The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-07-20
THROUGH THE bERk-
SHIRE HILLS BY TROLLEY
Many Scenes of Historic Interest
South of ittsheld-Beautiful
Scenery and Zine Estates

| 10 flItSHelu. by DONG this they miss
all the places of historic interest, the
beautiful scenery and fine mansions
for which the Berkshire Hills are ia
nous.
Up to this time practically all the
tourist traffic has been from LenoX.
Great Darlington, Stockbridge and
other Berkshire county cities to this
ton. The parlOr car Bennington"
which was placed on service this year
for the accommodation of local people
has not been well patronized In or
der to acquaint the people of this sec
ton with the many points of interest
to be seen south of Pittsfield p. J. Ty-
er, known as the sage of Frogs Land
ing, and W. b. Lewis, a correspondent
of the Berkshire Eagle, made a trip
here Sunday in the parlor car "Berk-
shire Hills"
The first station south of Pit
tsfield, they stated, is Willow
Creek where is situated the
farm formerly owned by Ex-senator
Post, but now a part OF the large
Fasmstock estate. This is the only
place that the grand hotel Aspinwall
can be seen from the trolley or steam
cars.
The cars all stop at I.enox station
where trip may be made to the most
famous summer resort in tne Berk-
shires. A trip up this line is most in
teresting. The cars are met by teams
which by paying a very modest sum-
one will be shown through the fine es-
tates, and each place of interest point
Cd L
ton, across the Housatonic, fine pic
ture of mountain grandeur is present
ed
Just south of Lenox station is
Frogs Landing the property of the
Smith Paper Company of Lee, and tne
home of p j. Tyer known as the Sage
Of Frogs Landing, who has come into
fame as the most original and intrepid
writer that Berkshire county has pro-
duced. The proprietor of Tyer's Men
agerie, Is known to every Child in Wes-
tern Massachusetts. His artistic hand
painte monstrous boulders of flint
in the river bed below the falls, rep
resents a gigantic frog. The place
is interesting in the number and var
iety of land and water fowl, sheep,
goats. rabbits and dogs. The frog.
from which the place takes its name
weighs, by actual measurement, 70
TONS and has been photographed with
a school teacher and twenty-five schol-
ars on its back.
AS the cars approach LenoX Dale
from the south many beautiful estates
and fine mansions may be seen. Look
ing off on the hill to the left is the r.
W. Paterson estate with its reproduc-
don of a grand old Scotch castle This
estate with its treasures of art and
Scottish antiquities, is rated as the
most valuable in LenoX. AS the car
crosses the bridge into Lenox Dale
nire large bridges can be seen from
the car window, covering a radius of
less than two acres. This village
formerly LenoX Furnace, lad besides
4 large iron furnace the largest glass
factory in the country until the devel-
opment of natural gas with its many
advantages. lured those enterprises
toward the coal fields of the middle
west
From Stedman's Bridge, the next
stop, the road leads to October noun
tain. Up this deep gorge beauty and
natural grandeur is not surpassed in
the state. Through this delightful
pass, vita swift and turbulent trout
stream crossing and re-crossing, dash
ing furiously against the rocky
banks, for about five miles.
The car travels surrounded by some
fourteen thousand acres is the
Chateau built by the late w. C. Whit
ney for his son, II. p. Whitney and
his bride, who was Miss Gladys Van
1erbilt, to spend their honeymoon.
The place. which comprises large pri-
meval forests and wooded valleys was
stocked with game both large and
small, buffalo, elk, moose, deer and
antelope, also large hocks of angora
goats and sheep. An old fashioned
marble quarry nearby furnished the
itone for the left wing of the Capitol
At Washington in 1852.
Columbia mill in this vicinity is
he property of the Smith Paper Co,
Hhere the first paper from wood pulp
was made in America. Wood pulp by
is many different processes of manu-
acture has revolutionized paper max
ng throughout the world and is fast
our forests into intellect
through the medium of paper.
After passing Columbia Mill, south
pound, Fern Cliff, the property of the
own of Lee, and held as public park
IAN be seen. The cliff affords mag
lificent outlook and contains the his
oric Peters Cave" where in the
line of Shay's Rebellion, one Peter
Wilcox, who had identified himself
With the insurgents after escaping
rom prison, hid and was fed by some
If the women of the settlement, who
we're in sympathy with the rebels as
we're most of the Inhabitants of the
own History tells us that at Cape
Street, East Lee, less than two miles
rom the cave, as General Patterson's
orces were lined up on one side of
he valley, and Shays rebels on the
)ther, ready for active engagement,
o offset the display of states artillery,
Mother Perry's spinning wheel was
'un out and burning tar rope swung
through the air by the rebels. Wnen
he order to fire Numbered across
rom the lips of this Peter Wilcox the
states forces fled in dismay.
All cars stop at Quigleys Corner,
lear the north end of Main street in
zee. From here is the nearest point
md direct route to "Erskine Park"
he summer home of George w. Wes-
ingaouse: Elm Court" "Highlawn"
md many of the fine estates of Berk-
shire; also to Laurel Lake, one of the
inest inland lakes of the state.
Lee was incorporated as town in
he year 1777. II was named after
General Charles Lee, whom Congress