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New England Holocaust Museum Closes, Eyes Move To Adams

Jim Levulis
/
WAMC

After three years on a backstreet in downtown North Adams, the New England Holocaust Institute and Museum has shut its doors. But, the artifacts could find a new home in neighboring Adams.Owner and founder Darrell English has run the museum on a shoestring budget in its 750-square foot space on Eagle Street. Donations, big and small, have kept the door to the museum’s 3,000 Nazi Germany and Holocaust artifacts open, but with its lease ending and a neighboring food pantry needing to expand, English has closed up shop for now.

“We’re going to be probably down for a while, but I don’t think we’re going to be down for much longer than a couple months, maybe,” said English.

Following talks with English, Adams Town Administrator Tony Mazzucco says he is looking at options to temporarily house the museum in the town’s Free Library in hopes of permanently moving it downtown.

“I absolutely think the Holocaust museum is a fit in Adams for a couple of reasons,” Mazzucco said. “One of them being if you look at the history of the Polish population in Adams, I think there are some great ties with the history of the Holocaust and our own background here in Adams. We are looking to grow out our cultural amenities in town as well. We think that the Holocaust museum would be a great addition to the town. Last year we had a mill children exhibit, which was a wonderful exhibit that we had right here in Adams that drew quite a lot of visitors. So from a marketing and economic development standpoint we are excited about the possibility of having it come to Adams.”

Mazzucco, who’s been Adams’ town administrator for about three months, says he doesn’t want the Northern Berkshires to lose an asset like the museum. With a supernatural exhibit expected to move into Adams, he says having the Holocaust institute will give passengers on the anticipated Berkshire Scenic Railmore to explore downtown.  Mazzucco says the town has been in touch with real estate agents about vacant sites, such as a former TD bank.

English says the museum was never fully embraced by North Adams, his hometown and a manufacturing city that has tried to make itself a tourist destination. Mayor Richard Alcombright says English has a world-class exhibit, but there is only so much a municipality can do.

“We’ve had some conversations over the last few years about what to do, where to go and how to lay it out,” Alcombright said. “I’m a mayor, I’m not a museum curator. I’m not trying to shrug this off. He’s got a great thing, but I don’t what more the city could have done for him quite honestly.”

Despite local and regional media coverage, only about 300 to 350 people have toured the artifact-lined walls over the past three years. All the materials are from English’s personal collection of some 10,000 World War II era pieces. He says he’s paid up to $6,000 for a single item. In a 2014 interview in his museum, English explained he wants to tell the story of how the Holocaust happened, not just that it did.

“People don’t understand,” English says. “They don’t understand how this madness happened. They understand Hitler came to power in 1933 and then they think OK, once he came to power he took all the Jews, put them on trains and sent them to Auschwitz. That didn’t happen. It was a long, long process why before all that occurred. Basically by the artifacts, which are the only living witnesses, basically within a few short years. A child entering kindergarten this coming year, before he or she graduates high school, will live to see the passing of the last World War II veteran and Holocaust survivor.”

Understanding he’s not a marketing whiz or an expert museum designer, English says he and his wife want to keep the institute in the area. He’s continued talks with Worcester State University about a possible exhibit at the campus.

Call 413-663-1840 to keep up to date with the museum’s status.

Jim is WAMC’s Associate News Director and hosts WAMC's flagship news programs: Midday Magazine, Northeast Report and Northeast Report Late Edition. Email: jlevulis@wamc.org
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