Dustin Griffin, chair of the Williamstown Historical Commission, has announced that the Commission has prepared a new online self-guided tour of historical sites and houses in Williamstown.
To recognize the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and to be a part of the 4th of July celebrations, the Commission has created a 1776 Self-Guided Tour, featuring 20 ‘stops’ at historic buildings that date back to 1776 and earlier. It includes a few sites where vanished buildings of historical importance once stood, such as the West Hoosuck Blockhouse (an 18th-century fort, long gone, near what is now the corner of North Street and Main Street) and the Second Meeting House in what is now Field Park.
The tour consists of photos and brief descriptions on the website of the Williamstown Historical Museum.
“We imagine,” Griffin said, “that those taking a ’windshield tour’ will drive through town streets, pausing briefly in front of an historic building, and reading the description on a cellphone.” But others, he added, may prefer to sit in a coffee shop or at home and take the tour ‘virtually.’ Portions of the tour can be done on foot.