Easthampton, Massachusetts

Easthampton is the second largest city^[1] in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The town is on the southeastern edge of an area called the Pioneer Valley near the five colleges in the college towns of Northampton and Amherst, MA. The population was 15,994 at the 2000 census.

History

Easthampton was first settled by European immigrants beginning in 1664 and was originally considered part of Northampton. In 1785, the village of Easthampton was formally named its own separate political entity, and twenty-four years later, it officially became a town.

The town grew primarily around the Manhan River, both through its phase as a strictly agricultural community and later, through the industrial revolution, when mills and factories were first built in Easthampton, mainly in connection with textile manufacturing and its offshoots. The first of these, the Williston-Knight Button Company, was established in 1847 by Samuel Williston, son of the town’s first minister, a Congregationalist named Payson Williston. The company specialized in cloth-covered buttons – a coveted item at the time – and to facilitate the operation of the machinery, a local brook was dammed, creating Nashawannuck Pond. Other mills soon opened nearby, a number of them specializing in elastic and rubber thread manufacturing.

Following this spurt of industrial development, the town’s first high school and first national bank opened in 1864, and a town hall was built in 1869. Constables were replaced by the town’s first police officer in 1871, the same year that Easthampton became a regular stop on the railroad. The town’s public library opened in 1881, and fourteen years later, the community was introduced to two new innovations, telephones and streetcars. With the influx of new residents came a number of new churches, founded for Catholic, Episcopalian, Lutheran, and Methodist parishioners, as well as a second Congregational church. In 1899, the West Boylston Manufacturing Company and the Hampton Company, both specializing in cloth production, moved to Easthampton, recruiting a larger immigrant labor force, particularly from Poland and Canada.

During World War I, the town’s mills all obtained federal wartime contracts and did well financially, but long before the Great Depression hit, many factories owners were already laying off employees, seeking mergers with other companies, or looking for buyers for their facilities.

World War II provided some relief for the Easthampton economy, as several of the older textile companies as well as newer heavy manufacturing corporations received another round of federal contracts. However, beginning in the early 1960s a number of critical closures hit the town hard. Revitalization attempts began with the opening of a new industrial park and continued with joint government-private industrial mall which has failed to solve significantly higher rates of unemployment and poverty compared to Hampshire County.

Small farms and well-established small businesses remain the economic core of Easthampton. Easthampton changed its carter in 1996 to become city. The downtown area since 1996 has attracted a small community of artists and young people migrating due to Easthampton's lower cost of living compared to nearby Northampton, a hub of the bohemian community regionally. Small stores around Main Street, Union Street, and Cottage Street have changed business due to the influx of this new demographic. This growth has produced new arts and cultural events such as the monthly Art Walk Easthampton, held each "Second Saturday," in which visual, music and performance artists showcase their talents at venues around the city.

Education

In 1797, the town was divided into four school districts. By the middle of the 19th century, the town offered over 12 small schools. Over the following century, the town began to reduce the amount of small schools and began to build schools suited for higher volume. In 1897, an eight-room school was constructed on Maple Street. The Maple Street School was later enlarged to 16 rooms. The junior high school was consolidated here from 1950-1962. After 1962, this school was used for elementary classes.

Mount Holyoke College graduate Sarah Chapin, the last principal of girls at Williston Seminary, became the town's first high school principal in 1864. Chapin designed the initial curriculum, and served as principal until ill health in 1891. She retired with the class of 1901 and died that summer. In 1864, Williston Seminary decided to stop offering classes for girls. The town constructed a two-story school for use as the town's first high school. In 1912, the school district constructed a new high school and enlarged this building (then called Park Primary School) using brick salvaged from the Center Union School. It was used as an elementary school until 1939 and again in the 1950s and 1960s. This building, now called the Memorial Building, is currently being used as municipal offices.

In 1902, the town responded to the population increase resulting from the growth of the West Boylston and Hampton Companies. The Center Street School, an eight-room school, replaced the Center Union School. In 1920, the interior of this building was reconfigured as a 12-room school. It has served as a middle school, high school, and grade school. Replacing the Lovefield Street School in 1902, the Parsons Street School was built to serve children in the New City section of town.

In 1912, a new high school was built. An eight-room school was expanded in 1934, adding a gymnasium and an auditorium. After a new high school was built in 1962, this building was used for a junior high school and middle school. in 1975, it was converted for use as a grade school. Now known as the Neil A. Pepin School, it is still a grammar school.^[2]

Currently, the town consists of three elementary schools (Neil A. Pepin School, Center Street School, and Maple Street School), a middle school (White Brook Middle School), and a high school (Easthampton High School), which is currently undergoing renovations.

Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 15,994 people, 6,854 households, and 4,167 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,192.1 people per square mile (460.2/km²). There were 7,083 housing units at an average density of 527.9 per square mile (203.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.41% White, 0.64% African American, 0.14% Native American, 1.72% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.13% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.10% of the population.

There were 6,854 households out of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.2% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the city the population was spread out with 21.1% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 32.4% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $45,185, and the median income for a family was $54,312. Males had a median income of $36,446 versus $28,756 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,922. About 5.9% of families and 8.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.0% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Easthampton was first established in 1785 as a town, with a Board of Selectmen acting as the executive. It had a Town Meeting form of legislature. Local voters enacted their newest charter in July 1996, establishing a city form of governance while retaining the name "Town" in its official name. Michael Tautznik was elected the first mayor of Easthampton in September 1996, after a charter was passed making the mayor the chief executive officer. The Town Council replaced Town Meeting as the legislative branch and consists of four at-large members and five district councilors. In 1999 the mayor and council petitioned the General Court to remove the word "town" from its name and to replace the word town with city. Mayor Tautznik was elected to an eighth term in November 2010.

Notable residents

• Jeph Jacques, writer, artist of webcomic Questionable Content
• Jeffrey Rowland, author and artist, creator of web comics Wigu and Overcompensating.
• Amy Gardiner, animator and fine artist, creator of the short animation Space Beavers and comic Starshine.

Points of interest

Easthampton, though less of a tourist attraction than its neighbor Northampton, has a number of points of interest.

The Mount Tom State Reservation extends into parts of the city, and many local residents hike up to enjoy the view of the Pioneer Valley from the rock ledges. Mount Tom, 1202 feet (363 m), is the highest traprock peak on the Metacomet Ridge, a linear mountain range that extends from Long Island Sound to the Vermont border. Mount Tom is characterized by its high cliffs, sweeping vistas, and microclimate ecosystems. The 110-mile (180 km) Metacomet-Monadnock Trail traverses the mountain.

The Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary, part of the Massachusetts Audubon Society, is also split between Easthampton and neighboring Northampton. Recently, the Manhan Rail Trail bicycle path was built over an old railroad line, and there are plans to connect the path to others in the area. Also near the Rail Trail and Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary are three conservation areas owned by the local non-profit land trust, Pascommuck Conservation Trust, part of the Trust's 200 acres (0.81 km²) of holdings in Easthampton.

In and around downtown Easthampton, attractions include:

• The Emily Williston Memorial Library, recognized by the National Register of Historic Places in 1987, it provides a collection of over 45,000 books, movies, and other media for Easthampton and the surrounding towns. ([1])
• The Williston Northampton School, a private secondary prep school
• Nini's Pizzeria
• The Silver Spoon restaurant
• One Cottage Street, an old factory building, renovated in the late 1970s to make workshops and studios for artists and craftspeople
• Riverside Industries, also at One Cottage Street, a human service organization offering a variety of innovative programs for people with disabilities. ([2])
• Eastworks, the old Stanley Home Products factory building, recently converted into artists' studios, offices, and restaurant space
• The historic old fire station, recently made into a workshop by local furniture maker Silas Kopf
• The Flywheel Arts Collective, a music, performance and visual arts space with a cafe, which opened its doors in 1999
• ECM Fitness

References

1. ^ Although it is called the "Town of Easthampton," it is a statutory city of Massachusetts. See Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth.
2. ^ Dwyer, Edward. Images of America; Easthampton. 1st. Charleston, Chicago, Portsmouth, San Francisco: Arcadia Publishing, 2000. 85-94. Print.
3. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
4. ^ "Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of October 15, 2008" (PDF). Massachusetts Elections Division. http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/elepdf/st_county_town_enroll_breakdown_08.pdf. Retrieved 2010-05-08. 

External links

• Official Site
• Easthampton Guide
• Emily Williston Memorial Library
• Riverside Industries
• Art Walk Easthampton
• Manhan Rail Trail
• Easthampton City Arts
• Pascommuck Conservation Trust
• Easthampton Chamber of Commerce
• Pioneer Arts Center of Easthampton (PACE)