Berkshire Mythos: Vicious Rumors form an Eccentric Folklorist

I’ve been all around the continental block, seen all manner of strange behavior; from ranting rocky mountain militia men who think that the FBI is out to steal their shacks to French Canadian weed dealers who like to watch guests take turns on their wives.

But few places are stranger than the place I grew up and still live today. The Berkshires have long been a valley of secrets. Strange things happen, but are usually ignored (for the sake of our quaint image and continued influx of tourist dollars) or covered up (via a quick exchange of green paper for zipped lips).

A few weeks back I heard one such story. A young man- who wishes to remain anonymous- was working on a dairy farm in a certain south county town, and told me that a crew of men digging a foundation and found a mass grave of pregnant women at least a century and a half dead. Apparently, when the servant girls of wealthy masters became knocked up by the master of the house, or the farm hands, they would be murdered, and entrenched amidst dozens of other corpses on the property.

This is only one of many stories I’ve heard over the years in this quiet purgatory, and so even as I write this, I can hear you asking, “Where’s the proof?”

But that’s just my point, there isn’t any. People in the hill towns around this decaying metropolis are bred for secrets, conditioned to lie for generations to avoid negative publicity…and enough money floats around those villages to hush even the most honest person- though you’d be lucky to find one in local bureaucracy, law enforcement or journalism. I bet if you think about it, you’ve heard one or two that was creepy or wrong that was never reported or investigated.

I could of course delve into more recent, relevant and proveable matters but I’d be be asking for a lawsuit or an ass beating by our local boys in blue, so I’ll leave you with this thought: closed eyes lead to broken noses.