Bad guy arrested.

http://www.berkshireeagle.com/ci_8741051

Biggest news in town since Karen Fink won a million dollars.

You got me thinking about local history ... I actually poked around and did a little research over the summer and found a few general sources. One interesting place to peruse for historical text is www.archive.org. (They also have movies and other media.)

The following link should take you to a downloadable 1855 history of the towns of the four western Massachusetts counties. I just downloaded the actual scanned document ... the whole book ... all 636 pages.

http://www.archive.org/details/historyofwestern02holluoft

If this link doesn't work, just go to archive.org and search all "text" sources for "history", "massachusetts" and "towns".

A word of caution ... this is a huge file ... over 50MB. It took me a half hour to download it, with a DSL connection.

But there is also a plain text (TXT) version that is only 1.4MB, if a quicker download is preferred.

Otis is on page 540.

My son and his family recently purchased the property at 13 Werden Road. I would love to surprise him with a bit of history about the house and its occupants. It was built in 1780. Do you have any recommendations as to where I might start my search? Thanks very much!

In the years up to 1919 there was the Huntington and Lee Railroad that passed through northern Otis. It actually was a Trolley line that survived for about 2 years.

One can still see the old grade on topo maps.

Does anybody have any information on this ?? Such as WHEN were tracks actually pulled up ?? Who would have records ??

Also can somebody help me with quarry names ?? Looking at old rail 'right-of-way' on topo maps there are 2 quarries along the line. One to north of line west of Algerie Four Corners (sp?) and another further west to south of old rail line.

Do any have a name/address so I could ask questions? (with an address I could write them)

One WAS operating but I asked them some questions 20 years ago !!!!

The mystery being a quarry says they have a rail spur into their quarry and it was once used. The big question being maybe this trolley line survived past 1919 as an 'industrial railroad' to Lee, Massachusetts ?

Map sources on web.... http://www.maptech.com/ http://www.topozone.com/ Also search for Microsoft Terraserver.

Hate to confuse you but there was another railroad..Lee and New Haven Railroad that was planned but never constructed. --- but some sections were graded from Lee down towards Winsted, Connecticut. Track were never laid.

There must be some old timers around ?? Town Hall ? Tax Records ??

This has been a chronic question with no answers.

I can not snoop locally 'now' as I live 'not in area'.

THANK YOU.