Noble View Outdoor Center: Places of Interest
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Big Pitcher Falls
Big Pitcher Falls. The larger of two waterfalls on Pitcher Brook, this cascade drops about 15 feet into a large pool. Photo credit: Jeannette Pierce.
Noble Farmhouse
Albert Noble, a young, ambitious farmer, acquired the southerly half of the former Gowdy Farm in 1825 and built his homestead – pictured here – in a sheltered location on the north side of the property. AMC purchased his holdings in 1931. The farmhouse still stands but is unused today. Photo credit: Nancy Mack.
Double Cottage
Double Cottage accommodates 18 guests in two wings. Each wing has four bedrooms and its own large, open common area with couches and chairs. The kitchen/dining room is self-service with two gas stoves and two refrigerators. Photo credit: Nancy Mack.
North Cottage
North Cottage accommodates 10 guests in four private bedrooms. The cottage includes electricity, a large common area, and a kitchen with a 6-burner gas range and refrigerator. North Cottage was originally called the Single Cottage because that's where single men were assigned sleeping quarters in the 1800s. Photo credit: Nancy Mack.
Little Pitcher Falls
Little Pitcher Falls. Photo credit: Jeannette Pierce.
Pendleton-Snow Cellar
Remnants of the Pendleton-Snow cellar. Photo credit: Jeannette Pierce.
Malcolm B. Ross Memorial Forest
This name has been given by the Berkshire (now Western MA) Chapter to 30 acres of woodland adjacent to the north boundary of Noble View. Malcolm B. Ross, who died in 1955, was an active member of the Berkshire Chapter for nearly twenty-five years, serving as Chapter Chairman and twice as Chairman of the Noble View Committee. Source: AMC Archivist.
Charcoal Kiln
Remnants of a beehive charcoal kiln, made with bricks manufactured by Walkley Brick Co. of Westfield, MA.
Campsites
Ten tent sites are available at Noble View: five are wooded and the others are located along a field. Photo credit: Laura Stinnette.
Gowdy Cellar Hole
Remnants of the Gowdy cellar. Born in Russell, MA on Feb 24, 1787 to Silas Noble and Lucy Granger, Bethia Noble went on to marry Alexander Gowdy. They had 8 children. Photo credit: Nancy Mack.
Vernal Pool
Vernal pools are seasonal, depressional wetlands that occur in glaciated areas of the northeast and midwest states. They are covered by shallow water for variable periods from winter to spring, but may be completely dry for most of the summer and fall. Photo credit: Laura Stinnette.
Entrance Kiosk
Kiosk at the entrance to Noble View. Photo credit: Laura Stinnette.
Entrance Road
Entrance road to Noble View. Photo credit: Laura Stinnette.
Glacial Erratic
A glacial erratic is glacially-deposited rock differing from the type of rock native to the area in which it rests. Erratics, which take their name from the Latin word errare "to wander", are carried by glacial ice, often over distances of hundreds of kilometres.
Bathhouse
Red Shelf Fungi
These mushrooms - commonly called hemlock varnish shelf mushrooms because they grow on hemlocks and have a distinct shiny, varnished appearance on the upper surface - are common in the northeast, growing wherever hemlocks are found.
Overlook
Edwin Gantt Fireplace
Edwin W. Gantt, a member of the newly-formed Berkshire Chapter, spent much time at Noble View.
He proposed that the Chapter purchase the Noble View farm on behalf of AMC as a recreational center.
Chapter members agreed and on January 23, 1931, Noble View's title passed to AMC.
In 1940, a memorial fireplace built of native granite and serpentine was dedicated to commemorate Edwin Gantt's contributions to Noble View and to the Berkshire Chapter.
Its inscription reads, "To Edwin W. Gantt, who taught others to love these hills as he did."
Dam
The dam's pool was used to harvest ice.