U.S. 20 through Western Massachsetts

 

Last week I journeyed along U.S. 20 from Boston to Springfield MA, the eastern-most section of the country’s longest road. This week we continue  along that route through some of the most beautiful land in Massachusetts, the Pioneer Valley and the Berkshire Mountains.

Western Massachusetts is loosely defined as the the area between the Connecticut River and the New York Border. There are several routes that cross the area, but U.S. 20 may be the least touristy of them. As I head west from the city of Springfield, U.S. 20 passes through some of the city’s suburbs, but most of these have been around for while, and it shows in some of the buildings that line the route.

West Springfield Fire Station No. 2

Leaving the suburbs behind, U.S. 20 enters the town of Westfield, MA. Westfield was first incorporated in 1669 and was the westernmost settlement of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In the 19th century its main industries were cigars and buggy whips. While its industrial base has died out, the availability of cheap land and easy access to the interstate highways has made Westfield a center of warehouses for many stores and companies in New England.

Following U.S. 20 west we enter the Berkshire Mountains. The route was built in 1910 and has been titled as the Jacob’s Ladder Scenic byway, after a steep hill that it originally climbed. The 35-mile long stretch from Westfield to Lee MA was the first automobile road built to cross the Green Mountains. This part of the Berkshires is beautiful as it follows the Westfield River and its tributaries, with excellent hiking trails.

The route also passes some old abandoned paper mills, once a major industry in the Berkshires. Woronoco Village is a old mill town along the river.

Further along is the town of Chester MA. Chester was an agricultural center, with a sawmill and a grist mill. In 1840 the Western Railroad came to Chester, and made it a reprovisioning site for its trains. Today the old (1860’s) train station is home to the Chester Railroad Museum.

Chester has many historic buildings. My favorite is the 1880’s/1924 garage and restaurant. Carm’s Restaurant occupies the building along U.S. 20, but the front of the building looks as it has for many years. In fact, maintaining the old Pegasus is a requirement of owning it. 

The Jacob’s Ladder Scenic Byway ends at the town of Lee MA. Lee is a center summer Berkshire vacation life. Its main street is lined with stores and restaurants.

U.S. 20 skirts around the town of Lenox, home to Tanglewood and Edith Wharton’s home The Mount. It makes its way up to the city of Pittsfield. Pittsfield is the largest city in the Berkshires. It was a manufacturing center for McDonnell-Douglas and General Dynamics. Today those industries are mostly gone, and the city has major economic issues.

From here it heads west until it crosses into New York at Hancock MA.