Franklin County

Located in the upper Connecticut River valley area of western Massachusetts, Franklin County borders Vermont and New Hampshire to the north. The 724 square miles of Franklin County is the most rural area of the Commonwealth, with an estimated population density of less than 102 people per square mile, compared to approximately 835 per square mile for the state. According to 2005 land use data, 77% of Franklin County was forestland. According to federal 2010 Census, the 26 municipalities of Franklin County ranged in size from Greenfield with a population of 17,456 to Monroe with a population of 121. Approximately 46% of county residents live in communities with a population of less than 5,000. There are several highly respected independent institutions, such as Deerfield Academy, the Northfield Mount Hermon School, and the Stoneleigh-Burnham School. Outdoor recreation opportunities abound in Franklin from whitewater rafting and fly fishing on the Deerfield River to hiking, camping, downhill and cross-country skiing as well as several bike trails. Attractions to the region include the early American house museums of Historic Deerfield, Northfield Mountain Education & Environmental Center, Bridge of Flowers and Glacial Potholes in Shelburne Falls, Yankee Candle Company in South Deerfield, Great Falls Discovery Center in Turners Falls, Quabbin Reservoir and more.

Ashfield

Ashfield was incorporated in 1765 with four Proprietors serving as Selectmen and is still today a Proprietor Town. By 1840, Ashfield was the leading wool producing town in Franklin County and by 1855 it was the leading producer of butter and had 14 sawmills or woodworking shops.

Ashfield continues to have a strong agricultural industry which is an important part of the local economy. Local farmers produce fiber from sheep and goats, grow fresh vegetables, apples, peaches and blueberries. In addition, the area produces honey, maple syrup, Christmas trees, eggs, meat and dairy products. The Ashfield Farmer's Market is located on the Town Common from May to October.

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,800 people, 741 households, and 500 families residing in the town. By population, Ashfield ranked thirteenth of the twenty-six towns in Franklin County, and 296th out of the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts.

The Town of Ashfield has 2 golf courses, Ashfield Lake, Bear Swamp Reservation, Ashfield Trails, Chapel Falls, and abuts the DAR State Forest. Other activities around Ashfield include cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, fishing, and hiking.

Ashfield is part of the hill-towns of western Franklin County. It is conveniently located 30 minutes from Northampton and Greenfield and only 15 minutes from Shelburne Falls.

Visit Ashfield's Town Website.

Bernardston

Bernardston is a small rural town in western Massachusetts, located in north central Franklin County, on the border between Massachusetts and Vermont. The town is 23.4 square miles in area, with a population of approximately 2100. The town enjoys an Open Town Meeting form of government, with a three-member Board of Selectmen. The major roads through town are US Route 5, MA Route 10 and Interstate 91.

Bernardston's many hills are eastward extensions of both the Green Mountains and the Appalachians. East and west of the town's center where the Falls River runs, the hills rise steeply. Both Wildcat Mountain and Bald Mountain on the west and east sides of the Falls River, respectively, are more that 1100 feet above sea level. Deer and bears are plentiful, and a small population of moose has also taken up residence. Bernardston is characterized by some of the most fertile, agricultural soils in the country and features a rich network of rivers and streams that flow from an extensive network of springs in the hills and mountains.

Bernardston was first settled by the survivors and families of soldiers who had fought in a skirmish at the "Great Falls" in 1676 during "King Phillip's War". The town was formed as "Falls Fight Township" in 1734 by petition to the state legislature of Samuel Hunt of Billerica. Hunt's father had been a member of the militia at the Falls Fight in 1676. The town's name was changed to Bernardston in 1762, when the town petitioned for incorporation. Francis Bernard was Royal Governor from 1760-1769.

Four forts were among the first homes in Bernardston. A fort on Huckle Hill, adjacent to the former Meeting House/Congregational Church, was built in 1739-40 to protect the settlers during "King George's War". That was known in America at the (first) "French and Indian War". At the end of the second French and Indian War (1756-63), when Bernardston was considered safe from further attack, the forts were no longer used, and the Meeting House/Congregational Church was moved to the Town Center. The former Meeting House was one of the earliest Congregational Churches built in Massachusetts. Today it's on the "National Register of Historical Places" and is part of the Unitarian Church.

Another fort in North Bernardston later became a tavern on the stagecoach route that ran from Deerfield to Canada along today's Route 5. That route paralleled a native trail that ran along the Green River west of Bernardston's hills. Bernardston continues to value its history and rural New England landscape, while maintaining its historic open spaces and recreational areas.

Visit Bernardston's Town Website.

Buckland

The Town of Buckland, Massachusetts is a small, rural, predominately agricultural community with a population of approximately 2,000 people. The main employer in Buckland is the Mohawk Trail Regional School. Buckland shares a downtown business district, known as Shelburne Falls, with the Town of Shelburne. The Route 112 corridor bisects the town and is a scenic highway consisting of a number of small farms and open space. Originally part of the towns of Charlemont and Ashfield, Buckland’s first settlers arrived in 1742. By 1779, the residents of what is now Buckland found it inconvenient and sometimes dangerous to cross the Deerfield River to attend church, school and town functions in Charlemont and surrounding towns, so they petitioned the General Court for incorporation. The Town of Buckland was incorporated April 14, 1779.

Buckland is located in West Franklin County and lies in a valley with beautiful hills surrounding it: Walnut Hill, Drank Hill, Snow Mountain to the west and Mary Lyon Hill and Moonshine Hill to the east. The town is South of Route 2 and Route 112 is the major through road.

Visit Buckland's Town Website.

Charlemont

Charlemont was first settled by Moses Rice (1694-1755). The town was along the distant frontier at the time, and was the subject of several raids by Native Americans. The town was incorporated as Charlemont in 1765 and was mostly rural, with farming being the main industry until the advent of the railroad, which traveled through town towards the Hoosac Tunnel. Today the town industry is tourism and is known as the recreational capital of New England with tourist areas along the Mohawk Trail.

Charlemont is located in the western part of Franklin County, along the Mohawk Trail (MA Route 2), 18 miles west of Greenfield.

Visit Charlemont's Town Website.

Greenfield

To many residents of Franklin County, Greenfield is considered the “big city.” When Franklin County was formed in 1811, Greenfield was designated as the county seat. It is the center of life and the commercial and cultural hub of the northern Pioneer Valley. Conveniently located at the intersection of Interstate 91 and Route 2/The Mohawk Trail, residents of the town love Greenfield because it has a variety of restaurants, shops, markets, professional businesses, and yet still offers ways to get outside and enjoy nature.

Visit Greenfield's Town Website.

Colrain

Colrain was once described as the place for a “lover of natural scenery in its varied forms” because it “possesses uncommon attractions.” The North River, a tributary to the Deerfield River, has 2 branches that pass through Colrain. There are some roads that elevate from the bed of the river, giving passengers incredible views.

Besides the North River’s natural beauty, it also benefited the townspeople in that they were able to create waterpower for Colrain’s factories. These factories produced cotton and iron castings. Those industries, combined with sheep raising, were the causes of the sudden increase in town population in the early 1800s, since there were ample job opportunities.

Colrain is bordered to the north by Vermont and to the east by the Green River. The main road through town is MA Route 112.

Visit Colrain's Town Website.

Conway

The land area that is now Conway was part of a grant in 1712 from the General Court enlarging the area of Deerfield. In 1762, after the close of the French and Indian Wars, the area was surveyed and divided into 141 lots averaging 150 acres. Lots were sold and settled rapidly, and in 1767 the land was separated from Deerfield and incorporated as the Town of Conway.

In the following years, farms developed thickly and evenly throughout the hills, with forested land cleared for crops and pasture. By 1817, the extent of cleared land was as great as it ever would be. Much of this wood fueled the startup of sawmills. Gristmills and sawmills, built along the streams to harness waterpower, were the first mills of the settlers. Pumpkin Hollow, located at the geographical heart of Conway, became the center of town with a church, school, store, inn, harness shop, and wagon shop. As the population rose steadily, other parts of town, known as districts or neighborhoods, built their own schools. In all, sixteen districts formed each with its own schoolhouse.

By the mid-1800s, the citizens of Conway were working hard toward rapid development of the manufacturing industry. Most factories were located along the South River, the main source of waterpower in town. Everything from textiles, hats, furniture, and cutlery to washing “machines” were made here. Gradually, Pumpkin Hollow was replaced as the “center” of town as banks and public buildings sprang up near the river.

In the midst of the industrial boom of the nineteenth century, many farms were abandoned leaving pastures and fields to be reclaimed once again by forest. Early in the 20th century, the manufacturing industry went into decline, with many factories going out of business largely because of transportation costs to and from Conway. Stone foundations and cellar holes are the visible remains of many farms and factories of long ago. The remaining open land, cleared of trees and stones with much hard labor, is a treasured legacy from the past.

Visit Conway's Town Website.

Deerfield

The town of Deerfield was once the northwestern most outpost of New England settlement. It was the site of several Native American attacks, including the Deerfield Massacre, also known was Raid on Deerfield in 1704. Deerfield includes two villages: South Deerfield and Old Deerfield. The history of the town is well preserved through Historic Deerfield, the original village and museum, and through the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, a membership-based historical and cultural organization.

Deerfield contains the section of the Deerfield River where it bends north before flowing into the Connecticut River, a natural phenomenom. Therefore Deerfield has rich soil, great for farming.

Deerfield is located along Interstate-91, 30 miles north of Springfield, and bordering Greenfield to the south. U.S. Route 5 and MA Route 10 both run through town, parallel to Interstate-91.

Visit Deerfield's Town Website.

Erving

Erving, the last town in Franklin County to be incorporated, is comprised of three villages: Erving Center, Farley, and Ervingside. It is situated along MA Route 2/The Mohawk Trail. The Millers River, a tributary to the Connecticut River, flows through town.

The French King Bridge connects Erving to the town of Gill, across the Connecticut River. Built in 1932, the bridge was named “The Most Beautiful Steel Bridge” by the American Institute of Steel Construction. The bridge is a popular tourist spot because besides its own beauty, it offers scenic views of the river and the foliage in autumn.

In the Industrial Era, Erving’s large supply of timber and waterpower led to the production of many wood and wood-based products. Today, the Erving Paper Mill still exists, and employs over 100 people.

Visit Erving's Town Website.

Gill

The town of Gill in northwestern Massachusetts offers education, recreation and quiet, peaceful living opportunities within its 15 square miles. Gill is 7 miles east of Greenfield, 36 miles north of Springfield and 95 miles west of Boston. The 1,500 residents live mostly in single-family homes, although there is one development of condominiums.

Gill, incorporated September 28, 1793, was originally part of Deerfield and was included in the portion set off from Deerfield June 9, 1753, as the district of Greenfield, which became a township that same year. The first settlers on the land that became Gill, who arrived before 1753 and lived later that 1793, were therefore inhabitants of the towns of Deerfield, Greenfield and Gill, successively, even though they never moved.

The town is named in honor of Moses Gill, a member of Massachusetts' Executive Council who became lieutenant governor in 1794 and acting governor in 1799 when Governor Increase Sumner died. Gill died in 1800, leaving the state without a governor and acting governor for the first and only time in its history.

Visit Gill's Town Website.

Hawley

Hawley is a beautiful, remote town in the western part of Franklin County. The town has very little industry and most residents commute, work from home, or work for municipalities. The town is mostly run by volunteers.

Hawley is composed of 40% state forest- the Kenneth Dubuque Memorial State Forest and parts of the Mohawk Trail and Savoy State Forests. Between the three state forests, there is plenty of opportunity to get outside and hike, swim, fish, and enjoy the natural scenery.

Hawley is located in the southwest corner of Franklin County and is bordered by Charlemont to the north, Buckland to the east, and Plainfield to the south.

Visit Hawley's town website.

Heath

Originally part of Charlemont, Heath was incorporated in 1785. The Heath Historical Society, located in the center of town, has displays representing Heath’s past, including palm-leaf hats. From the 1830s to the Civil War, women and children in Heath braided these palm-leaf hats and sold them for extra income in the winter months. The town had some farming and other small industry in the nineteenth century, but much of it is gone now, leaving the town as a rural area.

Heath is located in the northwestern part of Franklin County, south of the Vermont border. The major through road is MA Route 8A, which connects to VT Route 8A at the state border and intersects MA Route 2 in Charlemont.

Visit Heath's Town Website.

Leverett

Leverett was once part of Sunderland and was granted separation in 1774. Four villages comprise the town: Leverett Center, East Leverett, North Leverett and Moores Corner. The major road through town is Route 63, which connects Leverett to Amherst to the south and Montague to the north.

Local community members completed the New England Peace Pagoda, the first of its kind in America, in 1985. It stands as a symbol of aspiration and hope for peace. The caretakers live on the property, however the public is welcome to visit the grounds and view the beautiful Pagoda, the new temple, and the gardens and lily pond.

Visit Leverett's town website.

Leyden

Leyden lies in central northern Franklin County, right below the Vermont line. Originally part of “Fall Town” which was also composed of Bernardston and eastern Colrain, Leyden is named after Leiden, Holland, a sanctuary for Pilgrims before coming to America. Leyden used to have several small industries including blacksmith shops, a cheese shop, gun shop, box shop, grist mills, sawmills, and wood product mills, but its largest industry today is maple sugar production.

Visit Leyden's town website.

Monroe

The smallest town in Franklin County, Monroe, lies in the farthest northwestern corner of the county. It is sometimes called Monroe Bridge because once the Hoosac Tunnel and Wilmington Railroad were completed, crewmen were told to leave the town’s mailbags at the Monroe bridge. In 1888, the post office was established and was known as the Monroe Bridge Post Office.

The town's eastern border with Rowe is along the Deerfield River. It is bordered by Vermont to the north and the town of Florida to the south and west.

Visit Monroe's town website.

Montague

Montague is another cultural hub of Franklin County. North of Leverett, it is composed of five villages: Montague Center, Montague City, Turners Falls, Millers Falls, and Lake Pleasant. To the west of Montague is the Connecticut River, where a dam and canal were built to provide cheap power for mills in the 1800s. Today, the dam in Turners Falls has a fish ladder, which allows fish to swim upstream to spawn. A viewing facility allows visitors to watch the fish climb a series of ladders to overcome the dam.

Montague is bordered by Greenfield to the northwest, Deerfield to the west, Leverett to the south, and Wendell to the east. MA Route 2 runs just north of Montague and MA Routes 47 and 63 run north to south through the town.

Visit Montague's town website.

New Salem

The town of New Salem was affected greatly by the construction of the Quabbin Reservoir, one of the largest man-made water supplies in the country, which supplies the drinking water for nearly half of Massachusetts. Much of the town is off-limits wilderness controlled by the Department of Conservation and Recreation. On the bright side, the people of New Salem are next door to 39 square miles of reservoir on 81,000 acres of reservation land for fishing, hiking, birdwatching, hunting, biking, and other outdoor activities.

New Salem lies at the southeastern corner of Franklin County and is the largest town in the county. It is bordered by Orange to the north, Petersham to the east, Ware to the south, Pelham, Shutesbury and Wendell to the west. The town is south of MA Route 2 and the major through road is U.S. Route 202.

Visit New Salem's town website.

Northfield

The Town of Northfield is located in Western Massachusetts in Franklin County. Northfield is a rural community with easy access to Amherst, Northhampton, Greenfield, Brattleboro and Keene. It is a town of farmland, forested hills, streams, wetlands and wildlife. Northfield is the only town in Massachusetts situated on both sides of the Connecticut River.

The Town of Northfield was an early attraction for colonial settlers due to its rich and fertile plains along the Connecticut River, and Europeans had begun farming there in 1673. However, its history was bumpy and the town was twice abandoned before a permanent settlement was achieved in 1714.

Northfield's early fame was based on land, but its later international reputation was built on missionaries. The town was known for producing large numbers of Protestant missionaries. In 1879, Northfield Seminary was established. The girls' school later grew into the Northfield School for Girls, now Northfield Mount Hermon School in the neighboring community of Gill, and became co-educational.

First Light/GDF Suez sited their pumped-storage hydroelectric facility in Northfield and also use the location for a wildlife exhibit and visitor center. The utility company provides boat tours on the Connecticut River and has year-round recreational and education programs, including cross-country skiing. Northfield is one of the cultural centers of Franklin County.

Visit Northfield's town website.

Orange

Orange is the easternmost town in Franklin County. It lies along State Route 2, which runs east towards Worcester County and west towards Berkshire County. Orange has its own municipal airport, open to the public.

The Millers River runs through the town and was dammed in 1790, bringing in lots of industry. Orange became the site of the New Home Sewing Machine Company in the late 19^th century and Grout in 1900, the first automobile factory built in the United States.

Visit Orange's town website.

Rowe

Rowe is a small hilltown in northwestern Massachusetts, with a population of 390. The town is one of scenic beauty, with wooded mountains, clear brooks, and the Deerfield River on its border. Rowe is close to ski areas and enjoys great hiking, fishing, hunting, kayaking, rafting and canoeing.

Rowe has its own elementary school and tuitions grades 7-12 to the Mohawk Trail Regional School District and Franklin County Technical School. The Rowe Historical Society maintains an excellent small historical museum, containing antiques, artifacts and numerous photographs documenting the history of the town, including Fort Pelham (built in 1744 to guard against attacks by the French and Indians), and the construction of the Hoosac Tunnel.

The close-knit community enjoys a solid tax base provided mainly by the Bear Swamp pumped storage hydro-electric plant. Several smaller hydro dams and stations owned by TransCanada and the decommissioned Yankee Atomic Nuclear Power Station also provide substantial taxes to the town.

Visit Rowe's town website.

Shelburne

When you head west on the Mohawk Trail out of Greenfield, you immediately notice a change as you enter Shelburne. The trail winds as you pass Hager’s Farm Market, a small farm store with local products, on your right and Shelburne Falls Coffee Roasters on your left. You won’t find corporate stores here, only small locally-owned businesses, some of which have been in the family for generations. Many of these long-time family-owned businesses are agricultural: sugar bushes, pick-your-own orchards, and dairy farms.

Shelburne is located west of Greenfield and is bordered by Colrain to the north, Conway to the south, and Buckland to the west. The major through road is MA Route 2/The Mohawk Trail. The Village of Shelburne Falls, a small business and residential area, and deemed a Cultural District, includes parts of the towns of Buckland and Shelburne.

Visit Shelburne's town website.

Shutesbury

Shutesbury is located in southeastern Franklin County and is bordered to the west by Leverett and the south by Pelham. The Swift River flows through town, feeding into the Quabbin Reservoir, which borders Shutesbury’s southeast edge.

Early industry included lumbering and cottages/inns for travelers. The many mineral springs also brought in several bottling businesses. Today the town of Shutesbury is very rural with lots of natural scenery and a population under 2,000 people.

Visit Shutesbury's town website.

Sunderland

Sunderland lies on the southern edge of Franklin County, north of Hampshire County. The town has a total area of 14.7 square miles and is bordered by Montague to the north, Leverett to the east, Amherst and Hadley to the south, and Whately and Deerfield to the west. It has a population of approximately 3600.

Mount Toby, a prominent conglomerate mountain with a fire tower lookout, stands at the east border of the town and is traversed by the 47-mile (76 km) Robert Frost Trail. The mountain, surrounded by Mount Toby State Forest, is known for its waterfalls, scenic vista, and biologically diverse ecosystem.

Sunderland, which has long been a thriving agricultural community that benefits from the rich Connecticut River Valley soil, was incorporated on November 12, 1718. The name of the town was chosen to honor Charles Spencer, Earl of Sunderland and Prime Minister of England. The first town meeting was recorded as being held on March 16, 1719.

Visit Sunderland's town website.

Warwick

Warwick lies in the northeastern corner of Franklin County, along the border of Worcester County, Massachusetts and Cheshire County, New Hampshire. Warwick is a fairly isolated and rural town. The only state highway that runs through is Route 78 and about one third of the land is protected as part of Warwick State Forest.

Visit Warwick's town website.

Wendell

Wendell was incorporated in 1781. During that time, residents were very dependent on farming for their livelihoods. They grew grain and flax and raised cattle, sheep, and swine. In the winter, they made shingles, broom handles, and staves. Logging was also a large industry and is still today due to the extensive forest in Wendell.

Wendell is one of the hilltowns of eastern Franklin County. It is located south of Erving and east of Montague and State Route 2 runs along its northern border. The town has two post offices and therefore two zip codes.

Visit Wendell's town website.

Whately

Whately, incorporated in 1771, was originally part of Hatfield, a town in Hampshire County, but separated because the people who lived in what is now Whately were too farm from the town center. It is the site of the first gin distillery in Massachusetts, as well as other mills including grist, cider, woolen, chair and coffin factories. Above all, Whately has been and continues to be an agricultural area with commercial crops including apples, cider, hay, maple products, tobacco, and vegetables.

Whately lies on the southern border of Franklin County, north of Hampshire County. Whately is bisected by Interstate 91 and is 26 miles north of Springfield and 11 miles south of Greenfield.

Visit Whately's town website.