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WHERE IS SOUTHAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS?

Southampton is a town of approximately 5500 people located in Hampshire County of Western Massachusetts. It lies in the valley between Mount Tom and Mount Pomeroy. It is bordered by Westhampton, Easthampton, Holyoke, Westfield, Montgomery and Huntington. Southampton is 17 miles northwest of Springfield and 100 miles west of Boston. Other towns in the area include Northampton (home to Smith College), Westfield, Chesterfield, Chester, Chicopee, West Springfield, Agawam, Hadley, Amherst, Hatfield and Whately. The total area of Southampton is 29.6 square miles. The Town of Southampton started out as a farming community although there are few farms left. Although travel to Springfield, Hartford and Boston is relatively easy because of easy access to the Massachusetts Turnpike and I-91, the town is essentially rural. The center of town is small and inconspicuous. A quick ride takes you into the more remote and very rural hilltowns of Western Massachusetts.


HISTORIES OF THE TOWNS OF WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS
Heritage Surveys, Inc. is building a compilation of historical pictures and sketches of the towns of Western Massachusetts from its archives of ephemera and books. This is a work in progress.

 


The house of Dr. Sylvester Woodbridge on East Street. originally built in 1776. Photo c. 1890


Ox-drawn haywagon lumbering down College Highway, 1898


Clark-Lyman Farmhouse on College Highway, 1900

 

Southampton, once a forest tract, lies in the valley of the Manhan between Mount Pomeroy and Mount Tom. Wooded slopes, sparkling brooks and fertile farm lands comprise the 29.6 square miles of this attractive New England township.

The land was originally a part of Northampton and owned by the proprietors of that town. The old Northampton Proprietors' book records that a meeting of legal proprietors was held on March 10, 1730. A group of people requested that they be allowed to move to the southern extremity of that town and form a separate precinct. The request was granted, and at a later meeting on May 25, 1730, a committee reported that there should be laid out to each of 30 proprietros 90 acres of land. Each settler must move to his section of land with his family and live there at least two years before it would legally become his property.

One can only guess why these original settlers were willing to move so far from a house of worship, from schools and from close neighbors. It may be that the good lan, many small streams and beautiful Mount Pomeroy were sufficient allure. One refernce mentions that the open pasture land furnished excellent grazing for cows, horses and sheep, and that there were many oak trees which would furnish acorns for fattening pigs.

"Draughts"were prepared and lots drawn for home lots on June 8, 1730 by the thirty original proprietors. The new settlement became the Second Precinct of Northampton on July 23, 1741, a District on Jan. 3, 1753, named "Southampton," and a town by act of the General Court on August 23, 1775.

-Source: The Hampshire History 1662-1962, copyright Hampshire County Commissioners, Northampton, MA 1964

 


TOWNS OF HAMPSHIRE COUNTY IN WESTERN MASSASCHUSETTS

  • Plainfield
  • South Hadley
  • Southampton
  • Warwick
  • Westhampton
  • Williamsburg
  • Worthington

TOWNS OF HAMPDEN COUNTY IN WESTERN MASSASCHUSETTS
  • Agawam
  • Blandford
  • Brimfield
  • Chester
  • Chicopee
  • East Longmeadow
  • Granville
  • Hampden
  • Holland
  • Holyoke
  • Longmeadow
  • Ludlow
  • Monson
  • Montgomery
  • Southwick
  • Springfield
  • Tolland
  • Wales
  • Ware
  • West Springfield
  • Westfield
  • Wibraham

TOWNS OF FRANKLIN COUNTY IN WESTERN MASSASCHUSETTS
  • Gill
  • Greenfield
  • Hawley
  • Heath
  • Leverett
  • Leyden
  • Monroe
  • Montague
  • New Salem
  • Northfield
  • Orange
  • Rowe
  • Shelburne
  • Shutesbury
  • Sunderland
  • Wendell
  • Whately

HERITAGE SURVEYS, INC
Land Surveying and Civil Engineering Services
for Western Massachusetts

Boundary, Topographical, & Construction Layout Surveys
Mortgage Inspection, Title Insurance (ALTA) & Land Court Surveys
Municipal Roadway & Utility Surveys
Computer Aided Design (CAD) for Subdivisions, Individual Sites, and Roadways
Deed Studies and Historical Research
Percolation & Soil Testing by Certified Soil Evaluators
Wetland Identification and Permitting

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Visit the other side of our building, Heritage Books

Heritage Surveys, Inc.
241 College Hwy & Clark Street
P.O. Box One
Southampton, MA 01073
(413) 527-3600 Fax (413) 527-8280
Email: bruce@heritagesurveys.com

 

The land surveyors and professionals of Heritage Surveys, Inc. both work and live in the towns of Western Massachusetts. After twenty-six years of working closely with the many commitees and individuals of the diverse towns and cities of Western Massachusetts, Heritage Surveys, Inc. knows how to get the job done. We have worked with the homeowner, the Select Board, the Zoning Board, the Conservation Commission, the real estate professional, the land developer and the economic planner. Land surveying and site development require a knowledge of many diverse disciplines and intricacies including soil evaluation, perc tests for septic design, aerial photogrammetry, historical deed research, cad design, stormwater runoff impact, compliance with the Wetlands Protection Act and knowledge of local zoning regulations. Heritage Surveys, Inc. has a unique knowledge and added interest in the area as reflected in their interest in local ephemera, history, and books. Heritage Surveys, Inc also runs Heritage Books (www.heritagebks.com), a repository of thousands of books and pieces of ephemera, many related to Western Massachusetts.