Granby

History

Granby was once part of Hadley, as were other towns, as part of Hadley Equivalent Lands. Old Hadley was first settled in 1659 by people from Hartford and Wethersfield, Connecticut. These settlers left Connecticut because of religious differences within their communities. John Pynchon was commissioned to buy wilderness land for their new community. In 1658, Pynchon negotiated a deed with three Norwottuck sachems: Chickwalloppe (alias Wawhillowa), Umpanchela (alias Womscom), and Quonquont (alias Wompshaw). The deed reserved land for a cornfield for the Norwottuck and promised rights to hunt, fish and set up wigwams within the negotiated land. Ownership was transferred to the settlers and confirmed by the General Court. These original boundaries include part of present-day Granby. In August 1662, Pynchon negotiated a deed with Awonunsk, her husband Wequagon, and her son Squomp, for land also in present-day Granby, South Hadley and Belchertown. Ownership was transferred to the settlers and Awonunsk and her family were paid in 150 fathoms of wampum (approximately 54,000 wampum beads), 10 coats, and 2 yards of cloth, among other items. The deed also promised rights for the Norwottuck to hunt, fish, collect wood, and set up wigwams on the commons. Granby was settled in 1727. In November 1727, residents of what are now South Hadley and Granby petitioned the General Court to form a precinct within the Town of Hadley. This petition was granted on July 4, 1732, creating Hadley's South Precinct. In 1753, the precinct was granted district status. From 1751 through 1761, the district was deadlocked over whether to build a new meetinghouse west of Cold Hill, in present-day South Hadley, or to its east, in present-day Granby. In the Summer of 1761, the district's west side began…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which are land and , or 0.92%, is water. Granby is bordered by South Hadley to the west, Amherst to the north, Belchertown to the east, and Ludlow and Chicopee to the south. Two highways pass through the town: U.S. Route 202 runs eastward though town from South Hadley to Belchertown on East State Street and West State Street, while Route 116 runs northeastward from South Hadley to Amherst along Amherst Road. Granby is north of Springfield, the largest city in western Massachusetts. The Holyoke Range is in the northern part of Granby. Major peaks within the town are Long Mountain and Mount Norwottuck. Norwottuck is the highest point in town at above sea level. The Metacomet-Monadnock Trail runs along this mountain range as it passes through Granby. The Horse Caves are geological ledges along this trail.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  63,860
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  60,593
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  56,644
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  55,841
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  50,606
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  50,416
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  48,755
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  46,295

Largest nearby schools

• Northampton High
  High · Northampton · 903 students · 14.6:1 ratio
• Amherst Regional High
  High · Amherst · 858 students · 11.8:1 ratio
• Belchertown High
  High · Belchertown · 637 students · 12.7:1 ratio
• John F Kennedy Middle School
  Middle · Florence · 583 students · 9.7:1 ratio
• Smith Vocational and Agricultural High
  High · Northampton · 566 students · 9.4:1 ratio
• Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School
  Other · Hadley · 549 students · 8.7:1 ratio
• Michael E. Smith Middle School
  Middle · South Hadley · 526 students · 12.8:1 ratio
• South Hadley High
  High · South Hadley · 500 students · 8.6:1 ratio

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