Hampshire County Massachusetts, 1890

Hampshire County is the middle one of the three Massachusetts counties lying on the Connecticut River; its eastern line being a few miles west of a medial line of the State. The Connecticut River pursues a general southerly course through it, dividing it into nearly equal eastern and western sections. It measures east and west nearly 45 miles; and north and south an average of about 13 miles.

The area is stated as 640 square miles, or 400,600 acres. The assessed area is 336,103 acres. There are about 88,900 acres of woodland. The county is bounded on the north by Franklin, on the east by Worcester, on the south by Hampden, and on the west by Berkshire counties. The inhabitants in 1875 numbered 44,821; in 1885, 48,472. At the last date there were 9,195 dwelling-houses.

The Massachusetts Central Railroad runs medially through the eastern section to the Connecticut River; the Ware River Railroad crosses the southeast corner; the New London and Northern Railroad passes northwestward through the midst of the eastern section; the Connecticut River Railroad follows the course of that river; and the New Haven and Northampton Railroad runs through the southeastern and northern parts of the western section. The first of these and the last two intersect at Northampton.

The surface of the county is uneven, and in the western part, mountainous. The highest elevations are More's Hill in Goshen, 1,713 feet; High Ridge in Williamsburgh, 1,480 feet; Mount Lincoln in Pelham, 1,246 feet; Mount Tom on the west side of the Connecticut, 1,214 feet; and on the east side, the long ridge of Mount Holyoke extends from the east side, - its most elevated peak being Hilliard's Knob, on the line of Amherst and Granby, 1,120 feet high.

The Connecticut has no large tributaries within the county. The Westfield River — here running directly south — drains the western part; Manhan River drains the southeast portion of the western section; Mill River, the northeast part of the same; a smaller river of the same name drains the territory opposite on the east side of the Connecticut; Port River and Bachelor's Brook are considerable streams further south on the same side; while the eastern part of the county is drained by Swift River, running southward to Ware River, which runs through the southeastern corner.

The geological formation of the county is eozoic, mesozoic, and calciferous mica-schist. The soil has much variety. Along the alluvial basin of the Connecticut it is very rich and fertile, and is well cultivated. Most of the hilly ridges afford fine grazing ground.

The farms number 3,472; with 22,680 neat cattle, 5,101 horses, 6,791 sheep, 11,246 swine, and 912 dogs. The total value of farm products, as given in the last census (1885), was $3,794,173. The manufacturing establishments number 603, and their product was valued at $12,138,065. There were 208 school-houses, valued, with appurtenances, at $367,623; 26 private schools, (4 being colleges), with 65 buildings, etc., valued at $1,616,483; 87 libraries entirely or partially public, containing 153,748 bound volumes; 9 newspapers and journals; and 75 church edifices. The valuation in 1888 was $28,360,236.

Hampshire County was incorporated May 7, 1662, taking the name from a county in the south of England. It was the first county in the western part of the State, and the largest of all. In 1761 a portion was set off to form Berkshire County, another portion in 1811 to form Franklin, and a third portion in 1812 to form Hampden. It now embraces one city (Northampton - also the county seat) and 22 towns. The latter are as follows : Amherst, Belchertown, Chesterfield, Cummington, Easthampton, Enfield, Goshen, Granby, Greenwich, Hadley, Hatfield, Huntington, Middlefield, Pelham, Plainfield, Prescott, Southampton, South Hadley, Ware, Westhampton, Williamsburg, Worthington. This county is in the 11th Congressional District, the 7th and 8th Council districts, and has one State senator in connection with Worcester County and one with Berkshire County, and is entitled to six representatives in the Legislature.

The first settlement within the present territory of the county was at Northampton in 1654; the first on the river having been at Springfield nearly nineteen years earlier. The new settlement was known as Nonotuck, and included the present towns of Northampton, Easthampton, Southampton, Westhampton, and portions of Hatfield and Montgomery. According to the custom of the early settlers of New England, the Indian title was extinguished by formal purchase. The deed was given in 1658, by Wanhillona, Nenessahalant, Nassicochee, and four other Indians, to John Pynchon, Elizur Holyoke, and Samuel Chapin, — commissioners from Springfield. The price paid for the entire territory of Nonotuck was "one hundred fathoms of wampum, ten coats, some small gifts, and plowing up 16 acres of land on the east side of the river." Other sections were purchased at various dates. The inhabitants lived in peace with the red men for nearly forty years after the settlement on this river. The first military company in the county was formed in 1661, — seven years after settlement. In the autumn of 1675, the hostilities of Ring Philip's War reached these settlements; the first attack being made on Hatfield by several hundred Indians. Hadley was made the headquarters of the defensive forces. Conflicts occurred later at Northampton, Turner's Falls and Hadley.

The first great disaster of its kind in this county was the flooding of Mill River valley by the bursting of a reservoir in Williamsburgh in 1874. The damage was chiefly in that town and in Northampton. Of the $150,000 appropriated by the legislature for the rebuilding of roads, only $92,000 were used. The villages which suffered most severely, in a few years regained their former prosperity.

pp. 74-76 in Nason and Varney's Massachusetts Gazetteer, 1890

Gazetteer