The first European settlers in what would later become Hadley came from the Connecticut towns of Hartford, Windsor, and Wethersfield in 1659. The area was called Norwottuck. It encompassed lands that would later become Amherst, Granby, Hatfield, and South Hadley. The first town meeting took place in 1660, and as early as 1661 a grist mill was in operation. In 1661 the town of Hadley was incorporated, named after a village in England. Three years later Hopkins Academy was founded and is now the town’s public middle and high school. Like other early towns in the Connecticut River Valley, Hadley was attacked during Metacom’s (King Philip’s) War (1675-1676). In the 1680s the town became infamous for charges of witchcraft brought against Mary Webster. In time, two village centers developed, one in North Hadley and the other to the south in Hadley Center. By 1797 Hadley had become a center of broom making and many farmers turned to broomcorn as a cash crop. Although other industries were established and flourished at least temporarily, Hadley’s excellent soil has long made agriculture the town’s economic mainstay. In 2002 Hadley had the most cultivated acres of any town in Massachusetts and a population of under 5,000.