When you drive through the town of Egremont, Massachusetts, there is the distinct feeling that you have somehow driven back in time.  Certainly Egremont’s history goes back much further than its incorporation in 1775, to the original treaties signed along the Indian Line in the 1730’s.   The town figured in the Revolutionary War when General Henry Knox passed through North Egremont in the winter of 1775-1776 to deliver artillery that was used to force the British Army to evacuate Boston, and was well represented in the Civil War, recently celebrated for the sesquicentennial with a town basket picnic sponsored by the Friends of Egremont History.

Come to find out, that eerie feeling of seeing time stand still is partly due to an intentional initiative by one man during the 1930’s. Major Hugh Smiley established the Olde Egremont Association, which bought and restored historic properties in Egremont as part of a plan for the beautification and economic development of the town after the collapse of the heavy industry that had driven Egremont’s prosperity in the 19th century.  As people looked for motoring destinations in their new automobiles in the 20th century, Smiley was among the first to realize that people enjoyed vacationing in places that looked like “The Real New England.”  The town was preserved to reflect the history of the country in food and lodging and architecture and soon became a destination vacation.

EXCERPT: “Small Town - Big Preservation Efforts” Northeast Document Conservation Center