,000 hikers to the mountain on Columbus Day. (Photo credit)

• Town Hall: 8 Park St. 01220; 413-743-8320
• Population: 8,809
• Settled by/Inc’d: Rhode Island Quakers/1776
• Named for: Samuel Adams,
  Revolutionary
• Elevation: 799′
• Adams, MA town website

Adams, MA once known as the East Hoosuk Plantation

First surveyed in 1739 and known as the East Hoosuk Plantation, Adams was incorporated in 1778 and included present-day North Adams until 1878. A National Register Historic District of 70 Victorian homes recalls the days when textile industry drove Adams’ economy, as does a statue of President William McKinley whose policies benefited the domestic textile industry and who was a friend of the Plunkett brothers, founders of the Berkshire Cotton Mfg. Co.