Whately, Massachusetts, was incorporated in 1771, and named by Governor Hutchinson for Thomas Whately, a member of the British Parliament. The town’s land is some of the most fertile in New England, and is one of the few areas where Sumatra tobacco can be grown outside of Indonesia. Tobacco had been a cash crop in the area since the middle of the 19th century, and was a source of income in the town in the middle years of the 20th century. Whately also had a pottery industry during the 19th century.