GREENFIELD — One resident has taken it upon herself — and not for the first time — to paint over some of the graffiti on one of Greenfield’s most iconic landmarks.

“I’m a 40-year resident of Greenfield and [Poet’s Seat Tower] is an icon for us,” said Sandra Boston, 82. “It’s just [about] being a loyal resident of the town and wanting to protect our historical monuments.”

In 1873, a wooden tower was erected at the top of Rocky Mountain, according to the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association. The tower burned down in 1903 and roughly a decade later, a new one was built to honor the memory of minor American poet Frederick Goddard Tuckerman. That tower remains standing there today.

“That park is for everybody,” Boston said. “It’s not a place for an individual to strut their stuff” through graffiti.

Greenfield resident Kate Mason accompanied Boston on a recent trip to Poet’s Seat Tower to provide some help.

“There’s some graffiti on the floor that’s kind of fun, although it’s getting over-graffiti’d,” Mason said. “There is a sort of appreciation of well-done graffiti, but not just to mark up our landmarks.”

For the most part, Boston said she is covering up what appear to be people’s initials and other small designs. She said the graffiti isn’t inappropriate, but would be better suited elsewhere.

“I really see the artistic talent involved,” Boston said. “It just needs the appropriate place. There are lots of murals around Greenfield, so I’m sure we could find someplace.”

Boston, who painted over graffiti on the tower about two years ago as well, has already applied one coat. She plans to go back for a second coat after a trip to Aubuchon Hardware to find the best paint match for the tower’s stone.

Boston acknowledged that the back-and-forth between her and the graffiti artists is a bit of a “duet,” but she hopes to find a way to dissuade this use of the tower as a canvas for graffiti in the future.

“The first time I was up there painting, a father and his very young son came while I was painting, and they were so moved the little boy came up with $5 and said, ‘We want to contribute to the paint,’” she recalled. “A little while later, a woman was climbing the tower and said, ‘We have a spare bottle of water, would you like it?’ It was such kindness. It was people wanting to go participate, wanting to contribute.”

Reporter Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne.

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