South Deerfield

History

The area was once home to the Pocumtuck tribe, who were driven away by settlers relocated in 1673 from Dedham. In retaliation, on September 18, 1675, the Indians attacked and killed Captain Thomas Lathrop and a small force in the Battle of Bloody Brook before being routed by reinforcements. Thereafter called Bloody Brook or Muddy Brook, South Deerfield in 1809 attempted to be set off from Deerfield in part because of the distance to its meetinghouse and in part because of religious differences with its minister, the Reverend Samuel Willard. The grant was refused, and the village remained part of Deerfield, but South Deerfield nevertheless dedicated its own meetinghouse in 1821. Situated beside the Connecticut River, it developed as a small farming community. There are a variety of retail and service establishments in South Deerfield, including a hardware store, a family restaurant, the Polish American Citizens Club, and a small brewery. The town's Tilton Library and Frontier Regional High School are also in South Deerfield. Image:Old Bartlett House, South Deerfield, MA.jpg|Bartlett House in 1910 Image:Mt. Sugarloaf, South Deerfield, MA.jpg|Mt. Sugarloaf in 1910 Image:Connecticut River from Mt. Sugarloaf, South Deerfield, MA.jpg|Connecticut River, c. 1910 Image:Lathrop Hotel, South Deerfield, MA.jpg|Lathrop Hotel in 1911

Geography

South Deerfield is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 8.4 km (3.3 mi), of which 8.1 km (3.1 mi) is land and 0.3 km (0.1 mi) (3.37%) is water. South Deerfield is drained by the Deerfield and Connecticut rivers.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  34,529
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  30,673
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  30,653
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  30,518
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  29,065
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  27,039
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  26,018
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  25,294

Largest nearby schools

• Greater Commonwealth Virtual School
  Other · Greenfield · 1,155 students · 16:1 ratio
• Frontier Regional
  High · South Deerfield · 606 students · 11:1 ratio
• Franklin County Technical
  High · Turners Falls · 602 students · 10.6:1 ratio
• Greenfield High
  High · Greenfield · 454 students · 10.8:1 ratio
• Deerfield Elementary
  Elementary · South Deerfield · 309 students · 9.4:1 ratio
• Greenfield Middle
  Middle · Greenfield · 300 students · 10:1 ratio
• Four Rivers Charter Public School
  High · Greenfield · 219 students · 10.9:1 ratio
• Discovery School at Four Corners
  Elementary · Greenfield · 214 students · 11.3:1 ratio

Most recent

• 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