These Mysterious Hills

03/30/2026

This week in 1944, the book Strange Fruit was banned in the city of Pittsfield, MA, by Police Chief John Sullivan.

03/30/2026

'Murica.

03/29/2026

Court Square in Springfield, Massachusetts as it appeared in 1776, and today. On August 30, 1774, this area was the site of a major demonstration against royal authority, when several thousand Western Massachusetts residents gathered to protest changes to the colonial government. These changes, which were part of the Intolerable Acts, included dissolving the elected colonial legislature and concentrating power in the hands of the royal governor and his appointees.

The purpose of the protest here in Springfield was to confront the judges of the Hampshire County Court. The crowd demanded that the 18 judges sign an oath that they would not accept any political offices or enforce any laws relating to the Intolerable Acts. Many of the judges agreed with these principles and were eager to sign the oath, but others required additional persuasion, especially those with loyalist views.

In the end, all 18 signed it, including several prominent loyalists who had, until this point, been among the most powerful men in the county. It would be another two years before the colonies formally declared their independence, but this protest effectively marked the end of royal authority here in Western Massachusetts.

Today, more than 250 years later, the spirit of resistance to authoritarian government is still very much alive here in Western Massachusetts. Several thousand people have once again gathered on this same spot in support of the same principles of liberty and self government. As was the case in 1774, we believe that no government official-whether elected, appointed, or inherited-is above the law, and we believe that all governments ultimately answer to the people.

03/27/2026

March 27, 1924 [North Adams Transcript]

03/26/2026

Happy birthday, Lawrence. I brought strawberries this year. Usually kids can start eating strawberries at around 6 months.

A small token for all the things stolen from you.

Lawrence Swift Noxon, 1943-1943. Where there cannot be justice, we may still bring remembrance.

03/26/2026

How nice! Commentary like this helps balance out the occasional death threats I get

03/25/2026

Subscribers check your email! Deets on our secret club meet up were sent out today.

Other , its not too late to sign up on Patreon and get in on this exclusive event

03/25/2026

Another shot of serial killer Leonard Paradiso [right]. To me, it looks very similar to a location that Bill Tague photographed in Florida, MA in 1970 [left].

Tague was shown the spot by Harry Short, proprietor of the motel where Paradiso stayed on his local hunting excursions.

--if you missed it, more documentation on Paradiso in the Berkshires, and his place in the hierarchy of suspects in the 1970s Mohawk trail murders can be found here: https://www.patreon.com/THESEMYSTERIOUSHILLS

03/25/2026

Important misinformation-correction

Great quote from our latest episode — new one drops tomorrow morning!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBjH-1L3mCg

03/24/2026

Amen

03/24/2026

There were *at least 3* killers of women who spent time in northern Berkshires in the mid 1970s. There's no way around this conclusion.

In this installment of the series, we look at suspects in the murder of Cynthia "Rocky" Krizack--

03/23/2026

5% of the population went to fight in the war between the states. Then came the 'Great Depression' just a few years later. Shooting, stabbings, and more mysterious murders skyrocketed.