Adams

History

Nathan Jones purchased the township of East Hoosac at auction in 1762 from the Province of Massachusetts Bay for £3,200. In 1778, the town was officially incorporated as Adams, named in honor of Samuel Adams, a revolutionary leader and signer of the Declaration of Independence. Much of the land had been subdivided into and lots. These were mostly farms with frontage on the Hoosic River, which over time would provide water power for woolen, cotton, lumber, and plastic mills. First settled in 1745, North Adams was originally part of Adams until the town split in 1878. Although there has never been a town of South Adams, the name was used prior to 1878 to specify the southern part of the town that had long had two primary centers. Usage of the South Adams name continued until 2012 as part of the South Adams Savings Bank incorporated in 1869. Early settlers in the 1760s included a group of Quakers, many of whom migrated together from Smithfield, Rhode Island. The Quaker civil rights leader, abolitionist, and suffragist Susan B. Anthony was born in 1820 in Adams, where her family lived until she was six. They moved west into New York, and later moved again to western New York. Anthony's childhood home has been preserved and is operated today as a museum. The town's population declined from 1810 to 1820 as farmers moved west for better soil. The War of 1812 had the unintended result of stimulating development of the textile industry in the United States because British textiles were no longer available. In 1814, the Adams South Village Cotton Manufacture Company opened. With the construction of a number of mills on the Hoosic River, the demand for labor increased greatly, and Adams' population more than doubled to 4,000 between 1820 and 1835. Growth in both halves of…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.33%, is water. The town lies along the valley surrounding the Hoosic River and its tributary brooks. Set between the Taconic Range to the west and the Hoosac Range of the Berkshires to the east, Adams includes the summit of Mount Greylock, elevation above sea level. The mountain, located within the state reservation of the same name, is the highest point in Massachusetts, a waypoint on the Appalachian Trail, and in the 19th century inspired writers including Herman Melville. The town also includes a corner of Savoy Mountain State Park. Adams is bordered to the north by North Adams, to the east by Florida and Savoy, to the south by Savoy and Cheshire, and to the west by New Ashford and Williamstown. Adams has a humid continental climate (Dfb). Winters can be harsh, with temperatures dropping to or colder nine times per year. Summers are warm and pleasant, with temperatures at or above four times per year. The record high is , recorded on July 8, 1988, and the record low is , recorded on January 24, 2011, and February 6, 2015. On average, 153 days see measurable precipitation per year. A weather station is located in nearby North Adams.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  11,652
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  11,132
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  9,413
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  8,181
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  7,228
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  7,165
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  6,733
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  6,542

Most recent

• M 3.1 — 2020-03-11
  0 km SSW of South Glens Falls, New York
• M 2.76 — 2011-08-27
  5 km WSW of Altamont, New York
• M 2.69 — 2011-08-25
  5 km WSW of Altamont, New York
• M 3.15 — 2009-12-13
  15 km N of Medusa, New York
• M 2.56 — 2009-12-13
  14 km N of Medusa, New York
• M 2.9 — 2009-10-21
  15 km N of Medusa, New York