110-526: Mount Greylock is the highest point in Massachusetts at 3,489 feet (1,063 meters). Located in northwest region of the state, it is part of the Taconic Mountains , a geologically distinct range from the nearby Berkshires and Green Mountains . Expansive views and a small area of sub-alpine forest characterize its upper reaches. A seasonal automobile road crosses the summit area near three structures from
220-553: A Wôpanâak word muswachasut , segmented as mus(ây) "big" + wach "mountain" + -s "diminutive" + - ut "locative". This word has been translated as "near the great hill", "by the blue hills", "at the little big hill", or "at the range of hills", in reference to the Blue Hills —namely, the Great Blue Hill , located on the boundary of Milton and Canton . Massachusett has also been represented as Moswetuset . This comes from
330-563: A right to shelter law, and the first U.S. state, and one of the earliest jurisdictions in the world to legally recognize same-sex marriage . Harvard University in Cambridge is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States , with the largest financial endowment of any university in the world. Both Harvard and MIT , also in Cambridge, are perennially ranked as either
440-502: A 10-cent fee to ascend the iron observation tower (built 1889). Together, these fees are equivalent to $ 11.87 in present-day dollars. But 12 years later, with the GPA's business future imperiled by debt, local legislators proposed acquiring the company and forming Mount Greylock State Reservation. This was approved in 1898 along with plans to add to the original land (to ultimately total 12,500-acre (5,100 ha). The Berkshire County government
550-703: A co-founder of the Special Olympics . In 1966, Massachusetts became the first state to directly elect an African American to the U.S. senate with Edward Brooke . George H. W. Bush , 41st President of the United States (1989–1993) was born in Milton in 1924. Other notable Massachusetts politicians on the national level included Joseph W. Martin Jr. , Speaker of the House (from 1947 to 1949 and then again from 1953 to 1955) and leader of House Republicans from 1939 until 1959 (where he
660-422: A different element or a different isotope of the original element. In rock and other materials of similar density, most of the cosmic ray flux is absorbed within the first meter of exposed material in reactions that produce new isotopes called cosmogenic nuclides . At Earth's surface most of these nuclides are produced by neutron spallation . Using certain cosmogenic radionuclides , scientists can date how long
770-451: A different tower on the mountain. The Northern Berkshire Amateur Radio Club runs several amateur radio repeaters on the mountain under the callsign K1FFK. By the mid-19th century, improved transportation into the region attracted many visitors to Greylock. Among them were writers and artists inspired by the mountain scene: Nathaniel Hawthorne , William Cullen Bryant , Oliver Wendell Holmes , Herman Melville , and Henry David Thoreau . In
880-552: A frontrunner in the Democratic primaries for the 2020 presidential election. However, she later suspended her campaign and endorsed presumptive nominee Joe Biden . Two pressure cooker bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013, at around 2:49 pm local time ( EDT ). The explosions killed three people and injured an estimated 264 others. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) later identified
990-487: A large population of grey seals . Since 2009, there has been a significant increase in the number of Great white sharks spotted and tagged in the coastal waters off of Cape Cod . Freshwater fish species in Massachusetts include bass , carp , catfish , and trout , while saltwater species such as Atlantic cod , haddock , and American lobster populate offshore waters. Other marine species include Harbor seals ,
1100-429: A local resident calling it "Graylock." Hawthorne added that Saddleback "is a more usual name for it." Yet elsewhere Hawthorne simply called it Graylock, attributing this name to the mountain's frequent appearance in winter frost. Nonetheless, as of 1841, Edward Hitchcock 's authoritative "Final Report" on state geology called the entire massif "Saddle Mountain" and "the highest point of the summit" according to Hitchcock
1210-615: A night on Greylock's summit. Thoreau summited and spent a night in July 1844. His account of this event in A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers described his approach up what is today the Bellows Pipe Trail. Scholars contend that this Greylock experience transformed him, affirming his ability to do these excursions on his own, following his brother John's death; and served as a prelude to his experiment of rugged individualism at Walden Pond
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#17330857534941320-662: A particular nuclide is a function of geomagnetic latitude, the amount of sky that can be seen from the point that is sampled, elevation, sample depth, and density of the material in which the sample is embedded. Decay rates are given by the decay constants of the nuclides. These equations can be combined to give the total concentration of cosmogenic radionuclides in a sample as a function of age. The two most frequently measured cosmogenic nuclides are beryllium-10 and aluminum-26 . These nuclides are particularly useful to geologists because they are produced when cosmic rays strike oxygen-16 and silicon-28 , respectively. The parent isotopes are
1430-404: A particular surface has been exposed, how long a certain piece of material has been buried, or how quickly a location or drainage basin is eroding. The basic principle is that these radionuclides are produced at a known rate, and also decay at a known rate. Accordingly, by measuring the concentration of these cosmogenic nuclides in a rock sample, and accounting for the flux of the cosmic rays and
1540-536: A path to decarbonize the state's economy. On April 22, 2020, Kathleen A. Theoharides, the state's Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs, released a Determination of Statewide Emissions limits for 2050. In her letter, Theoharides stresses that as of 2020, the Commonwealth has experienced property damage attributable to climate change of more than $ 60 billion. To ensure that the Commonwealth experiences warming no more than 1.5 °C of pre-industrialization levels,
1650-448: A resident winter innkeeper in 1938 (see above citation), the 1940 introduction of this nearby shelter may have made a seasonal shut-down of the lodge less inconvenient during large-scale ski events of the era. This trail was designed with help from numerous ski groups and cut by the CCC in 1934. Major competitive ski races were held on here almost annually from 1935 until 1948. Among the largest
1760-512: A rock sample. These rates are usually estimated empirically by comparing the concentration of nuclides produced in samples whose ages have been dated by other means, such as radiocarbon dating , thermoluminescence , or optically stimulated luminescence . The excess relative to natural abundance of cosmogenic nuclides in a rock sample is usually measured by means of accelerator mass spectrometry . Cosmogenic nuclides such as these are produced by chains of spallation reactions. The production rate for
1870-436: A significant change to the state's built environment and ecosystems. In Boston alone, costs of climate change-related storms will result in $ 5 to $ 100 billion in damage. Warmer temperatures will also disrupt bird migration and flora blooming. With these changes, deer populations are expected to increase, resulting in a decrease in underbrush which smaller fauna use as camouflage. Additionally, rising temperatures will increase
1980-418: A structure that migrated to its present position from 25 miles to the east. The rocks moved via thrust faulting , a tectonic process by which older rock is thrust over and above younger rock. More narrowly, the local massif is mostly "Greylock Schist," a term used by geologists starting in 1891 and much more recently, although the age of these rocks had been uncertain into the 1960s. This Ordovician-era schist
2090-537: A telephone," according to a New York City newspaper. A ski race later that season attracted 7,000 spectators, mainly near the base of the mountain (see ref. below). Today, Bascom Lodge is run (in warmer months only) by a service company under a concession-type lease from the state. Among other earlier arrangements, the Appalachian Mountain Club managed the lodge for 16 summers ending in 2000. The Thunderbolt Ski Shelter, also designed by Joseph McArthur Vance,
2200-456: Is Boston . Other major cities are Worcester , Springfield and Cambridge . Massachusetts is also home to the urban core of Greater Boston , the largest metropolitan area in New England and a region profoundly influential upon American history , academia , and the research economy . Massachusetts has a reputation for social and political progressivism ; becoming the only U.S. state with
2310-568: Is cosmogenic radionuclide dating . Earth is constantly bombarded with primary cosmic rays , high energy charged particles – mostly protons and alpha particles . These particles interact with atoms in atmospheric gases, producing a cascade of secondary particles that may in turn interact and reduce their energies in many reactions as they pass through the atmosphere. This cascade includes a small fraction of hadrons, including neutrons. When one of these particles strikes an atom it can dislodge one or more protons and/or neutrons from that atom, producing
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#17330857534942420-465: Is a collection of geochronological techniques for estimating the length of time that a rock has been exposed at or near Earth's surface. Surface exposure dating is used to date glacial advances and retreats , erosion history, lava flows, meteorite impacts, rock slides, fault scarps , cave development, and other geological events. It is most useful for rocks which have been exposed for between 10 and 10 years. The most common of these dating techniques
2530-505: Is about 1,000 to 2,000 feet thick on Greylock and "consists of muscovite (sericite), chlorite , and quartz schist ." It lies above a formation called "Bellows Pipe Limestone." This younger, underlying layer has been quarried on the lower slopes of the mountain. Successive eras of ice-age glaciation rounded the mountain, leaving glacial erratics such as "Balanced Rock" on Greylock in Lanesborough. The Laurentide Ice Sheet had covered
2640-439: Is bombarded by a spallation product: oxygen of the quartz is transformed into Be and the silicon is transformed into Al. Each of these nuclides is produced at a different rate. Both can be used individually to date how long the material has been exposed at the surface. Because there are two radionuclides decaying, the ratio of concentrations of these two nuclides can be used without any other knowledge to determine an age at which
2750-467: Is its largest city. Despite its small size, Massachusetts features numerous topographically distinctive regions. The large coastal plain of the Atlantic Ocean in the eastern section of the state contains Greater Boston , along with most of the state's population, as well as the distinctive Cape Cod peninsula . To the west lies the hilly, rural region of Central Massachusetts , and beyond that,
2860-694: Is now known as Rhode Island , and Hutchinson joined him there several years later. Religious intolerance continued, and among those who objected to this later that century were the English Quaker preachers Alice and Thomas Curwen , who were publicly flogged and imprisoned in Boston in 1676. By 1641, Massachusetts had expanded inland significantly. The Commonwealth acquired the Connecticut River Valley settlement of Springfield , which had recently disputed with—and defected from—its original administrators,
2970-652: Is open year-round (1.5 miles off Route 7 ). The Greylock Glen, site of a former proposed tramway/ski/resort development from 1953 to 1977, is a 1,063-acre (430-hectare) park in Adams, adjoining Mount Greylock State Reservation. It was acquired by the state in 1985 for joint public-private development. Massachusetts Masshole Massachusite (traditional) Massachusetts ( / ˌ m æ s ə ˈ tʃ uː s ɪ t s / , /- z ɪ t s / MASS -ə- CHOO -sits, -zits ; Massachusett : Muhsachuweesut [məhswatʃəwiːsət] ), officially
3080-654: Is part of the Taconic Mountains , a geologically distinct range from the nearby Berkshires and Green Mountains separated here by the nearby Hoosic Valley. The massif is mostly within the Hudson River watershed via the Hoosic River, although a small part near Lanesborough is within the Housatonic River watershed. The eastern slopes of Greylock are noted for the Thunderbolt ski trail (see below), landslide scars above
3190-471: Is quite wet. Frosts are frequent all winter, even in coastal areas due to prevailing inland winds. Boston has a relatively sunny climate for a coastal city at its latitude, averaging over 2,600 hours of sunshine a year. Climate change in Massachusetts will affect both urban and rural environments, including forestry, fisheries, agriculture, and coastal development. The Northeast is projected to warm faster than global average temperatures; by 2035, according to
3300-693: Is the most populous state in New England, the 16th-most-populous in the country, and the third-most densely populated , after New Jersey and Rhode Island. Massachusetts was a site of early English colonization . The Plymouth Colony was founded in 1620 by the Pilgrims of the Mayflower . In 1630, the Massachusetts Bay Colony , taking its name from the Indigenous Massachusett people , also established settlements in Boston and Salem. In 1692,
3410-616: The American Human Development Index and the standard Human Development Index , first in per capita income , and as of 2023, first in median income . Consequently, Massachusetts typically ranks as the top U.S. state, as well as the most expensive state, for residents to live in. The Massachusetts Bay Colony was named after the Indigenous population, the Massachusett or Muhsachuweesut , whose name likely derived from
Mount Greylock - Misplaced Pages Continue
3520-828: The Cape Cod National Seashore and the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area . In addition, the Department of Conservation and Recreation maintains a number of parks , trails, and beaches throughout Massachusetts. The primary biome of inland Massachusetts is temperate deciduous forest . Although much of Massachusetts had been cleared for agriculture, leaving only traces of old-growth forest in isolated pockets, secondary growth has regenerated in many rural areas as farms have been abandoned. Forests cover around 62% of Massachusetts. The areas most affected by human development include
3630-576: The Civilian Conservation Corps , supervised by Deloye. The lodge was named in honor of John Bascom , a Greylock Reservation Commissioner and local professor (d. 1911). For the winter of 1937–38, the Greylock Commission hired Harrison L. Lasuer to spend the season living in the lodge "to act as host to skiers and other Winter enthusiasts who scale the mountain.". The building was equipped for that winter with "steam heat, electricity and
3740-638: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts , is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States . It borders the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode Island to its south, New Hampshire and Vermont to its north, and New York to its west. Massachusetts is the sixth-smallest state by land area . With over seven million residents as of 2020, it
3850-533: The Connecticut Colony . This established Massachusetts's southern border in the west. However, this became disputed territory until 1803–04 due to surveying problems, leading to the modern Southwick Jog . In 1652 the Massachusetts General Court authorized Boston silversmith John Hull to produce local coinage in shilling, sixpence and threepence denominations to address a coin shortage in
3960-615: The Connecticut River Valley . Along the western border of Western Massachusetts lies the highest elevated part of the state, the Berkshires , forming a portion of the northern terminus of the Appalachian Mountains . The U.S. National Park Service administers a number of natural and historical sites in Massachusetts . Along with twelve national historic sites, areas, and corridors, the National Park Service also manages
4070-469: The Massachusetts Bay Colony —now known as Boston—in 1630. The Puritans believed the Church of England needed to be further reformed along Protestant Calvinist lines, and experienced harassment due to the religious policies of King Charles I and high-ranking churchmen such as William Laud , who would become Charles's Archbishop of Canterbury , whom they feared were re-introducing "Romish" elements to
4180-479: The common loon are becoming rare. A significant population of long-tailed ducks winter off Nantucket . Small offshore islands and beaches are home to roseate terns and are important breeding areas for the locally threatened piping plover . Protected areas such as the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge provide critical breeding habitat for shorebirds and a variety of marine wildlife including
4290-485: The monarchy the former colonies were fighting against during the American Revolutionary War . The name "State of Massachusetts Bay" appeared in the first draft, which was ultimately rejected. It was also chosen to include the "Cape Islands" in reference to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket —from 1780 to 1844, they were seen as additional and separate entities confined within the Commonwealth. Massachusetts
4400-403: The steam engine to power factories. Canals and railroads were being used in the state for transporting raw materials and finished goods. At first, the new industries drew labor from Yankees on nearby subsistence farms, though they later relied upon immigrant labor from Europe and Canada. Although Massachusetts was the first slave-holding colony with slavery dating back to the early 1600s,
4510-540: The "Atlas of Independence", was highly involved in both separation from Britain and the Constitution of Massachusetts , which effectively (the Elizabeth Freeman and Quock Walker cases as interpreted by William Cushing ) made Massachusetts the first state to abolish slavery. David McCullough points out that an equally important feature was its placing for the first time the courts as a co-equal branch separate from
Mount Greylock - Misplaced Pages Continue
4620-583: The "Greylock Range" near the Hoosic River , which hooks around the mountain on its eastern and northern footings. Various summits include Saddle Ball Mountain , along with Mount Fitch and others. Standing about 2,000 feet (610 meters) above the local Hoosic Valley, Mount Greylock's summit is in Adams, Massachusetts . Other parts of the range extend into five neighboring towns. Sight lines of up to 72 miles (116 km) are possible from Greylock. The Greylock massif
4730-504: The 1930s, which together constitute a small National Historic District. Various hiking paths including the Appalachian Trail traverse the area, which is part of the larger Mount Greylock State Reservation . The peak played a role in 19th century American literature, and is featured in the work of Nathaniel Hawthorne , Herman Melville , and Henry David Thoreau . Mount Greylock is part of an 11-mile-long (18 km) massif called
4840-472: The 19th century, Massachusetts became a national leader in the American Industrial Revolution , with factories around cities such as Lowell and Boston producing textiles and shoes, and factories around Springfield producing tools, paper, and textiles. The state's economy transformed from one based primarily on agriculture to an industrial one, initially making use of water-power and later
4950-458: The 48 states. After the world war, the economy of eastern Massachusetts transformed from one based on heavy industry into a service-based economy . Government contracts, private investment, and research facilities led to a new and improved industrial climate, with reduced unemployment and increased per capita income. Suburbanization flourished, and by the 1970s, the Route 128 / Interstate 95 corridor
5060-647: The British government, were a primary reason for the unity of the Thirteen Colonies and the outbreak of the American Revolution in 1775. The Battles of Lexington and Concord , fought in Massachusetts in 1775, initiated the American Revolutionary War . George Washington , later the first president of the future country, took over what would become the Continental Army after the battle. His first victory
5170-827: The British monarchy, including open rebellion under the Dominion of New England in the 1680s. Protests against British attempts to tax the colonies after the French and Indian War ended in 1763 led to the Boston Massacre in 1770, and the 1773 Boston Tea Party escalated tensions. In 1774, the Intolerable Acts targeted Massachusetts with punishments for the Boston Tea Party and further decreased local autonomy, increasing local dissent. Anti-Parliamentary activity by men such as Samuel Adams and John Hancock , followed by reprisals by
5280-618: The Civil War. Massachusetts was the first state to recruit, train, and arm a Black regiment with White officers, the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment . In 1852, Massachusetts became the first state to pass compulsory education laws. Although the U.S. stock market had sustained steep losses the last week in October 1929, Tuesday, October 29 is remembered as the beginning of the Great Depression. The Boston Stock Exchange , drawn into
5390-513: The Colony of Georgia in 1735.) Later, Adams was active in early American foreign affairs and succeeded Washington as the second president of the United States . His son, John Quincy Adams , also from Massachusetts, would go on to become the nation's sixth president. From 1786 to 1787, an armed uprising led by Revolutionary War veteran Daniel Shays , now known as Shays' Rebellion , wrought havoc throughout Massachusetts and ultimately attempted to seize
5500-828: The Greater Boston area in the east and the Springfield metropolitan area in the west, although the latter includes agricultural areas throughout the Connecticut River Valley. There are 219 endangered species in Massachusetts. A number of species are doing well in the increasingly urbanized Massachusetts. Peregrine falcons utilize office towers in larger cities as nesting areas, and the population of coyotes , whose diet may include garbage and roadkill, has been increasing in recent decades. White-tailed deer , raccoons , wild turkeys , and eastern gray squirrels are also found throughout Massachusetts. In more rural areas in
5610-479: The Greylock Range, including tree specimens up to 350 years old. On the western slope was a 120-foot-tall (37 m) red spruce. There are purported records of 132 bird species on the mountain. These include the blackpoll warbler and Bicknell's thrush which breed exclusively in boreal forest, with limited opportunities elsewhere in Massachusetts. Mount Greylock is part of the much larger Taconic Allochthon ,
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#17330857534945720-553: The Massachusetts Marijuana Legalization Initiative , also known as Question 4. Massachusetts is the seventh-smallest state in the United States . It is located in the New England region of the Northeastern United States . It has an area of 10,555 square miles (27,340 km ), 25.7% of which is water. Several large bays distinctly shape its coast, giving it the nickname "the Bay State". Boston
5830-511: The Northeast United States has risen by ten percent from 1895 to 2011, and the number of heavy precipitation events has increased by seventy percent during that time. These increased precipitation patterns are focused in the winter and spring. Increasing temperatures coupled with increasing precipitation will result in earlier snow melts and subsequent drier soil in the summer months. The shifting climate in Massachusetts will result in
5940-737: The Thunderbolt Ski Shelter and its related trail, along with constructing much of Bascom Lodge. Starting in 1954, the Greylock Tramway Authority was formed to build an aerial tramway on the mountain. After the authority announced plans for a ski resort in 1964, a local conservation group called the Mount Greylock Protective Association led a campaign to shift the Reservation to state management from Berkshire County. This succeeded in 1966 and helped to block
6050-532: The U. S. Global Change Research Program, the Northeast is "projected to be more than 3.6°F (2°C) warmer on average than during the preindustrial era". As of August 2016, the EPA reports that Massachusetts has warmed by over two degrees Fahrenheit, or 1.1 degrees Celsius. Shifting temperatures also result in the shifting of rainfall patterns and the intensification of precipitation events. To that end, average precipitation in
6160-406: The broad transition zone to Humid Subtropical climates. The warm to hot summers render the oceanic climate rare in this transition, only applying to exposed coastal areas such as on the peninsula of Barnstable County . The climate of Boston is quite representative for the commonwealth, characterized by summer highs of around 81 °F (27 °C) and winter highs of 35 °F (2 °C), and
6270-520: The city of Adams and "Greylock Glen," a state-sponsored development plan. The western slopes include "The Hopper," a twin-pronged valley caused by erosion. The mountain's north and southern reaches are noted for the presence of an auto road as well as hiking trails. Northern hardwood forest characterize lower and mid-elevations, while upper slopes are covered with balsam fir and red spruce as well as American mountain ash. About 555 acres (225 hectares) of old growth forest have been inventoried within
6380-531: The colony did not move to renew his contract or appoint a new mintmaster. The coinage was a contributing factor to the revocation of the Massachusetts Bay Colony charter in 1684. In 1691, the colonies of Massachusetts Bay and Plymouth were united (along with present-day Maine , which had previously been divided between Massachusetts and New York ) into the Province of Massachusetts Bay . Shortly after,
6490-504: The colony. Before that point, the colony's economy had been entirely dependent on barter and foreign currency, including English, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese and counterfeit coins. In 1661, shortly after the restoration of the British monarchy , the British government considered the Boston mint to be treasonous. However, the colony ignored the English demands to cease operations until at least 1682, when Hull's contract as mintmaster expired, and
6600-609: The departure of several manufacturing companies, the state's industrial economy began to decline during the early 20th century. By the 1920s, competition from the American South and Midwest , followed by the Great Depression , led to the collapse of the three main industries in Massachusetts: textiles, shoemaking, and precision mechanics. This decline would continue into the latter half of the 20th century. Between 1950 and 1979,
6710-524: The early 1600s, European colonists caused virgin soil epidemics such as smallpox , measles , influenza , and perhaps leptospirosis in what is now known as the northeastern region of the United States. Between 1617 and 1619, a disease that was most likely smallpox killed approximately 90% of the Massachusetts Bay Native Americans . The first English colonists in Massachusetts Bay Colony landed with Richard Vines and spent
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#17330857534946820-458: The endangered North Atlantic right whales , as well as humpback whales , fin whales , minke whales , and Atlantic white-sided dolphins . The European corn borer , a significant agricultural pest, was first found in North America near Boston, Massachusetts in 1917. Most of Massachusetts has a humid continental climate , with cold winters and warm summers. Far southeast coastal areas are
6930-502: The exclusion of same-sex couples from the right to a civil marriage was unconstitutional. In 2004, Massachusetts senator John Kerry , who won the Democratic nomination for President of the United States, lost to incumbent George W. Bush . Eight years later, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney (the Republican nominee) lost to incumbent Barack Obama in 2012. Another eight years later, Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren became
7040-485: The executive. (The Constitution of Vermont , adopted in 1777, represented the first partial ban on slavery among the states. Vermont became a state in 1791 but did not fully ban slavery until 1858 with the Vermont Personal Liberty Law. The Pennsylvania Gradual Abolition Act of 1780 made Pennsylvania the first state to abolish slavery by statute - the second English colony to do so; the first having been
7150-662: The federal Springfield Armory . The rebellion was one of the major factors in the decision to draft a stronger national constitution to replace the Articles of Confederation . On February 6, 1788, Massachusetts became the sixth state to ratify the United States Constitution . In 1820, Maine separated from Massachusetts and entered the Union as the 23rd state due to the ratification of the Missouri Compromise . During
7260-404: The following year in 1845. Timothy Dwight IV , a once-famed poet and preacher, and president of Yale College, along with Williams College President Ebenezer Fitch, climbed Greylock in 1799, probably over a rough route cut by a local farmer Jeremiah Wilbur. Dwight's travel memoir describes the mountain: "During a great part of the year, it is either embosomed or capped by clouds, and indicates to
7370-441: The half-life of the nuclide, it is possible to estimate how long the sample has been exposed to the cosmic rays. The cumulative flux of cosmic rays at a particular location can be affected by several factors, including elevation, geomagnetic latitude, the varying intensity of the Earth's magnetic field , solar winds, and atmospheric shielding due to air pressure variations. Rates of nuclide production must be estimated in order to date
7480-443: The inscriptions inside the monument reads, "Of those immortal dead who live again in the minds made better by their presence", which is a line from a poem by George Eliot . The translucent globe of light on top, originally illuminated by twelve 1,500 watt lights (now six), is said to be visible at night for 70 mi (110 km). It creates a light-pollution problem for the summit area all night long. The Veterans War Memorial Tower
7590-413: The late 19th century, clearcutting had stripped most of Greylock's forest. Along with this came forest fires and landslides. The Greylock Park Association (GPA) was formed in 1885 and shares were sold locally with plans to make money by attracting tourists. The company purchased 400 acres (160 ha) on the summit and made repairs to the Notch Road. The GPA charged a 25-cent toll for the carriage road and
7700-414: The most abundant of these elements, and are common in crustal material, whereas the radioactive daughter nuclei are not commonly produced by other processes. As oxygen-16 is also common in the atmosphere, the contribution to the beryllium-10 concentration from material deposited rather than created in situ must be taken into account. Be and Al are produced when a portion of a quartz crystal (SiO 2 )
7810-415: The most or among the most highly regarded academic institutions in the world. Massachusetts's public-school students place among the top tier in the world in academic performance. Massachusetts is the most educated and one of the most highly developed and wealthiest U.S. states, ranking first in the percentage of population 25 and over with either a bachelor's degree or advanced degree , first on both
7920-430: The mountain was opened in 1929, and the entire Massachusetts section was mostly complete by 1931. The Massachusetts (Veterans) War Memorial Tower on the summit was completed in 1932. During nine years ending in 1941 the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) worked on the mountain mostly through its 107th Company, MA camp SP-7. CCC work included improvements to the road system (gravel surfaced), Adirondack lean-to shelters,
8030-459: The mountain's present name "probably originated with Williams College Professor Albert Hopkins" (1807–1872) or another local professor of the same era, according to one 1988 source. The peak's namesake, Gray Lock (c. 1670–1750) was an Abenaki tribal figure from near Westfield, Massachusetts, known for raiding English outposts near the Connecticut River and not historically associated with
8140-409: The mountain. The 18th century English may have called the peak "Grand Hoosuc," although Timothy Dwight IV referred to it as "Saddle Mountain" in his travel memoir concerning the late 18th century. In the early 19th century it was called "Saddleback Mountain" because of its appearance seen from the south. According to a 1838 journal entry (posthumously published 1868), Nathaniel Hawthorne overheard
8250-623: The name of the Moswetuset Hummock (meaning "hill shaped like an arrowhead") in Quincy , where Plymouth Colony commander Myles Standish (a hired English military officer) and Squanto (a member of the Patuxet band of the Wamponoag people , who have since died off due to contagious diseases brought by colonists) met Chief Chickatawbut in 1621. Although the designation "Commonwealth" forms part of
8360-619: The national church. They decided to colonize to Massachusetts, intending to establish what they considered an "ideal" religious society. The Massachusetts Bay Colony was colonized under a royal charter, unlike the Plymouth colony, in 1629. Both religious dissent and expansionism resulted in several new colonies being founded, shortly after Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay, elsewhere in New England. The Massachusetts Bay banished dissenters such as Anne Hutchinson and Roger Williams due to religious and political conflict. In 1636, Williams colonized what
8470-469: The new province's first governor, William Phips , arrived. The Salem witch trials also took place, where a number of men and women were hanged for alleged witchcraft . The most destructive earthquake known to date in New England occurred on November 18, 1755, causing considerable damage across Massachusetts. Massachusetts was a center of the movement for independence from Great Britain . Colonists in Massachusetts had long had uneasy relations with
8580-516: The number of Massachusetts residents involved in textile manufacturing declined from 264,000 to 63,000. The 1969 closure of the Springfield Armory , in particular, spurred an exodus of high-paying jobs from Western Massachusetts, which suffered greatly as it de-industrialized during the century's last 40 years. Massachusetts manufactured 3.4 percent of total United States military armaments produced during World War II , ranking tenth among
8690-551: The number of reported Lyme disease cases in the state. Ticks can transmit the disease once temperatures reach 45 degrees, so shorter winters will increase the window of transmission. These warmer temperatures will also increase the prevalence of Asian tiger mosquitoes , which often carry the West Nile virus . To fight this change, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs has outlined
8800-461: The re-routing of several other major highways. The project was often controversial, with numerous claims of graft and mismanagement, and with its initial price tag of $ 2.5 billion increasing to a final tally of over $ 15 billion. Nonetheless, the Big Dig changed the face of Downtown Boston and connected areas that were once divided by elevated highway. Much of the raised old Central Artery
8910-486: The region up to a depth of one kilometer (or 3,281 feet). In melting, it formed Lake Bascom in the upper Hoosic Valley. The remains of lake beaches are evident (to a few geologists) at several places on the lowest slopes of Greylock. Geologists used Surface Exposure Dating in 2018 to measure the rate of Pleistocene de-glaciation of the region. This method offered data in support of a more rapid melting rate in New England compared with earlier estimates. "Mount Greylock" as
9020-547: The resort. The 12,500-acre (5,100 ha) Mount Greylock State Reservation is managed and operated by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation . Mount Greylock has about 70 miles of hiking paths including an 11.5 mile section of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. Primitive camping for backpackers is permitted at several sites. The staffed visitors' center in Lanesborough
9130-480: The state became a center of progressivist and abolitionist (anti-slavery) activity in the years leading up to the American Civil War . Horace Mann made the state's school system a national model. Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson , both philosophers and writers from the state, also made major contributions to American philosophy. Furthermore, members of the transcendentalist movement within
9240-565: The state emphasized the importance of the natural world and emotion to humanity. Although significant opposition to abolitionism existed early on in Massachusetts, resulting in anti-abolitionist riots between 1835 and 1837, abolitionist views there gradually increased throughout the next few decades. Abolitionists John Brown and Sojourner Truth lived in Springfield and Northampton, respectively, while Frederick Douglass lived in Boston and Susan B. Anthony in Adams . The works of such abolitionists contributed to Massachusetts's actions during
9350-834: The state will work towards two goals by 2050: to achieve net-zero emissions , and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 85 percent overall. The State of Massachusetts has developed a plethora of incentives to encourage the implementation of renewable energy and efficient appliances and home facilities. The Mass Save program, formed in conjunction with the State by several companies that provide power and gas in Massachusetts, provides homeowners and renters with monetary incentives to retrofit their homes with efficient HVAC equipment and other household appliances. Appliances such as water heaters, air conditioners, washers and driers, and heat pumps are eligible for rebates in order to incentivize change. Surface exposure dating Surface exposure dating
9460-416: The state's official name, it has no practical implications in modern times, and Massachusetts has the same position and powers within the United States as other states. John Adams may have chosen the word in 1779 for the second draft of what became the 1780 Massachusetts Constitution ; unlike the word "state", the word " commonwealth " had the connotation of a republic at the time. This was in contrast to
9570-455: The summer of 1838, Hawthorne had visited North Adams, Massachusetts , and climbed Mount Greylock several times. His experiences there, specifically a walk he took at midnight where he saw a burning lime kiln , inspired his story, originally titled "The Unpardonable Sin". Hawthorne had not written tales since 1844 when he wrote " Ethan Brand " in the winter of 1848–1849. Melville is said to have taken part of his inspiration for Moby-Dick from
9680-464: The surrounding inhabitants the changes of weather with not a little exactness." Williams College students in 1830 directed by college President Edward Dorr Griffin improved and further cut a trail from the end of the Hopper Road to the summit. This is the current Hopper Trail, traditionally climbed by Williams students once a year. In May 1831 a wooden meteorological observatory, "Griffin's Tower",
9790-501: The suspects as brothers Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and Tamerlan Tsarnaev . The ensuing manhunt ended on April 19 when thousands of law enforcement officers searched a 20-block area of nearby Watertown . Dzhokhar later said he was motivated by extremist Islamic beliefs and learned to build explosive devices from Inspire , the online magazine of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula . On November 8, 2016, Massachusetts voted in favor of
9900-650: The town of Salem and surrounding areas experienced one of America's most infamous cases of mass hysteria , the Salem witch trials . In the late 18th century, Boston became known as the "Cradle of Liberty" for the agitation there that later led to the American Revolution . In 1786, Shays' Rebellion , a populist revolt led by disaffected American Revolutionary War veterans, influenced the United States Constitutional Convention . Originally dependent on agriculture , fishing , and trade , Massachusetts
10010-475: The view of the mountain from his house Arrowhead in Pittsfield , since its snow-covered profile reminded him of a great white sperm whale 's back breaking the ocean's surface. Melville dedicated his next novel, Pierre , to "Greylock's Most Excellent Majesty", calling the mountain "my own ... sovereign lord and king". In August 1851 Melville and a few friends, including the young poet Sarah Morewood , camped for
10120-468: The western part of Massachusetts, larger mammals such as moose and black bears have returned, largely due to reforestation following the regional decline in agriculture. Massachusetts is located along the Atlantic Flyway , a major route for migratory waterfowl along the eastern coast. Lakes in central Massachusetts provide habitat for many species of fish and waterfowl, but some species such as
10230-610: The whirlpool of panic selling that beset the New York Stock Exchange, lost over 25 percent of its value in two days of frenzied trading. The BSE, nearly 100 years old at the time, had helped raise the capital that had funded many of the Commonwealth's factories, railroads, and businesses. " Governor of Massachusetts Frank G. Allen appointed John C. Hull the first Securities Director of Massachusetts. Hull would assume office in January 1930, and his term would end in 1936. With
10340-633: The winter in Biddeford Pool near Cape Porpoise (after 1820 the State of Maine) in 1616. The Puritans , arrived at Plymouth in 1620. This was the second permanent English colony in the part of North America that later became the United States, after the Jamestown Colony . The "First Thanksgiving" was celebrated by the Puritans after their first harvest in the " New World " and lasted for three days. They were soon followed by other Puritans, who colonized
10450-420: Was a 1938 event attended by 7,000 spectators, who watched Fritz Dehmel of Nazi Germany set a course record of 2 minutes and 25 seconds. Famed U.S. skier Dick Durrance placed fifth in this race, which pre-dated the Thunderbolt shelter. Dehmel's record for the 1.4-mile course held until 1948. The trail is similar in steepness to the longer Sherburne Trail of Pinkham Notch, New Hampshire . The Thunderbolt ski race
10560-416: Was approved by the state legislature in 1930, supported by local lawmakers and Governor Frank G. Allen . It was completed two years later at a cost of $ 200,000 by contractors J.G. Roy & Son of Springfield. An estimated 1,500 people attended the 1933 dedication by Governor Joseph B. Ely , an event broadcast nationally over NBC radio. The 93-foot-tall (28 m) shaft with eight observation windows,
10670-468: Was built in 1940 by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) as a warming hut for skiers using the Thunderbolt Trail . Like the nearby lodge, the shelter is rustic in design and built of local stone and wood beams; the interior has four wooden benches built into a large four-hearth fireplace in the center. It is several hundred feet north of the summit tower. Although Bascomb Lodge reportedly employed
10780-653: Was built on the summit by students. Nine years later, it was replaced by a more substantial 60-foot (18 m) wooden tower, from which Donati's Comet was photographed in 1858. In 1863 the Alpine Club , was founded in Williamstown by Professor Albert Hopkins. The club frequently camped on the mountain and certain members later helped found the Appalachian Mountain Club and the American Alpine Club . By
10890-621: Was called "Graylock." . Three structures contribute to the 1930s "Mount Greylock Summit Historic District," which is part of the National Register of Historic Places as of 1998. These are the Bascom Lodge and the Thunderbolt Ski Shelter, both designed by Pittsfield architect, Joseph McArthur Vance , and the War Memorial Tower designed by Boston-based Maginnis & Walsh . Together, their cultural significance as period architecture
11000-470: Was cited in the register Bascom Lodge was built between 1932 and 1938 using native materials of Greylock schist and red spruce and characterized by the rustic design of period park structures. The Greylock Commission sought a more substantial shelter to replace an earlier summit house (built c.1902; destroyed by fire in 1929). The initial west wing was constructed in 1932 by Jules Emil Deloye Jr. The main-central and east wings were completed later 1935–38 by
11110-665: Was closed for four years beginning in 2013 because of water infiltration that caused structural damage from freezing. A $ 2.6-million restoration project that began in August 2015 was awarded to Allegrone Construction of Pittsfield. Although not as part of the Historic District, one radio and one television station transmit from a broadcast tower below the summit on the west side: WAMC (90.3 Albany, New York ); and W38DL (38 Adams, Massachusetts ) (repeater of WNYT-TV ). A NOAA Weather Radio station (WWF-48, 162.525 MHz) broadcasts from
11220-515: Was designed to display classic austerity. It includes Art Deco details, some by John Bizzozero of Quincy, whose work also appears on the Vermont Capitol building. Inside at ground level is a domed chamber intended to store tablets and war relics. Although area legislators and residents wanted local stone, the tower's granite facing was obtained in Quincy . The tower bears various inscriptions including, "they were faithful even unto death." One of
11330-618: Was dotted with high-tech companies who recruited graduates of the area's many elite institutions of higher education. In 1987, the state received federal funding for the Central Artery/Tunnel Project. Commonly known as "the Big Dig ", it was, at the time, the biggest federal highway project ever approved. The project included making the Central Artery , part of Interstate 93 , into a tunnel under downtown Boston, in addition to
11440-539: Was originally inhabited by tribes of the Algonquian language family , including Wampanoag , Narragansett , Nipmuc , Pocomtuc , Mahican , and Massachusett . While cultivation of crops like squash and corn were an important part of their diet, the people of these tribes hunted , fished , and searched the forest for most of their food. Villagers lived in lodges called wigwams as well as longhouses . Tribes were led by male or female elders known as sachems . In
11550-543: Was replaced with the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway . The project also improved traffic conditions along several routes. The Kennedy family was prominent in 20th-century Massachusetts politics. The children of businessman and ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. included John F. Kennedy , who was a senator and U.S. president before his assassination in 1963; Ted Kennedy , a senator from 1962 until his death in 2009; and Eunice Kennedy Shriver ,
11660-444: Was revived in 2010 and in certain subsequent years, but a lack of snow disrupted or relocated some of the events to commercial ski areas with artificial snow. In 2018, the race group said it would switch to "less frequent intervals" for the event, instead of annually. Separately, a 1990s landslide area on the eastern face of Greylock that is unrelated to the Thunderbolt trail was reportedly skied in 2005 The Veterans War Memorial Tower
11770-690: Was the siege of Boston in the winter of 1775–76, after which the British were forced to evacuate the city. The event is still celebrated in Suffolk County only every March 17 as Evacuation Day . On the coast, Salem became a center for privateering . Although the documentation is incomplete, about 1,700 letters of marque , issued on a per-voyage basis, were granted during the American Revolution. Nearly 800 vessels were commissioned as privateers, which were credited with capturing or destroying about 600 British ships. Bostonian John Adams , known as
11880-696: Was the only Republican to serve as Speaker between 1931 and 1995), John W. McCormack , Speaker of the House in the 1960s, and Tip O'Neill , whose service as Speaker of the House from 1977 to 1987 was the longest continuous tenure in United States history. On May 17, 2004, Massachusetts became the first state in the U.S. to legalize same-sex marriage . This followed the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court 's decision in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health in November 2003, which determined that
11990-616: Was to maintain the reservation. Other early State Reservation properties were similarly operated by local county governments. The first automobiles to the summit, via the Notch Road from the north, were a pair of steam-powered " Locomobiles ' in 1902; a gasoline-powered car followed in 1904. In 1907, Berkshire County Commission opened a new road from the south to the summit, augmenting the existing northerly "Notch Road." The county subsequently attended to building hiking paths, and by 1913 had completed 17 trails. The Appalachian Trail route across
12100-665: Was transformed into a manufacturing center during the Industrial Revolution . Before the American Civil War , the state was a center for the abolitionist , temperance , and transcendentalist movements. During the 20th century, the state's economy shifted from manufacturing to services ; and in the 21st century, Massachusetts has become the global leader in biotechnology , and also excels in artificial intelligence , engineering , higher education , finance , and maritime trade . The state's capital and most populous city , as well as its cultural and financial center ,
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