Massachusetts
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MASSACHUSETTS http://www. ber kshi r ehi st or y. or g/ r esour ces. ht ml ADAMS In 1766, the Gener al Court of Massachusetts confirmed t he sal e of an ar ea of land i n the west er n par t of the st at e t o Nat han Jones, Elisha J ones , and John Murray. The or i gi nal land pur chas e amount ed t o 23 square mi l es. A s mall communi t y devel oped i nt o what was first called T owns hi p Number One and l at er changed t o Eas t Hoos ac. The l and was incorporated i nt o t he T own of Adams in 1778, named i n honor of patriot Samuel Adams. Adams history is the f ami l i ar New Engl and s t or y of a f ar m vi llage gr owi ng i nt o an i ndustr i al small town. Former farmers and s ons of farmers tapped t he ener gy of the f l owi ng H oos i c R i ver to t ur n the bel t s and pulleys of textile and paper -making machi ner y. By the end of the 19th centur y, Adams had become an industrial communi t y, dealing i n paper , textiles, and l i me pr oduct s. These ear l y industrial ists laid a foundation on whi ch each successive gener at i on bui l t an i ndustr i al communi t y. T his communi t y was peopled wi t h i mmi gr ants of several countries. Eight ethni c gr oups came t o wor k in Adams, each one weavi ng i t s thread of influence i nt o t he f abr i c t hat is Adams. The ar chi t ect ur e t hat the industrialists and wor ker s constructed i s the envi r onment that we see t oday- an i ndustr i al setting pleasantly surrounded by the l ush l andscape of the Hoos i c R i ver Valley and t he Ber kshi r e Hi lls. Source: Adams Historical Society For further Information, visit: http://www. adamshi st or i cal . or g/ CLARKSBURG Settlement of Clarksburg began i n 1769 with Captai n Matthew Ket chum, Colonel William Bullock and Nicholas Clark, the l atter for whom t he t own was named. The agr i cul t ur al interests of the ear l y settlers dictated t hei r settlement in the r el at i vel y l evel areas to t he west of Route 8 and al ong upper reaches of the Nor t h Br anch of the Hoos i c R i ver . T he settlement of Briggs vi lle began i n the ear l y 19th centur y and i ncl uded f our mills by 1829. Briggs vi lle expanded about 1866 with the const r uct i on of Linwood Wool en Company, a br i ck mill to weave cashmer e. In 1885 Linwood empl oyed 140 persons, and t he vi llage had t wo s t or es , a gr i s t mill, saw mi ll and a new brick school . The t own al so had t hr ee powder mills which pr oduced $36, 000 worth of black gunpowder between 1861 and 1869. The E. R. Tinker powder mill exploded i n May of 1869 ending pr oduct i on of that product. Source: http://www.berkshireweb.com/themap/clar ksbur g/clar ksbur g. ht ml WILLIAMSTOWN In 1750 village l ot s in the newl y surveyed Wes t Hoos ac pl ant at i on wer e f i r st offered f or sale by the General Court of Massachusetts Bay Col ony. The Cour t probably had t wo mot i ves in establ i shi ng t he plantation: to s ettle and f or t i f y the nor t hwest corner of the col ony, lying al ong a heavi l y used I ndi an path, and t her eby protect towns to t he east and s out h; and t o pr event Dutch settlers in New Yor k from i nchi ng over their eastern boundar y into Massachusetts. T he ar ea was a heavi l y forested wi l der ness, and al t hough some of the l ot s were pur chased by specul ators, many were acqui r ed by sol diers from F or t Massachusetts, four miles to t he east . In 1760 settlement began to i ncr eas e. More l and was divided and cl ear ed, some r oads were cut , and farming became t he domi nant way of life i n the valley. Small saw, grist, and f uelling mi lls appear ed, easing t he l abor of colonial living. Professionals and cr af t s men began to arrive as well: a doct or , lawyer, cobbl er s , carpenters, blacksmiths, and s hopkeeper s. In 1765, to compl y with ter ms in the wi ll of Colonel Ephraim Wi lliams, who bequeat hed f unds for the founding of a l ocal free school only if the haml et was incorporated and r e-named, Fort West Hoos ac officially became Wi lliamstown. The school opened i n 1791 and became Wi lliams College i n 1793. Until the I ndust r i al Revolution, the t own fl our i shed on a combi nat i on of dairy farming, sheep her di ng and wool production, small local mills and gener al stores. The Amer i can For ei gn Mi ssionary movement was born her e at a pr ayer meet i ng i n 1806, when a gr oup of Williams College st udent s, taking s hel t er under a haystack from a s udden thunder stor m, proposed s endi ng t he Gospel abroad. And al ways , the sceni c beauty of the surrounding mount ai ns was an i mpor tant part of life. T he Al pi ne Cl ub, formed i n 1863 under the i nspi r at i on of Professor Albert Hopkins, sponsored mount ai n cl i mbi ng and campi ng ex cur s i ons in the local hills, it declared pur pos e bei ng " t o ex pl or e t he i nt er est i ng pl aces in the vi ci ni t y, to become acquainted...with the nat ur al history of the l ocal i t i es...also t o i mpr ove t he pedest r i an power s of the members." T he comi ng of the r ai l r oad and t he I ndust r i al Revolution changed t he f ace of Williamstown. Although the amount of water power in Wi lliamstown l i mi ted t he extent of industrialization i t experienced, the t own was transformed by the appear ance of the Walley Mill and Wi lliamstown Manufactur i ng Company (Station Mill), both texti l e mi lls, and A. Loop and Company (Water Street Mill), which manufactur ed t wi ne. Summer tourism gr ew, and bot h the el egant Idlewild Hot el in South Wi lliamstown and t he Gr eyl ock Hotel on the cor ner of North and Mai n Str eet s, were i n thei r heyday. The cat chy and des cr i pt i ve phr ase "Williamstown the Vi llage Beaut i f ul " was coined by Henry T ague, manager of the Gr eyl ock, who was also successful in pushi ng f or construction of the T aconi c T r ai l . Sand Spr i ngs , famous to t he ear l i est Indian tribes for the medi ci nal properties of its thermal spring, also t hr i ved as a gr and r es or t , and l at er as a Sanitarium, and bottling pl ant for spring wat er . When fl avor i ngs were added, Sand Spr i ngs Ginger Ale became a r enowned s of t drink. Farming cont i nued i n Wi lliamstown dur i ng t hi s period, and Mount Hope F ar m, a maj or experimental farm that gradually grew t o over 1300 acres, was noted f or its success in usi ng genet i c pr i nci pl es to i mpr ove the yi el d of potatoes and t o boos t the pr oduct i on of egg-laying poul t r y and dai r y cattle. In addi t i on to being a l ar ge l ocal employer, Mount Hope's findings were usef ul worldwide. After World War II, Williamstown gr ew r api dl y. Businesses changed. Recent major employers have included Carrol Cable, Steinerfilm, Ivy Gui l d, Sweet Brook Nursing H ome, Williamstown Medi cal Associates, and t he Mount Greylock School District. But with the admi ssion of women i n the 1970s and i t s consequent expansion to over 2000 students, Williams College i s the l ar gest employer by far.