Bidwell, Rev. Adonijah, House

This 60-acre property in the Berkshire Mountains of Monterey, Massachusetts, combines a mid-18th century farmhouse with the foundation of a village's first church. The Rev. Adonijah Bidwell House, built in 1750, is a two-story saltbox with a massive central brick chimney, three rooms around the chimney and staircase, and extensive raised wood paneling. A horse barn ell was added around 1790 and a Greek Revival woodshed and carriage house around 1837. Bidwell was the first settled minister of Housatonic Township No. 1, served for thirty-four years, and ran a large farm. His sons held county, state and national offices. Later the Carrington family farmed the land from 1837 to 1913, and from 1914 to 1922 it hosted a summer artists' colony. The Meetinghouse, built in 1743, served both Tyringham and Monterey settlements until a new church and a separate Tyringham congregation led to its dismantling by about 1798. Its stone foundation and steps survive and may hold archaeological evidence.