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Peru, Massachusetts

Peru is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 814 at the 2020 census.

History
Originally known as Northern Berkshire Township Number 2 and including all of Hinsdale and part of Middlefield, the town was first settled in 1767 and was officially incorporated as Partridgefield in 1771. Originally named for Oliver Partridge, one of the three purchasers of the town (along with Governor Francis Bernard), the name was officially changed to Peru in 1806, on the suggestion of the Rev. John Leland, "because it is like the Peru of South America, a mountain town, and if no gold or silver mines are under her rocks, she favors hard money and begins with a P."

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 67.4 km2, of which 67.1 km2 is land and 0.3 km2, or 0.41%, is water. Peru lies on the eastern border of Berkshire County, and is bordered by Windsor to the north, Cummington to the northeast, Worthington to the east, Middlefield to the south, Washington to the southwest, and Hinsdale to the west. Peru is 13 mi east of Pittsfield, 40 mi northwest of Springfield and 118 mi west of Boston.

Peru has the highest mean altitude in Massachusetts and, along with neighboring Windsor, is one of only two municipalities in the state with a mean elevation above 2,000 feet. It lies on high ground in the Berkshire Hills, with three main peaks in the town. Much of Peru is forested, with a large portion of the northern third of town covered by a wildlife management area, and much of the southern third covered by the Peru and Middlefield State Forests. To the west of town, Ashmere Lake flows out into Bennett Brook, eventually reaching the East Branch of the Housatonic River. To the east, many brooks, including Trout Brook, flow south and east towards the Westfield River, part of the Connecticut River watershed (Trout Brook is actually one of the main sources of the river).

Peru is bisected by Massachusetts Route 143, passing from east to west. No other state roads pass through the town. The nearest interstate, Interstate 90 (the Massachusetts Turnpike), can be accessed approximately 20 mi away in Lee. The nearest bus stop is in the center of Hinsdale. The nearest coach and rail services can be found in Pittsfield, as can the closest regional airport (at Pittsfield Municipal Airport). The nearest national service is located at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 821 people, 295 households, and 228 families residing in the town. The town is the ninth-smallest of the 32 cities and towns in the county, and ranks 331st out of the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts by population.

The population density is listed at 31.7 people per square mile (12.2/km2), ranking it 22nd in the county and 328th in the Commonwealth. There were 378 housing units at an average density of 14.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 97.93% White, 0.24% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 0.12% from other races, and 1.10% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.12% of the population.

There were 295 households, out of which 38.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.7% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.7% were non-families. 16.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.8% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 27.4% from 45 to 64, and 7.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 107.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 113.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $44,531, and the median income for a family was $51,071. Males had a median income of $35,469 versus $30,625 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,636. About 4.1% of families and 4.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.3% of those under age 18 and 2.7% of those age 65 or over.

Government
Peru employs the open town meeting form of government, and is led by a board of selectmen. The town has its own services, including police and fire departments, but does not have its own post office (it shares its post office and ZIP code, 01235, with Hinsdale). The town's public library is connected to the regional library system.

On the state level, Peru is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives as part of the Second Berkshire district, represented by Paul Mark, which covers central Berkshire County, as well as portions of Hampshire and Franklin Counties. In the Massachusetts Senate, the town is part of the Berkshire, Hampshire and Franklin district, represented by Adam Hinds, which includes all of Berkshire County and western Hampshire and Franklin counties. The town is patrolled by B4 (Cheshire) Barracks of Troop B of the Massachusetts State Police.

On the national level, Peru is represented in the United States House of Representatives as part of Massachusetts's 1st congressional district, and has been represented by Richard Neal of Springfield since 2013. Massachusetts is currently represented in the United States Senate by senior Senator Elizabeth Warren and junior senator Ed Markey.

Education
Peru is one of the seven towns in the Central Berkshire Regional School District, the largest district (by land area) in the Commonwealth. All students in the district travel to Dalton to attend Nessacus Regional Middle School for sixth through eighth grades and Wahconah Regional High School for the high grades. There are no private schools in Peru, with the nearest being in the Pittsfield area.

The nearest community college is Berkshire Community College in Pittsfield. The nearest state college is Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams, and the nearest state university is the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Notable people

 * Amos Dresser (1812–1904), Protestant minister
 * Seraph Frissell, M.D., (1840–1915), physician, medical writer

title: Peru, Massachusetts


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Pittsfield, Massachusetts

Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Pittsfield’s population was 43,927 at the 2020 census. Although its population has declined in recent decades, Pittsfield remains the third-largest municipality in Western Massachusetts, behind only Springfield and Chicopee.

In 2017, the Arts Vibrancy Index compiled by the National Center for Arts Research ranked Pittsfield and Berkshire County as the number-one medium-sized community in the nation for the arts.

History
The Mohicans, an Algonquian people, inhabited Pittsfield and the surrounding area until the early 1700s, when British colonists invaded the area.

In 1738, a wealthy Bostonian named Col. Jacob Wendell bought 24000 acre of land known originally as "Pontoosuck", from a Mohican word meaning "a field or haven for winter deer", as a speculative investment allowed by the new governing invading presence in the area. He planned to subdivide and resell to others who would settle there. He formed a partnership with Philip Livingston, a wealthy kinsman from Albany, New York, and Col. John Stoddard of Northampton, who had claim to, by way of imposed brutal colonial rule 1000 acre here.

A group of young armed militia men came and began to clear the land in 1743, but the threat of Indian resistance around the time of King George's War soon forced them to leave, and the land remained unoccupied by Englishmen for several more years.

Soon, many colonists arrived from Westfield, Massachusetts, and a village began to grow, which was incorporated as Pontoosuck Plantation in 1753 by Solomon Deming, Simeon Crofoot, Stephen Crofoot, Charles Goodrich, Jacob Ensign, Samuel Taylor, and Elias Woodward. Mrs. Deming was the first and the last of the original colonists, dying in March 1818 at the age of 92. Solomon Deming died in 1815 at the age of 96.

Pittsfield was incorporated in 1761. Royal Governor Sir Francis Bernard named Pittsfield after British nobleman and politician William Pitt. By 1761 there were 200 residents and the plantation became the Township of Pittsfield.

By the end of the Revolutionary War, Pittsfield had grown to nearly 2,000 residents, including Colonel John Brown, who in 1776 began accusing Benedict Arnold of being a traitor, several years before Arnold defected to the British. Brown wrote in his winter 1776-77 handbill, "Money is this man's God, and to get enough of it he would sacrifice his country."

Pittsfield was primarily turned into an agricultural area because of the many brooks that flowed into the Housatonic River; the landscape was dotted with mills that produced lumber, grist, paper, and textiles. With the introduction of Merino sheep from Spain in 1807, the area became the center of woolen manufacturing in the United States, an industry that would dominate the community's economy for almost a century. The town was a bustling metropolis by the late 19th century. In 1891, the City of Pittsfield was incorporated and William Stanley Jr., who had recently relocated his Electric Manufacturing Company to Pittsfield from Great Barrington, produced the first electric transformer. Stanley's enterprise was the forerunner of the internationally known corporate giant, General Electric (GE). Thanks to the success of GE, Pittsfield's population in 1930 had grown to more than 50,000. While GE Advanced Materials (now owned by SABIC-Innovative Plastics, a subsidiary of the Riyadh-based Saudi Basic Industries Corporation) continues to be one of the city's largest employers, a workforce that once topped 13,000 was reduced to less than 700 with the demise and/or relocation of General Electric's transformer and aerospace portions. On October 8, 2015, SABIC announced it would relocate its headquarters from Pittsfield to Houston, Texas.

General Dynamics occupies many of the old GE buildings and its workforce is expanding. Much of General Dynamics' local success is based on the awarding of government contracts related to its advanced information systems. In September 2018, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito, and other Baker administration officials attended the groundbreaking of a $13.7 million project to build a life sciences and advanced manufacturing center in the city.

1902 presidential incident
On September 3, 1902, at 10:15 am, during a two-week tour through New England campaigning for Republican congressmen, the barouche transporting President Theodore Roosevelt from downtown Pittsfield to the Pittsfield Country Club collided head-on with a trolley. Roosevelt, Massachusetts Governor Winthrop Murray Crane, secretary to the president George Bruce Cortelyou, and bodyguard William Craig were thrown into the street. Craig was killed; he was the first Secret Service agent killed while on a presidential protection detail. Roosevelt, whose face and left shin were badly bruised, nearly came to blows with the trolley motorman, Euclid Madden. Madden was later charged with manslaughter, to which he pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to six months in jail and a heavy fine.

Baseball in Pittsfield
In 2004, historian John Thorn discovered a reference to a 1791 by-law prohibiting anyone from playing "baseball" within 80 yd of the new meeting house in Pittsfield. A reference librarian, AnnMarie Harris, found the actual by-law in the Berkshire Athenaeum library and its age was verified by researchers at the Williamstown Art Conservation Center. If authentic and if actually referring to a recognizable version of the modern game, the 1791 document, would be, as of 2004, the earliest known reference to the game in America. (See Origins of baseball.) The document is available on the Pittsfield Library's web site.

A finding that baseball was invented in 1839 by Abner Doubleday in Cooperstown, New York, provided the rationale for baseball centennial celebrations in 1939 including the opening of a National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in that city. Few historians ever believed it and even the Hall's vice president, Jeff Idelson, has stated that "Baseball wasn't really born anywhere."

In 1859, the first intercollegiate baseball game was played in Pittsfield. Amherst defeated Williams College, 73–32.

Ulysses Frank Grant, born August 1, 1865, in Pittsfield (died May 27, 1937), was an African American baseball player in the 19th century who played in the International League and for various independent teams.

Professional baseball was played in Pittsfield's Wahconah Park from 1894 through 2003. Teams included the early Pittsfield Colts and Pittsfield Hillies, the Pittsfield Electrics of the 1940s, the Pittsfield Red Sox from 1965 to 1969 with such then A-league players and future major leaguers as George Scott, Carlton Fisk, and Reggie Smith, the Pittsfield Senators (later Rangers) of the 1970s, and the 1985–1988 AA Pittsfield Cubs featuring future stars Mark Grace and Rafael Palmeiro. From 1989 to 2001, the Pittsfield Mets and Pittsfield Astros (2001 only) represented the city in the New York–Penn League. The Astros have since moved to Troy, New York, and are now known as the Tri-City ValleyCats.

In 2005, Wahconah Park became the home stadium of the Pittsfield Dukes, a summer collegiate baseball franchise of the New England Collegiate Baseball League owned by Dan Duquette, former Boston Red Sox general manager. The Dukes had played the 2004 season in Hinsdale, Massachusetts, as the Berkshire Dukes. In 2009, the franchise changed its name to the Pittsfield American Defenders. The American Defenders' name refers to both the United States military and a line of baseball gloves produced by Nocona Athletic Goods Company. Duquette's ownership group also owned the American Defenders of New Hampshire, members of the independent Can-Am League.

Since 2012, Wahconah Park has been the home of the Pittsfield Suns of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League.

Mark Belanger, eight-time Gold Glove winning shortstop for the Baltimore Orioles, Turk Wendell, relief pitcher for the New York Mets, and Tom Grieve, outfielder for the Texas Rangers, were all from Pittsfield.

The love of baseball in the Berkshires, and especially Pittsfield, extends for all ages. Pittsfield has two Little League teams, Pittsfield American and National, who are the two dominant powers in Berkshire County Little League and Western Massachusetts. The 2022 Pittsfield 13U Babe Ruth baseball team made a run to the Babe Ruth 13U World Series Championship game. Winning the New England Regional and going all the way to the Title Series, before losing to Kado, Hawaii. Pittsfield hosted the 2023 Babe Ruth 15U New England Regional Tournament at Wahconah Park. Pittsfield received an automatic bid for hosting and advanced to the championship game, but fell to Norwalk, Conn.

Both Pittsfield high schools are known for their baseball and softball prowess. Taconic High School won state championships in 2017 and 2019 and reached the Final Four in 2023. It was the No. 1 overall seed in the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) Division III bracket in 2022 and beat city-rival Pittsfield High three times. Twice in the regular season and once again in the PVIAC Western Massachusetts Class B Championship Game in front of a crowd of over 3,500 at Wahconah Park. However, the two teams met in the Division III Sweet 16 and Pittsfield High pulled off the upset to send its crosstown rival home.

Geography

Pittsfield is at 42.45°N, -73.25°W (42.4522, −73.2515).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 110.0 km2, of which 5.2 km2, or 4.70%, are covered by water. Pittsfield is bordered by Lanesborough to the north, Dalton to the east, Washington to the southeast, Lenox to the south, Richmond to the southwest, and Hancock to the west. Pittsfield is 48 mi northwest of Springfield, 99 mi west of Worcester, 135 mi west of Boston, and 39 mi east of Albany, New York.

Most of the population occupies roughly one-quarter of the city's land. Pittsfield lies at the confluence of the east and west branches of the Housatonic River, which flows south from the city towards its mouth at Long Island Sound, some 149 mi distant. The eastern branch leads down from the hills, while the western branch is fed from Onota Lake and Pontoosuc Lake (which lies partly in Lanesborough). Like much of western Berkshire County, the city lies between the Berkshire Hills to the east and the Taconic Range to the west. Sections of the Housatonic Valley Wildlife Management Area dot the banks of the river. The western portion of the city contains Pittsfield State Forest, an 11000 acre facility with hiking and cross-country skiing trails, camping, picnic areas, and a beach for swimming.

Pittsfield is at the crossroads of U.S. Route 7 and U.S. Route 20, which join together in the city. Massachusetts Route 8 passes through the northeastern corner of town, with a portion of it combined with Route 9, the central east-west road through the western part of the state, whose western terminus is in the city at Route 20. Route 41 begins in the southwestern corner of town, heading south from Route 20. The nearest interstate highway, Interstate 90 (the Massachusetts Turnpike) is about 10 mi south, in Lee.

Long-distance ground transportation in Pittsfield is based at the Joseph Scelsi Intermodal Transportation Center, which serves as the station for Amtrak trains and Peter Pan buses. The Berkshire Regional Transit Authority, the transit provider for Pittsfield and vicinity, is based at the Intermodal Center and also uses it as a hub for most of its lines. Rail freight transportation is provided by CSX Transportation and the Housatonic Railroad.

The fixed-base operator at Pittsfield Municipal Airport offers access to the region via private and chartered aircraft ranging from single-engined piston to multiple-engined jet planes. They also offer scenic rides and flight training. The nearest airport with national service is Albany International Airport.

Climate
Pittsfield has a humid continental climate (Dfb). Winters are harsh due the city's high elevation at 1,039 ft (317 m), with an average annual snowfall of 75.9 in and temperatures dipping to 0 F or colder 13 times per year. Summers, however, are typically warm and pleasant, with temperatures reaching 90 F just six times per year. The record high and record low are 101 F and -26 F, recorded on July 23, 1926, and February 15, 1943, respectively. Over the course of a year, 173 days have measurable precipitation.

Background and historical overview
Flowing through a historically rural area, the Housatonic River attracted increased industrialization in the late 19th century. William Stanley Jr., founded the Stanley Electric Manufacturing Company in 1890 at Pittsfield. The company manufactured small transformers, electrical motors and appliances. In 1903, GE acquired Stanley Electric and subsequently operated three major manufacturing operations in Pittsfield: transformer, ordnance, and plastics.

Environmental issues
During the mid-20th century, the Housatonic River and its floodplain were contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other hazardous substances released from the General Electric Company (GE) facility in Pittsfield. The contaminated area, known as the General Electric/Housatonic River Site, includes the GE manufacturing facility; the Housatonic River, its riverbanks and floodplains from Pittsfield to Long Island Sound, and former river oxbows that have since been filled in; Allendale School; Silver Lake; and other areas contaminated as a result of GE's operations in Pittsfield.

The highest concentrations of PCBs in the Housatonic River are found from the site of the GE plant in Pittsfield to Woods Pond in Lenox, Massachusetts, where they have been measured up to 140 mg/kg (140 ppm). About 50% of all the PCBs in the river is estimated to be retained in the sediment behind Woods Pond dam. This is estimated to be about 11,000 pounds of PCBs. Birds and fish that live in and around the river contain significant levels of PCBs.

Consent decree and cleanup
Starting in 1991, legal proceedings by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established the General Electric/Housatonic River Site. Initial cleanup work began in 1996 when EPA issued a unilateral order to GE that required the removal of highly contaminated sediments and bank soils. EPA added the site to its Superfund list in September 1997.

The year 1999 was a milestone for Pittsfield, when negotiations between EPA, the state, General Electric and the city resulted in a settlement agreement, valued at over $250 million, to clean up Pittsfield and the Housatonic River. The settlement was memorialized in a consent decree entered in federal court the following year, making it a binding legal agreement. Between 2005 and 2018 GE completed remediation and restoration of the 10 manufacturing plant areas within the city, and continues to conduct inspection, monitoring and maintenance activities.

Cleanup of the polluted downstream river areas has not been completed as of 2023. Following a public comment period, EPA issued a permit in December 2020 for the final cleanup phase. In 2021 two of the citizen groups that were parties to the settlement filed an appeal of the permit, criticizing the design of a planned landfill to be located in Berkshire County. In February 2022 the US Environmental Appeals Board (EAB) denied the permit appeal. Following the EAB ruling, EPA continued to design the new PCB disposal facility and conducted public meetings in 2022. Two citizen groups appealed the EAB decision to the First Circuit Court of Appeals, and in July 2023 the court rejected the plaintiffs' challenge.

Groundwater and long-term monitoring
In the years since the settlement was reached, the EPA, state agencies, the City and GE accomplished one of the largest and most complex cleanups in the country. Cleanup work on the first previously PCB-laden half mile of the Housatonic River, adjacent to the GE facility, was completed in September 2002. $90 million was spent cleaning up the 1.5 mi reach between Lyman Street and Fred Garner Park, which was completed in June 2007. Biological and sediment samples showed reductions of approximately 99% of PCB concentrations compared to conditions before remediation. GE removed contaminated soil and restored 27 residential properties abutting the river. As of 2006 more than 115000 cuyd of PCB-contaminated sediment, bank, and floodplain soil have been removed from the river and residential property. As of 2019 GE has completed remediation and restoration of the 10 manufacturing plant areas within the city, and is conducting inspection, monitoring and maintenance activities.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 45,793 people, 19,704 households, and 11,822 families residing in the city. Pittsfield is the largest city by population in Berkshire County, and ranks 27th out of the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts. The population density was 1,124.3 PD/sqmi, making it the most densely populated community in Berkshire county and 92nd overall in the Commonwealth. There were 21,366 housing units at an average density of 524.6 /sqmi.

The racial makeup of the city in 2017 was 87.4% white (84.4% non-Hispanic white), 4.7% black, 0.4% Native American, 2.0% Asian (0.6% Chinese, 0.5% Indian, 0.3% Pakistani, 0.2% Filipino, 0.2% Korean, 0.1% Vietnamese), 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.0% from other races, and 3.5% from two or more races. Hispanics and Latinos of any race were 6.0% of the population (1.9% Puerto Rican, 0.9% Mexican, 0.6% Ecuadorian, 0.5% Dominican, 0.4% Spanish, 0.3% Peruvian, 0.3% Honduran, 0.2% Colombian, 0.2% Salvadoran, 0.1% Cuban). The ten largest ancestry groups in the city were Irish (22.5%), Italian (17.5%), French (11.7%), German (9.9%), English (8.6%), Polish (6.7%), American (4.1%), French-Canadian (3.7%), Scottish (1.7%), and Russian (1.5%). Immigrants accounted for 7.3% of the population. The ten most common countries of origin for immigrants in the city were Puerto Rico, Ecuador, China, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, India, El Salvador, Canada, Ghana, and Brazil.

In 2010, there were 19,704 households, out of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.9% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.0% were non-families. 34.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.89.

In 2010 in the city, the population was spread out, with 23.2% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city in 2010 was $35,655, and the median income for a family was $46,228. Males had a median income of $35,538 versus $26,341 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,549. About 8.9% of families and 11.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.7% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.

Government
Pittsfield employs the mayor-council form of government. The mayor is currently Linda Tyer, who was elected for Pittsfield's first four-year term in January 2016, but will be succeeded in January 2024 by Peter Marchetti, who won the seat in the November 2023 municipal election. The city is fully functioning, with all the major public services, including Berkshire Medical Center which is the only hospital in the northern part of the county, and the region's only VA medical clinic. The city's library, the Berkshire Athenaeum, is one of the largest in western Massachusetts, and is connected to the regional library system. Pittsfield is also the county seat of Berkshire County, and as such has many state facilities for the county. In 2011, the City of Pittsfield received 129 designs of prospective official flags from residents in honor of the 250th anniversary of Pittsfield's incorporation as a town, with the winning design submitted by Shaun Harris.

On the state level, Pittsfield has a single elected representative to the Massachusetts House of Representatives: the Second Berkshire District, which covers the entire city proper and is represented by Tricia Farley-Bouvier. In the Massachusetts Senate, the city is represented by Paul Mark of the Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin and Hampden district. Tara Jacobs (D-North Adams) represents Pittsfield as part of the Eighth Massachusetts Governor's Council district. The city is patrolled by the Fourth (Cheshire) Station of Barracks "B" of the Massachusetts State Police.

On the national level, Pittsfield is represented in the United States House of Representatives as part of Massachusetts's 1st congressional district, and has been represented by Richard Neal (D) of Springfield since 2013. Massachusetts is represented in the United States Senate by senior Senator Elizabeth Warren (D) and junior Senator Ed Markey (D).

Education
Pittsfield operates a public school system which has more than 6,000 students. There are eight elementary schools (Allendale, Robert T. Capeless, Crosby, Egremont, Morningside, Silvio O. Conte, Stearns and Williams), two middle schools (Theodore Herberg and John T. Reid), two high schools (Pittsfield High School and Taconic High School), and one private school (Miss Hall's School). The high schools both offer internal vocational programs. Students also come to the high schools from neighboring Richmond. There were two parochial schools open for many decades, but both recently closed (Saint Mark's for elementary and middle school students, and St. Joseph Central High School for high school students).

Pittsfield is the home to the main campus of Berkshire Community College and Mildred Elley's Pittsfield campus. The nearest state college is the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams, and the nearest state university is Westfield State University. The nearest private colleges are Williams College in Williamstown and Bard College at Simon's Rock in Great Barrington. In addition, the Berkshire Music School, a non-profit music school, offers private and group lessons in multiple instruments.

Culture
Pittsfield is the geographic and commercial hub of the Berkshires—a historic area that includes Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and author Edith Wharton's estate The Mount. Many buildings in Pittsfield are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Downtown Pittsfield is home to the gilded-age Colonial Theatre, the Berkshire Museum, the Beacon Cinema (multi-plex), the Barrington Stage Company, Berkshire Athenaeum, Wahconah Park and Hebert Arboretum. In recent years, the city has undergone a transformation with significant investment in the historic downtown, including a variety of new restaurants (French, Asian, Latin American, etc.), condominium and other residential developments and cultural attractions. The Colonial Theatre, dating from 1903, was named by Hillary Clinton as a National Historic Treasure in 1998. The community invested more than $22 million to refurbish the 100-year-old Colonial Theatre, one of the only theaters of its kind from the Vaudeville age. The venue has been described as "one of the finest acoustical theaters in the world."

Barrington Stage Company, the Tony Award-winning producer of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee invested millions into its newly renovated stage in downtown Pittsfield, along with the development of other stages within the downtown for smaller performances. Barrington Stage's head of its Musical Theatre Lab, William Finn, told the Boston Globe that he was determined to make Pittsfield the "epicenter of the musical theater universe."

Many of the Berkshires' oldest homes, dating to the mid-18th century, can be found in Pittsfield, as well as many historic neighborhoods dating from the late 19th century and early 20th century.

Several small multi-generational farms can still be found in Pittsfield, though suburban sprawl and land development have recently claimed some of this land.

Additional cultural attractions include:

 * Arrowhead, home of author Herman Melville (1850–1863). It was here that Melville wrote Moby Dick.
 * Silvio O. Conte National Archives and Records Administration.

Recreation
Pittsfield has several country clubs, including the Pontoosuc Lake Country Club. Pittsfield is home to two major lakes, Onota and Pontoosuc, both used for swimming, boating, and fishing. The Berkshire Rowing and Sculling Society is on Onota Lake.

Pittsfield is home to Canoe Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary, 264 acre of woods, fields, and wetlands maintained by the Massachusetts Audubon Society. Bousquet Ski Area and Summer Resort entertains visitors and residents year-round with skiing, and other fun activities.

Pittsfield State Forest, an 11000 acre park, provides residents and tourists with hiking and cross-country skiing trails, camping, picnic areas, and a swimming beach. The highest body of water in Massachusetts, Berry Pond, is at the top of the Pittsfield State Forest just outside the city limits in the town of Hancock.

The Berkshire Bike Path Council is working with the City of Pittsfield and local residents to extend the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail, a 10.8 mi paved trail just north of Pittsfield. The extension would pass through Pittsfield and lead south to Lenox and Great Barrington.

Transportation
Downtown Pittsfield serves as the crossroads of two US Highways: US 7 & US 20.

Pittsfield is served by Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited from Chicago to Boston, and seasonal Berkshire Flyer from New York City to Pittsfield, at the Joseph Scelsi Intermodal Transportation Center.

Local transit is provided by the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority.

Newspapers

 * The Berkshire Eagle, the main daily newspaper for the Pittsfield area
 * Hill Country Observer, a monthly newspaper covering an eight-county region of western Massachusetts, southern Vermont and eastern New York

Television
Pittsfield is in the Albany television market and is the community of license for two stations in that market, MyNetworkTV affiliate WNYA, and a low power TV station, W28DA, which rebroadcasts sister station and NBC affiliate WNYT on channel 13 from a location on South Mountain in the city. Springfield stations also serve the market with three stations (NBC affiliate WWLP, low-powered CBS affiliate WSHM-LD, and PBS member station WGBY-TV) on cable. WGGB-TV, Springfield's ABC affiliate, has never been carried on the cable system in Pittsfield, but is viewable over the air in some sections. Also carried on cable, but not necessarily serving Pittsfield, is Boston's WCVB (the ABC affiliate in that area).

Cable television subscribers of Charter Spectrum in Pittsfield receive public, educational, and government access (PEG) channels, provided by Pittsfield Community Television (PCTV), on channels 1301, 1302 and 1303:
 * Access Pittsfield, channel 1301, Public-access television
 * Pittsfield ETV, channel 1302, Education-access television
 * Citylink, channel 1303, Government-access television (GATV)

Pittsfield Community Television is a not-for-profit, 501 (c)(3) organization and a member of the Alliance for Community Media. Programming on PCTV is available 24 hours per day, year-long, and is available online.

Radio
Pittsfield is home to the following radio stations:
 * 1110 kHz WUPE (Oldies, simulcast of WUPE-FM)
 * 1340 kHz WBRK (Adult Standards)
 * 1420 kHz WBEC (Talk)
 * 89.7 MHz WTBR-FM (Rock)
 * 95.9 MHz WBEC-FM (Top 40, Tower on Bosquet Mountain)
 * 101.7 MHz WBRK-FM (AC)
 * 104.3 MHz WRRS-LP (Radio Reading Service)
 * 106.1 MHz W291CH (Simulcast of WFCR, Western Massachusetts NPR affiliate out of Amherst)

Signals from North Adams, Great Barrington, and Springfield, Massachusetts, as well as from Albany, New York, also reach Pittsfield. In some areas signals from cities well outside of Pittsfield, like Boston and Hartford, Connecticut, will be received, depending on the location.

Business
Pittsfield is home to several businesses, including:
 * SABIC-Innovative Plastics (formerly known as General Electric (Plastics/Advanced Materials Division) and now a subsidiary of the Riyadh-based Saudi Basic Industries Corporation)
 * General Dynamics Mission Systems (Pittsfield facility originally known as General Electric Ordnance)
 * Interprint Incorporated on the Pittsfield-Richmond line
 * The Moscow Ballet, national touring dance company and producer of the Great Russian Nutcracker
 * Pittsfield Generating Facility, natural gas fired generating station
 * The Berkshire Humane Society operates animal welfare services and pet adoption facilities in Pittsfield

Notable people

 * Thomas Allen, railroad builder and member of United States Congress
 * William Allen, compiler of first work of general biography published in United States
 * Edward Deming Andrews, historian, author, and authority on the Shakers
 * Elizabeth Banks, actress in films including Seabiscuit, Spider-Man, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, W., The Hunger Games and The Lego Movie; and current host of Press Your Luck
 * William Francis Bartlett, Civil War general
 * Mark Belanger, former Gold Glove shortstop for Baltimore Orioles, 1970 World Series champion
 * Matt Belknap, founder of Aspecialthing Records comedy label, producer and co-host of comedy podcast Never Not Funny
 * Chuck Berkeley, 2010 Olympian in bobsled
 * Michael Boroniec, sculptor and painter
 * Lawrence Bossidy, former CEO of Honeywell
 * Henry Shaw Briggs, brigadier general during American Civil War
 * Roger E. Broggie, Disney Legend Award recipient (1990), selected by Walt Disney as first Imagineer, team that created Disneyland, Walt Disney World and similar themed amusement parks
 * Colonel John Brown, Revolutionary War patriot, first to accuse Benedict Arnold
 * Timothy Childs, congressman
 * Silvio O. Conte, congressman
 * Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, philanthropist and music patron, founded Berkshire Music Festival at South Mountain in 1918
 * Art Ditmar, 1950s pitcher for Philadelphia and Kansas City Athletics and New York Yankees
 * Michael Downing (writer) author of book Breakfast with Scot
 * J. Allan Dunn, prolific author for pulp magazines
 * Pat Fallon, member of the U.S. House, former member of the Texas Senate and Texas House of Representatives
 * Cy Ferry, baseball player for Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Naps in early years of American League
 * Jack Ferry, baseball player for Pittsburgh Pirates in 1910s
 * Marshall Field, founded Chicago's Marshall Field's department stores, took first job in 1853 as a clerk in Pittsfield; white terra-cotta Pittsfield Building in downtown Chicago is so named because of Field's connection to Pittsfield
 * Daniel Fox, shares credit for invention of Lexan plastic
 * Peter Francese, speaker and writer
 * Marc Gafni, American author and former rabbi, New Age spiritual teacher
 * Elaine Giftos, actress
 * Frank Grant, 19th Century African American baseball player
 * Nancy Graves, sculptor and painter
 * Tom Grieve, player, general manager and broadcaster for Major League Baseball's Texas Rangers
 * Gene Hermanski, baseball player, Brooklyn Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates
 * Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., poet, summered in Pittsfield; mother's family owned 26000 acres in Pittsfield
 * Hung Huynh, winner of reality television show Top Chef Season 3, graduate of Pittsfield High School
 * Donald Kaufman, co-founder of KB Toys and antique toy collector
 * Benjamin Larned (1794–1862), colonel and Paymaster-General of the United States Army
 * Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, poet, educator, linguist, owned home on East Street, now site of Pittsfield High School (see photos above)
 * Jay McInerney, novelist, author of Bright Lights, Big City (1984) on which film was based
 * James Melcher (1939–2023), Olympic fencer and hedge fund manager
 * Herman Melville, author, resided at Arrowhead in Pittsfield, where he wrote his most famous novel, Moby-Dick and several others.
 * William Miller, 19th Century preacher
 * Sarah Morewood, literary figure in the Berkshires and intimate friend of Herman Melville. Her farm adjoined Arrowhead (Herman Melville House), and is now the site of the Country Club of Pittsfield
 * Elaine Cancilla Orbach, Broadway actress, actor Jerry Orbach's widow
 * Chad Paronto, Major League Baseball relief pitcher
 * Edward Partridge, first bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
 * Adrian Pasdar, actor
 * Brian Piccolo, Chicago Bears halfback, subject of movie Brian's Song
 * Robert Prentiss, Massachusetts and New York politician
 * Emily Robison, musician and member of the Dixie Chicks
 * John James Rudin, Roman Catholic bishop
 * Richard Salwitz, musician with J Geils Band
 * Niraj Shah (born 1973/74), billionaire CEO and co-founder of Wayfair
 * William Stanley Jr., invented first alternating current electrical transformer
 * Charles Thomas Stearns, member of Minnesota Territorial Legislature
 * Howie Storie, catcher for Boston Red Sox during early 1930s
 * John Szarkowski, photographer, critic, historian, curator of photography at MoMA
 * James Walter Thompson, 19th Century advertising pioneer
 * Bruce Tulgan, author of Managing Generation X and It's Okay To Be the Boss
 * Elkanah Watson, author and agriculturist, in 1810 held the first county fair in the country in Pittsfield
 * Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric
 * Turk Wendell, MLB Pitcher
 * Paul Weston, musician, composer and arranger, was raised in Pittsfield.
 * David Dunnels White, soldier of 37th Massachusetts Regiment, organized in Pittsfield during Civil War, captured Confederate Major General George Washington Custis Lee, son of famed General Robert E. Lee, during Battle of Sailor's Creek Virginia, April 6, 1865
 * Charles White Whittlesey, Army officer and Medal of Honor recipient who led "Lost Battalion" in Meuse-Argonne Offensive in October 1918 during final stages of World War I
 * Robin Williams, actor, maintained a summer home in Pittsfield
 * Stephanie Wilson, astronaut
 * Walter Zink, was a professional baseball pitcher who played for the New York Giants

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Pittsfield, Massachusetts


text:
Richmond, Massachusetts

Richmond is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,407 at the 2020 census.

History
Present day Richmond was first settled by Micah Mudge and Ichabod Wood in 1759. Mudge migrated up to Richmond from Connecticut via the Housatonic River, while Wood came from Rehoboth on the eastern seaboard. It is thought that the two did not make contact until after the first winter, as their initial settlements were separated by about three miles of dense wilderness.

By 1762, as settlers continued to migrate to the area, Massachusetts was putting pressure on committees to organize all unmarked land into townships. Under The Act of 1762, the land encompassing present day Richmond and Lenox, Massachusetts was purchased from two Indian Sachems named Yokun and Ephraim. Two distinct villages began to form, separated by the six-mile mountain ridge known today as Yokun Ridge—Yokuntown to the east and Mt. Ephraim to the west.

Under an Act of Incorporation dated June 21, 1765, these two villages became one town named Richmont. However, the mountain separating the two villages of Richmont presented difficulties in communication, and on February 26, 1767, the eastern portion of the town separated into a district known as Lenox, with its own separate meeting house. The new border was not fully established for years, and there were documented disputes at least five years after the separation. In 1785, Richmont officially became known as Richmond, and in 1787, when the County Court moved from Great Barrington to Lenox, it became clear that Lenox and Richmond were fully functioning as their own towns.

The naming of both Richmond and Lenox are somewhat disputed. It is likely that Francis Bernard, Captain General and Commander in Chief of the Province of Massachusetts Bay in New England, gave Richmont and Lenox their respective names. It is thought by some that he did so with Charles Lennox, Duke of Richmond, in mind, though that has never been proven. Lennox was an influencing, liberal figure and a firm supporter of the Colonies in the debates leading up to the American Revolution. He didn’t become well known until after 1770, though, and his most famous speech wasn’t given until 1778, which has led to debate as to whether or not Richmond and Lenox were originally named after the Duke. At any rate, when Richmont petitioned to have its final consonant changed from “t” to “d”, it was most certainly done in honor of Charles, Duke of Richmond.

The town of Richmond was mostly agrarian until the discovery of iron ore in 1829, which led to an iron works which lasted into the twentieth century.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 49.2 sqkm, of which 48.4 sqkm is land and 0.8 sqkm, or 1.71%, is water.

Richmond is bordered on the north by Hancock and Pittsfield, on the east by Lenox, on the south by Stockbridge and West Stockbridge, and on the west by Canaan, Columbia County, New York.

Massachusetts Route 41 passes from north to south through the town, and Route 295, the state's highest-numbered state route, continues from Route 41 to the corresponding New York state route. The nearest interstate is Interstate 90, also known as the Massachusetts Turnpike. Exit 1 is located two miles further south along Route 41, but only allows for westbound exit and eastbound entrance. The nearest westbound entrance to the interstate is in Canaan, at the Berkshire Spur (Connector) portion of the New York State Thruway, Exit B3. The nearest municipal airport is Pittsfield Municipal Airport, 5.5 mi away, and the nearest airport serving national flights is Albany International Airport, 45 mi northwest of the town. There is no bus service in town, and the nearest bus station is in Pittsfield. There is also a CSX freight rail line which passes through the town.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,604 people, 643 households, and 480 families residing in the town. The town ranks 16th out of the 32 towns in Berkshire County, and 304th out of 351 in the Commonwealth by population. The population density was 84.6 PD/sqmi, placing it 14th in the county and 293rd in the Commonwealth. There were 833 housing units at an average density of 43.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 97.63% White, 1.00% African American, 0.50% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.37% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.56% of the population.

There were 643 households, out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.4% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.2% were non-families. 20.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.5% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 22.9% from 25 to 44, 35.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $60,917, and the median income for a family was $72,500. Males had a median income of $45,536 versus $36,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $35,568. About 1.9% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.9% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.

Government
Richmond is governed by the open town meeting form of government, and is governed by a board of selectmen. The town has its own volunteer fire department. The town has its own library and other public services.

On the state level, Richmond is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives as part of the Second Berkshire district, represented by Paul Mark, which covers central Berkshire County, as well as portions of Hampshire and Franklin counties. In the Massachusetts Senate, the town is part of the Berkshire, Hampshire and Franklin district, represented by Adam Hinds, which includes all of Berkshire County and western Hampshire and Franklin counties. The town is patrolled by the First (Lee) Station of Barracks "B" of the Massachusetts State Police.

On the national level, Richmond is represented in the United States House of Representatives as part of Massachusetts's 1st congressional district, and has been represented by John Olver of Amherst from June 1991 to 2013 when Olver retired and redistricting put Richard Neal in the 1st district. Massachusetts is currently represented in the United States Senate by Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey.

Education
Richmond has one school, Richmond Consolidated School, which serves students in town from preschool through 8th grades. High school students can attend Lenox Memorial Middle/High School, Monument Mountain Regional High School, Pittsfield High School, Taconic High School, or Lee High School.

The nearest community college, Berkshire Community College, is in Pittsfield. The nearest state college is Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, and the nearest university is the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The nearest private college is Williams College in nearby Williamstown.

Notable people

 * Samuel Betts, New York politician and judge
 * Augustine Clarke, Anti-Masonic Party leader and Vermont State Treasurer
 * Deval Patrick, American politician, civil rights lawyer, author, and businessman
 * Edward Aylesworth Perry, Confederate general and post-bellum Governor of Florida
 * Neal Pilson, former president of CBS Sports and Richmond town selectman
 * Rix Robinson, Michigan pioneer, fur merchant and politician

title: Richmond, Massachusetts


text:
Sandisfield, Massachusetts

Sandisfield is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 989 at the 2020 census.

History
Sandisfield was first settled in 1750 as Housatonic Township Number 4, and was officially incorporated in 1762. It was most likely named to honor Lord Sandys, a British colonial official—pronounced "Sands". The town was mostly agricultural, with rye fields and orchards filling the land. There were several sawmills built along the rivers, but most industry failed in the late nineteenth century when a planned railway along the Farmington River fell through. Significant numbers of Ukrainian farmers moved in during the late nineteenth century, many of them running chicken farms.

The Record was published from 1981 to 1985 and The Newsletter for a decade during the 1990s. The volunteer-run Sandisfield Times has been published 11 times a year since 2009. Today the town is mostly rural, and one of the least densely populated parts of the state.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 137.2 km2, of which 134.2 km2 is land and 3.0 km2, or 2.22%, is water. The town is the largest by land area in Berkshire County, and eighth largest in the state. Sandisfield lies at the southeast corner of Berkshire County along the Connecticut border, with Hampden County to the east and Litchfield County, Connecticut, to the south. Sandisfield is bordered by Otis to the north and northeast, Tolland to the east, Colebrook and Norfolk, Connecticut, to the south, New Marlborough to the west, and Monterey to the northwest. Sandisfield lies 28 mi south-southeast of Pittsfield, 32 mi west of Springfield, and 118 mi west-southwest of Boston.

Sandisfield lies in the southeastern part of the Berkshire Mountains, along the western banks of the Farmington River. The town is on a plateau, with the Buck and Clam rivers flowing through town towards the Farmington, as well as several small, marshy brooks and small ponds and lakes. The town is dotted by pieces of the Sandisfield State Forest, with the highest point in town, Abbey Hill (1810 ft) lying in the northwest section of the forest. A small portion of Otis State Forest also crosses the northern border of town.

The town lies along Massachusetts Route 8, which passes along the banks of the Farmington River on the eastern part of town. Route 57 crosses through the center of town from west to east, crossing the river into Tolland at the village of New Boston. Route 183 passes through the southwest corner of town, crossing into Connecticut to become Connecticut Highway 183. The nearest interstate, Interstate 90 (the Massachusetts Turnpike) passes north of the town through Otis, with the nearest access being in Lee and Westfield.

There is no rail service in town, with the nearest rail and bus service being in Great Barrington. The nearest local airport is in Great Barrington, and the nearest national air service can be found at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut.

Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 915 people, 327 households, and 212 families residing in the town. By population, Sandisfield ranks 23rd out of the 32 cities and towns in Berkshire, and 330th out of the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts. The population density was 15.7 people per square mile (6.1/km$2$), which rank third to last in the county, and eighth to last in the Commonwealth. There were 647 housing units at an average density of 12.4 per square mile (4.8/km$2$). The racial makeup of the town was 96.84% White, 0.49% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.36% from other races, and 2.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.97% of the population.

There were 327 households, out of which 24.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.4% were married couples living together, 4.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.9% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 20.1% under the age of 18, 4.1% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 31.7% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 115.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 117.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $45,972, and the median income for a family was $57,083. Males had a median income of $36,875 versus $24,271 for females. The per capita income for the town was $27,628. About 1.3% of families and 2.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 3.5% of those age 65 or over.

Government
Sandisfield employs the open town meeting form of government, and is led by a board of selectmen. The town has its own small police station, as well as a post office and two volunteer fire stations (in New Boston and west of the town center). The town's library is connected to the regional library systems. The nearest hospitals are in Great Barrington and Westfield.

On the state level, Sandisfield is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives by the Fourth Berkshire district, which covers southern Berkshire County, as well as the westernmost towns in Hampden County. In the Massachusetts Senate, the town is represented by the Berkshire, Hampshire and Franklin district, which includes all of Berkshire County and western Hampshire and Franklin counties. The town is patrolled by the Sandisfield Police Department as well as First (Lee) Station of Barracks "B" of the Massachusetts State Police.

On the national level, Sandisfield is represented in the United States House of Representatives as part of Massachusetts's 1st congressional district, and has been represented by Richard Neal of Springfield since January 2013. Massachusetts is currently represented in the United States Senate by senior Senator Elizabeth Warren and junior Senator Ed Markey.

Education
Sandisfield, along with neighboring Otis, is part of the Farmington River Regional School District. Until 1998, the town ran its own school, but budget cuts closed it. The district's only school, Farmington River Elementary School, is in Otis, and houses students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grades. For the upper grades, most students attend W.E.B. DuBois Regional Middle School, Monument Mountain Regional High School in Great Barrington, Lee Public School Districts, and Mt. Everett Regional High School in Sheffield. The nearest private schools are in Great Barrington, Lee and Westfield.

The nearest community college is Berkshire Community College in Pittsfield and Sheffield. The nearest state college is Westfield State University. The nearest private college is Bard College at Simon's Rock in Great Barrington, with other private colleges in Springfield.

Notable people

 * Mary Sears McHenry (1834–1912), president of the Women's Relief Corps in 1890, which at the time was the largest fraternal association in the US
 * James Worden (1819–1884), Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court, mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana

title: Sandisfield, Massachusetts


text:
Savoy, Massachusetts

Savoy is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 645 at the 2020 census.

History
Savoy began its existence within the Massachusetts Colony as part of "Northern Berkshire Township #6", which included the present-day towns of Adams, North Adams, Cheshire and Lanesborough. The land was auctioned off several times before it was finally purchased by Colonel William Bullock of Rehoboth.

Savoy, or "New Seconk" as it was originally called by its inhabitants, was first settled in 1777 by a group led by Colonel Lemuel Hathaway. The town was officially incorporated in 1797, and was supposedly named for the land's resemblance to the Duchy of Savoy in France. The town started off with a grazing agrarian industry, before several lumber mills took off in town. The town was very diverse religiously, with several faiths practicing by the mid-19th century. Today the town is mostly a quiet rural community, known for its scenery and natural beauty.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 93.3 km2, of which 92.8 km2 is land and 0.5 km2, or 0.48%, is water. The town is the 45th largest town by area in the state, and ninth largest in the county. Savoy is located among the Berkshire Hills, with much of the town being dominated by Savoy Mountain State Forest, as well as parts of three other state forests (Mohawk Trail State Forest, Windsor State Forest and Kenneth Dubuque Memorial State Forest), and a wildlife management area in the southwest corner of town. The Cold River, a branch of the Deerfield River, forms part of the town's northern border, and feeds several brooks. Several tributaries of the Westfield River also flow through the southern portion of town. The highest point in town is the summit of Borden Mountain, at 764 m above sea level.

Savoy is located along the eastern border of Berkshire County, and shares a border with Franklin County and Hampshire County. The town is bordered by Florida to the north, Charlemont, Hawley and Plainfield to the east, Windsor to the south, Cheshire to the southwest, and Adams to the west. Charlemont and Hawley are both located in Franklin County, and Plainfield is in Hampshire County. Savoy is 17 mi northeast of Pittsfield, 49 mi northwest of Springfield and approximately 120 mi west by northwest of Boston (although it is closer to both Hartford and Albany than its own state capital).

A short portion of Massachusetts Route 2, also known as the Mohawk Trail, crosses along the northeast border of town before crossing the Cold River into Florida. In the south, Route 116 (coming from Adams in the west) and Route 8A (coming from Windsor in the south) meet near the center of town and continue as one road towards the southeast corner of town.

There are no railroad lines through the town, the nearest being the freight line which passes through the neighboring town of Florida via the Hoosac Tunnel. The nearest regional bus service can be found in North Adams, as can Harriman-and-West Airport, the nearest small airport. The town is roughly equidistantly located between the nearest airports with national service, Bradley International Airport in Connecticut and Albany International Airport in New York.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 705 people, 287 households, and 202 families residing in the town. By population, Savoy ranks 26th out of the 32 towns in Berkshire County, and 336th out of the 351 Massachusetts cities and towns. The population density was 19.7 people per square mile (7.6/km$2$), ranking it 27th in the county, and 11th least densely populated in the Commonwealth. There were 326 housing units at an average density of 9.1 per square mile (3.5/km$2$). The racial makeup of the town was 97.45% White, 0.71% African American, 0.43% Native American, 0.28% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.71% of the population.

There were 287 households, out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.3% were married couples living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.4% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 29.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 115.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $41,477, and the median income for a family was $50,114. Males had a median income of $36,500 versus $28,182 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,223. About 4.9% of families and 5.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.2% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over.

Government
Savoy employs the open town meeting form of government, and is led by a board of selectmen. The town has its own services, including fire, police and public works. The town runs the Savoy Hollow Library, which is connected to the regional library network, but is only open three days a week.

On the state level, Savoy is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives by the Second Berkshire district, represented by Paul Mark, which covers central Berkshire County, as well as portions of Hampshire and Franklin counties. In the Massachusetts Senate, the town is represented by the Berkshire, Hampshire and Franklin district, represented by Ben Downing, which includes all of Berkshire County and western Hampshire and Franklin counties. The town is patrolled by the Fourth (Cheshire) Station of Barracks "B" of the Massachusetts State Police.

On the national level, Savoy is represented in the United States House of Representatives as part of Massachusetts's 1st congressional district, and is represented by Richard Neal. Massachusetts is currently represented in the United States Senate by senior Senator Elizabeth Warren and junior senator Ed Markey.

Education
Savoy operates its own elementary school, the Emma L. Miller Memorial Elementary School, which serves students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. Savoy is part of the Northern Berkshire School Union. Students then attend Hoosac Valley Regional Middle School, and Hoosac Valley High School. There are also private, parochial, charter and vocational schools located in nearby Adams and North Adams.

The nearest community college is Berkshire Community College in Pittsfield. The nearest state college is Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams, and the nearest state university is the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

title: Savoy, Massachusetts


text:
Sheffield, Massachusetts

Sheffield is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,327 at the 2020 census. Sheffield is home to Berkshire School, a private preparatory school. The former resort town includes the village of Ashley Falls, and is bordered by various other towns and villages, such as Egremont and Great Barrington. Its southern border is the Massachusetts-Connecticut state line.

History
The land was purchased on April 25, 1724, from Chief Konkapot and 20 other Stockbridge Mahican Native Americans. Its price was 460 pounds, 3 barrels of cider and 30 quarts of rum. The lower township of Housatonic (as Outhotonnook would be corrupted) was first settled by Matthew Noble of Westfield, who arrived in 1725.

But New York claimed the land west of the Housatonic River under the Westenhook Patent, dated July 11, 1705, and insisted that Massachusetts cease encroachment. Indeed, one early settler was arrested and incarcerated at Albany as a trespasser on Westenhook land. Nevertheless, Sheffield, Massachusetts, was officially incorporated on June 22, 1733, the first town incorporated in what is now Berkshire County. Its north parish was set off and incorporated as Great Barrington in 1761. Located on the fertile floodplain of the Housatonic River valley, the principal industry was agriculture.

The Sheffield Resolves, or Sheffield Declaration, was an early Colonial American petition against British rule and manifesto for individual rights, drawn up as a series of resolves approved by the Town of Sheffield on January 12, 1773, and printed in The Massachusetts Spy, Or, Thomas's Boston Journal on February 18, 1773. Sheffield was also the site of the bloodiest (and last) battle on February 27, 1787, during Shays' Rebellion.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 125.8 km2, of which 122.9 km2 is land and 2.9 km2, or 2.33%, is water. Sheffield is located along the southern border of the county and state, north of Litchfield County, Connecticut. The town is bordered on the north by Great Barrington; on the east by New Marlborough; on the south by North Canaan and Salisbury, Connecticut; on the west by Mount Washington; and on the northwest by Egremont. Sheffield is 27 mi south of Pittsfield, 47 mi west of Springfield, and 134 mi west of Boston. The extreme southern portion of Sheffield, on Route 41, is just under 100 mi away from the northern edge of Central Park, New York City.

The town is in the Housatonic River valley and several brooks as well as the Konkapot River flow into the river within the town's borders, with several falls along these rivers, including Ashley Falls near the state border. To the northeast, the peak of East Mountain lies just over the Great Barrington border, and the mountain's south slope and part of its state forest lie within town borders. Several hills also dot the area south of this, along the New Marlborough town line. To the west, Mount Everett, part of the Taconic Range, peaks in the town of Mount Washington and slopes eastward into the town. Part of the Mount Everett State Reservation and Mount Washington State Forest also crosses into town. The Appalachian Trail crosses the northern third of town as it heads north from Mount Everett to East Mountain.

Sheffield lies along U.S. Route 7, which divides the town roughly in half. The southernmost section of Massachusetts Route 7A lies within the town, starting between the town center and Ashley Falls and extending over the Connecticut state border as an unnumbered road before reconnecting with the highway. Massachusetts Route 41 also ends at the town's southern border, heading from Egremont along the western part of town to the state border, where it becomes Connecticut Route 41. The nearest interstate, Interstate 90 (the Massachusetts Turnpike) lies to the north, with the nearest entrance being in Lee, 18 mi north-northeast of town. The town also lies along the Housatonic Railroad line, which extends autumn service between New York and Great Barrington along a line of the MTA. Otherwise, Amtrak service can be reached in Pittsfield, and bus service can be reached in Great Barrington. The nearest small airport can be found in Great Barrington, and the nearest national air service is at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut.

Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 3,257 people, 1,424 households, and 879 families residing in the town. By population, Sheffield ranked tenth out of the 32 cities and towns in Berkshire County, and 269th out of 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts. The population density was 67.2 PD/sqmi, which ranks 17th in the county and 301st in the Commonwealth. There were 1,751 housing units at an average density of 36.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 95.8% White, 1.1% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 1.3% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.2% of the population.

There were 1,424 households, out of which 24.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.3% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 18.9% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 19.7% from 25 to 44, 35.9% from 45 to 64, and 19.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.2 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the town was $45,082, and the median income for a family was $50,944. Males had a median income of $36,016 versus $25,833 for females. The per capita income for the town was $25,492. About 3.9% of families and 5.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.3% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over. (Data is not yet available for 2010.)

Government
Sheffield employs the open town meeting form of government, and is led by a board of selectmen and a town administrator. The town operates its own services, including police, fire and public works departments, as well as a senior center and animal control officers. The town library, the Bushnell-Sage Library, was founded in 1901 and is connected to the regional library system. The nearest hospital, Fairview Hospital, is located in neighboring Great Barrington.

On the state level, Sheffield is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives by the Fourth Berkshire district, which covers southern Berkshire County, as well as the westernmost towns in Hampden County. In the Massachusetts Senate, the town is represented by the Berkshire, Hampshire and Franklin district, which includes all of Berkshire County and western Hampshire and Franklin counties. The town is patrolled by the First (Lee) Station of Barracks "B" of the Massachusetts State Police.

On the national level, Sheffield is represented in the United States House of Representatives as part of Massachusetts's 1st congressional district, and has been represented by Richard Neal of Springfield, Massachusetts since 2013. Massachusetts is currently represented in the United States Senate by senior Senator Elizabeth Warren and junior Senator Ed Markey.

Education
Sheffield is part of the Mount Everett Regional School District along with Alford, Egremont, Monterey, Mount Washington, and New Marlborough. Students in these five towns can attend South Egremont School for Pre-K, New Marlborough Central School for Pre-k-grade 3, and Undermountain Elementary School in Sheffield for Pre-K-grade 5. Mount Everett Regional High School, also in Sheffield, is the middle school and high school serving grades 7–12. The school's athletics teams are known as the Eagles, and the school colors are blue and gold. The town is also home to the Berkshire School, a private, co-educational boarding school serving grades nine through twelve. There are also other private schools in Great Barrington.

The nearest community college is the South County Center of Berkshire Community College in Great Barrington. The nearest state college is Westfield State University. The nearest private college is Bard College at Simon's Rock in Great Barrington.

Sites of interest

 * Bartholomew's Cobble
 * Berkshire School
 * Colonel John Ashley House
 * Dewey Memorial Hall
 * Old Covered Bridge
 * Sheffield Historical Society & Museum
 * Shays Rebellion Memorial Monument
 * Our Lady of the Valley Church

Notable people

 * Ethan Allen, revolutionary
 * Andy Bachetti, racing driver
 * Daniel D. Barnard, US congressman
 * Frederick Augustus Porter Barnard, scientist and educator
 * John G. Barnard, army engineering officer
 * Emma Curtiss Bascom, educator, suffragist and reformer
 * John C. Crosby, politician
 * Sidney Curtiss, politician
 * Charles Dewey, Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court
 * Orville Dewey, minister
 * Grandison Fairchild, college founder
 * Elizabeth Freeman, enslaved woman known as "Mum Bett," who sued and won her freedom in 1781
 * John Z. Goodrich, politician
 * Sophia Curtiss Hoffman, philanthropist
 * Wanda Toscanini Horowitz, daughter of Arturo Toscanini and widow of Vladimir Horowitz
 * Stephen Jacob, Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court
 * Ahmad Jamal, jazz pianist
 * David Joyce, industrialist
 * Charles Kellogg, congressman
 * George Frederick Root, songwriter
 * Luella Dowd Smith (1847–1941), writer

title: Sheffield, Massachusetts


text:
Stockbridge, Massachusetts

Stockbridge is a town in Berkshire County in Western Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,018 at the 2020 census. A year-round resort area, Stockbridge is home to the Norman Rockwell Museum, Naumkeag, a public garden and historic house, the Austen Riggs Center (a psychiatric treatment center), and Chesterwood, home and studio of sculptor Daniel Chester French.

History

Stockbridge was settled by British missionaries in 1734, who established it as a praying town for the Stockbridge Indians, an indigenous Mohican tribe. The township was set aside for the tribe by Massachusetts colonists as a reward for their assistance against the French in the French and Indian Wars. The Rev. John Sergeant, from Newark, New Jersey, was their first missionary. Sergeant was succeeded in this post by Jonathan Edwards, a Christian theologian associated with the First Great Awakening.

First chartered as Indian Town in 1737, the village was incorporated on June 22, 1739, as Stockbridge. The missionaries named it after Stockbridge in Hampshire, England. Although the Massachusetts General Court had assured the Stockbridge Indians that their land would never be sold, the agreement was rescinded. Despite the aid by the Tribe to the American Patriots during the Revolutionary War, their lands in Stockbridge were stolen by white townspeople. The Tribe was forced to relocate west, first to New York and then to Wisconsin. The village was taken over by European American settlers.

With the arrival of the railroad in 1850, Stockbridge developed as a summer resort for the wealthy of Boston and other major cities. Many large houses, called Berkshire Cottages, were built in the area before World War I and the advent of the income tax. Stockbridge was home to several cottages, including Naumkeag.

Since 1853, Stockbridge has benefited from the presence of the Laurel Hill Association, a village beautification society. The Stockbridge Bowl Association maintains and preserves the natural beauty of Stockbridge Bowl and the surrounding Bullard Woods.

Stockbridge was the home of Elizabeth Freeman, a freed slave, late in her life. The former slave engaged the attorney Theodore Sedgwick to file a freedom suit on her behalf, based on the statements in the new state constitution in 1780. In the case with a slave named Brom, the county court ruled that they were both free under the constitution. Their case served as precedent to a later case before the State Supreme Court, effectively ending slavery in Massachusetts. Freeman transferred as a free woman to work in the household of Sedgwick, who became a state judge. Also working in the household was Agrippa Hull, a free black veteran of the war, who became the largest black landowner in Stockbridge. Freeman was buried in the Sedgwick family plot at the Stockbridge Cemetery.

Catharine Maria Sedgwick, a daughter of Theodore and his wife, became a renowned 19th-century literary figure. She was born in Stockbridge in 1789. She is the author of six novels, including her most famous, Hope Leslie (1827).

In the Curtisville area, now known as the Interlaken part of Stockbridge, Albrecht Pagenstecher, an immigrant from Saxony, established the first wood-based newsprint paper mill in the United States, in March 1867. Pagenstecher later went on to found "numerous pulp and paper mills throughout the Northeast and Canada" and serve on the board of directors of the International Paper Company.

The town has a tradition as an art colony. The sculptor Daniel Chester French lived and worked at his home and studio called Chesterwood. Norman Rockwell painted many of his works in Stockbridge, which is now home to the Norman Rockwell Museum.

Geography and climate

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 61.3 km2, of which 58.9 km2 is land and 2.4 km2, or 3.97%, is water. Stockbridge is bordered by Richmond to the northwest, Lenox to the north and northeast, Lee to the east, Great Barrington to the south, and West Stockbridge to the west. The town is located 13.5 mi south of Pittsfield, 35 mi southeast of Albany, New York, 45 mi west-northwest of Springfield, and 130 mi west of Boston.

Set among the Berkshire Mountains, Stockbridge is drained by the Housatonic River, which runs through the center of town. The river is fed by several marshy brooks and lakes, including Mohawk Lake to the west, Agawam Lake to the south, Lake Averic in the northwest, and Lake Mahkeenac, also known as the Stockbridge Bowl, to the north. Stockbridge Bowl is the site of a town beach, a boating club, and a summer camp, Camp Mah-Kee-Nac. North of the bowl lies parts of Tanglewood. To either side of the bowl lie West Stockbridge Mountain and Rattlesnake Hill. To the south, Monument Mountain peaks on the Great Barrington town line, and Beartown Mountain peaks to the east, closer to the Lee town line.

The town is nearly bisected by Interstate 90, the Massachusetts Turnpike. There are exits in neighboring West Stockbridge and Lee. Several state routes, including Route 102, Route 183 and U.S. Route 7 all pass through town, with Routes 102 and 7 sharing a short stretch in downtown Stockbridge, and Routes 102 and 183 meeting in the village of Larrywaug. In this village are the Berkshire Botanical Gardens and the Norman Rockwell Museum. South of there, in the village of Glendale, Massachusetts lies Chesterwood.

The Housatonic Railroad, the main rail line between Pittsfield and Great Barrington, passes through the town and lies mostly on the southern bank of the river. (The rail line is used for freight; there is no passenger service.) The town lies along a Berkshire Regional Transit Authority (BRTA) bus line, which provides service between Pittsfield and Great Barrington. Pittsfield is also the site of the nearest regional bus service, as well as regional Amtrak service. There are local airports (for ptivate and charter planes) in Pittsfield and Great Barrington. The nearest national air service is located at Albany International Airport in New York.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,276 people, 991 households, and 567 families residing in the town. By population, Stockbridge ranks twelfth out of the 32 cities and towns in Berkshire County, and 285th out of the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts. The population density was 99.2 PD/sqmi, which ranks 12th in the county and 281st in the Commonwealth. There were 1,571 housing units at an average density of 68.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 96.92% White, 1.23% African American, 0.04% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.97% from other races, and 0.35% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.90% of the population.

There were 991 households, out of which 18.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.7% were non-families. Of all households 36.7% were made up of individuals, and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.67.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 15.2% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 22.5% from 25 to 44, 33.5% from 45 to 64, and 22.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $48,571, and the median income for a family was $59,556. Males had a median income of $32,500 versus $27,969 for females. The per capita income for the town was $32,499. About 1.7% of families and 8.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.2% of those under age 18 and 4.1% of those age 65 or over.

Government
Stockbridge is governed by open town meeting, held annually on the third Monday in May, and by an elected three-member Board of Selectmen. The town operates its own police, fire and public works departments, with three fire stations and two post offices. The town's library, located in the central village, is connected to the regional library network. The nearest hospital, Fairview Hospital, is located in neighboring Great Barrington.

On the state level, Stockbridge is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives by the Fourth Berkshire district, which covers southern Berkshire County, as well as the westernmost towns in Hampden County. In the Massachusetts Senate, the town is represented by the Berkshire, Hampshire and Franklin district, which includes all of Berkshire County and western Hampshire and Franklin counties. The town is patrolled by the First (Lee) Station of Barracks "B" of the Massachusetts State Police.

On the national level, Stockbridge is represented in the United States House of Representatives as part of Massachusetts's 1st congressional district, and has been represented by Richard Neal of Springfield since January 2013. Massachusetts is currently represented in the United States Senate by senior Senator Elizabeth Warren and junior Senator Ed Markey.

Education
The first school in Stockbridge was opened in 1737 under the direction of John Sergeant, a missionary to the local Mohican Indians. It served as a school for the Christian education of Indian children. During the pre-American Revolutionary War years, several small schools were established to serve the children of new settlers scattered further outside the village. The founding of the semi-private Academy after the Revolutionary War marked the beginning of a more structured commitment to secondary education in the town. Three of the four students in the first graduating class of Williams College in 1795 were alumni of the Academy.

In the early and mid-1800s Stockbridge schools earned the distinction of educating three Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States who served on the high court at the same time. All educated in Stockbridge, Stephen Johnson Field, Henry Billings Brown and David Josiah Brewer served together as Associate Justices from 1891 to 1897.

Students from Stockbridge, its small villages of Interlaken, Glendale and Larrywaug, and from the nearby town of West Stockbridge attended the town's Williams High School, established in 1872. In April 1968 the school closed after nearly a decade of contentious school regionalization debates and failed ballot measures. After the state refused in 1964 to help fund a new high school building, Stockbridge voters approved a regionalization plan to join Great Barrington and West Stockbridge in a consolidated school district. In 1968 Stockbridge students joined those from Great Barrington's Searles High School in transferring to a new regional high school located in Great Barrington.

The building of the former Stockbridge Plain School, completed in 1914, was shared by the elementary school and Williams High School, until the opening of Monument Mountain Regional High School in 1968. Stockbridge Plain School for several years then became one of the elementary schools in the new Berkshire Hills Regional School District. A renovation of the building was completed in 2008, and it now serves as the new town offices.

Today, Stockbridge, along with West Stockbridge and Great Barrington, remain members of the Berkshire Hills Regional School District. All students in the district attend school in Great Barrington, with elementary students attending Muddy Brook Regional Elementary School, middle school students attending Monument Valley Regional Middle School, and high school students attending Monument Mountain Regional High School. In addition to public schools, there are private and religious schools located in the neighboring towns.

The nearest community college is the South County branch of Berkshire Community College in Great Barrington. The nearest state college is Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams, and the nearest state university is the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The nearest private college is Bard College at Simon's Rock, also in Great Barrington. Less than an hour's drive away, in Albany, New York, is a state university, University at Albany, SUNY, and also several private colleges.

Sites of interest

 * Austen Riggs Center, psychiatric hospital
 * Berkshire Botanical Garden
 * Berkshire Theatre Festival, originally designed by Stanford White as a casino (1888)
 * Chesterwood, home of Daniel Chester French
 * Curtisville Historic District
 * Dudley Field Memorial Tower (Children's Chimes Tower)
 * Ice Glen
 * Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health
 * Merwin House (c. 1825)
 * Mission House (c. 1739)
 * National Shrine of The Divine Mercy
 * Naumkeag Museum & Gardens (1886)
 * Norman Rockwell Museum
 * Oronoque (1887)
 * Red Lion Inn
 * Sedgwick Pie, unique family plot at the Stockbridge Cemetery
 * Shadow Brook Farm Historic District, summer home of Andrew Carnegie
 * Stockbridge Bowl, aka Lake Mahkeenac
 * Tanglewood, summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra

Notable people

 * Kenny Aronoff, drummer
 * Ezekiel Bacon, congressman
 * John Bacon, congressman
 * Barnabas Bidwell, congressman
 * Henry Charles Brace, politician
 * Alice Brock, artist
 * Joseph Choate, ambassador
 * Mabel Choate, preservationist
 * Tara Conklin, writer
 * Henry W. Dwight, congressman
 * Joseph Dwight, 18th-century judge
 * Jonathan Edwards, 18th-century theologian
 * Erik Erikson, psychologist and author
 * David Dudley Field I, clergyman
 * David Dudley Field II, lawyer, law reformer, congressman
 * Cyrus West Field, financier
 * Henry Martyn Field, clergyman, author
 * Stephen Johnson Field, Associate Justice, Supreme Court of the U.S.
 * Elizabeth Freeman (Mum Bett), freed slave
 * Daniel Chester French, sculptor
 * William Gibson, novelist, playwright
 * Teddy Gross, playwright, co-founder of Common Cents & The Penny Harvest
 * Arlo Guthrie, songwriter, singer
 * Terence Hill, actor
 * Agrippa Hull, free black Patriot
 * Abby B. Hyde, hymnwriter
 * Owen Johnson, writer
 * Stanley Loomis, author of four books on French history
 * Marcus P. Miller, United States Army brigadier general
 * Story Musgrave, physician, astronaut
 * Reinhold Niebuhr, theologian
 * William J. Obanhein, "Officer Obie"
 * Albrecht Pagenstecher, paper industry pioneer
 * Arthur Penn, movie and theatre director
 * Benjamin Pond, congressman from New York (1811–1813)
 * Norman Rockwell, artist
 * Theodore Sedgwick, congressman
 * George Seeley, photographer
 * John Sergeant, missionary
 * Gene Shalit, writer, film critic
 * Gertrude Robinson Smith, arts patron, a founder of Tanglewood
 * Joan Kennedy Taylor, writer, editor
 * Allen T. Treadway, congressman
 * Ephraim Williams, benefactor of Williams College
 * Samuel Walter Woodward, department store founder
 * Enoch Woodbridge, Chief Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court

In popular culture
Stockbridge was the location of Alice's Restaurant in the song of the same name by Arlo Guthrie which describes the town as having "three stop signs, two police officers, and one police car". The site of the restaurant is marked on the street; the site of Alice's home is now the community Guthrie Center. A "red VW microbus" is parked outside, and may be the original.

Stockbridge is mentioned in one verse of James Taylor's Sweet Baby James.

The last movement of Charles Ives' "Three Places in New England" takes place on the Housatonic River in Stockbridge.

Prospect St, Stockbridge is the first overpass seen in the ending credits of Good Will Hunting.

title: Stockbridge, Massachusetts