Originally part of Northampton, Easthampton, Massachusetts, became a district in 1785, and a full-fledged town in 1809. The southern section was dominated by a small mountain range while the northern part was composed of small farms and mills. In the mid-19th century Easthampton saw a good deal of industrial development, much of it financed and organized by Samuel Williston. He pioneered the manufacture of products like braces that utilized the new rubber-making process invented by Charles Goodyear. Williston also founded a local bank and the Williston seminary, the forerunner to today’s Williston Northampton School (a private coeducational college preparatory school).