Williamstown is a town in Berkshire County, in the northwest corner of
Massachusetts. It shares a border with Vermont to the north and New York to the
west. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical
Area. The population was 7,754 at the 2010 census. A college town, it is home
to Williams College, the Clark Art Institute and the Tony-awarded
Williamstown Theatre Festival, which runs every July and August.
History Originally called West Hoosac, the area
was first settled in 1749. Prior to this time its position along the Mohawk Trail
made it ideal Mohican hunting grounds. Its strategic location bordering Dutch
colonies in New York led to its settlement, because it was needed as a
buffer to stop the Dutch from encroaching on Massachusetts. Fort West
Hoosac, the westernmost blockhouse and stockade in Massachusetts, was built in
1756. The town was incorporated in 1765 as Williamstown according to the will of
Col. Ephraim Williams, who was killed in the French and Indian War. He bequeathed
a significant sum to the town on the condition that it were named after him
and started a free school. In 1791, the school opened, but only lasted a short
time as a free school before becoming Williams College in 1793.
The primary industry was agriculture, particularly dairy farming, sheep
herding and wool production. Sawmills and gristmills operated by water power
at the streams. With the Industrial Revolution larger mills were added,
including the Walley Mill and Williamstown Manufacturing Company, both
of which produced textiles. The A. Loop & Company produced twine. With the
opening of the railroad, tourists arrived. Several inns and hotels were
established, including the Idlewild Hotel and Greylock Hotel. In the late
1930s and 1940s, E. Parmelee Prentice and his wife Alta, the daughter of John
D. Rockefeller, created Mount Hope Farm. With a mansion designed by James Gamble
Rogers, it was one of the outstanding experimental farms in the country.
Today, it belongs to Williams College, which remains the largest employer in
town. Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of
46.9 square miles, of which 46.8 square miles is land and 0.12 square miles, or
0.27%, is water. Located in the Berkshires, Williamstown is drained by
the Hoosic River. Williamstown is the northwesternmost
town in Massachusetts. The town is bordered on the north by Pownal,
Vermont, on the east by Clarksburg, North Adams and Adams, on the south by
New Ashford and Hancock, and on the west by Berlin and Petersburgh, New York.
The town proper lies southwest of the confluence of the Green River and the
Hoosic River. To the west, the Taconic Range lines the N.Y. state border and is
where Taconic Trail State Park is located. Brodie Mountain rises to the
south of town, and Mount Greylock State Reservation occupies the southwest
corner of town, with the peak of Mount Greylock and its subsidiary peak Mount
Fitch just over the line in Adams. The highest point in town is at 3,320 feet
above sea level, just 0.2 miles west of the summit of Greylock. The Appalachian
Trail skirts the town twice, near the southeast corner of town and again along
the North Adams border. To the northeast, Pine Cobble lies along the
Clarksburg town line, and to the north lies the Green Mountain National Forest
in Vermont. U.S. Route 7 passes from north to south
through the town, crossing into Vermont to the north and New Ashford to the
south. Massachusetts Route 2 begins in the town, starting from New York State
Route 2 at the Petersburg Pass, then combining with Route 7 for a stretch
before heading east into North Adams. From Route 7 westward, it is known as
the Taconic Trail; the road does not become the Mohawk Trail in the east
until passing through North Adams. Route 43 also begins at Route 2 and heads
southward towards Hancock, crossing Route 7 near the fork of the east and
west branches of the Green River. Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,424 people, 2,753 households, and
1,693 families residing in the town. Williamstown is the fourth-largest town
in Berkshire County, and ranks 189th out of the 351 cities and towns in
Massachusetts by population. The population density was 179.7 people per
square mile, ranking it 7th in the county and 264th in the Commonwealth.
There were 3,053 housing units at an average density of 65.1 per square mile.
The racial makeup of the town was 90.79% White, 2.72% Black or African American,
0.11% Native American, 3.12% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 0.77% from other
races, and 2.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were
2.77% of the population. There were 2,753 households out of which
24.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.3% were married
couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband
present, and 38.5% were non-families. 32.7% of all households were made up of
individuals and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.80.
In the town the population was spread out with 15.3% under the age of 18,
27.5% from 18 to 24, 16.6% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who
were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100
females there were 87.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were
85.8 males. The median income for a household in the
town was $51,875, and the median income for a family was $67,589. Males had a
median income of $50,011 versus $32,845 for females. The per capita income for
the town was $26,039. About 1.7% of families and 5.5% of the population were
below the poverty line, including 1.3% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those
age 65 or over. Government
Williamstown is governed by the open town meeting form of government, and is
governed by a board of selectmen and a town manager. The town has its own
police department and a volunteer fire department. The town has its own
library, Milne Public Library, and other public services. The nearest hospital,
Berkshire Medical Center, is located in Pittsfield, to the south.
On the state level, Williamstown is represented in the Massachusetts House
of Representatives by Representative Gailanne Cariddi of the First Berkshire
district, which covers northern Berkshire County, as well as portions of
Franklin County. In the Massachusetts Senate, the town is represented by
Senator Benjamin Downing of the Berkshire, Hampshire and Franklin
district, which includes all of Berkshire County and western Hampshire
and Franklin counties. Education
The town has its own elementary school, Williamstown Elementary School, which
serves students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. The town is home to
Mount Greylock Regional High School, which also serves the neighboring towns
of New Ashford, Lanesborough and portions of Hancock. The school's colors
are red and white, and the sports teams are nicknamed the Mounties. Williamstown
is also home to Pine Cobble School, a private school serving students from
pre-kindergarten through ninth grade, as well as Buxton School, a private
co-educational boarding school serving high-school students.
Williamstown is home of Williams College, an elite, private liberal arts
college. The nearest community college is Berkshire Community College, located
in Pittsfield. The nearest public college is Massachusetts College of
Liberal Arts in neighboring North Adams, and the nearest University of
Massachusetts is the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Places of interest Williamstown Historical Museum in the
Milne Public Library building at 1095 Main Street was founded in 1941. It
catalogs the history of the area from when it was a stopping point along the
Mohawk Trail to the present. In addition to permanent exhibits tracing the
history of the town, there is a rotating exhibit which changes twice annually.
Permanent exhibits include "From Wilderness to Williamstown", "The
College: A Defining Presence", "Growth of a Summer Resort", and "The Twentieth
Century: Continuity and Change", among others.
The 1753 House was built in 1953 to help celebrate the 200th anniversary of the
town's founding. Built by volunteers using 18th-century building materials
and tools, the replica house is intended to recreate how a typical home is
believed to have looked back in 1753. Clark Art Institute
Williams College Museum of Art Field Farm
Notable people Transportation
Williamstown is crossed by U.S. Route 7, MA Route 2 – also known as the Mohawk
Trail, and MA Route 43. Town bus service is provided by Berkshire Regional
Transit Authority. The Green Mountain Express' Purple Line provides a weekday
commuter bus route northward to Bennington. Daily intercity bus service
to Williamstown is operated by Peter Pan Lines to and from New York City, and
intermediate towns and cities along the way. There is a freight rail line which
passes from the north to the east into North Adams and the Hoosac Tunnel. The
nearest Amtrak train station is in Pittsfield. The nearest small-craft
airport is Harriman-and-West Airport in North Adams, and the nearest airport
with commercial jet service is Albany International Airport.
References External links
Town of Williamstown official website Williamstown, Massachusetts at DMOZ