Reflections on the Marble Corridor of Western New England

Please join us on Zoom on Monday, November 15, 2021 at 6:30 pm for, “Reflections on the Marble Corridor of Western New England” with historian William Hosley.

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As early as the 1780s, western New England stonecutters, discovering high quality marble in the Litchfield Hills, the Berkshires, and Vermont, soon began exporting artfully finished products to points south and beyond. At its height the marble industry along the Taconic Range (today’s Route 7 corridor) was a bee hive providing thousands of monument, gravestones and architectural features to buildings, cemeteries and town squares. Rutland, Vermont; Pittsfield, Massachusetts; and the village of Marbledale in Washington, Connecticut were economically transformed by the stonecutting industry. Many other locales had smaller quarries, different materials and locally-grown products they were known for. The products they made were varied, artistic, and sophisticated. It was an art industry of national influence. It’s a legacy worth caring about and a legacy at risk.

William Hosley is a cultural resource development and marketing consultant, social media expert, historian, writer, and photographer. He is passionate about local history and historic preservation and has developed a deep attachment to dozens of places worth caring about. He was formerly Director of the New Haven Museum and Connecticut Landmarks, where he cared for a chain of historic attractions. Prior to that, as a curator and exhibition developer at Wadsworth Atheneum, Bill organized major exhibitions including The Great River: Art & Society of the Connecticut Valley (1985), The Japan Idea: Art and Life in Victorian America (1990), and Sam & Elizabeth: Legend and Legacy of Colt’s Empire (1996), that spawned the Coltsville National Park. As an expert in heritage tourism, Bill has studied, lectured and advised museums and heritage destinations around the country. Bill has also served as a content specialist for PBS, BBC and CPTV film documentaries.

For more information visit www.gunnmuseum.org or contact the Gunn Historical Museum in Washington, CT at 860-868-7756 or [email protected].