Amherst Begins Celebrations of its 250th Anniversary

With the arrival of 2009, Amherst begins year-long celebrations of its 250th anniversary, as the Bulletin reports.

Events include monthly themes and lectures, beginning with a talk on Native American history next week, and one can most easily keep track of the wide range of activities via the anniversary edition photographic calendar ($ 12) and the web site of the 250th Anniversary Committee.

In "Hunt on for descendants of Amherst's founders," Nick Grabbe reports that Chamber of Commerce President Cinda Jones is seeking to identify others who count the town's earliest settlers among their ancestors. The article features comments from two such residents, former Town Engineer Jim Smith, who has conducted extensive research on local genealogy and the history of the African-American community, and Planning Director Jonathan Tucker, who serves as Staff Liaison to the Historical Commission.