“Northfield”

From the collections of PVMA • Digital image © Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Assoc. • Image use information

About this item

Northfield, Massachusetts, was originally the home of the Squakheag Indigenous people.  In 1672, English settlers acquired the land, but their life was extremely difficult in this disputed and dangerous area. The settlers deserted the settlement during Metacom’s (King Philip’s) War (1675-1676); they resettled there six years later, but again deserted in 1688, after a raid. Peace finally came at the close of Queen Anne’s War (1702-1713.)  By 1790, the population was 868, and the number grew steadily to more than 1,700 by 1830. This 1871 map shows few businesses- some sawmills, a cider mill, and a maker of window sash and doors. There were also farms along the river. In 1879, Dwight Moody, a Chicago evangelist, chose Northfield for the site of two seminaries, one for girls (The Northfield Seminary) and one for boys (The Mount Hermon Boys’ School). The schools merged in 1971, as the co-educational preparatory Northfield Mount Hermon School.

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Details

Item typeMaps, Plans, Blueprints
AuthorBeers, Frederick W.
PublisherF. W. Beers and Company
Date1871
PlaceNorthfield, Massachusetts
TopicLand, Environment, Geography
EraCivil War and Reconstruction, 1861–1877
MaterialPaper
Process/FormatLithograph; Watercolor
Dimension detailsProcess Material: lithograph, paper, ink, watercolor Height: 15.50 in Width: 12.00 in
Catalog #L02.006
View this item in our curatorial database →
Beers, Frederick W. Northfield. Map/Plan. F. W. Beers and Company, 1871. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l02-006/. Accessed on October 10, 2024.

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