Belchertown

History

The area encompassing the Town is part of a crossroads of Native trails in the Connecticut River Valley of Western Massachusetts that indigenous people traveled including the Nipmuc and Norwottuck, or Nonotuck and Nolwotogg, among others. Artifacts found in the early 20th century just south of Dwight, near Lake Metacomet, suggest, "evidence of Native American occupations in Belchertown" that began some 7,000 years ago. In 1658, land in present-day Belchertown (and other Towns) was negotiated between the Nonotuck Sachem named Chickwalloppe, other Sachems and John Pynchon, son of Springfield founder William Pynchon. In August 1662, land in present-day Belchertown (including South Hadley and Granby) was negotiated by Awonunsk, a Nonotuck, with her husband Wequagon and son Squomp, in a deed with Pynchon. "They reserved continued Native rights to freely hunt, fish, set up wigwams, harvest wood etc. on these lands." Few interactions between people, both the indigenous and non-indigenous, were recorded within the modern-day boundaries though on July 29, 1704, Thomas Battis, of Brookfield, "coming to Hadley as a post, was killed in the present Belchertown," by Native Americans. In 1716, the Equivalent Lands were sold by Connecticut Colony to residents who reside in present-day Connecticut and Massachusetts. Some of these lands were granted to Jonathan Belcher, the future Royal Governor of Massachusetts who served between 1730 and 1741. The Equivalent Lands, from Hadley to Brookfield, became known as "Cold Spring township" before Amherst, Belchertown, Pelham, Prescott, Ware and parts of Enfield were incorporated as towns. There was "much buying and selling of the 'Equivalent Lands' at Cold Spring." In 1722, twelve men bought about 8,400 acres at Cold Spring, seven of the…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  54,216
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  51,321
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  48,815
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  47,518
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  43,502
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  42,625
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  41,175
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  39,351

Most recent

• M 2.6 — 2015-01-13
  2 km E of Wauregan, Connecticut
• M 3.3 — 2015-01-12
  0 km NE of Wauregan, Connecticut
• M 2.5 — 2007-10-19
  2 km WSW of Littleton Common, Massachusetts
• M 2.8 — 2002-09-28
  2 km N of Wilton, New Hampshire
• M 2.5 — 2002-06-07
  3 km NNW of Hopedale, Massachusetts