Hatfield, Massachusetts
Encyclopedia
Hatfield is a town
in Hampshire County
, Massachusetts
, United States
. The population was 3,249 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts
Metropolitan Statistical Area
.
Part of the town is included in the census-designated place
of Hatfield
.
. It was formally incorporated as a town in 1670 and has a Board of Selectmen and annual town meeting.
As a center for agriculture the region produced cattle, sheep, corn, and tobacco.
At first their relations with the local Indians were very welcoming on both sides.
On October 16, 1675 a substantial part of the town was destroyed in King Philip's War
, and surviving settlers sought refuge in Springfield.
During the American Revolution
, Hatfield was an important source of supplies and men for the rebels. In 1786 the town was used as an assembly area for the discontented who became involved in Shays' Rebellion
.
One family supplied many of Hatfield's physicians for generations. The Hastings family, descendants of English
Puritan
immigrant Thomas Hastings
, was originally settled at Watertown
, but within a generation members of the family had relocated to Hatfield, where they produced a succession of Hatfield physicians, including Dr. Thomas Hastings (1652–1712); Dr. Thomas Hastings (1679–1728); Dr. Waitstill Hastings (1714–1748); and Dr. John Hastings (1765–1845). The first Thomas Hastings, aside from serving as physician to Hatfield and surrounding communities, was also the town's first schoolteacher. He authored a contemporary account of the devastating Indian attack on nearby Deerfield
in 1704.
Hatfield was also the birthplace and hometown of Sophia Smith
, the founder of both Smith Academy (the Hatfield Public High School), and Smith College
, the famous women's college.
at the mouth of the Mill River, 25 miles north of Springfield
and about 100 miles west of Boston. It is bordered to the west by Horse Mountain (a typical New England granite glacial remnant), to the north by the Town of Whately
, Massachusetts
and to the south by a bend in the Connecticut River, and Northampton
, Massachusetts
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 16.8 square miles (43.6 km²), of which, 16.0 square miles (41.5 km²) of it is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²) of it (4.82%) is water.
of 2000, there were 3,249 people, 1,381 households, and 871 families residing in the town. The population density
was 202.8 people per square mile (78.3/km²). There were 1,431 housing units at an average density of 89.3 per square mile (34.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.03% White, 0.22% Black or African American
, 0.12% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.58% from other races
, and 0.49% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.05% of the population.
There were 1,381 households out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.1% were married couples
living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.9% were non-families. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the town the population was spread out with 20.7% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 29.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $50,238, and the median income for a family was $61,607. Males had a median income of $39,414 versus $35,042 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $24,813. About 1.4% of families and 2.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.2% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.
, is grades 7-12; with just a little over 190 students, it is the smallest public school in the state of Massachusetts.
New England town
The New England town is the basic unit of local government in each of the six New England states. Without a direct counterpart in most other U.S. states, New England towns are conceptually similar to civil townships in other states, but are incorporated, possessing powers like cities in other...
in Hampshire County
Hampshire County, Massachusetts
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 152,251 people, 55,991 households, and 33,818 families residing in the county. The population density was 288 people per square mile . There were 58,644 housing units at an average density of 111 per square mile...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 3,249 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Springfield, Massachusetts metropolitan area
The Springfield Metropolitan Area is a region that is socio-economically and culturally tied to the City of Springfield, Massachusetts. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget defines the Springfield metropolitan statistical area as consisting of three counties in Western Massachusetts. As of...
.
Part of the town is included in the census-designated place
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
of Hatfield
Hatfield (CDP), Massachusetts
Hatfield is a census-designated place in the town of Hatfield in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,298 at the 2000 census...
.
History
Hatfield was founded in 1660 on land granted to General Daniel Dennison and Governor William BradfordWilliam Bradford (1590-1657)
William Bradford was an English leader of the settlers of the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts, and served as governor for over 30 years after John Carver died. His journal was published as Of Plymouth Plantation...
. It was formally incorporated as a town in 1670 and has a Board of Selectmen and annual town meeting.
As a center for agriculture the region produced cattle, sheep, corn, and tobacco.
At first their relations with the local Indians were very welcoming on both sides.
On October 16, 1675 a substantial part of the town was destroyed in King Philip's War
King Philip's War
King Philip's War, sometimes called Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, or Metacom's Rebellion, was an armed conflict between Native American inhabitants of present-day southern New England and English colonists and their Native American allies in 1675–76. The war is named after the main leader of the...
, and surviving settlers sought refuge in Springfield.
During the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, Hatfield was an important source of supplies and men for the rebels. In 1786 the town was used as an assembly area for the discontented who became involved in Shays' Rebellion
Shays' Rebellion
Shays' Rebellion was an armed uprising in central and western Massachusetts from 1786 to 1787. The rebellion is named after Daniel Shays, a veteran of the American Revolutionary War....
.
One family supplied many of Hatfield's physicians for generations. The Hastings family, descendants of English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
immigrant Thomas Hastings
Thomas Hastings (colonist)
Thomas Hastings was a prominent English immigrant to New England, one of the approximately 20,000 immigrants who came as part of the Great Migration. A Deacon of the church, among his many public offices he served on the Committee of Colony Assessments in 1640 and as Deputy for Watertown to the...
, was originally settled at Watertown
Watertown, Massachusetts
The Town of Watertown is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 31,915 at the 2010 census.- History :Archeological evidence suggests that Watertown was inhabited for thousands of years before the arrival of settlers from England...
, but within a generation members of the family had relocated to Hatfield, where they produced a succession of Hatfield physicians, including Dr. Thomas Hastings (1652–1712); Dr. Thomas Hastings (1679–1728); Dr. Waitstill Hastings (1714–1748); and Dr. John Hastings (1765–1845). The first Thomas Hastings, aside from serving as physician to Hatfield and surrounding communities, was also the town's first schoolteacher. He authored a contemporary account of the devastating Indian attack on nearby Deerfield
Deerfield, Massachusetts
Deerfield is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 4,750 as of the 2000 census. Deerfield is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area in Western Massachusetts, lying only north of the city of Springfield.Deerfield includes the...
in 1704.
Hatfield was also the birthplace and hometown of Sophia Smith
Sophia Smith
Sophia Smith founded Smith College in 1870 with the substantial estate she inherited from her father and siblings....
, the founder of both Smith Academy (the Hatfield Public High School), and Smith College
Smith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
, the famous women's college.
Geography
Hatfield is located on the west bank of the Connecticut RiverConnecticut River
The Connecticut River is the largest and longest river in New England, and also an American Heritage River. It flows roughly south, starting from the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire. After flowing through the remaining Connecticut Lakes and Lake Francis, it defines the border between the...
at the mouth of the Mill River, 25 miles north of Springfield
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
and about 100 miles west of Boston. It is bordered to the west by Horse Mountain (a typical New England granite glacial remnant), to the north by the Town of Whately
Whately, Massachusetts
Whately is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,573 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
and to the south by a bend in the Connecticut River, and Northampton
Northampton, Massachusetts
The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of Northampton's central neighborhoods, was 28,549...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 16.8 square miles (43.6 km²), of which, 16.0 square miles (41.5 km²) of it is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²) of it (4.82%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 3,249 people, 1,381 households, and 871 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 202.8 people per square mile (78.3/km²). There were 1,431 housing units at an average density of 89.3 per square mile (34.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.03% White, 0.22% Black or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.12% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.58% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.49% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.05% of the population.
There were 1,381 households out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.1% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.9% were non-families. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the town the population was spread out with 20.7% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 29.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $50,238, and the median income for a family was $61,607. Males had a median income of $39,414 versus $35,042 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $24,813. About 1.4% of families and 2.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.2% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.
School system
Hatfield has two public schools; an elementary school and a high school. Hatfield Elementary school ranges from grades K-6. The high school, Smith AcademySmith Academy
Smith Academy of International Languages is public K-8 magnet school in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States and part of the in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District. All tuition takes place in the medium of the second language...
, is grades 7-12; with just a little over 190 students, it is the smallest public school in the state of Massachusetts.