THEN & NOW: Great Barrington under a blanket of snow
Beginning on March 12, 1888, a snow storm pounded the Berkshires for two days with heavy snow, along with sustained winds of more than 45 miles per hour.
THEN: Main Street in Great Barrington, a few days after the March Blizzard of 1888. Photo courtesy of Gary Leveille.
The Great Blizzard of 1888 was one of the most severe snowstorms in New England history. Beginning on March 12, the storm pounded the Berkshires for two days with heavy snow, along with sustained winds of more than 45 miles per hour. Many snowdrifts exceeded 10 feet in height.
The photo shown above was taken on Main Street in Great Barrington looking south, several days after the storm. For reference, the building underneath the arrow is now TP Saddleblanket Company. A similar present-day view is shown below, followed by a few additional old photographs of downtown after the storm.
NOW: A similar, present-day view of Main Street. Photo by Gary Leveille.THEN: Main Street in Great Barrington looking north. The arrow on the left points to the start of Railroad Street. The white building to the right of the arrow was formerly an Episcopal Church. It was replaced by the present-day brick building in 1895 following a fire. Photo courtesy of Gary Leveille.THEN: Main Street in Great Barrington looking south. The buildings shown have all been replaced since the photo was taken—in front of the present-day location of William Pitt Sotheby’s Realty. Photo courtesy of Gary Leveille.
In addition to the hands-on hours he puts in with auto teacher Chris D’Aniello in the garage, Kitson spends four mornings per week at his internship at Haddad Subaru in Pittsfield.
