55-532: The Lenox Library is the principal public library of Lenox, Massachusetts . It is managed by the non-profit Lenox Library Association, founded in 1856, and is located at 18 Main Street, in the former Berkshire County Courthouse that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places . The library was incorporated in 1856 and in 1874 moved into its current home, the former Berkshire County courthouse which
110-428: A Caldecott picture book that he presented to a young friend: For Maurice Sendak "Caldecott's work heralds the beginning of the modern picture book. He devised an ingenious juxtaposition of picture and word, a counterpoint that never happened before. Words are left out—but the picture says it. Pictures are left out—but the word says it." Sendak also appreciated the subtle darkness of Caldecott's work: "You can't say it's
165-470: A female householder with no husband present, and 41.6% were non-families. 36.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.84. In the town, the population was spread out, with 20.8% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 22.8% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 24.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age
220-627: A few dollars. The imposition of the federal income tax in 1913 ended construction of the country mansions in the Berkshires. The estates started to break up during the 1920s. Carnegie's widow sold Shadowbrook to the Jesuits for a seminary in 1922. The Depression made it harder to maintain the estates, and labor was scarce during World War II . After the war, some of the estates were torn or burned down. Others became schools or seminaries. Some estates became preparatory schools , although they would close by
275-547: A heart condition going back to an illness in his childhood. It was his health among other things which prompted his many winter trips to the Mediterranean and other warm climates. It was on such a tour in the United States of America in 1886 that he was taken ill again and died. He and Marian had sailed to New York and travelled to Florida in an unusually cold February; Randolph was taken ill and died at St. Augustine . He
330-705: A new campus co-located with the town's middle school. The school's athletic teams are called the "Millionaires", in acknowledgement of the town's history, and their colors are maroon and gold. The school's longtime rivals are the Lee Wildcats. Additionally, Lenox is home to two special education schools (Valleycrest School and the Hillcrest Center), as well as private schools, Berkshire Christian, which serves students from pre-kindergarten through grade 8, Berkshire Country Day School , which serves students from pre-kindergarten through ninth grade, and The Montessori School of
385-659: A number of notable special collections, many of which have a connection to Lenox in some manner. These collections are housed in a variety of locations within Lenox Library. One of these collections is the Tanglewood Papers, which include historical documents on the history of the Berkshire Symphonic Festival and the Berkshire Music Center before Tanglewood , as well as the founding of Tanglewood and
440-432: A prominent site in downtown Lenox, on the east side of Main Street between Walker and Housatonic Streets. It is a 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 -story masonry structure, built out of brick with stone and wooden trim. Its front facade is dominated by monumental two-story pillars and pilasters , which articulate the three bays . The main entrance is in the center bay, topped by a segmented-arch transom window. The building cornice
495-709: A series of illustrations of a holiday which he and Henry Blackburn took in the Harz Mountains in Germany . The latter became the first of a number of such series. He remained in London for seven years, spending most of them in lodgings at 46 Great Russell Street just opposite the British Museum , in the heart of Bloomsbury . While there he met and made friends (as he did very readily) with many artistic and literary people, among them Dante Gabriel Rossetti , George du Maurier (who
550-472: A simple text reveal endless subtleties of thought ... You have but to turn to any of his toy-books to see that at times each word, almost each syllable, inspired its own picture ... He studied his subject as no one else ever studied it ... Then he portrayed it simply and with inimitable vigor, with a fine economy of line and colour; when colour is added, it is mainly as a gay convention, and not closely imitative of nature. G. K. Chesterton wrote in
605-511: A village just outside the city. From his early childhood, Caldecott drew and modelled, mostly animals. His main education came with five years at the King's School, Chester , a grammar school then in the cathedral precinct in the city centre, which he left at the age of fifteen. In that same year, 1861, he first had a drawing published, a sketch of a fire at the Queen Hotel, Chester which appeared in
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#1732851641255660-690: Is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts , United States. The town is in Western Massachusetts and part of the Pittsfield Metropolitan Statistical Area . The population was 5,095 at the 2020 census . Lenox is the site of Shakespeare & Company and Tanglewood , summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra . Lenox includes the villages of New Lenox and Lenoxdale , and is a tourist destination during
715-594: Is represented in the United States Senate by Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey . Lenox operates its own school system for the town's 800 students. It is the only town in the county whose schools do not have a formal tuition agreement with any other town (other students may attend, however). Morris Elementary School houses students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, and Lenox Memorial Middle and High School houses students through twelfth grade. In 1966 Lenox Memorial High School moved from its 1908 building to
770-599: Is sponsored by Mr. & Mrs. Matthew D.M. Keator Family in memory and honor of the Keator and Piretti Families. Very little of the collection has been digitized. A few items were sampled from the collection for the Digital Commonwealth Collection through Boston Public Library . They can be located there by searching for "Tanglewood". They are also located in the Digital Library of America . The biggest users of
825-428: Is studded with modillion blocks, as is the gable supported by the pillars above the entrance. The hip roof is encircled by a lower balustrade , and is crowned by an open belfry and cupola . A substantially larger addition, made in 1889, extends to the rear of the building; it is also topped by a hip roof with cupola. The main block was built in 1815–16 to a design by Isaac Damon of Northampton , and served as
880-720: The Illustrated London News , together with his account of the blaze. On leaving school, Caldecott went to work as a clerk at the offices of the Whitchurch & Ellesmere Bank in Whitchurch, Shropshire , and took lodgings at Wirswall , a village near the town. When he was out on errands, he was either walking or riding around the countryside, and many of his later illustrations incorporate buildings and scenery of Cheshire and that part of Shropshire. Caldecott's love of riding led him to take up fox hunting , and his experiences in
935-760: The Housatonic Railroad arrived in 1838, tourists discovered the town in increasing numbers. In 1844, Samuel Gray Ward of Boston , the American representative for Barings Bank of London, assembled tracts of land to create the first estate in Lenox. Called Highwood , the Italianate dwelling was designed in 1845 by Richard Upjohn . In 1876, Ward hired Charles F. McKim to design in the Shingle Style another property, Oakwood . The period from 1880 until 1920 would be dubbed
990-597: The Houses of Parliament inside and out, and exhibited sculptures and paintings in oil and watercolour in the Royal Academy and galleries. Caldecott was born at 150 Bridge Street (now No 16), Chester , where his father, John Caldecott, was an accountant, twice married with thirteen children. Caldecott was his father's third child by his first wife, Mary Dinah Brookes. In 1848, the family moved to Challoner House, Crook Street, Chester, and in 1860 to 23 Richmond Place, Boughton ,
1045-1459: The Royal Manchester Institute . He had a picture exhibited in the Royal Academy for the first time in 1876. He was also a watercolourist and was elected to the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours in 1882. In 1877, Edmund Evans , who was a leading colour printer using coloured woodblocks , lost the services of Walter Crane as his children's book illustrator and asked Caldecott for illustrations for two Christmas books. The results were The House that Jack Built and The Diverting History of John Gilpin , published in 1878. They were an immediate success; so much so that Caldecott produced two more each year for Evans until he died. Many of Evans’ original printing blocks survive and are held at St Bride Library in London. The stories and rhymes were all of Caldecott's choosing and in some cases were written or added to by himself. In another milieu Caldecott followed The Harz Mountains with illustrations for two books by Washington Irving , three for Juliana Ewing , another of Henry Blackburn's, one for Captain Frederick Marryat and for other authors. Among well known admirers of his work were Gauguin and Van Gogh . Randolph continued to travel, partly for
1100-655: The census of 2000, there were 5,077 people, 2,212 households, and 1,291 families residing in the town. Lenox ranks eighth out of the 32 cities and towns in Berkshire county by population, and 244th out of the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts. The population density was 239.3 inhabitants per square mile (92.4/km ) ranking 5th in the county and 236th in the Commonwealth. There were 2,713 housing units at an average density of 127.9 per square mile (49.4/km ). The racial makeup of
1155-410: The poverty line . Out of the total population, 7.3% of those under the age of 18 and 5.8% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. Lenox employs the open town meeting form of government, and is governed by a board of selectmen and a town manager . The town has its own full-time police, fire, ambulance, and public works departments. The Lenox Library, founded in 1856, has occupied
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#17328516412551210-633: The 1970s and 1980s. The Shadowbrook property is now the Kripalu yoga center; another, The Mount , is the former home of Shakespeare & Company . Some have been converted into vacation condominiums . Tanglewood, the former estate of the Tappan family which lies partially in Stockbridge, would in 1937 become summer home to the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Lenox remains a popular tourist destination. It
1265-683: The Annual Rhubarb Festival and Terry a la Berry concerts. In the summer the Lenox Farmers Market takes place near the park typically between the end of May through September. The library has public internet workstations, a children's reading room, a larger reading room titled the Sedgwick Reading Room as well as a multi-purpose gallery space named the Welles Galley for patrons to utilize. Lenox, Massachusetts Lenox
1320-555: The Berkshire Author Collection and the MacKinstry Illustrator Collection. This space serves as a reading room for patrons or a meeting room for small groups. The Legacy Room is a gift of Legacy Bank (now Berkshire Bank). Next to the Lenox library is a park in the center of town named Roche Reading Park after William D. Roche, a long-time treasurer of the Lenox Library. This space has held events such as
1375-706: The Berkshire Cottage era, when the small New England town was transformed into a Gilded Age resort similar to Newport, Rhode Island , and Bar Harbor, Maine . The wealthy and their entourage opened immense houses for recreation and entertaining during the Berkshire Season, which lasted from late summer until early fall. One event was the annual Tub Parade, when Main Street was lined with ornately decorated carriages. Property values jumped as millionaires competed for land on which to build showplaces. In 1903, an acre in Lenox cost $ 20,000, when an acre in nearby towns cost
1430-532: The Berkshire County Courthouse until 1869, when that function was moved to Pittsfield . Although the library moved into the building in 1874, it did not fully occupy the premises immediately. Additional tenants during the late 19th century included the offices of lawyers and politicians, and the town's first telephone exchange . The rear addition, known as Sedgwick Hall, was the scene of social events, lectures, and concerts. The Lenox Library houses
1485-535: The Berkshire estates, as well as a complete set of study prints. In addition, the Library has one of the few remaining sets of Wild Flowers of New England." Edwin Hale Lincoln, a Massachusetts native, joined the photography business in the late 1800s, shooting a variety of subjects, including Rhode Island yachts, estates in Lenox, flowers native to New England, and other flora. The Elizabeth MacKinstry Collection, housed in
1540-665: The Berkshires, which serves toddlers through middle school students. The nearest community college is Berkshire Community College in Pittsfield. The nearest state colleges are Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams, and Westfield State University . The nearest private college is Bard College at Simon's Rock in Great Barrington. Randolph Caldecott Randolph Caldecott ( / ˈ k ɔː l d ə k ɒ t / KAWL -də-kot ; 22 March 1846 – 12 February 1886)
1595-533: The Legacy Room, is a collection "of illustrated children’s books of the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries [which] include items of British or continental origin." MacKinstry (1879-1956) was a female children's author and illustrator, and this collection includes books penned by MacKinstry herself, as well as books by some of her favourite authors ( Randolph Caldecott , Walter Crane , and Claud Lovat Fraser ). The Legacy Room has beautiful French doors and windows houses
1650-505: The building of its music pavilion, “The Shed.” The Tanglewood Papers are from the estate of a well-known summer resident, Gertrude Robinson Smith , whose fundraising efforts resulted in construction of “The Shed.” The collection is currently housed in the Keator Vault. The Keator Vault contains local historic items, unique photographs, and functions as temperature controlled preservation archive for rare materials. The Special Collections Vault
1705-450: The editor of London Society , who published a number of his drawings in several issues of the monthly magazine. Encouraged by this evidence of his ability to support himself by his art, Caldecott decided to quit his job and move to London ; this he did in 1872 at the age of 26. Within two years he had become a successful magazine illustrator working on commission. His work included individual sketches, illustrations of other articles and
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1760-652: The former county courthouse since 1874. It is a member of the regional library network. The nearest hospital, Berkshire Medical Center, is located in Pittsfield. On the state level, Lenox is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives by the Fourth Berkshire district, which covers southern Berkshire County, as well as the westernmost towns in Hampden County. In the Massachusetts Senate ,
1815-737: The hunting field and his love of the chase bore fruit over the years in a mass of drawings and sketches of hunting scenes, many of them humorous. After six years at Whitchurch, Caldecott moved to the head office in Manchester of the Manchester & Salford Bank. He lodged variously in Aberdeen Street, Rusholme Grove and at Bowdon . He took the opportunity to study at night school at the Manchester School of Art and practised continually, with success in local papers and some London publications. It
1870-455: The land from the Mahican chief, on condition that he pay 650 pounds extra. It was founded as Richmond in 1765. But because the Berkshires divided the town in two, the village of Yokuntown (named for an indigenous chief) was set off as Lenox in 1767. The town was intended to be called Lennox , probably after Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond and Lennox ( Scottish Gaelic Leamhnachd ), but
1925-580: The music collection at the Lenox Library are the Boston University Tanglewood Institute students. The second largest users of the collection are concertgoers want to preview a specific music selection before attending the concert. Another notable collection is the Edwin Hale Lincoln Photography Collection. This collection, housed in the Keator Vault, "consists of 745 original glass plate and film negatives of
1980-426: The name was misspelled by a clerk at incorporation. Early industries included farming , sawmills , textile mills, potash production, glassworks , and quarrying . A vein of iron ore led to the digging of mines under the town, and the establishment by Job Gilbert in the 1780s of an iron works at Lenox Dale, also known as Lenox Furnace. In 1784, Lenox became the county seat, which it remained until 1868 when
2035-533: The next two years. There were no children of the marriage. In the autumn of 1882, the Caldecotts left Kent and bought a house, Broomfield , at Frensham in Surrey ; they also rented No 24 Holland Street , Kensington . By 1884, sales of Caldecott's Nursery Rhymes had reached 867,000 copies (of twelve books) and he was internationally famous. Caldecott's health was generally poor and he suffered much from gastritis and
2090-464: The north, Washington to the east, Lee to the southeast, Stockbridge to the southwest, and Richmond to the west. The town center is 8 miles (13 km) south of downtown Pittsfield, 45 miles (72 km) west-northwest of Springfield , and 125 miles (201 km) west of Boston. Lenox is set apart from Richmond to the west by a branch of the Berkshire Mountains , with the highest peak in
2145-710: The ridge being Yokun Seat at 2,146 feet (654 m). To the east, October Mountain rises above the Housatonic River , which flows along that side of town and is impeded by a dam that forms Woods Pond. Contamination with PCBs is highest in the section of the River from Pittsfield to Woods Pond. Parts of the Housatonic Valley Wildlife Management Area and October Mountain State Forest line the river's east banks there. Several marshy brooks also feed into
2200-585: The river throughout town. The town is also home to the Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary south of Yokun Seat ,the Wyndhyrst Resort and Golf Club, and a Miraval Spa. Routes 7 and 20 meet in the southern end of town, heading north along a bypass road towards Pittsfield. Massachusetts Route 7A , the original path of Route 7, passes through the center of town, with a short distance combined with Massachusetts Route 183 , which begins near
2255-470: The sake of his health, and to make drawings of the people and surroundings of the places he visited; these drawings were accompanied by humorous and witty captions and narrative. In 1879, Caldecott moved to Wybornes , a house near Kemsing in Kent . It was there that he became engaged to Marian Brind, who lived at Chelsfield about seven miles away. They were married on 18 March 1880 and lived at Wybornes for
Lenox Library (Massachusetts) - Misplaced Pages Continue
2310-635: The start of the bypass road. The town center is 5 miles (8 km) from Exit 2 of the Massachusetts Turnpike ( Interstate 90 ), the nearest interstate highway. Along the Housatonic River, the Housatonic Railroad route between Pittsfield and Great Barrington passes from north to south. Penn Central trains last made stops at Lenox Railroad Station in 1970. Amtrak rail service on the Lake Shore Limited can be found in Pittsfield, and
2365-491: The state. The Lenox Library Association is also a member of the Massachusetts Library System which is a State-supported collaborative that provides leadership and services to foster cooperation, communication, and sharing among member libraries of all types. In fiscal year 2008, the town of Lenox spent 1.56% ($ 241,452) of its budget on its public library—some $ 47 per person. The Lenox Library building occupies
2420-866: The summer. The area was inhabited by Mahicans , Algonquian speakers who largely lived along the Hudson and Housatonic Rivers. Hostilities during the French and Indian Wars discouraged settlement by European colonial settlers until 1750, when Jonathan and Sarah Hinsdale from Hartford, Connecticut , established a small inn and general store. The Province of Massachusetts Bay thereupon auctioned large tracts of land for 10 townships in Berkshire County, set off in 1761 from Hampshire County . For 2,250 pounds Josiah Dean purchased Lot Number 8, which included present-day Lenox and Richmond . After conflicting land claims were resolved, however, it went to Samuel Brown Jr., who had bought
2475-544: The title passed to Pittsfield. The county courthouse built in 1816 is today the Lenox Library. The region's rustic beauty helped Lenox develop into an art colony . In 1821, author Catharine Sedgwick moved here, followed by actress Fanny Kemble . Nathaniel Hawthorne and his family came from Salem in 1850, staying a year and a half. Other visitors to the area, including Timothy Dwight , Benjamin Silliman and Henry Ward Beecher , extolled its advantages. After an extension of
2530-718: The town is represented by the Berkshire, Hampshire and Franklin district, which includes all of Berkshire County and western Hampshire and Franklin Counties. The town is patrolled by the First (Lee) Station of Barracks "B" of the Massachusetts State Police . On the national level, Lenox is represented in the United States House of Representatives as part of Massachusetts's 1st congressional district , and has been represented by Richard Neal since January 2013. Massachusetts
2585-673: The town is served by the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority (BRTA), with regional bus service through Pittsfield. Pittsfield is also the site of the nearest regional airport, the Pittsfield Municipal Airport . The town is roughly equidistantly located between the two nearest airports with national flights, Albany International Airport in New York and Bradley International Airport in Connecticut. As of
2640-410: The town was 98.57% White , 0.30% Black or African American , 0.08% Native American , 0.02% Asian , 0.04% Pacific Islander , 0.41% from other races , and 0.57% from two or more races. 1.91% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 2,212 households, out of which 22.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.7% were married couples living together, 6.8% had
2695-401: Was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.5 males. The median income for a household in the town was $ 85,581, and the median income for a family was $ 111,413. Males had a median income of $ 61,226 versus $ 55,063 for females. The per capita income for the town was $ 53,263. 4.9% of the population and 3.6% of families were below
2750-619: Was a British artist and illustrator , born in Chester . The Caldecott Medal was named in his honour. He exercised his art chiefly in book illustrations. His abilities as an artist were promptly and generously recognised by the Royal Academy . Caldecott greatly influenced illustration of children's books during the nineteenth century. Two books illustrated by him, priced at a shilling each, were published every Christmas for eight years. Caldecott also illustrated novels and accounts of foreign travel, made humorous drawings depicting hunting and fashionable life, drew cartoons and he made sketches of
2805-404: Was a fellow contributor to Punch ), John Everett Millais , and Frederic Leighton . His friendship with Frederic (later Lord) Leighton led to a commission to design peacock capitals for four columns in the Arab room at Leighton's rather exotic home, Leighton House , in Kensington . ( Walter Crane designed a tiled peacock frieze for the same room.) In 1869, Caldecott exhibited a picture in
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#17328516412552860-406: Was a filming location for Before and After (1996) and The Cider House Rules (1999), which was shot at Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum . According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 21.7 square miles (56.1 km ), of which 21.2 square miles (55.0 km ) is land and 0.46 square miles (1.2 km ) is water. Lenox is bordered by Pittsfield to
2915-436: Was a habit of his at this time, which he maintained all his life, to decorate his letters, papers and documents of all descriptions with marginal sketches to illustrate the content or provide amusement. A number of his letters have been reprinted with their illustrations in Yours Pictorially , a book edited by Michael Hutchings. In 1870, a painter friend in London, Thomas Armstrong , put Caldecott in touch with Henry Blackburn ,
2970-499: Was constructed in 1815–1816. In 1973, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places and is one of several such locations in Lenox. In the early 20th century, novelist Edith Wharton worked in the library and befriended Kate Spencer, who served as partial inspiration for her 1911 novel Ethan Frome . The Lenox Library Association belongs to the C/W MARS library consortium, which allows patrons to request books and other materials from other libraries located across
3025-502: Was not quite 40 years old. A headstone marks his grave in the cemetery there. Soon after his early death, his many friends contributed to a memorial, which was designed by Sir Alfred Gilbert . It was placed in the crypt of St Paul's Cathedral , London. There is also a memorial to him in Chester Cathedral . Gleeson White wrote of Caldecott: Caldecott was a fine literary artist, who was able to express himself with rare facility in pictures in place of words, so that his comments upon
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