Easthampton

Easthampton is a city in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 15,994 at the 2000 census. Easthampton was first settled by European immigrants beginning in 1664 and was originally considered part of Northampton. In 1785, the village of Easthampton was formally named its own separate political entity, and twenty-four years later, it officially became a town. The town grew primarily around the Manhan River, both through... more

Easthampton is a city in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 15,994 at the 2000 census. Easthampton was first settled by European immigrants beginning in 1664 and was originally considered part of Northampton. In 1785, the village of Easthampton was formally named its own separate political entity, and twenty-four years later, it officially became a town. The town grew primarily around the Manhan River, both through its phase as a strictly agricultural community and later, through the industrial revolution, when mills and factories were first built in Easthampton, mainly in connection with textile manufacturing and its offshoots. The first of these, the Williston-Knight Button Company, was established in 1847 by Samuel Williston, son of the town’s first minister, a Congregationalist named Payson Williston. The company specialized in cloth-covered buttons – a coveted item at the time – and to facilitate the operation of the machinery, a local brook was... less