The impressive octagon-shaped house shown above once stood on the north side of South Street in Great Barrington. It was the home of prominent residents Colonel George Church and Maria Bostwick Church. Mr. Church served on the Board of Selectmen during the Civil War. He was an officer in two banks, and helped manage Monument Mills textile factory in Housatonic, as well as the Van Deusenville Ironworks and the Berkshire Glass Sand Company in Cheshire. Mrs. Church was active in numerous town affairs including the Thursday Morning Club, First Congregational Church, and Visiting Nurse Association, to name just a few.
For unknown reasons, the Churches decided on a puzzling bequest and unique memorial for the town. After their deaths, the grand family home was torn down and the land given to the town as a park in 1925. Why raze such a handsome dwelling? Local historian Jim Parrish speculates that perhaps the octagonal abode didn’t hold up well structurally once the train track was built next to it. The rumbling, ground-shaking trains could have caused deterioration of the residence. For whatever reason, the town ended up with a lovely park, as shown below.
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January 03, 2022 at 12:01PM
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THEN & NOW: The Church family home becomes a Great Barrington park - theberkshireedge.com
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