This 1790s homestead was the birthplace and home of Sophia Smith for nearly 70 years. The daughter of a well-to-do farmer, Sophia never married. At age 40, she became deaf and somewhat of a recluse in this house. She inherited all of her family’s wealth and when she died in 1870, left the bulk of her large fortune (about $390,000) to found Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. The property was purchased in 1915 by the Alumnae Association of Smith College, and the class of 1896 restored and furnished the house with much of the original furniture.
Scott Photo Company, photographer. Birthplace of Sophia Smith, Hatfield, Mass. Founder of Smith College. Photograph. after 1915. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/1997-08-01-0104/. Accessed on October 16, 2024.
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