Adams, Mass is who's hometown?

My daughter & I needed to get away. I was finished with grad school for the semester, plus it was Mother's Day weekend, so we just up & left.

The 90 or so minute car ride was pleasant. We listened to Madonna (I refuse to listen to Ke$ha) & I only missed one turn in Adams. I was able to remedy the misdirection very quickly & in only a minute or so we were steadly winding our way through the northern Berkshires to our first destination.

There in the shadow of Mount Greylock, Massachusettes tallest peak (3,489 ft), sits an unassuming house with a small 4 or 5 car parking lot and gift shop. Have you guessed? It is the Susan B. Anthony Birthplace Museum*. Susan and her family lived in the home until she was six years old & Daniel Anthony moved the family to Battenville. When we pulled in I was so giddy & excited, I had to sit in the car for a minute to gain my composure.

Greenwich Town Historian (me) in front the house

My daughter in what was probably the stock room for Daniel's store



An intern painted representations of little Susan for the gardens

There are some period furnishings in the house, but nothing original to the family or home. The main floor is open for tours and contains suffrage, temperance & abolition memorobelia. there is informative signage throughout & little take-away brochures. The upstairs is for staff, but you can glance up the stairwell.

I plan on going back this summer for an event with Penny Colman, author of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony: A Friendship That Changed the World, which I have just started. Hope to see you there!

Some items of interest from the gift shop... The Mother of Us All: An Opera is available of CD, but the gift shop has the LP for sale. Awesome!

The Mother Of Us All on vinyl

And nothing says "Happy Golden Annivesary of the Passage of the 19th Amendment" like hairspray. You think I'm kidding? In 1970 Loreal launched suffrage hairspray in scented & unscented! I am so buying one when I go back this summer!

Loreal's Suffrage Hairspray circa 1970

Mount Greylock from the Anthony's yard



For reference:
* http://www.susanbanthonybirthplace.com/index.shtml
Penny Colman's book Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony: A Friendship That Changed the World is available from your favorite book store (ISBN 9780805082937) http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?isbn=9780805082937&sts=t&x=0&y=0
The Mother of Us All: An Opera on CD (1992)
http://www.amazon.com/The-Mother-All-Virgil-Thomson/dp/B0000030CZ/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1337827155&sr=1-1