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Photograph of Congregational Church of West Stockbridge
Photograph by John Phelan, CC BY 3.0. Via Wikimedia Commons.

Congregational Church of West Stockbridge

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. A historic map-sheet match is not published yet. The record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary.

From the record

“The Congregational Church of West Stockbridge is an historic Congregational church building at 45 Main Street in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Completed in 1882 for a congregation founded in 1774, it is the town's best example of Stick style architecture.”

Wikipedia article Congregational Church of West Stockbridge, CC BY-SA 4.0.

one of 94 National Register listings in Berkshire County · listed in 1996 · category: Building · one of 1 National Historic Landmarks in Berkshire County.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

  • What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building as contributing to the listing.
  • Address. 45 Main St., West Stockbridge, 01266
  • When was it listed? 1996-07-30
  • Category. building
  • Township. West Stockbridge town
  • Architect. Charles T. Rathbun
  • National Register reference number. 96000899 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

Fires near this property

50 since 2002

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 50 fires within 5 miles of Congregational Church of West Stockbridge between 2002 and 2020, burning about 67 acres in total. None started naturally. 3 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Debris and open burning19
Missing data/not specified/undetermined12
Recreation and ceremony7
Equipment and vehicle use4
Arson/incendiarism3
Power generation/transmission/distribution2
Railroad operations and maintenance2
Other causes1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
18 September 2019Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
13 September 2016Other causesunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
4 August 2019Arson/incendiarismunder an acreFire Department of New YorkN/A
31 August 2019Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
17 August 2015Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreFire Department of New YorkN/A
23 June 2014Arson/incendiarismunder an acreNew York Forest RangersHARVEY MOUNTAIN FIRE
5 May 2015Debris and open burningunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
24 May 2020Recreation and ceremony1.8 acresNew York Forest RangersHARVEY MOUNTAIN FIRE

Every fire recorded in Berkshire County

Specimens collected near this property

12 of 1,127 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 1,127 specimens collected within 10 miles of Congregational Church of West Stockbridge between 1833 and 1975: 645 Plantae, 242 Animalia, 234 Fungi, 2 Chromista, 2 Protozoa, 2 Unrecorded. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by A W Evans, A. Brown, A. F. Beale and others. Each is a physical object with a catalogue number, and each entry opens the museum's record. This is what was collected and kept, not a survey of what lives here - nothing can be concluded from a species being absent.

Image SpeciesYear Collected by Where, as recorded
Specimen of Potamogeton pusillus subsp. tenuissimus (Mert. & W.D.J.Koch) K.Richt.Potamogeton pusillus subsp. tenuissimus (Mert. & W.D.J.Koch) K.Richt.1900P. B. Weatherbee
A photograph of the species Betula alleghaniensis, not of this specimenBetula alleghaniensis Britton1833Collector unknown
A photograph of the species Betula pumila, not of this specimenBetula pumila L.1833Collector unspecified
A photograph of the species Carex utriculata, not of this specimenCarex utriculata Boott1833W. L. Worcester
A photograph of the species Dennstaedtia punctilobula, not of this specimenDennstaedtia punctilobula (Michx.) T.Moore1833Collector unknown
A photograph of the species Gymnocarpium dryopteris, not of this specimenGymnocarpium dryopteris (L.) Newman1833Collector unknown
A photograph of the species Parnassia caroliniana, not of this specimenParnassia caroliniana Michx.1834not recorded
A photograph of the species Bromus latiglumis, not of this specimenBromus latiglumis (Shear) Hitchc.1857W. H. Leggett
A photograph of the species Solidago patula, not of this specimenSolidago patula Muhl. ex Willd.1858Brewer; Chickering
A photograph of the species Cornus rugosa, not of this specimenCornus rugosa Lam.1859W. H. Leggett
A photograph of the species Bartramia pomiformis, not of this specimenBartramia pomiformis Hedw.1895not recorded
A photograph of the species Liriodendron tulipifera, not of this specimenLiriodendron tulipifera L.1897Vail, A.M.Vicinity of Tyringham

All 1,127 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Mines and quarries near this property

10 of 52 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 52 workings within 5 miles of Congregational Church of West Stockbridge: 32 past producers, 15 producers, 4 occurrences, 1 prospect. 15 still produce. What was taken out: Iron, Sand and Gravel, Construction, Lead, Silver, Zinc. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Canaan Lead Silver MinesLead, Silver, ZincProducerReplacement Vein
Cheever MinesIron, ManganeseProducerGoethite, Limonite
Cheever MinesIron, ManganesePast Producer
Cone Limestone MineIron, Magnesite, ZincPast Producer1827
No 6 Quarry & Plnt Lane & SonStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Canaan Lead Silver MinesLead, Silver, ZincPast Producer
Canaan Pb-Ag MinesLead, Silver, ZincPast ProducerVein
John S Lane and Son IncLimestone, GeneralPast ProducerSedimentary
Toby Lime PlantLimestone, GeneralProducer
Beacco PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer

Every working recorded in Berkshire County

Storms near this property

18 since 1997

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names West Stockbridge, the town this property stands in, in 18 storm reports between 1997 and 2025: 10 thunderstorm wind, 4 flash flood, 3 hail, 1 lightning. The reports record 1 death. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
July 2022Thunderstorm WindWest Stockbridge1 killedLenox Police reported that a 56 year old man was killed when a large tree came down in the travel line onto his pickup truck at the intersection of Route 7 and Old Stockbridge Road. Report was obtained via a local newspaper.
August 2001Thunderstorm WindWest Stockbridge$19,000A cold front, moving into a very warm humid and unstable airmass, produced scattered thunderstorms across Berkshire County during the afternoon of August 3. One of the storms became severe, as wind gusts knocked trees down in the town of West Stockbridge.
June 2014Flash FloodWest Stockbridge$10,000A portion of Lenox Branch Road in West Stockbridge was washed out due to flash flooding from thunderstorm heavy rainfall.
July 1997Flash FloodWest Stockbridge$10,000no account filed
July 2025Thunderstorm WindWest Stockbridge-There were several reports of trees on wires in the Town of West Stockbridge.
September 2025Thunderstorm WindWest Stockbridge-Multiple trees were downed along Old Stockbridge Rd.
August 2022Thunderstorm WindWest Stockbridge-Trees and wires were downed on Lenox Road in the Town of Richmond.
July 2022Thunderstorm WindWest Stockbridge-A downed large tree was blocking Fox Hollow Road.
September 2018Thunderstorm WindWest Stockbridge-A tree was downed onto wires.
June 2015HailWest Stockbridge-Quarter size hail was reported during a thunderstorm in West Stockbridge.
July 2014Thunderstorm WindWest Stockbridge-A tree and wires were reported down on Lenox Road in West Stockbridge as a result of thunderstorm winds.
July 2014Thunderstorm WindWest Stockbridge-A tree was downed and on a car in West Stockbridge as a result of thunderstorm winds.
May 2013Flash FloodWest Stockbridge-Flash flooding was reported in West Stockbridge as a result of heavy rainfall from thunderstorms. Several roads in the town was reported to be impacted by the flooding.
June 2011Thunderstorm WindWest Stockbridge-Trees were reported down on houses in the vicinity of the Stockbridge Bowl in Stockbridge along Interlaken and Mahkeenac Roads due to strong thunderstorm winds.
July 2009Flash FloodWest Stockbridge-Numerous roads were reported closed in West Stockbridge due to flash flooding from very heavy rainfall.
July 2008LightningWest Stockbridge-A 40 year old male from New Jersey was struck by lightning at the Tanglewood Music Center in Lenox. He was running to seek shelter at a concert hall when he was struck. He was holding an umbrella at the time of the incident.
June 2002HailWest Stockbridge-no account filed
May 2001HailWest Stockbridge-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Berkshire County

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

From the nomination file

7,105 words on record

When this property was proposed for the National Register, someone wrote the case for it: what the building is, and why it matters. That document is a federal record in the public domain. It is quoted below word for word, never summarised. The text was read off the scanned case file by machine, so the occasional stray character is the recogniser's and the 1970s typewriter's.

Statement of significance

Applicable National Register Criteria (Mark "x" in one or more boxes for the criteria qualifying the property for National Register listing.) XA Property is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history. _B Property is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past. X C Property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values, or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components lack individual distinction. _D Property has yielded, or is likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history.

Criteria Considerations (Mark "x" in all the boxes that apply.) Property is: XA owned by religious institution or used for religious purposes. _B removed from its original location. _C a birthplace or grave. _D a cemetery. _E a reconstructed building, object, or structure. Berkshire County, Massachusetts County and State Areas of Significance (Enter categories from instructions) ARCHITECTURE COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT Period of Significance 1843-1946 Significant Dates 1843, 1882 Significant Person (Complete if Criterion B is marked above) N/A Cultural Affiliation N/A _F a commemorative property. _G less than 50 years of age or achieved significance within the past 50 years.

Narrative Statement of Significance (Explain the significance of the property on one or more continuation sheets.) Architect/Builder C. T. Rathbun / Billy H. Hatch 9.

The whole case file for this property - 7,105 words, 24 pages, reproduced complete.

Quoted from the National Register nomination for reference 96000899, 24 pages, held by the National Archives in Record Group 79. See the catalogue record.

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Photograph PropertyDistance Listed
West Stockbridge Town Hall0.1 miles2009
West Stockbridge Grange No. 2460.2 miles1999
Citizens Hall2.2 miles1972
Lenox High School4.4 miles2004
Lenox Library4.5 miles1973
Lenox Academy4.6 miles1982

Sources for this property

National Archives recordThe nomination case file for reference 96000899 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia articleCommunity-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Berkshire CountyAll 94 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

  • Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
  • Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
  • How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Specimens. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), https://www.gbif.org/. Only records licensed CC0 or CC BY are used. Records licensed CC BY-NC are excluded because this site carries advertising. Images are checked individually and any whose licence is non-commercial, no-derivatives or unreadable is refused.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.