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The
Town of Pelham Ma is a hilltown in Hampshire County, well watered by the
Swift and Fort Rivers, but with rough terrain. The town was first settled
in 1738 and its early colonists were Scotsmen. They had sent a scout to
look America over before committing themselves to the drastic step of leaving
their homes, but having received good reports, almost 100 families set
out for Boston in five ships, arriving in 1718 and trying a number of other
places before determining on Pelham as a home. Responding to the basic
needs of their community, it was only a year after they first arrived that
the residents of Pelham established the first school in town and made provisions
for saw and grist mills. The men of Pelham were at the relief of Fort William
Henry in 1757, served under General Bradstreet in the expedition against
Fort Frontenac and under General Abercrombie in the assault on Fort Ticonderoga.
Pelham soldiers began fighting in
the Revolutionary War in 1775, served in the war of 1812 and had a particularly
noteworthy record in the Civil War. Out of 100 men in Pelham between the
ages of 18 and 45 during the Civil War, 75 served as soldiers, most by
voluntary enlistment. But having fought repeatedly to defend their country,
Shays Rebellion in 1786 found at least some of the residents of the town
attacking the state and courts. Under the leadership of Captain Daniel
Shays of Pelham, 1100 armed men from five counties attacked the Armory
and courthouse in Springfield in anger over the poor financial conditions
which followed the Revolution. None of the 12 men convicted of treason
were executed by the new government of the United States, but they weren't
pardoned until all preparations for the hangings had been made and the
men had been led to the gallows. Shay's pardon was signed by the newly
elected Governor of Massachusetts, John Hancock.
In the quiet years between wars,
Pelham tended to its business, which was farming, quarrying stone to build
Springfield, Northampton and Amherst, making charcoal, carding wool and
tanning leather, and distilling a very popular brand of apple cider brandy.
In addition, by 1873, they were mining asbestos and making palm leaf hats,
ax handles and wooden bobbins. By the 19th century the mineral springs
in Pelham had attracted enough visitors to warrant the construction of
two hotels and for at least the rest of the century Pelham gained the character
of a health resort.
Pelham Mass is located in West central
Massachusetts, bordered by Shutesbury on the north, New Salem on the east,
Belchertown on the south, and Amherst on the west. The western branch of
Quabbin Reservoir lies along the town's eastern border. Pelham is about
31 miles north of Springfield, 47 miles west of Worcester, 85 miles west
of Boston. |
