Barbara Allen, a tribute to an oral history pioneer in the Berkshires

We remember Barbara Allen

A no-nonsense local historian, who had a lively sense of humor and who brought oral history to several organizations in the region, Barbara Allen of Pittsfield, MA, passed away at the end of 2024. She and her husband Gary had previously lived in Lee for 45 years, and they were active in local history there, too.

We would like to acknowledge at least a few of her many contributions to local and oral history.

• Barbara was responsible for creating and maintaining the archives at the Berkshire County Historical Society  (Arrowhead), and the Procter Museum and Archives, housed in the Stockbridge Library, where she conducted an extensive oral history project and curated exhibits for 22 years. There, she also recruited and trained a troupe of costumed actors who supported her cemetery tours and house tours. “Working (and playing) with her troupe and training guides and archival workers was her favorite way to spend time,” according to her obituary.

•Barbara knew best practices in her field and made sure they were followed.  She could be called upon for advice on such matters.

•She also worked on the Invisible Communities project, in the late 1980’s, which was funded by Mass Humanities.  She worked with Frances Jones-Sneed, Humanities Advisor, on that project.  For the Invisible Communities project, African American community members were trained and conducted oral history interviews of 20 African American elders.  We recently worked with the Berkshire Athenaeum and Berkshire County Historical Society to make digital copies and archive those interviews.

“Barbara Allen was a long-time friend and colleague,” said Gary Leveille, of the Great Barrington Historical Society and the Great Barrington Historical Commission, who has written several books of local history.  “She was always helpful and encouraging to me when conducting research at the Stockbridge Library Museum & Archives. Her welcome smile, her sense of humor, and her knowledge of historic Berkshire will be greatly missed. In short, she was a wonderful person.”
Her husband of 54 years, Gary Allen, remains very active in local history.

If you read this post and have something to add that we may have missed, please write to Jmonachina@berkshirecc.edu

Written by Judith