By Carole Owens
Two events solidified my dream. A guest arrived at my house. She stepped out of her car, threw out her arms and grinned, “Now I can breathe.”
She explained, “every time I come here, I breathe freer. It’s the space.”
She made me appreciate a luxury we enjoy that I had taken for granted — the distance between our houses and our great open spaces.
In the summer of 2024, we drove through all 18 towns in South Berkshire County. It is the loveliest of places. The stretches of green fields, shaded woodland, and wetlands are interspersed with buildings from as early as the 1700s.
The land is the source of revitalization for all creatures, including us. Unspoiled land produces oxygen, natural cooling, protection from the elements, and habitat for the birds and animals. As we build housing, shops, civic and cultural buildings, we must also protect open space. Historic buildings are the repositories of our memories. We point and say, there, in that place, our ancestors gathered to pray, to plan, to raise a glass in friendship, and so our story begins. To lose the building leaves a rent in the fabric of our story – who we were and what we stand for; to save the building connects us to our past. Preservation Inc will help those dedicated to saving historic buildings and repositories.
Those two moments solidified my dream of saving Berkshire land and buildings. To realize the dream, we needed to form Berkshire Preservation Inc, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and through strategic fundraising and grant awards, begin to preserve and protect our land and our historic buildings. We collaborate with other preservation nonprofits, and together, we will succeed and save what is exceptional about our home.
We have role models. Preservation Inc will emulate the fabulous builders of the carousel, the wonder woman who formed Laurel Hill Association, the saviors of the Berkshire Eagle, and many others who dreamt and then rolled up their sleeves. Join Us.
Editor’s note: Submit the story of your dream to Stockbridge Updates and dream on.