Leverett, Massachusetts

Europeans may have settled the eastern portion of Sunderland, Massachusetts, then called Swampfield, in the 1670s but Metacom’s (King Philip’s) War (1675-1676) led to wholesale abandonment of that portion of the Connecticut River Valley. Settlers may have returned to the area that would become Leverett soon after Swampfield was incorporated as a town in 1714 (it was renamed Sunderland in 1718). By 1773 settlers in this section of Sunderland petitioned to have their own town, and Leverett was incorporated in 1774. It was named in honor of former Massachusetts Governor John Leverett (1616-1679). Some sixty Leverett men served in the American Revolution (1775-1783). Like many western Massachusetts men at the time, they likely left behind a farm that needed tending. Agriculture was the town’s strength, but Leverett also had industries. These included a woolen mill, three tanneries, two farm tool makers, a chair factory, broom factories, and palm leaf hat makers. These industries continued until the turn of the 20th century when they declined in the face of competition from factories closer to major transportation routes.

“Sunderland and Leverett”. View this item in the Online Collection.

Details

PlaceLeverett, Massachusetts