On September 26, 2024,
at Goodrich Bridge at the end of Park street, there was a joint ceremony with the Town and the Stockbridge-unsee band of the Mohican nation. At Goodrich Bridge, and other crossings along the Housatonic River, signs will be placed with the Mohican name. The Mohican name is: Wa’thatinik — the ‘Land Beyond the Mountains’.
Sherry White of the Mohican nation and Patrick White, Stockbridge Select Board spoke. White said, “Many of us hope that, going forward, as our Mohican friends share with us their timeless wisdom, we will together become better stewards of the rivers, meadows, lakes, and forests. Thank you.”
From the Desk of the Town Administrator
By Michael Canales
On Wednesday, September 11, Stockbridge had the honor of welcoming members of the Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican Tribe, many visiting the town for the first time. The occasion was a special dinner held at the historic Mission House. The site was where Reverend John Sergeant first met with Mohican leaders in the 1740s, symbolizing a long history of interactions between the Tribe and the settlers.
The Town of Stockbridge formally presented the Tribe with 18th-century documents recently discovered at Old Town Hall. These significant documents include a 1740 letter from Stockbridge Indian proprietors to Jahleel Woodbridge, signed by 10 sachems, or chiefs, who are direct ancestors of living members of the Mohican tribal nation. Discovered in 2019 by Facilities Manager Chris Marsden, the importance of these documents was confirmed by local historian Rick Wilcox, who described the find as a “great discovery.” The return of these documents marks a meaningful step in the evolving relationship between the Town and the Tribe.
The transfer of these records was made possible through a vote at the May 2021 Annual Town Meeting, where residents overwhelmingly supported returning the materials. It was further authorized by a bill filed by state Rep. Smitty Pignatelli and signed into law by former Governor Charlie Baker before leaving office. This legislation enables the Town of Stockbridge to return these historical documents to the Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican Tribe, which will preserve them at the Arvid E. Miller Library and Museum on the Tribe’s reservation in Bowler, Wisconsin.
The Tribe expressed deep gratitude, stating, “It is a rare occurrence to see records of this nature returned to a Tribe, as much of our historical documents remain in external repositories located thousands of miles away from the people who need them the most. We hope that other repositories will follow suit, allowing us to tell our story in our own voice.”
In appreciation, the Tribe presented gifts to Select Board member, Patrick White, Mark Wilson, Naumkeag, and Chris Marsden, Local Coordinator, Mass Emergency Management. The Stockbridge-Munsee blanket, symbolizing the enduring friendship between the Town and the Tribe, will be displayed in the Town Offices as a testament to this partnership.
This return of documents not only reaffirms the deep historical connection between the Stockbridge-Munsee Mohicans and their ancestral homeland in the Housatonic River Valley but also sets a powerful precedent for other institutions to consider similar actions, helping to heal historical wounds and foster future reconciliation.
From the Desk of Berkshire Hills Regional School District (BHRSD) Superintendent
By Peter Dillon
Join the Monument Mountain Regional High School (MMRHS) Building Committee for a Community Informational Session on October 1, 2024, at 6pm in the District Office, 50 Main Street, 2nd floor, Stockbridge, for a review of current design options, and next steps. The session will also be accessible via Zoom. (Access the Zoom meeting: https://tinyurl.com/yszw3k8c , meeting #897 6749 8046, Password: 078981).
The Monument Mountain Regional HS Building Committee will host an additional Community Information Session on November 25th, where updated costs will be presented, and the project will ask for final input before narrowing down to a single preferred design solution to be studied further and presented for a vote in Fall of 2025. Meeting details for the November 25th session will be announced on the project website, https:monumentbuildingproject.org/ , in the coming weeks.
The Monument Mountain Regional HS Building Project began with a Statement of Interest to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) in 2021. The district was accepted into the MSBA’s core project program in the spring of 2022. The Feasibility Study began with listening. Three community educational visioning sessions were hosted in the spring of 2024 to gather input to create an educational plan that reflects the values that drive the design of a new school. The School Building Committee then shared this feedback and vision in three community informational sessions between the spring and summer of 2024 and continues to engage the community with two more planned community informational sessions this fall.
The Feasibility Study will conclude when the school building committee votes for its preferred solution in December 2024, a single plan that chooses between renovation, addition, and/or replacement, which the MSBA must approve. If the MSBA authorizes the project to move forward, the project team and building committee begin the Schematic Design Phase. This is where site details, building design and renderings, become detailed enough to produce a project scope and budget estimate, with hard numbers on the total cost of the project, as well as determining the portions that would be paid for with MSBA grant money and with local tax dollars.
The Schematic Design Phase concludes and can only move forward with approval from our district. We anticipate a vote in fall 2025 to ask our communities for approval of the project scope and budget.
If approved, the project will enter the Detailed Design Phase, bidding, and construction of the Monument Mountain High School.
Depending on which solution our school building committee selects—new construction, renovation, and/or addition, the project will be completed in 2029 or 2030.
For more information on the Monument Mountain Regional High School Building Project, visit: https:monumentbuildingproject.org/
In future Stockbridge Updates, I will introduce you to some of our new teachers and staff and share updates on our budget process for next year.
