|
1675 - 1719 |
Hadley Residents
requested and received from the town individual grants of land
south of Mt Holyoke. Permission was granted for lumbering and
operating sawmills in preparation for building. Fishing,
hunting, pasturing had long been carried on there by Hadley
men. |
|
1720 |
Certain sections
of this land were laid out by vote of the Town of Hadley for
which the pioneers-to-be drew shares according to their
rateable property. |
|
1725 |
Settlement was
begun, chiefly by younger men, women and their families.
Actual settling had been delayed by Indian depredations in the
region. |
|
1732 |
This settlement
became the "South Precinct of Hadley", with limited
self-government, on condition that it settle "a learned and
orthodox minister" in two years. |
|
1753 |
South Precinct
was made a district - South Hadley - by the General Court,
with all the powers of a town except the right to its own
representative in General Court. First "Town Meeting" was held
April 30, 1753 in the first meeting house (built on the
Common, 1722), which served as church and town hall. |
|
1775 |
South Hadley was
incorporated as a town, with its own representative in General
Court (his salary paid by the town). For some decades
preceding the Revolution, the British Government, fearing the
growing independence of the Massachusetts General Court, did
not allow districts to become towns, with the right to
representation in Boston and hence until this date, South
Hadley remained a district, sharing one representative,
usually a Hadley man, with Hadley, Granby, Amherst and East
Hadley. |
|
1779 |
South Hadley's
representative to the General Court, Noah Goodman, was a
member of the convention which drew up the new state
constitution, ratified in 1780, still three years before the
end of the Revolution. (In 1788 Noah Goodman voted in state
convention for ratification of the United States Constitution,
unlike representatives of two neighboring towns). |
|
1795 |
First navigable
canal in the United States began operation, making Falls
Village, then South Hadley Canal, a busy shipping center and
tourist attraction. The canal first operated with a carriage
run up and down and inclined plane, carrying flatboats and
rafts between the lower and upper levels ( a 50 ft difference)
past the two and a half mile rapids. later the canal was
deepened and the inclined plane replaced by locks which could
tow larger craft, including the Steamboats that came in 1826.
Operated until 1862, when the railroad made shipping by river
boat unprofitable. |
|
1837 |
Mount Holyoke
Seminary opened under Mary Lyon, many townspeople having
contributed both money and labor. |
|
1897 |
Town established
"The South Hadley Public Library" with nine trustees. Voted
$1000 a year. Two locations were used for the libraries, one
in the Falls and one in center Village. |
|
1904 |
Gaylord Memorial
Library opened as public library at the Center on land granted
by the town (part of its old burying ground) to Gaylord
Memorial Library Association. |
|
1907 |
South Hadley
Falls Free Public Library opened in its new Carnegie
Foundation building. Land and furnishings were donated by Miss
Elizabeth Gaylord. |
|
1908 |
Combined High
School and Town Hall opened in present Town Hall building.
Annex needed by 1927. |
|
1933 |
Limited or
representative Town Meeting was adopted by referendum, with
the population of South Hadley at about 6,800. |
|
1934 |
First Town
Meeting members were elected, 54 in all. |
|
1956 |
Senior High
School opened on Newton Street, then enlarged in 1964. |
|
1974 |
South Hadley was
divided in two Representative Districts: one included Precinct
A with three adjoining towns, the other consisted of Precincts
B, C and D with three other towns. Each district had its own
representative. |
|
1976 |
Old Firehouse
Museum dedicated on July 4th. |
|
1990 |
Town Meeting
voted to have 5 selectmen. |
|
1992 |
Town Meeting
voted approval for renovation of old bank site on Bridge
Street for new police station. |
|
1997 |
Town acquiring
from James River Corp. 244 acres of land for future
development of recreation and conservation. |
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