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Conway Massachusetts.
Home of one of the few remaining covered bridges in Massachusetts, Conway
was first settled in 1760 and incorporated in 1767. The town is a small
rural community which was named in honor of General Henry Conway, who supported
the repeal of the Stamp Act in Parliament. Conway has an abundant water
supply, which provided power for grist and saw mills and a number of tanneries
in its early days.
By the 19th century, a dam had created
a reservoir supporting several woolen and broadcloth mills along the South
River. Unfortunately, in 1869 the dam burst, sweeping away these largest
industries in town. Modern Conway boasts a number of maple sugar houses
and is the site of the Conway State Forest and South River State Forest,
retaining an unspoiled landscape loved by the residents of the town.
One of the community's most famous
former residents was Marshall Field, the developer of the nationally known
Marshall Field Department Store in Chicago. Born and brought up in Conway,
Fields donated Memorial Library to the town in honor of his parents. An
active Historical Society preserves the town's past for its future citizens.
Conway Massachusetts is located in
Western Massachusetts, bordered by Ashfield on the west, Goshen and Williamsburg
on the southwest and south, Whately on the southeast, Deerfield on the
east, and Shelburne and Buckland on the north and northwest. Conway is
14 miles south of Greenfield and 102 miles northwest of Boston. |