Becket

Town in Berkshire County, southwestern Massachusetts, 19 km/12 mi southeast of Pittsfield; population (1998 est) 1,500. A small, rural community and recreational area, it is close to the October Mountain State Forest, and is in a summer resort area of the Berkshire Hills. Trout fishing is popular in the area.

Becket was laid out in 1735 in a wilderness area, and by 1765 became an organised settlement, originally called Plantation Number Four. The earliest settlers established a sawmill in 1751 and lumber became an important product; other early industries were basketry and granite quarrying. In 1798 adherents to the Congregational faith set up the Congregational Church Society which relied on voluntary subscriptions rather than money from taxes. This became the universal funding structure for churches in the USA.

Becket is the site of the Jacob's Pillow Dance festival. Jacob's Pillow was a farm dating from 1790. In the 1930s, it was bought by modern dance pioneer Ted Shawn, who set up a dance troupe. Dance festivals have been held at Jacob's Pillow since 1941.