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Du Bois Boyhood Home Site LbNA #51022

Owner:Adoptable
Plant date:Oct 18, 2009
Location:
City:Great Barrington
County:Berkshire
State:Massachusetts
Boxes:1
Planted by:the Sharpers
Found by: nfsquared
Last found:Sep 15, 2021
Status:FFFFFFFFFFFFFFUFFF
Last edited:Oct 3, 2015

This letterbox commemorates the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the W.E.B Du Bois Boyhood Home National Historic Landmark in Great Barrington, Mass. W.E.B. Du Bois was an internationally renowned scholar, a founding figure of the African American civil rights movement, and a Massachusetts native with a strong, lifelong attachment to the Berkshires. Du Bois' maternal great grandfather purchased the land in 1795, and over time, the site was home to six generations of free, African American homesteaders. Although the house itself is no longer standing, the site has interpretive signs and a path. Archaeologists are gradually excavating the foundation and land, and a 2001 dig at the site unearthed over 12,000 artifacts, offering glimpses into the everyday lives of African Americans living in the Berkshires over the past two centuries.

An abbreviated biography of Du Bois, adapted from the site's webpage: "Born in 1868 in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Du Bois would go on to live a life of national and international importance. He was the first African American to receive a PhD from Harvard University, helped found the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and wrote the influential Souls of Black Folk. Du Bois wrote sixteen books on sociology, history, race relations and politics plus many more articles and works of fiction. His work elevated him to the position of one of the most influential intellectual minds of the twentieth century." (http://www.library.umass.edu/spcoll/duboishome/webdubois.htm)

To find the letterbox: Go to the Du Bois Boyhood Homesite, located on Route 23, Great Barrington, 0.25 mile west of junction with Route 71. Proceed from the parking area to the first large interpretive sign which gives the background of the site. Go through the granite trail markers, walking straight ahead to the next interpretive sign. Turn left with the trail, passing the first bench, then follow the trail as it bends left again. Past the second stone bench, you will see a large boulder on the left side of the trail. Stand at the boulder's dedication plaque with your back to the boulder. 12 paces away and slightly to the left, you will see a huge, double-trunked pine tree. The letterbox is hidden under pine cones in the fork of this tree. In summer, there may be some poison ivy, so please be careful.

I have not had the chance to place a pen inside this small box, so please bring a pen. If anyone would like to supply this box with a pen before I can get out to the Berkshires again, I would be very grateful!