Farnams Village Historic District

Farnams Village is located in southern Cheshire, a rural town on the eastern slope of Mount Greylock in western Massachusetts. The geology of southwestern Cheshire includes ridges of outcrops with deposits of limestone and marble, which were mined on a small scale, primarily for local use by farmers, beginning in the early 19th century. The arrival of railroad infrastructure in the area in the mid-19th century prompted a more organized expansion of mining efforts. The Dean family were one of the first to establish a small mining operation (c. 1840), located roughly at the western end of Quarry Road. Brothers Alfred and Albert Farnam in 1874 opened a lime processing facility, and greatly expanded mining in an area adjacent to the small Dean mine. The Farnams were economically successful, producing a high quality white plaster lime, and eventually expanded their holdings to more than 1,500 acres (610 ha). They overextended their finances in the process, and sold the business in 1905. The business was acquired by US Gypsum in 1927, and operated until 1969, when it was closed down.[2]

The historic district covers a total of 1,400 acres (570 ha). The center of the district is the historic village center, at the junction of Lanesborough, Farnams, and Quarry Roads, where there stand a cluster of buildings, including worker housing and buildings related to the operation of the quarries. The district also includes the quarries and abandoned quarry equipment, former mining structures, worker housing, and public facilities of the village. There are significant areas of primarily industrial archeological interest, due to the large number of abandoned and destroyed buildings.[2]

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Berkshire County, Massachusetts