Stockbridge, Massachusetts

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Stockbridge, Massachusetts
nickname =
motto =


imagesize =
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mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location in Berkshire County in Massachusetts


mapsize1 =
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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Massachusetts
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Berkshire
established_title = Settled
established_date = 1734
established_title2 = Incorporated
established_date2 = 1739
established_title3 =
established_date3 =
government_type = Open town meeting
leader_title =
leader_name =
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leader_name1 =
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 61.4
area_total_sq_mi = 23.7
area_land_km2 = 59.4
area_land_sq_mi = 22.9
area_water_km2 = 2.0
area_water_sq_mi = 0.8
population_as_of = 2000
settlement_type = Town
population_total = 2276
population_density_km2 = 38.3
population_density_sq_mi = 99.2
elevation_m = 257
elevation_ft = 842
timezone = Eastern
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = Eastern
utc_offset_DST = -4
latd = 42 |latm = 17 |lats = 15 |latNS = N
longd = 73 |longm = 19 |longs = 15 |longEW = W
website = http://www.townofstockbridge.com/
postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 01262
area_code = 413
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 25-67595
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0618274
footnotes =

Stockbridge is a town in Berkshire County in Western Massachusetts. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,276 at the 2000 census. A year round resort area, Stockbridge is home to the Norman Rockwell Museum, the Austen Riggs Center (a noted psychiatric treatment center), and Chesterwood, home and studio of sculptor Daniel Chester French.

History

Stockbridge was first settled in 1734 as a mission for the Mahican Indian tribe known as the Stockbridge Indians. The township was set aside for the tribe as a reward for their assistance against the French in the French and Indian Wars. The Reverend John Sergeant from Newark, New Jersey was their missionary. First chartered as Indian Town in 1737, it was officially incorporated on June 22, 1739 as Stockbridge, named after Stockbridge in Hampshire, England.

Although the Massachusetts General Court made an assurance that the Indians' land could never be sold, it was rescinded. Despite their further help during the Revolutionary War, the tribe was relocated first to New York State, then to Wisconsin. The village was taken over by English settlers. With the arrival of the railroad in 1850, Stockbridge developed as a summer resort for the wealthy. Many large houses called Berkshire Cottages were built in the area before World War I and the advent of income tax. One estate on the Lenox border, Tanglewood, is today the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Stockbridge was also the home to Elizabeth Freeman, late in her life. The former slave who was one of the petitioners in the lawsuit that had slavery declared unconstitutional in Massachusetts, Freeman worked in the household of the Massachusetts statesman Judge Theodore Sedgwick. She is buried in Stockbridge's downtown cemetery.

Famed 19th century literary figure, Catharine Maria Sedgwick, was born in Stockbridge in 1789. She is the author of six novels including her most famous, "Hope Leslie" (1827). The town has a tradition as an art colony. Sculptor Daniel Chester French lived and worked at his home and studio called Chesterwood. Norman Rockwell painted many of his works in Stockbridge, home to the Norman Rockwell Museum.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 23.7 square miles (61.4 km²), of which, 22.9 square miles (59.4 km²) of it is land and 0.8 square miles (2.0 km²) of it (3.25%) 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 miles south of Pittsfield, 45 miles west-northwest of Springfield, and 130 miles west of Boston.

Set among the Berkshire Mountains, Stockbridge is drained by the Housatonic River, which runs through the center of town. the river also 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 Mahkeenac. 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, also known as 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, 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 town lies along a line of the 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 in Pittsfield and Great Barrington, and the nearest national air service is located at Albany International Airport in New York.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 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 people per square mile (38.3/km²), which ranks 12th in the county and 281st in the Commonwealth. There were 1,571 housing units at an average density of 68.5/sq mi (26.4/km²). 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. 36.7% of all households 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. [See http://www.townofstockbridge.com/Public_Documents/StockbridgeMA_WebDocs/government] The town operates its own police, fire and public works departments, with two 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. [ [http://www.mass.gov/legis/citytown.htm Senators and Representatives by City and Town] ] The town is patrolled by the First (Lee) Station of Barracks "B" of the Massachusetts State Police. [ [http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=eopsterminal&L=5&L0=Home&L1=Law+Enforcement+%26+Criminal+Justice&L2=Law+Enforcement&L3=State+Police+Troops&L4=Troop+B&sid=Eeops&b=terminalcontent&f=msp_divisions_field_services_troops_troop_b_msp_field_troop_b_station_b1&csid=Eeops Station B-1, SP Lee] ]

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 John Olver of Amherst since June 1991. Massachusetts is represented in the United States Senate by senior Senator Ted Kennedy and junior Senator John Kerry.

Education

The building of the former Stockbridge Plain School was once shared with the former Williams High School, before the opening of Monument Mountain Regional High School. Stockbridge Plain School then became an elementary school for the Berkshire Hills Regional School District. Now the building is being renovated to become the new town offices.

Today, Stockbridge, along with West Stockbridge and Great Barrington, are 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.

ites of interest

* Berkshire Botanical Garden
* Chesterwood, home of Daniel Chester French
* Dudley Field Memorial Tower (Children's Chimes Tower)
* Merwin House (c. 1825)
* Mission House (c. 1739)
* Naumkeag Museum & Gardens (1886)
* Norman Rockwell Museum
* Austen Riggs Center, psychiatric hospital
* Tanglewood, summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra

Notable residents

* Ezekiel Bacon, congressman
* John Bacon, congressman
* Mum Bett (Elizabeth Freeman), freed slave
* Barnabas Bidwell, congressman
* Joseph Choate, ambassador
* Henry W. Dwight, congressman
* Jonathan Edwards, theologian
* Cyrus West Field, financier
* Daniel Chester French, sculptor
* William Gibson, novelist & playwright
* Arlo Guthrie, songwriter & singer
* Terence Hill, actor
* Owen Johnson, writer
* Story Musgrave, physician & astronaut
* William J. Obanhein, "Officer Obie"
* Norman Rockwell, artist
* Charles Southmayd, 19th c. lawyer
* Theodore Sedgwick, congressman
* Gene Shalit, writer & film critic
* James Taylor, musician
* Allen T. Treadway, congressman
* Ephraim Williams, benefactor of Williams College
* Erik Erikson, psychologist & author

tockbridge in popular culture

* Inspired by the river during his honeymoon, the American classical music composer Charles Ives wrote "The Housatonic at Stockbridge" as part of his composition "Three Places in New England".
* The town is mentioned in the James Taylor song, "Sweet Baby James." ("The first of December was covered with snow, and so was the turnpike from Stockbridge to Boston").
* Stockbridge was the location of Alice's Restaurant in the song of the same name by Arlo Guthrie.

References

* [http://www.townofstockbridge.com/Public_Documents/StockbridgeMA_WebDocs/about Town History of Stockbridge, Massachusetts]
* [http://www.berkshireweb.com/themap/stockbridge/history/index.html History of Stockbridge, Massachusetts]

External links

* [http://www.townofstockbridge.com/ Town of Stockbridge, Massachusetts]
* [http://www.nrm.org/ The Norman Rockwell Museum]
* [http://www.doi.gov/news/07_News_Releases/070404.html Press release -- US Department of Interior, April 4, 2007: "Interior Secretary Kempthorne Designates 12 National Historic Landmarks"]