Stockbridge, Massachusetts
Encyclopedia
Stockbridge is a town
in Berkshire County
in Western
Massachusetts
. It is part of the Pittsfield
, Massachusetts
, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,947 at the 2010 census. A year round resort area, Stockbridge is home to the Norman Rockwell Museum
, the Austen Riggs Center
(a noted psychiatric treatment center), and Chesterwood
, home and studio of sculptor Daniel Chester French
.
for the Mahican
Indian
tribe known as the Stockbridge Indians. The township was set aside for the tribe as a reward for their assistance against the French
in the French and Indian Wars
. The Reverend John Sergeant from Newark
, New Jersey
was their missionary
. Sergeant was succeeded in this post by Jonathan Edwards, a notable Christian theologian associated with the First Great Awakening
. First chartered as Indian Town in 1737, it was officially incorporated on June 22, 1739 as Stockbridge, named after Stockbridge
in Hampshire, England.
Although the Massachusetts General Court
made an assurance that the Indians' land could never be sold, it was rescinded. Despite their further help during the Revolutionary War
, the tribe was relocated first to New York State, then to Wisconsin
. The village was taken over by English
settlers. With the arrival of the railroad in 1850, Stockbridge developed as a summer resort for the wealthy. Many large houses called Berkshire Cottages
were built in the area before World War I
and the advent of income tax
. One estate on the Lenox
border, Tanglewood
, is today the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra
.
Since 1853, Stockbridge has benefited from the presence of the Laurel Hill Association
, a village beautification society. The Stockbridge Bowl Association maintains and preserves the natural beauty of Stockbridge Bowl and the surrounding Bullard Woods.
Stockbridge was also the home to Elizabeth Freeman
, late in her life. The former slave who was one of the petitioners in the lawsuit that had slavery declared unconstitutional in Massachusetts, Freeman worked in the household of the Massachusetts statesman Judge Theodore Sedgwick
. She is buried in the Sedgwick family plot at the Stockbridge Cemetery.
Famed 19th century literary figure, Catharine Maria Sedgwick, was born in Stockbridge in 1789. She is the author of six novels including her most famous, Hope Leslie
(1827). The town has a tradition as an art colony
. Sculptor Daniel Chester French
lived and worked at his home and studio called Chesterwood
. Norman Rockwell
painted many of his works in Stockbridge, home to the Norman Rockwell Museum
.
, the town has a total area of 23.7 square miles (61.4 km²), of which, 22.9 square miles (59.4 km²) of it is land and 0.8 square miles (2.0 km²) of it (3.25%) is water. Stockbridge is bordered by Richmond
to the northwest, Lenox
to the north and northeast, Lee
to the east, Great Barrington
to the south, and West Stockbridge
to the west. The town is located 13.5 miles south of Pittsfield
, 45 miles west-northwest of Springfield
, and 130 miles west of Boston.
Set among the Berkshire Mountains, Stockbridge is drained by the Housatonic River
, which runs through the center of town. The river also is fed by several marshy brooks and lakes, including Mohawk Lake to the west, Agawam Lake to the south, Lake Averic in the northwest, and Lake Mahkeenac
, also known as the Stockbridge Bowl, to the north. Stockbridge Bowl is the site of a town beach, a boating club, and a summer camp, Camp Mah-Kee-Nac. North of the bowl lies parts of Tanglewood
. To either side of the bowl lie West Stockbridge Mountain and Rattlesnake Hill. To the south, Monument Mountain peaks on the Great Barrington town line, and Beartown Mountain peaks to the east, closer to the Lee town line.
The town is nearly bisected by Interstate 90
, also known as the Massachusetts Turnpike
. There are exits in neighboring West Stockbridge and Lee. Several state routes, including Route 102
, Route 183
and U.S. Route 7
all pass through town, with Routes 102 and 7 sharing a short stretch in downtown Stockbridge, and Routes 102 and 183 meeting in the village of Larrywaug. In this village are the Berkshire Botanical Gardens and the Norman Rockwell Museum. South of there, in the village of Glendale, lies Chesterwood.
The Housatonic Railroad, the main rail line between Pittsfield and Great Barrington, passes through the town and lies mostly on the southern bank of the river. The town lies along a line of the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority (BRTA) bus line, which provides service between Pittsfield and Great Barrington. Pittsfield is also the site of the nearest regional bus service, as well as regional Amtrak
service. There are local airports in Pittsfield and Great Barrington, and the nearest national air service is located at Albany International Airport
in New York.
of 2000, there were 2,276 people, 991 households, and 567 families residing in the town. By population, Stockbridge ranks twelfth out of the 32 cities and towns in Berkshire County, and 285th out of the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts. The population density
was 99.2 people per square mile (38.3/km²), which ranks 12th in the county and 281st in the Commonwealth. There were 1,571 housing units at an average density of 68.5 per square mile (26.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.92% White, 1.23% African American, 0.04% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.97% from other races
, and 0.35% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.90% of the population.
There were 991 households out of which 18.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples
living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.7% were non-families. 36.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.67.
In the town the population was spread out with 15.2% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 22.5% from 25 to 44, 33.5% from 45 to 64, and 22.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females there were 91.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $48,571, and the median income for a family was $59,556. Males had a median income of $32,500 versus $27,969 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $32,499. About 1.7% of families and 8.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.2% of those under age 18 and 4.1% of those age 65 or over.
, held annually on the third Monday in May, and by an elected three-member Board of Selectmen. The town operates its own police, fire and public works departments, with two fire stations and two post offices. The town's library, located in the central village, is connected to the regional library network. The nearest hospital, Fairview Hospital, is located in neighboring Great Barrington.
On the state level, Stockbridge is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives
by the Fourth Berkshire district, which covers southern Berkshire County, as well as the westernmost towns in Hampden County. In the Massachusetts Senate
, the town is represented by the Berkshire, Hampshire and Franklin district, which includes all of Berkshire County and western Hampshire and Franklin Counties. The town is patrolled by the First (Lee) Station of Barracks "B" of the Massachusetts State Police
.
On the national level, Stockbridge is represented in the United States House of Representatives
as part of Massachusetts's 1st congressional district
, and has been represented by John Olver
of Amherst
since June 1991. Massachusetts is currently represented in the United States Senate
by senior Senator John Kerry
and junior Senator Scott Brown
.
, before the opening of Monument Mountain Regional High School. Stockbridge Plain School then became an elementary school
for the Berkshire Hills Regional School District. A renovation of the building was completed in 2008, and it now serves as the new town offices.
Today, Stockbridge, along with West Stockbridge and Great Barrington
, are members of the Berkshire Hills Regional School District. All students in the district attend school in Great Barrington, with elementary students attending Muddy Brook Regional Elementary School, middle school students attending Monument Valley Regional Middle School, and high school students attending Monument Mountain Regional High School. In addition to public schools, there are private and religious schools located in the neighboring towns.
The nearest community college
is the South County branch of Berkshire Community College
in Great Barrington. The nearest state college is Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
in North Adams
, and the nearest state university is the University of Massachusetts Amherst
. The nearest private college is Bard College at Simon's Rock, also in Great Barrington.
New England town
The New England town is the basic unit of local government in each of the six New England states. Without a direct counterpart in most other U.S. states, New England towns are conceptually similar to civil townships in other states, but are incorporated, possessing powers like cities in other...
in Berkshire County
Berkshire County, Massachusetts
Berkshire County is a non-governmental county located on the western edge of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2010 census, the population was 131,219. Its largest city and traditional county seat is Pittsfield...
in Western
Western Massachusetts
Western Massachusetts is a loosely defined geographical region of the U.S. state of Massachusetts which contains the Berkshires, the Pioneer Valley, and some or all of the Swift River Valley. The region is always considered to include Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden counties, and the...
Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. It is part of the Pittsfield
Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Its area code is 413. Its ZIP code is 01201...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,947 at the 2010 census. A year round resort area, Stockbridge is home to the Norman Rockwell Museum
Norman Rockwell Museum
The Norman Rockwell Museum is home to the world's largest collection of original Rockwell art.-History:Founded in 1969, the museum is located in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where Rockwell lived the last 25 years of his life. The museum has been at its current location since 1993. The museum...
, the Austen Riggs Center
Austen Riggs Center
The Austen Riggs Center is a psychiatric treatment facility founded in 1913 in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.-Founding – 1946:A New York City internist who repaired to the bucolic countryside of Stockbridge while suffering from tuberculosis, Austen Fox Riggs developed an innovative treatment regimen...
(a noted psychiatric treatment center), and Chesterwood
Chesterwood (Massachusetts)
Chesterwood was the summer estate and studio of American sculptor Daniel Chester French in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.The estate covers of forest and field in the Berkshires, with French's summer home, studio, and garden dating from the 1920s...
, home and studio of sculptor Daniel Chester French
Daniel Chester French
Daniel Chester French was an American sculptor. His best-known work is the sculpture of a seated Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.-Life and career:...
.
History
Stockbridge was first settled in 1734 as a missionMission (Christian)
Christian missionary activities often involve sending individuals and groups , to foreign countries and to places in their own homeland. This has frequently involved not only evangelization , but also humanitarian work, especially among the poor and disadvantaged...
for the Mahican
Mahican
The Mahican are an Eastern Algonquian Native American tribe, originally settling in the Hudson River Valley . After 1680, many moved to Stockbridge, Massachusetts. During the early 1820s and 1830s, most of the Mahican descendants migrated westward to northeastern Wisconsin...
Indian
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
tribe known as the Stockbridge Indians. The township was set aside for the tribe as a reward for their assistance against the French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
in the French and Indian Wars
French and Indian Wars
The French and Indian Wars is a name used in the United States for a series of conflicts lasting 74 years in North America that represented colonial events related to the European dynastic wars...
. The Reverend John Sergeant from Newark
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
was their missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
. Sergeant was succeeded in this post by Jonathan Edwards, a notable Christian theologian associated with the First Great Awakening
First Great Awakening
The First Awakening was a Christian revitalization movement that swept Protestant Europe and British America, and especially the American colonies in the 1730s and 1740s, leaving a permanent impact on American religion. It resulted from powerful preaching that gave listeners a sense of personal...
. First chartered as Indian Town in 1737, it was officially incorporated on June 22, 1739 as Stockbridge, named after Stockbridge
Stockbridge, Hampshire
Stockbridge is a small town and civil parish in Hampshire, England. It has an acreage of and a population of little under 600 people according to the 2001 census in Hampshire, England. It lies on the River Test, in the Test Valley district and renowned for trout fishing. The A30 road goes through...
in Hampshire, England.
Although the Massachusetts General Court
Massachusetts General Court
The Massachusetts General Court is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the Colonial Era, when this body also sat in judgment of judicial appeals cases...
made an assurance that the Indians' land could never be sold, it was rescinded. Despite their further help during the Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, the tribe was relocated first to New York State, then to Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. The village was taken over by English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
settlers. With the arrival of the railroad in 1850, Stockbridge developed as a summer resort for the wealthy. Many large houses called Berkshire Cottages
Berkshire Cottages
America's Gilded Age, the post-Civil War and post-Reconstruction era, from 1865 to 1901 saw unprecedented economic and industrial prosperity. As a result of this prosperity, the nation's wealthiest families were able to construct monumental estates in Newport, Rhode Island, Bar Harbor, Maine and...
were built in the area before World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and the advent of income tax
Income tax
An income tax is a tax levied on the income of individuals or businesses . Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence. Income taxation can be progressive, proportional, or regressive. When the tax is levied on the income of companies, it is often called a corporate...
. One estate on the Lenox
Lenox, Massachusetts
Lenox is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. Set in Western Massachusetts, it is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 5,077 at the 2000 census. Where the town has a border with Stockbridge is the site of Tanglewood, summer...
border, Tanglewood
Tanglewood
Tanglewood is an estate and music venue in Lenox and Stockbridge, Massachusetts. It is the home of the annual summer Tanglewood Music Festival and the Tanglewood Jazz Festival, and has been the Boston Symphony Orchestra's summer home since 1937. It was the venue of the Berkshire Festival.- History...
, is today the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1881, the BSO plays most of its concerts at Boston's Symphony Hall and in the summer performs at the Tanglewood Music Center...
.
Since 1853, Stockbridge has benefited from the presence of the Laurel Hill Association
Laurel Hill Association
The Laurel Hill Association is the nation's oldest village beautification society. Founded in 1853 in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, it has played a key role in the beautification of the town...
, a village beautification society. The Stockbridge Bowl Association maintains and preserves the natural beauty of Stockbridge Bowl and the surrounding Bullard Woods.
Stockbridge was also the home to Elizabeth Freeman
Mum Bett
Bett sought the counsel of Theodore Sedgwick, an abolition-minded lawyer, to help her sue for freedom in court. She told him, "I heard that paper read yesterday, that says, all men are created equal, and that every man has a right to freedom...
, late in her life. The former slave who was one of the petitioners in the lawsuit that had slavery declared unconstitutional in Massachusetts, Freeman worked in the household of the Massachusetts statesman Judge Theodore Sedgwick
Theodore Sedgwick
Theodore Sedgwick was an attorney, politician and jurist, who served in elected state government and as a Delegate to the Continental Congress, a US Representative, and a United States Senator from Massachusetts. He served as the fifth Speaker of the United States House of Representatives...
. She is buried in the Sedgwick family plot at the Stockbridge Cemetery.
Famed 19th century literary figure, Catharine Maria Sedgwick, was born in Stockbridge in 1789. She is the author of six novels including her most famous, Hope Leslie
Hope Leslie
Hope Leslie or Early Times in the Massachusetts is a novel written by Catharine Maria Sedgwick. The book is considered significant because of its strong feminist overtones and ideas of equity and fairness toward Native Americans, both of which were rare at the time the book was written. The book is...
(1827). The town has a tradition as an art colony
Art colony
right|300px|thumb|Artist houses in [[Montsalvat]] near [[Melbourne, Australia]].An art colony or artists' colony is a place where creative practitioners live and interact with one another. Artists are often invited or selected through a formal process, for a residency from a few weeks to over a year...
. Sculptor Daniel Chester French
Daniel Chester French
Daniel Chester French was an American sculptor. His best-known work is the sculpture of a seated Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.-Life and career:...
lived and worked at his home and studio called Chesterwood
Chesterwood (Massachusetts)
Chesterwood was the summer estate and studio of American sculptor Daniel Chester French in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.The estate covers of forest and field in the Berkshires, with French's summer home, studio, and garden dating from the 1920s...
. Norman Rockwell
Norman Rockwell
Norman Percevel Rockwell was a 20th-century American painter and illustrator. His works enjoy a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of American culture. Rockwell is most famous for the cover illustrations of everyday life scenarios he created for The Saturday Evening...
painted many of his works in Stockbridge, home to the Norman Rockwell Museum
Norman Rockwell Museum
The Norman Rockwell Museum is home to the world's largest collection of original Rockwell art.-History:Founded in 1969, the museum is located in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where Rockwell lived the last 25 years of his life. The museum has been at its current location since 1993. The museum...
.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 23.7 square miles (61.4 km²), of which, 22.9 square miles (59.4 km²) of it is land and 0.8 square miles (2.0 km²) of it (3.25%) is water. Stockbridge is bordered by Richmond
Richmond, Massachusetts
Richmond is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,475 at the 2010 census.-History:...
to the northwest, Lenox
Lenox, Massachusetts
Lenox is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. Set in Western Massachusetts, it is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 5,077 at the 2000 census. Where the town has a border with Stockbridge is the site of Tanglewood, summer...
to the north and northeast, Lee
Lee, Massachusetts
Lee is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, metropolitan statistical area. The population was 5,943 which was determined in the 2010 census. Lee, which includes the villages of South and East Lee, is part of the Berkshires resort...
to the east, Great Barrington
Great Barrington, Massachusetts
Great Barrington is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,104 at the 2010 census. Both a summer resort and home to Ski Butternut, Great Barrington includes the villages of Van...
to the south, and West Stockbridge
West Stockbridge, Massachusetts
West Stockbridge is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,416 at the 2000 census.- History :...
to the west. The town is located 13.5 miles south of Pittsfield
Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Its area code is 413. Its ZIP code is 01201...
, 45 miles west-northwest of Springfield
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
, and 130 miles west of Boston.
Set among the Berkshire Mountains, Stockbridge is drained by the Housatonic River
Housatonic River
The Housatonic River is a river, approximately long, in western Massachusetts and western Connecticut in the United States. It flows south to southeast, and drains about of southwestern New England into Long Island Sound...
, which runs through the center of town. The river also is fed by several marshy brooks and lakes, including Mohawk Lake to the west, Agawam Lake to the south, Lake Averic in the northwest, and Lake Mahkeenac
Stockbridge Bowl
Stockbridge Bowl is a artificially impounded body of water that is 4 km north of the village of Stockbridge, Massachusetts. A variant name is Lake Mahkeenac....
, also known as the Stockbridge Bowl, to the north. Stockbridge Bowl is the site of a town beach, a boating club, and a summer camp, Camp Mah-Kee-Nac. North of the bowl lies parts of Tanglewood
Tanglewood
Tanglewood is an estate and music venue in Lenox and Stockbridge, Massachusetts. It is the home of the annual summer Tanglewood Music Festival and the Tanglewood Jazz Festival, and has been the Boston Symphony Orchestra's summer home since 1937. It was the venue of the Berkshire Festival.- History...
. To either side of the bowl lie West Stockbridge Mountain and Rattlesnake Hill. To the south, Monument Mountain peaks on the Great Barrington town line, and Beartown Mountain peaks to the east, closer to the Lee town line.
The town is nearly bisected by Interstate 90
Interstate 90
Interstate 90 is the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It is the northernmost coast-to-coast interstate, and parallels US 20 for the most part. Its western terminus is in Seattle, at Edgar Martinez Drive S. near Safeco Field and CenturyLink Field, and its eastern terminus is in...
, also known as the Massachusetts Turnpike
Massachusetts Turnpike
The Massachusetts Turnpike is the easternmost stretch of Interstate 90. The Turnpike begins at the western border of Massachusetts in West Stockbridge connecting with the Berkshire Connector portion of the New York State Thruway...
. There are exits in neighboring West Stockbridge and Lee. Several state routes, including Route 102
Massachusetts Route 102
-Route description:Route 102 begins in West Stockbridge at the New York state line, connected to New York State Route 22 by New York State Reference Route 980D in Canaan, New York...
, Route 183
Massachusetts Route 183
Massachusetts Route 183 is a north–south state highway in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. The entire route travels from Lenox to Sandisfield at the Connecticut state border. The entire route is long , with several miles running in a silent concurrency with other routes .-Route...
and U.S. Route 7
U.S. Route 7
U.S. Route 7 is a north–south United States highway in western New England that runs for from Norwalk, Connecticut, to Highgate, Vermont. The highway's southern terminus is at Interstate 95 in Norwalk, Connecticut...
all pass through town, with Routes 102 and 7 sharing a short stretch in downtown Stockbridge, and Routes 102 and 183 meeting in the village of Larrywaug. In this village are the Berkshire Botanical Gardens and the Norman Rockwell Museum. South of there, in the village of Glendale, lies Chesterwood.
The Housatonic Railroad, the main rail line between Pittsfield and Great Barrington, passes through the town and lies mostly on the southern bank of the river. The town lies along a line of the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority (BRTA) bus line, which provides service between Pittsfield and Great Barrington. Pittsfield is also the site of the nearest regional bus service, as well as regional Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
service. There are local airports in Pittsfield and Great Barrington, and the nearest national air service is located at Albany International Airport
Albany International Airport
Albany International Airport is a public use airport located six nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Albany, in Albany County, New York, United States. It is owned by the Albany County Airport Authority....
in New York.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 2,276 people, 991 households, and 567 families residing in the town. By population, Stockbridge ranks twelfth out of the 32 cities and towns in Berkshire County, and 285th out of the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 99.2 people per square mile (38.3/km²), which ranks 12th in the county and 281st in the Commonwealth. There were 1,571 housing units at an average density of 68.5 per square mile (26.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.92% White, 1.23% African American, 0.04% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.97% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.35% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.90% of the population.
There were 991 households out of which 18.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.7% were non-families. 36.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.67.
In the town the population was spread out with 15.2% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 22.5% from 25 to 44, 33.5% from 45 to 64, and 22.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females there were 91.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $48,571, and the median income for a family was $59,556. Males had a median income of $32,500 versus $27,969 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $32,499. About 1.7% of families and 8.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.2% of those under age 18 and 4.1% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Stockbridge is governed by open town meetingOpen town meeting
An open town meeting is a form of town meeting in which all registered voters of a town may vote . This form of government is typical of smaller municipalities in the New England region of the United States....
, held annually on the third Monday in May, and by an elected three-member Board of Selectmen. The town operates its own police, fire and public works departments, with two fire stations and two post offices. The town's library, located in the central village, is connected to the regional library network. The nearest hospital, Fairview Hospital, is located in neighboring Great Barrington.
On the state level, Stockbridge is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
by the Fourth Berkshire district, which covers southern Berkshire County, as well as the westernmost towns in Hampden County. In the Massachusetts Senate
Massachusetts Senate
The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the state...
, the town is represented by the Berkshire, Hampshire and Franklin district, which includes all of Berkshire County and western Hampshire and Franklin Counties. The town is patrolled by the First (Lee) Station of Barracks "B" of the Massachusetts State Police
Massachusetts State Police
The Massachusetts State Police is an agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Executive Office of Public Safety and Security responsible for criminal law enforcement and traffic vehicle regulation across the state...
.
On the national level, Stockbridge is represented in the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
as part of Massachusetts's 1st congressional district
Massachusetts's 1st congressional district
Massachusetts's 1st congressional district is in western and central Massachusetts. The largest Massachusetts district in area, it covers about one-third of the state and is more rural than the rest. It has the state's highest point, Mount Greylock...
, and has been represented by John Olver
John Olver
John Walter Olver is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1991. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Early in his career, he was a chemistry professor and served in both chambers of the Massachusetts General Court....
of Amherst
Amherst, Massachusetts
Amherst is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States in the Connecticut River valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 37,819, making it the largest community in Hampshire County . The town is home to Amherst College, Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts...
since June 1991. Massachusetts is currently represented in the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
by senior Senator John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
and junior Senator Scott Brown
Scott Brown
Scott Brown is a United States senator.Scott Brown may also refer to:-Sportsmen:*Scott Brown , American college football coach of Kentucky State...
.
Education
The building of the former Stockbridge Plain School was once shared with the former Williams High SchoolHigh school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
, before the opening of Monument Mountain Regional High School. Stockbridge Plain School then became an elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
for the Berkshire Hills Regional School District. A renovation of the building was completed in 2008, and it now serves as the new town offices.
Today, Stockbridge, along with West Stockbridge and Great Barrington
Great Barrington, Massachusetts
Great Barrington is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,104 at the 2010 census. Both a summer resort and home to Ski Butternut, Great Barrington includes the villages of Van...
, are members of the Berkshire Hills Regional School District. All students in the district attend school in Great Barrington, with elementary students attending Muddy Brook Regional Elementary School, middle school students attending Monument Valley Regional Middle School, and high school students attending Monument Mountain Regional High School. In addition to public schools, there are private and religious schools located in the neighboring towns.
The nearest community college
Community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries.-Australia:Community colleges carry on the tradition of adult education, which was established in Australia around mid 19th century when evening classes were held to help adults...
is the South County branch of Berkshire Community College
Berkshire Community College
Berkshire Community College is a two-year community college in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It offers associate degrees as well as a transfer program for students to earn credits for transfer to other colleges...
in Great Barrington. The nearest state college is Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
The Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts is a public, residential, liberal arts college that offers both undergraduate and graduate programs. Located in North Adams, Massachusetts, it is part of the state university system of Massachusetts. It is a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts...
in North Adams
North Adams, Massachusetts
North Adams is a city in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 13,708 as of the 2010 census, making it the least populous city in the state...
, and the nearest state university is the University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Massachusetts Amherst
The University of Massachusetts Amherst is a public research and land-grant university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States and the flagship of the University of Massachusetts system...
. The nearest private college is Bard College at Simon's Rock, also in Great Barrington.
Sites of interest
- Austen Riggs CenterAusten Riggs CenterThe Austen Riggs Center is a psychiatric treatment facility founded in 1913 in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.-Founding – 1946:A New York City internist who repaired to the bucolic countryside of Stockbridge while suffering from tuberculosis, Austen Fox Riggs developed an innovative treatment regimen...
, psychiatric hospital - Berkshire Botanical GardenBerkshire Botanical GardenThe Berkshire Botanical Garden, is a 15 acre botanical garden in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, USA. Its collections contain over 3,000 species and varieties, with an emphasis on plants that thrive in the Berkshires....
- Berkshire Theatre FestivalBerkshire Theatre FestivalThe Berkshire Theatre Festival is one of the oldest professional performing arts venues in the Berkshires, celebrating its 80th anniversary season in 2008.-History:...
, originally designed by Stanford WhiteStanford WhiteStanford White was an American architect and partner in the architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White, the frontrunner among Beaux-Arts firms. He designed a long series of houses for the rich and the very rich, and various public, institutional, and religious buildings, some of which can be found...
as a casino (1888) - ChesterwoodChesterwood (Massachusetts)Chesterwood was the summer estate and studio of American sculptor Daniel Chester French in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.The estate covers of forest and field in the Berkshires, with French's summer home, studio, and garden dating from the 1920s...
, home of Daniel Chester FrenchDaniel Chester FrenchDaniel Chester French was an American sculptor. His best-known work is the sculpture of a seated Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.-Life and career:... - Dudley Field Memorial TowerCampanileCampanile is an Italian word meaning "bell tower" . The term applies to bell towers which are either part of a larger building or free-standing, although in American English, the latter meaning has become prevalent.The most famous campanile is probably the Leaning Tower of Pisa...
(Children's Chimes Tower) - Ice Glen
- Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health
- Merwin HouseMerwin HouseMerwin House, also known as Tranquility, is a house located at 14 Main Street, Stockbridge, Massachusetts. It is now a non-profit museum operated by Historic New England and sometimes open to the public. An admission fee is charged....
(c. 1825) - Mission HouseMission House (Stockbridge, Massachusetts)The Mission House is an historic house located at 19 Main Street, Stockbridge, Massachusetts and used as a Native American mission in the 18th century...
(c. 1739) - National Shrine of the Divine Mercy
- Naumkeag Museum & GardensNaumkeagNaumkeag is a 44 room, shingle-style country house located at 5 Prospect Hill Road, Stockbridge, Massachusetts, USA in the Berkshires. It is now operated by The Trustees of Reservations as a nonprofit museum....
(1886) - Norman Rockwell MuseumNorman Rockwell MuseumThe Norman Rockwell Museum is home to the world's largest collection of original Rockwell art.-History:Founded in 1969, the museum is located in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where Rockwell lived the last 25 years of his life. The museum has been at its current location since 1993. The museum...
- Sedgwick PieSedgwick PieThe "Sedgwick Pie" is one of the more unusual family cemetery plots in the United States. It is the family burial plot of the Sedgwick family in Stockbridge Cemetery, Stockbridge, Massachusetts, and gets its nickname from its shape and layout.-Description:...
, unique family plot at the Stockbridge Cemetery - Shadow Brook Farm Historic DistrictShadow Brook Farm Historic DistrictShadow Brook Farm Historic District on state Route 183 in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, is a historic district that includes six re-purposed farm buildings related to the former Shadowbrook mansion destroyed by fire in 1956. Designed by architect H. Neill Wilson with landscaping by Frederick Law...
, summer home of Andrew CarnegieAndrew CarnegieAndrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century... - TanglewoodTanglewoodTanglewood is an estate and music venue in Lenox and Stockbridge, Massachusetts. It is the home of the annual summer Tanglewood Music Festival and the Tanglewood Jazz Festival, and has been the Boston Symphony Orchestra's summer home since 1937. It was the venue of the Berkshire Festival.- History...
, summer home of the Boston Symphony OrchestraBoston Symphony OrchestraThe Boston Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1881, the BSO plays most of its concerts at Boston's Symphony Hall and in the summer performs at the Tanglewood Music Center...
Notable residents
- Lauren Ambrose, actress
- Ezekiel BaconEzekiel BaconEzekiel Bacon was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts and New York.-Life:...
, congressman - John BaconJohn Bacon (Massachusetts)John Bacon was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts.John Bacon was born in Canterbury, Connecticut on April 5, 1738. Upon graduating from Princeton College he spent some time preaching in Somerset County, Maryland. On 25 September 1771 he and Mr...
, congressman - Barnabas BidwellBarnabas BidwellBarnabas Bidwell was a dual Canadian and American politician of the late 18th and early 19th Centuries.Bidwell was born to Adonijah Bidwell and Jemima Devotion in Township No. 1 , and graduated from Yale College in 1785. He later attended Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island...
, congressman - Joseph Choate, ambassador
- Henry W. DwightHenry W. DwightHenry Williams Dwight was a lawyer and politician who became U.S. Representative from Massachusetts.-Life:Born February 26, 1788 in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, his father was also named Henry Williams Dwight and mother was Abigail Welles...
, congressman - Joseph Dwight, 18th c. Judge
- Jonathan Edwards, 18th c. theologian
- Erik EriksonErik EriksonErik Erikson was a Danish-German-American developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst known for his theory on social development of human beings. He may be most famous for coining the phrase identity crisis. His son, Kai T...
, psychologist and author - Cyrus West FieldCyrus West FieldCyrus West Field was an American businessman and financier who, along with other entrepreneurs, created the Atlantic Telegraph Company and laid the first telegraph cable across the Atlantic Ocean in 1858.-Life and career:...
, financier - Elizabeth Freeman (Mum Bett), freed slave
- Daniel Chester FrenchDaniel Chester FrenchDaniel Chester French was an American sculptor. His best-known work is the sculpture of a seated Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.-Life and career:...
, sculptor - William GibsonWilliam Gibson (playwright)William Gibson was an American playwright and novelist. He graduated from the City College of New York in 1938.He was of Irish, French, German, Dutch and Russian ancestry...
, novelist & playwright - Arlo GuthrieArlo GuthrieArlo Davy Guthrie is an American folk singer. Like his father, Woody Guthrie, Arlo often sings songs of protest against social injustice...
, songwriter & singer - Agrippa HullAgrippa HullAgrippa Hull was an African American patriot who fought alongside Tadeusz Kościuszko in the American Revolutionary War. He served for six years and two months. After the war he received a veterans pension signed by George Washington. He treasured this for the rest of his life...
, African American patriot - Terence HillTerence HillTerence Hill is an Italian actor. He is best known for starring in multiple action and western films together with his longtime filmpartner Bud Spencer.-Biography:...
, actor - Owen JohnsonOwen JohnsonOwen McMahon Johnson was an American writer best remembered for his stories and novels cataloguing the educational and personal growth of the fictional character Dink Stover....
, writer - Story MusgraveStory MusgraveFranklin Story Musgrave is an American physician and a retired NASA astronaut. He is currently a public speaker and consultant to both Disney's Imagineering group and Applied Minds in California.-Personal life:...
, physician & astronaut - Reinhold NiebuhrReinhold NiebuhrKarl Paul Reinhold Niebuhr was an American theologian and commentator on public affairs. Starting as a leftist minister in the 1920s indebted to theological liberalism, he shifted to the new Neo-Orthodox theology in the 1930s, explaining how the sin of pride created evil in the world...
, theologian - William J. Obanhein, "Officer Obie"
- Norman RockwellNorman RockwellNorman Percevel Rockwell was a 20th-century American painter and illustrator. His works enjoy a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of American culture. Rockwell is most famous for the cover illustrations of everyday life scenarios he created for The Saturday Evening...
, artist - Theodore SedgwickTheodore SedgwickTheodore Sedgwick was an attorney, politician and jurist, who served in elected state government and as a Delegate to the Continental Congress, a US Representative, and a United States Senator from Massachusetts. He served as the fifth Speaker of the United States House of Representatives...
, congressman - Gene ShalitGene ShalitGene Shalit is a film and book critic. He has filled these roles on NBC's The Today Show since January 15, 1973. He is known for his frequent use of puns, his oversized handlebar moustache, and for wearing colorful bowties.-Career:...
, writer & film critic - Charles Southmayd, 19th c. lawyer
- James TaylorJames TaylorJames Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....
, musician - Joan Kennedy TaylorJoan Kennedy TaylorJoan Kennedy Taylor was an American journalist, author, editor, public intellectual, and political activist. She is best known for her advocacy of individualist feminism and for her role in the development of the modern American libertarian movement.-Early life:Taylor was born in Manhattan to...
, writer, editor - Allen T. TreadwayAllen T. TreadwayAllen Towner Treadway was a Massachusetts Republican who served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, as a member, and President of, the Massachusetts Senate and a member of the United States House of Representatives from March 4, 1913 until January 3, 1945...
, congressman - Ephraim WilliamsEphraim WilliamsEphraim Williams Jr. was a soldier from the Province of Massachusetts Bay who was killed in the French and Indian War. He was the benefactor of Williams College, located in northwestern Massachusetts.-Early life:...
, benefactor of Williams CollegeWilliams CollegeWilliams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
In fine art
- Longtime Stockbridge resident Norman RockwellNorman RockwellNorman Percevel Rockwell was a 20th-century American painter and illustrator. His works enjoy a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of American culture. Rockwell is most famous for the cover illustrations of everyday life scenarios he created for The Saturday Evening...
illustrated the town in his 1967 painting, Main Street, Stockbridge at Christmas. He frequently used Stockbridge residents in his drawings and paintings, such as William ObanheinWilliam ObanheinWilliam J. Obanhein , sometimes better known as Officer Obie, was the chief of police for the town of Stockbridge, Massachusetts. He was a member of the police force there for 34 years, allegedly being forced into retirement in 1985 for hitting another officer during the course of an argument...
's appearance in the advertisement "Policeman with Boys."
In music
- Stockbridge was the location of Alice's RestaurantAlice's Restaurant"Alice's Restaurant Massacree" is a musical monologue by singer-songwriter Arlo Guthrie released on his 1967 album Alice's Restaurant. The song is one of Guthrie's most prominent works, based on a true incident in his life that began on Thanksgiving Day 1965, and which inspired a 1969 movie of the...
in the song of the same name by Arlo GuthrieArlo GuthrieArlo Davy Guthrie is an American folk singer. Like his father, Woody Guthrie, Arlo often sings songs of protest against social injustice...
. - Inspired by the river during his honeymoon, the American classical music composer Charles IvesCharles IvesCharles Edward Ives was an American modernist composer. He is one of the first American composers of international renown, though Ives' music was largely ignored during his life, and many of his works went unperformed for many years. Over time, Ives came to be regarded as an "American Original"...
wrote The Housatonic at Stockbridge as part of his composition Three Places in New England. - The town is mentioned in the James TaylorJames TaylorJames Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....
song, "Sweet Baby JamesSweet Baby James (song)"Sweet Baby James" is a song written and recorded by James Taylor which serves as the opening and title track from his 1970 breakthrough album Sweet Baby James...
". ("The first of December was covered with snow, and so was the turnpike from Stockbridge to Boston").
Onscreen
- The final scene of the film Good Will HuntingGood Will HuntingGood Will Hunting is a 1997 drama film directed by Gus Van Sant and starring Matt Damon, Robin Williams, Ben Affleck, Minnie Driver, and Stellan Skarsgård...
, in which Will is seen driving on the highway, was filmed on the section of the Mass Pike in StockbridgeStockbridge-Places:In the United States* Stockbridge, Georgia* Stockbridge, Massachusetts* Stockbridge, Michigan* Stockbridge Township, Michigan* Stockbridge, New York* Stockbridge, Vermont* Stockbridge, Wisconsin* Stockbridge , WisconsinIn the United Kingdom...
. - The town was the setting for the 1994-95 NBC sitcom Something WilderSomething WilderSomething Wilder is an American sitcom starring Gene Wilder that lasted only one season on NBC, running from October 1, 1994 until June 13, 1995...
starring Gene WilderGene WilderGene Wilder is an American stage and screen actor, director, screenwriter, and author.Wilder began his career on stage, making his screen debut in the film Bonnie and Clyde in 1967. His first major role was as Leopold Bloom in the 1968 film The Producers...
.
External links
- History of Stockbridge, Massachusetts
- The Norman Rockwell Museum
- Press release -- US Department of Interior, April 4, 2007: "Interior Secretary Kempthorne Designates 12 National Historic Landmarks"
- Stockbridge Bowl Association
- Town History of Stockbridge, Massachusetts
- Town of Stockbridge, Massachusetts