Mill River Greenway Initiative

A community-based steward for the Mill River

JW Sinton

Two May Events

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Welcome to Springtime, dear Mill River Lovers,

We hope you’re enjoying this amazing spring weather by the riverside as the marsh marigold flowers die back and the riparian woodlands come alive with spring flowers! Two more Mill River events are happening over the next two weeks, one on the Hidden Mill River and a final springtime event for Devil’s Den to Lickingwater.

First Event: Monday, the 13that the Forbes Library in the Coolidge Museum from 6:30-8:30 PM, Rediscovering the Hidden Mill River, hosted by Forbes Library, MRGI, and Historic Northampton.

6:30-7:00 Informal discussion focused on a plan for part of the Hidden Mill designed by Tasuku Kamei, MA, University of Massachusetts Dept. of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning.

7:00-8:00 Presentations and Discussion by Laurie Sanders, Historic Northampton;  John Sinton, Mill River Greenway Initiative;   Wayne Feiden, Northampton Office of Planning and Sustainability; Dylan Gaffney, Forbes Library

8:00-8:30  Two short films on the 1936 Flood

More details will be at https://forbeslibrary.libcal.com/event/5394570

Second Event: Tuesday, May 21 at Jones Library in Amherst, 43 Amity St. from 6:30-7:30 PM(co-sponsored by the Jones Library and Levellers Press) John Sinton will present “The Mill River: History, Transformation, and Why it Matters,” an illustrated talk based on Devil’s Den to Lickingwaterthat will focus on the history of the Mill River after the English occupied the Pioneer Valley. Sinton will present an overview of the social and industrial history of the Mill River and its region, an explanation of the environmental transformations that changed the face of the landscape, and the reasons why the Mill River matters. https://www.joneslibrary.org/Calendar.aspx?EID=7854

See you on the river!

John, Gaby, and Neal

Re-live The 1874 Williamsburg Dam Disaster with Eric Weber!

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The Mill River Flood
Wednesday, April 17
1:00-3:00 at the Garden House
Tickets are $10 each and available by calling 413-584-5457
In the immediate aftermath of the Civil War, eleven Mill River manufacturers banded together to build a dam and reservoir in Williamsburg that would collect water at times of high stream flow to be released during the drier seasons, thus enabling mills and factories to run at or near full capacity year-round. The dam leaked from the beginning, and on May 16, 1874 it failed catastrophically, killing 139 residents of four downstream villages, making front-page headlines across the United States. It was the worst disaster of its kind in North American history up to then, and it raised important questions about the responsibility of those who design, build, inspect and approve large engineering projects to assure that they are safe.
 
Eric Weber, President of the Williamsburg Historical Society, has digitized some 350 stereo images of the disaster’s aftermath and analyzed what they tell us about the dam, the flood, and the experience of those who lived through it. Drawing on those images and on Elizabeth Sharpe’s award-winning “In the Shadow of the Dam,” Eric will tell the story of the Mill River Disaster and answer questions about it from the audience.

April 6 River Cleanup Florence Fields to Paradise Pond

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Cleanup The River Banks With Us On Saturday April 6 From 9:00 to 11:00 AM

Meet at the Smith College Museum of Art on Elm St.

MRGI and the Connecticut River Conservancy are co-sponsoring this clean-up effort to kick-off Community Day at the Smith College Museum of Art. We invite you to take action and respond to the challenges raised in the exhibition Plastic Entanglements: Ecology, Aesthetics, Materials at Smith’s Art Museum. Sign-up to volunteer for a morning of trash collection on our local river. Transportation from Smith College will be provided for those who need it. Afterwards, head over to the museum for Community Day to reflect, be inspired, and celebrate your hard work!  Register here by March 23. You are welcome to join us even if you don’t register!

We will be cleaning up the following sites: Florence Fields/Meadow Street near Crimson & Clover farm, Riverside Drive in Bay State, the Dog Park and Burt’s Pit Road area, Maines Field, Smith College Path at Paradise Pond Dam and upstream at end of path at Hinckley St

We’ll provide trash bags and Pedal People will pick them up. Thanks to everyone in advance!

Your MRGI crew

Devil’s Den to Lickingwater Events March-May

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March 13th 6:00 PM at Meekins Library in Williamsburg
April 18th 7:30 at Smith College
May 13th at Forbes Library

Dear Mill River Lovers,
The Devil’s Den event at Meekins Library will be at 6:00 PM. Williamsburg and the Upper Mill River Watershed will be featured.
The event at Smith College will be on April 18th at 7:30 PM.  The lecture and discussion are titled”The World As Seen From Paradise Pond.” We will send out further details on this and on
The event at Forbes Library on May 13th, which will focus on the Hidden Mill River and feature Laurie Sanders, Wayne Feiden, Dylan Gaffney, and yours truly.
Hope to see you at one or another event.

For the river!
John