Lenox

Lenox

Lenox, town (township), Berkshire county, western Massachusetts, U.S. It lies in the Berkshire Hills, just south of Pittsfield. Settled about 1750 and originally called Yokuntown, it was set off from Richmond in 1767 and was probably named for Charles Lennox, 3rd duke of Richmond and a defender of colonial rights. Early industries included an iron foundry, a marble works, and a glass factory. Lenox, now a noted summer resort, is the site of Tanglewood, summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, which produces the annual Tanglewood Music Festival. Long-term health care and tourism services, as well as retail trade, are economically important.

A writers’ colony flourished in Lenox in the 19th century; authors who lived or visited there include Nathaniel Hawthorne, Fanny Kemble, Catharine Sedgwick, Henry Ward Beecher, and Edith Wharton. Hawthorne’s cottage, where he wrote Tanglewood Tales, was burned in 1891 and rebuilt in 1948. Recreational areas include the Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary and the Cranwell Resort. October Mountain State Forest is in adjacent Lee township. Inc. 1767. Area 21 square miles (54 square km). Pop. (2000) 5,077; (2010) 5,025.