January 25 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm Free
Beginning in the 1870s, drawn by the promise of work at the John Russell Cutlery factory, almost 300 Bohemian immigrants left farms in central Europe to start life anew in the industrial village of Turners Falls. This illustrated talk by local historian Jim Bridgman, based on over 35 years of research and his new book, Forgotten Immigrants, explores the lives of these intrepid pioneers. Find out what motivated Bohemians to leave their ancestral homes, and what they found once they arrived in Western Massachusetts. Sponsored by the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association. For youth and adults. Meet in the Great Hall.