Sheffield — A traveling exhibit from The Smithsonian Institute exploring changes in rural America will open at the Bushnell-Sage Library in late March.
The exhibit, entitled “Crossroads: Change in Rural America,” is a part of the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street collection, which is a collaboration between the Smithsonian and various state humanities councils. The exhibition has traveled to locations in Delaware, North Carolina, and South Dakota. It is scheduled to travel through six communities in Massachusetts, including its only Berkshire County stop at the Bushnell-Sage Library. The library’s exhibition has been made possible through financial support from Mass Humanities.
According to a press release from the Smithsonian, the exhibition explores how rural communities in America changed in the 20th century. The exhibit will include photographs and artifacts from the history of rural America, along with an interactive kiosk detailing the growth of rural areas across the nation.
Library Director Deena Caswell said that it is very appropriate for Sheffield to be hosting the exhibition’s only Berkshire County stop. “We have seen plenty of changes in Sheffield over the years,” Caswell told The Berkshire Edge. “Representatives from The Smithsonian have told us that only 3.5 percent of the United States landscape is considered urban. Since 1900, the percentage of Americans living in rural areas dropped from 60 percent to 17 percent. The changes in Sheffield have included challenges with our housing and landscape. But Sheffield is a fighting community and it has remained vibrant. This is a community that has responded to lots of these changes by finding ways to preserve its soul as a farming community. We’re all really self-sufficient in this town.”
Caswell said that “there’s a general perception of rural communities as being small, and maybe not as forward-thinking or progressive as other communities, but that is not what we see in Sheffield.” She said that the exhibit will be a celebration of the changes that the town has gone through “and what has made us strong going into the 21st century.”
Caswell added that she moved up to Sheffield two years ago to work at the library. “I keep harping on the word ‘vibrant’ when I talk about the town because I see a lot of vibrancy in Sheffield,” she said. “I have respect for history, and this exhibit and the events we’re going to have will remind people of Sheffield’s history.”
Schedule of events in March and April
In connection with the exhibit, several free events will be held in late March, April, and early May. “Growls, Hoots, and Silence: The Wild Animals of Sheffield” will be held on March 31 at 7 p.m. at Dewey Hall. “Ashley Falls: A History Through Stories” at the Trinity Methodist Church in Ashley Falls on April 3 at 7 p.m. A juried art show entitled “Rural Berkshires: Always Adapting” will be held at Dewey Memorial Hall from April 14 to April 28.
In mid- and late-April, Dewey Hall will be holding a Sunday afternoon series looking at the history of healthcare in town and through South Berkshire County. The series will be held on April 16, April 23, and April 30 at 3 p.m.
“Creating Community in Sheffield: A Community Conversation” will be held at Dewey Hall on April 20 at 7 p.m. “Sheffield: Through a Generational Lens” will be held on April 27 at 7 p.m. in the Old Parish Church. Finally, “The Natural (and Human) History of Sheffield” will be held at the Greenagers barn on May 6 at 2 p.m. Throughout the exhibit, the Sheffield Historical Society and the Old Stone Store will be featuring exhibits that highlight the town’s role in the changing rural landscape of America.
“This is a town with a lot of history where there are families that go back for generations and generations,” Caswell said. “I’m hoping that this exhibit shows to people all of the things that have made Sheffield such an important part of Western Massachusetts and that it shows the positive impact that our rural communities have brought to our country as a whole.”
For more information about the exhibit, along with updates on the schedule of events, go to the library’s website.
