Jan 16, 2025 – Presentation to highlight historical inventory update

Posted on Jan 15, 2025 in Uncategorized

GREENFIELD — In April 2023, Greenfield was awarded a $20,000 matching grant from the Massachusetts Historical Commission to review and update documentation of the city’s cultural, historical and architectural resources. The results of this work, bringing new information into the existing inventory forms that were submitted in 1984, will be presented on Thursday, Jan. 16.

Through a competitive bid process, Brian Knight Research was awarded the contract to update the historical inventories. The firm started its work by meeting with Planning Director Eric Twarog, Greenfield Historical Commission member Margo Jones, James Terapane with the Museum of Our Industrial Heritage and Historical Society of Greenfield President Carol Aleman. Brian Knight Research’s task was conducting a community-wide survey to assess and document approximately 140 selected cultural and architectural resources.

In the fall of 2023, a Brian Knight Research representative conducted both walking and driving surveying around the city to update the inventory documents for Greenfield’s historical downtown area, to document Greenfield’s industrial sites and to document Greenfield’s African American history. The firm conducted a component of this research through various sources, including historic atlases and maps, Greenfield resident and business directories, town histories and town reports. Online resources include newspaper articles, population censuses, town directories, probate records, genealogical websites and records in the Franklin County Registry of Deeds.

Brian Knight Research surveyed 149 properties. A copy of the firm’s report, “Greenfield Historic Properties Survey” may be downloaded at greenfield-ma.gov/departments/planning_and_development/current_projects.php. 

Brian Knight will present his final report at the Jan. 16 Greenfield Historical Commission meeting, which starts at 5 p.m. The meeting will be held at City Hall’s secondfloor meeting room and also on Zoom. The Zoom link can be found on the events calendar at greenfield-ma.gov/calendar.

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