MONTEREY, Mass. — On Sept. 23 at 1 p.m. the Bidwell House Museum will host its final Housatonic Heritage Walk of the 2023 season at the Monterey Library with Rob Hoogs. 

 

According to a press release:

 

Today, the village of Monterey is small and quaint, but from the 1740s through the late 1800s it was bustling with saw mills, grist mills, carding and fulling mills and a paper mill, as well as stores and other businesses. Join Rob Hoogs, a Trustee at both the Bidwell House Museum and the Monterey Historical Society, for an illustrated talk and walk to explore the remains and history of these water-powered mills.

 

The presentation will start inside the Monterey Library multipurpose room for a 30 minute talk, followed by a 60-90 minute walk along the Mill Brook (now called Konkapot River) to visit the foundations of the mills, dams, and other features. The walk will only be about one mile but the footing in some places is rough and may be wet, so bring good hiking shoes and trekking poles if you use them; also bring bug repellant.

 

The Monterey Library is located at 452 Main Rd, Monterey. There is limited parking at the Library. Attendees can also park in the public lot behind the Monterey Town Hall, a short walk from the Library.

 

 This walk is free and is being offered as part of the Housatonic Heritage Walk series. The walk is limited to 25 people and attendees are asked to pre-register on the Museum website, https://www.bidwellhousemuseum.org/event/monterey-mills-an-exploration-of-water-powered-industry/

 

 The walk will happen in light rain, but will not go if heavy showers or thunderstorms are forecast.