The Berkshire Conference is best known for its triennial meeting of the Berkshire Conference on the History of Women, or “Big Berks.” The Berkshire Conference of Women Historians was founded in 1930 by historians Louise Fargo Brown of Vassar College and Louise Ropes Loomis of Wells College in response to the marginalization women historians faced in the male-dominated historical profession.
Women were underrepresented at the meetings of the American Historical Association (AHA), the professional organization for historians in the United States, and felt unwelcome at networking social events such as "smokers" and informal weekend retreats.
These yearly events started as a series of spring weekend retreats, often in the Berkshire Mountains of New England.
Initially called the Lakeville History Group, in 1935 the name changed to the BCWH since most of the meetings took place in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
[3] The Berkshire Conference continues to hold yearly retreats that combine conversation, socializing, outdoor activities, mentoring of junior scholars, and administrative business such as the selection of the annual book and article prizes.