Back Roads of Massachusetts
As I was leaving Holland this morning, I checked two boxes on my GPS settings: Avoid Toll Roads and Avoid Highways. It was time to see a little countryside.
One of the things I wanted to make sure I did this time was stop and take pictures of this church in Palmer. It is my favorite building on the way to my friends' home, and I have never taken the time to get a photo.
St. Paul's Church was founded as a Universalist congregation in 1876. I guess I just assumed that it was something else first, but after looking into the history I found that it has always been a Universalist congregation. The church building was built in 1879 out of Monson granite, quarried just a few miles to the south of Palmer.
Rather than turn north at Palmer to get on I-90, I continued through the town and its historic homes to take Highway 181 toward Bondsville. Passing white-washed fences that skirted red barns and silver-gray silos, I took in the charming Massachusetts countryside. As I neared the commons in Belchertown (named for a person, not for a bodily function), I spied another old church that was worthy of a photo. It was not a Gothic granite beauty like the one in Palmer, but rather simple white clapboard. What caught my eye was really the sign on the side of the building.
In case you have trouble reading that, it says "Be the church. Protect the environment. Care for the poor. Forgive often. Reject racism. Fight for the powerless. Share earthly and spiritual resources. Embrace diversity. Love God. Enjoy this life." What a poignant message and worth the diversion to the Belchertown United Church of Christ. According to their website, it was organized in 1737 as The Congregational Church in Belchertown, was incorporated on March 16, 1891, and became part of the United Church of Christ in 1961.
As I moved on from Belchertown, my phone directed me to turn left onto Bay Road, leading me through family and shareholder farms that sell their bounty at little country stores and stands right along the road. You could find blue berries, raspberries, pears, apples, cucumbers, squash, and so much more. A light rain began to fall as the cows huddled together under barn roofs that are older than all of us.
Crossing the stunning Connecticut River at Northampton, I wished there was a convenient place to stop and take pictures. I yearned for that many times as Route 9 paralleled Mill River through Haydenville, Williamsburg and Goshen. There were so many stones in the river bed that I imagined it must be filled with whitewater rapids when the snow melts off in the spring. Even without the melt, I could have gotten some spectacular photos. But, alas, the rain persisted and there were people behind me that wouldn't have appreciated me stopping in the middle of the road for a photo session. Somewhere in there I passed by a restaurant that overlooks a waterfall. Maybe I'll be able to find it again and Kef and I can come back and eat there.
I wondered if the name Goshen had to do with mountain passes because this Goshen seems to be located at a mountain pass, similar to the mountain pass where my ancestors lived in Virginia. I've found the origin of the name is rather a reference to the place in Egypt considered to be the best part of the land. I'm guessing the same is true for Goshen Pass in Virginia (I'll look that up another time).
The houses in these small towns and along the country roads were decked out with spectacular summer flowers. Hanging baskets framed inviting porches, and English-cottage gardens teemed with daisies and hydrangeas and day lilies. The colorful display lasted until the fields gave way to forest and to the steeper hills of the Berkshires.
I was glad to get to see some of the places where I've applied for jobs. I passed by the Hancock Shaker Village and The Darrow School, both of which had communication positions open a couple of months back. Although nothing came of either, it was still interesting to see where they are, each on either side of the Massachusetts/New York state border along Highway 20.
The rain was fierce by this point, and I was ready to be off the road. So, I didn't linger over things that I might normally have. I noted a simple white house with a historical marker declaring it to be the Ezra Graves Homestead, which I'll have to look into later. Earlier, I had also passed a sign to the Bryant Homestead, which caught my eye because my father's paternal grandmother was a Bryant. Turns out, that one referred to William Cullen Bryant... another thing I'll have to come back and visit another day.
After adding an extra hour onto the time it usually takes to drive from Holland to Menands, I can say that I'm equally glad for the experience as I am for the availability of the interstate for days when exploring isn't so appealing.
One of the things I wanted to make sure I did this time was stop and take pictures of this church in Palmer. It is my favorite building on the way to my friends' home, and I have never taken the time to get a photo.
St. Paul's Church was founded as a Universalist congregation in 1876. I guess I just assumed that it was something else first, but after looking into the history I found that it has always been a Universalist congregation. The church building was built in 1879 out of Monson granite, quarried just a few miles to the south of Palmer.
Rather than turn north at Palmer to get on I-90, I continued through the town and its historic homes to take Highway 181 toward Bondsville. Passing white-washed fences that skirted red barns and silver-gray silos, I took in the charming Massachusetts countryside. As I neared the commons in Belchertown (named for a person, not for a bodily function), I spied another old church that was worthy of a photo. It was not a Gothic granite beauty like the one in Palmer, but rather simple white clapboard. What caught my eye was really the sign on the side of the building.
In case you have trouble reading that, it says "Be the church. Protect the environment. Care for the poor. Forgive often. Reject racism. Fight for the powerless. Share earthly and spiritual resources. Embrace diversity. Love God. Enjoy this life." What a poignant message and worth the diversion to the Belchertown United Church of Christ. According to their website, it was organized in 1737 as The Congregational Church in Belchertown, was incorporated on March 16, 1891, and became part of the United Church of Christ in 1961.
As I moved on from Belchertown, my phone directed me to turn left onto Bay Road, leading me through family and shareholder farms that sell their bounty at little country stores and stands right along the road. You could find blue berries, raspberries, pears, apples, cucumbers, squash, and so much more. A light rain began to fall as the cows huddled together under barn roofs that are older than all of us.
Crossing the stunning Connecticut River at Northampton, I wished there was a convenient place to stop and take pictures. I yearned for that many times as Route 9 paralleled Mill River through Haydenville, Williamsburg and Goshen. There were so many stones in the river bed that I imagined it must be filled with whitewater rapids when the snow melts off in the spring. Even without the melt, I could have gotten some spectacular photos. But, alas, the rain persisted and there were people behind me that wouldn't have appreciated me stopping in the middle of the road for a photo session. Somewhere in there I passed by a restaurant that overlooks a waterfall. Maybe I'll be able to find it again and Kef and I can come back and eat there.
I wondered if the name Goshen had to do with mountain passes because this Goshen seems to be located at a mountain pass, similar to the mountain pass where my ancestors lived in Virginia. I've found the origin of the name is rather a reference to the place in Egypt considered to be the best part of the land. I'm guessing the same is true for Goshen Pass in Virginia (I'll look that up another time).
The houses in these small towns and along the country roads were decked out with spectacular summer flowers. Hanging baskets framed inviting porches, and English-cottage gardens teemed with daisies and hydrangeas and day lilies. The colorful display lasted until the fields gave way to forest and to the steeper hills of the Berkshires.
I was glad to get to see some of the places where I've applied for jobs. I passed by the Hancock Shaker Village and The Darrow School, both of which had communication positions open a couple of months back. Although nothing came of either, it was still interesting to see where they are, each on either side of the Massachusetts/New York state border along Highway 20.
The rain was fierce by this point, and I was ready to be off the road. So, I didn't linger over things that I might normally have. I noted a simple white house with a historical marker declaring it to be the Ezra Graves Homestead, which I'll have to look into later. Earlier, I had also passed a sign to the Bryant Homestead, which caught my eye because my father's paternal grandmother was a Bryant. Turns out, that one referred to William Cullen Bryant... another thing I'll have to come back and visit another day.
After adding an extra hour onto the time it usually takes to drive from Holland to Menands, I can say that I'm equally glad for the experience as I am for the availability of the interstate for days when exploring isn't so appealing.
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