DID YOU KNOW? LEE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE DATES BACK NEARLY 100 YEARS By Phil Smith About a year ago at the behest of former Lee Chamber of Commerce president Holly Chaffee I started researching the history of the organization. I was quite surprised to find that the town’s original chamber of commerce was founded nearly 100 years ago when an organization called the Lee Businessmen’s Association voted to change its name to the Lee Chamber of Commerce. That vote took place on January 18, 1924. There is still a lot of research to be done, but it appears that the organization has ebbed and flowed over the years and that the current chamber was formed after a period of inactivity but we are still searching for that date. Another surprise has been the breadth of responsibilities the original chamber took on. Their early reports show evidence of helping to develop Sandy Beach at Laurel Lake, concern about industries, keeping Jacob’s Ladder Road open in winter, regulations of billboards and street signage. After a successful first year, the chamber reported on fire protection equipment, new town ordinances, night phone service, rail crossing safety and a new Center Street bridge. Today’s chamber has a good working relationship with town government and sometimes may be concerned about similar issues, but their activity may be less inclined to be “hands on.” As late as the 1920’s the town still had not named some of its streets, it seems. Some businesses advertised their location as “near the railroad depot,” or “two doors down” from some better known business. Sometimes the chamber strayed into legislative matters; in 1939, they officially opposed Governor Saltonstall’s proposal to place a 2 cent tax on packs of cigarettes to discourage their use due to harmful health effects. At the time, Lee was a big producer of cigarette papers. In a 1936 meeting at the Greenock Inn, a speaker spread alarms about communism and “dope dealers.” But, while maintaining its industrial and agriculture bases, the town was already realizing its potential as a tourist destination in the 1930’s, sending a delegate to the New England Council (on tourism) and another to the Berkshire Hills Conference (later the Berkshire Visitors Bureau and now part of 1Berkshire.) And in 1937 the chamber prepared its first booklet aimed at visitors, printing 5,000 copies and mailing between 500 and 700 out to places as far away as Florida and Oregon. Today’s chamber, in addition to working with town government, does much to promote the town’s image. It maintains an active web site (leechamber.org), publishes an annual brochure, directs and collaborates on activities such as Gateway Jazz Weekend, operates Founders Weekend, decorates the town with hanging flower baskets in the summer and with seasonal lighting during the holiday season. The Lee Historical Society exhibit planned for next July will be partly in collaboration with the chamber and will emphasize the extensive history of doing business in the town.
Click Here to Visit Lee Historical Society Webpage and learn more!