Lee

History

Lee occupies land that was originally territory of Mahican Indians. The first non-native settlement in the area was known as Dodgetown as early as 1760. Dodgetown was named after its founding settler, Asahel Dodge, who immigrated to the area from Cape Cod. Lee was incorporated in 1777 from parts of Great Barrington and Washington. It is named after Revolutionary War General Charles Lee. Lee is a former mill town. In the autumn of 1786 during Shays' Rebellion, about 250 followers of Daniel Shays encountered state troops commanded by General John Paterson near East Lee. The Shaysites paraded a fake cannon crafted from a yarn beam, and the troops fled. Early industries included agriculture, lumbering, and lime making. Abundant streams and rivers provided water power for mills that produced textiles and wire. Papermaking became the principal industry in 1806 with the construction of the Willow Mill by Samuel Church in South Lee. The Columbia Mill in central Lee was established in 1827, and eventually became the first to supply 100% groundwood newsprint to The New York Times. By 1857, there were 25 paper mills in Lee. The Smith Paper Company discovered how to manufacture paper solely from wood pulp in 1867, and through the 1870s was the country's largest producer of paper. The mills previously owned by Smith Paper Company were closed in 2008. Today, Lee has only a single papermaking facility. The town's marble is famous for its quality. The first quarry was established in 1852. In 1867, almost of marble was excavated and shipped on the Housatonic Railroad. Buildings constructed of Lee marble include a wing of the Capitol in Washington, 250 sculptures adorning Philadelphia City Hall, as well as the General Grant National Memorial, and St. Patrick's Cathedral (both in New…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 3.22%, is water. Lee is bordered by Lenox to the northwest, Washington to the northeast, Becket to the east, Tyringham in the southeast, Great Barrington to the southwest, and Stockbridge to the west. Lee is south of Pittsfield, west-northwest of Springfield, and west of Boston. Lee is in the southern section of the Berkshires, in a valley along the Housatonic River. It is west of October Mountain State Forest, with two sections of the forest in Lee. In the southwestern corner of town lies a portion of Beartown State Forest, where Burgoyne Pass crosses the northern end of the mountain. Hop Brook, a marshy brook which flows from Tyringham, flows into the Housatonic in the south; other bodies of water include Laurel Lake to the north and Goose Pond to the southeast. The Appalachian Trail skirts the eastern part of town, passing through Tyringham, Becket and Washington. Lee is on Interstate 90 (the Massachusetts Turnpike), and is home to Exit 10, the westernmost full exit on the turnpike (Exit 1, in West Stockbridge, is only a turnaround exit) as well as the first service area along the Pike. Lee is also on U.S. Route 20, the "old Mass Pike", which was the main route to New York until the interstate. A small section of U.S. Route 7 crosses through the northwestern corner of town before meeting Route 20 in Lenox. Massachusetts Route 102's eastern terminus is at Route 20, at the Exit 2 toll plaza. Lee lies along the Housatonic Railroad line, which travels from Pittsfield to Great Barrington and Sheffield, terminating near New Milford, Connecticut, near Danbury. The line is still the area's primary rail link to New York City's metropolitan area, Boston, and Albany.…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  20,013
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  18,295
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  15,671
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  15,665
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  15,124
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  14,051
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  14,017
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  12,690

Largest nearby schools

• Pittsfield High
  High · Pittsfield · 651 students · 9.6:1 ratio
• Theodore Herberg Middle
  Middle · Pittsfield · 496 students · 9.5:1 ratio
• Monument Mt Regional High
  High · Great Barrington · 472 students · 10.5:1 ratio
• Lenox Memorial High
  High · Lenox · 431 students · 8.6:1 ratio
• Egremont
  Elementary · Pittsfield · 382 students · 11.9:1 ratio
• Muddy Brook Regional Elementary School
  Elementary · Great Barrington · 372 students · 9.8:1 ratio
• Lee Elementary
  Elementary · Lee · 341 students · 9.5:1 ratio
• Morris
  Elementary · Lenox · 339 students · 14.1:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.79 — 2015-09-27
  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