William Taylor Day Forest Area

Volunteers Karen Ross and Bernie Drew standing in miner's cellar hole

This 56-acre parcel was donated by Anita Day Andrews in memory of her father, William Taylor Day.  In donating this land Anita Day Andrews opened to the public one of the more unusual pieces of cultural history in Great Barrington.  In 1902 this property was offered by Great Barrington selectman John B. Chadwick for use as the site of a “pest house” to isolate two teens who contracted small pox, one teen’s mother and a hired nurse.  The teens were treated and the smallpox outbreak stopped there.  The hospital, quickly built with help of businesses and individuals throughout Great Barrington, was just as quickly fumigated and removed. 

The perceptive visitor will find piers of the makeshift hospital, a cellar hole left by an unsuccessful miner, an abandoned pasture, and multiple charcoal pits.  BNRC and local historian Bernie Drew offer periodic guided tours of this property.  Please contact BNRC for details.

Click on topo for downloadable map of the
William Taylor Day Forest Area!