Interlaken

This page was last updated October 27, 2014

Interlaken is an area of Stockbridge Massachusetts between two lakes, Stockbridge Bowl and Lake Averic. Stockbridge Bowl is perhaps best known as the lake you can see from Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphoiny Orchestra. Participants of the Josh Billings race might know it as the site of the canoeing part of the triathlon. Lake Averic is the Stockbridge water supply.

Although Interlaken is in Stockbridge, it is the West Stockbridge post office that brings us our mail. This confuses Fedex, Air Express, and all manner of others trying to find us via our mailing address. Here is a current map of Interlaken.

In earlier times Interlaken was a community called Curtisville. Here is a map of Curtisville from 1876. In fact, there is a Curtisville Historic District which includes most of the older buildings in Interlaken. Here is a PDF file containing some history and the complete brochure from which the preceeding was taken. Here is an article about The Barker Mill in Curtisville from the Stockbridge Library Museum and Archives publication Now and Then.

Now Interlaken is a pleasant cluster of homes with a park and IS183, previously known as the Interlaken School of Art.

Included on this web site is a look at Interlaken through the lens of Steve Blanchard's camera. (Pages 1, 2, 3, & 4.) (Pages 1 & 4 updated Feb 12, 2001.)

Here are photos of a neighborhood party at Rena's in 2006.

Here are photos of trash pickup day April 29, 2007, when the residents and friends of Interlaken pick up road-side trash.

Here is a PDF scan (200 MB) of a document prepared by the previous owners of our house: An Examination of the Bounds and History of Edgerton and Helen Howard's Property and some Curtisville History, published in 1978. It contains many maps, deeds, and names from early Curtisville through 1978.

Here is a PDF scan (5MB) of the Manual for the Curtisville Congreational Church, published in 1888. In addition to some church doctrine, it contains lists of Pastors, Deacons, and Members.

Here is a PDF scan (18MB) about the 29th season of the Curtisville Consortium, from 1998. There is the 29th (Summer 1998) season announcement plus two programs from that season. The Curtisville Consortium was a chamber music group that played in the Curtisville Congregational Church

Here is a PDF scan (1MB) of an Our Berkshires column by Richard Nunley in the Berkshire Eagle about the Curtisville Consortium and Interlaken.

Here is a PDF scan (1MB) of the certificate showing that the Parsonage, is in the National Register of Historic Places.

Here is a PDF scan (3MB) of the listing sheet for the sale of the Congreational Church, in Interlaken.

Here is a PDF scan (21MB) of a reprint from Scribner's Magazine, February 1895, containing Old Letters from 1749 to 1754 relating to Stockbridge.

Here is a gallery of old photographs of Curtisville and Interlaken. These photos are from a collection owned by Dave Vincent. Most of these he obtained from the Allens who used to own the building on the corner of Willard Hill Road and Interlaken Crossroad. This building was the St. Helen's Home for children for many years.

Comments on and additions to this site are welcome. I would especially like to include on the site a history of the area and some old photographs.

Steve Blanchard
4 Willard Hill Road
West Stockbridge MA 01266
steve at sblanchard.us
www.sblanchard.us