Improving the Village: Stockbridge, Massachusetts, and the Laurel Hill Association

The Laurel Hill Association, founded by Mary Hopkins Goodrich in 1853, transformed the Berkshires' village of Stockbridge into a model American town.Improving the Village traces the evolution of the influential volunteer group that inspired like-minded citizens to establish hundreds of village improvement associations throughout the nation.

Founded as a Christian mission by John Sargent in 1739, Stockbridge was also home to the renowned Reverend Jonathan Edwards, who served as one of its lea...