Remember that most wonderful time of year when local nonprofits offered in-person, historic holiday house tours as fundraisers? Sadly, even with COVID in the rearview mirror, those tours appear to be a thing of the past. But, wait! Yet again, the Southern Berkshire Hysterical Society bravely blazes new trails with a free digital frolic of some histrionic homes and habitations in our area. Although each tale is a fallacious fabrication of imagination, each location is truly located in the southern Berkshires.
Meteorite House: Several months ago, a road block was installed along a little-traveled byway in the Clayton section of New Marlborough. Did another bridge fail? No, the answer is shown in the foreground of this photograph—a rare meteorite that smashed through the roof of the Bolide family home shown in the background. Scientists from Peabody Museum in New Haven, Conn., determined that the extraterrestrial boulder is composed of nickel and iron, with trace elements of silicate minerals. Lead scientist Hiram Weed, Ph.D., clarified why the meteorite is so rare. “Most surprisingly,” he said, “we discovered an organic substance within the rock that is known as tetrahydrocannabinol. This is highly unusual.” A GoFundMe page has been established for the Bolide family, as their homeowner’s insurance doesn’t cover meteorite damage. Nevertheless, they seem surprisingly mellow about the damage.
Chainsaw Museum: Decades ago, Sheffield was home to the now-defunct Chainsaw Museum & Archives. Here were stored hundreds of antique saws, vintage advertising, and even a file of cutting-edge chainsaw jokes. All that survives today is the chainsaw totem pole shown here and a worn manilla folder filled with chainsaw humor. Included are brand-name jokes like this: “You can keep Poulan it and Poulan it and it Stihl won’t start.” Or riddles like this: “Question: What did the chainsaw say to the tree? Answer: I’m rooting for you!”
Tower of Power: This reinforced concrete tower in Great Barrington has long been a mystery to passersby. Some have speculated that it monitors water levels in the Housatonic River. Actually, the monolith provides access to an ancient Otis Elevator. The hydraulic lift drops approximately 45 feet to a dank chain of caves that border a large aquifer. It is here that a large mushroom-growing facility provides shiitake mushrooms to specialty markets. Proprietor Martha Morel explained that the COVID pandemic made it hard for some employees to get to work. “We often hosted meetings on Zhroom,” she joked. Ms. Morel is also author of a popular cookbook entitled “A Fung-guide to Mushrooms.”
Little House on the Prairie: Few realize that legendary children’s author Laura Ingalls Wilder was born and raised in Sheffield. Her old house still stands but doesn’t resemble the home featured in the western frontier TV show. In the mid-1800s, most of the trees had been cut down in Sheffield and used by colliers to make charcoal. Wild grasses filled the void, and in effect, her house was built on a prairie. Laura married and moved first to Kansas, then to South Dakota, and finally to Missouri. A letter to her daughter was published posthumously in 1971 which revealed that her “little house” was in Sheffield, not out West as her books suggest.
Alvin’s House: A family of chipmunks still residing in this West Stockbridge house offer a hint as to the original inhabitants. It was once the childhood home of Ross Bagdasarian, known professionally by his stage name Dave Seville. He was a singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor of Armenian descent best known for creating the cartoon band Alvin and the Chipmunks. His parents attempted to grow grapes and operate a winery on the property but were put out of business by Prohibition. After serving in World War II, Bagdasarian moved to Los Angeles where he started a career as a songwriter. His first major success came with “Come On-a My House,” which he wrote with his old West Stockbridge home in mind. It became a huge hit for Rosemary Clooney. Again, thinking of his old house, he wrote “Hey, Brother, Pour the Wine,” a hit for Dean Martin. Bagdasarian’s real rise to prominence came with the novelty song “Witch Doctor” in 1958, which offered the profound lyrics, “Oo-ee-oo-ah-ah, ting-tang, walla-walla, bing-bang.” The electronic technique developed for the high-pitched voice of the witch doctor was later used to create the voices of his most famous Alvin and the Chipmunks.
To explore previous house tours, click FIRST, SECOND, THIRD, FOURTH, FIFTH, SIXTH, SEVENTH, and EIGHTH.
