Hatfield

History

Hatfield was founded in 1660 on land granted to General Daniel Dennison and Governor William Bradford. It was formally incorporated as a town in 1670 and has a board of selectmen and an annual town meeting. One of the theories of Hatfield's incorporation in 1670 was that during that time it was a colony of Hadley and Hadley's church was located across the Connecticut River on what is now West Street in present-day Hadley. The citizens living in what is now Hatfield asked the officials if they could build the church on the west side of the river, so that they could go to church and not have to cross the river, which was hard to cross every week, especially during the winter season when the river would freeze. When the citizens asked main Hadley, Hadley said "No." Enraged, they held a vote on whether Hatfield would still remain territory of Hadley, or secede into its own town. The vote for secession won. Many believed this was a good decision as during that time, travel was not easy, and it was very unusual for the already large Hadley, which had already claimed many of its surrounding towns, to have a spot on the west side of the river. As a center for agriculture, the region produced cattle, sheep, corn, and tobacco. At first their relations with the local Native Americans were very welcoming on both sides. On October 16, 1675, a substantial part of the town was destroyed in the Raid on Hatfield during King Philip's War, and surviving settlers sought refuge in Springfield. On September 19, 1677, another raid occurred, killing thirteen and resulting in seventeen hostages being taken to Canada. After nine months, the surviving hostages were ransomed and returned to Hatfield. During the American Revolution, Hatfield was an important source of supplies and men for the…

Geography

Hatfield is located on the west bank of the Connecticut River at the mouth of the Mill River, north of Springfield and about west of Boston. It is bordered to the west by Horse Mountain (a typical New England granite glacial remnant) and the town of Williamsburg, to the north by the town of Whately, to the east and south across the Connecticut River by the town of Hadley, and to the southwest by the city of Northampton. The village of Hatfield is in the southern part of the town, next to the Connecticut River, while the villages of Westbrook, North Hatfield, and Bradstreet are near the northern border. West Hatfield is in the southwest part of town, next to the Northampton border. U.S. Route 5/Route 10 and Interstate 91 pass through the town, with access to I-91 from Exits 27 and 30, where it intersects with US 5/Route 10. The village of Hatfield is approximately east of Routes 5 and 91. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town of Hatfield has a total area of , of which are land and , or 5.51%, are water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  60,977
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  58,532
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  54,242
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  53,494
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  49,804
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  48,000
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  46,536
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  45,154

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