Photo: Society of the Congregational Church of Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Credit: Lionel Martinez; Society of the Congregational Church of Great Barrington.

America’s Richest Widow Restores Church and Cemetery of Great Barrington, MA

By Melissa Berry on January 28, 2020

Melissa Davenport Berry writes about Mary (Hopkins) Searles building the Congregational Church of Great Barrington, Massachusetts... (Read More)

Photo: Sherwood Hall, Menlo Park, California. Credit: Carleton Watkins; Wikimedia Commons.

Diary of Young Girl Recalls Gilded Age

By Melissa Berry on December 10, 2019

In this article, Melissa Davenport Berry writes about a woman’s diary describing life in Mary Hopkins’ Menlo Park, California, estate, Sherwood Hall... (Read More)

Gov. Stanford Locomotive at the California State Railroad Museum. It was the Central Pacific Railroad's first locomotive and it is named in honor of the road's first president and ex-California governor, Leland Stanford. Credit: BenFranske; Wikimedia Commons.

Fake Wills & Forged Bibles Lay Claim to Mark Hopkins’ Huge Estate

By Melissa Berry on December 3, 2019

In this article, Melissa Davenport Berry writes about the probate battles over the huge estate left by railroad magnate Mark Hopkins... (Read More)