Cheshire, Massachusetts

Cheshire is a town located in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 3,401.

History

Cheshire was first settled in 1766 and was officially incorporated in 1793.

The valley town was founded by Baptists from Rhode Island, the first settlers in the region who were not of the established Puritan Church. The early colonists were mostly descendants of those who had followed Roger Williams to Rhode Island in their quest for religious freedom. One of the prime movers of the emigration was Colonel Joab Stafford, who built his house on Stafford Hill and led the men of Cheshire into war during the Revolution. The troops from Cheshire distinguished themselves at the Battle of Bennington.

Cheshire was incorporated in 1793, and its residents were strongly partisan in the election battles of the country's early days. The election campaign which put Thomas Jefferson into the presidency was hard fought and Cheshire was the only Berkshire town which favored Jefferson. When their candidate won the election, the town searched for a way to show their support and pay a tribute to their new president. Because Cheshire specialized in dairying and making cheese, they decided to send a gift to the president of a Cheshire cheese, but one using curds from every farmer in town. The resulting huge cheese was four feet in diameter, 18 inches thick and weighed 1,235 pounds (560 kg). It was moved on a sled drawn by six horses when it was shipped off to Washington, D.C. by water, where it drew a personal letter of thanks from President Jefferson. One of the two monuments in Cheshire commemorates the cheese; the other memorializes the founders of the town. The Pioneer Monument is on Stafford Hill and is a fieldstone replica of Benedict Arnold's Norse Mill in Newport, Rhode Island. The view from the monument is arguably one of the most beautiful views in the Berkshires.

The town had early forges and saw mills, grist mills and tanneries, and in 1812, the Cheshire Crown Glass factory opened as did a triphammer operation. The town also boasted the first factory in western Massachusetts to manufacture cotton making machinery. Daniel Brown put 14 water looms into his cotton factory in 1827 and the making of shoes, cotton fabric and cheese were the mainstays of the town's 19th century economy.

The town's reputation for religious diversity continued, and in 1885 there were only 1,537 people in Cheshire but there were four different churches.

The rural town has ben taking on recreational and residential overtones in modern times, with 225 acres (911,000 m²) of open slopes and wooded trails for skiers on Farnhams. There was in the 1940's a three-quarter of a mile (1.2 km) straight run at the Cheshire skiing area. In addition, there has been good fishing in the South Branch of the Hoosic, which originates in Hoosac Lake in the town.

Northwestern Massachusetts, bordered by Adams on the north, Savoy and Windsor on the east, Dalton on the southeast, Lanesborough on the southwest, and New Ashford on the northwest. Cheshire is about 10 miles north of Pittsfield, 138 miles northwest of Boston, and 157 miles from New York City.

Narrative compiled by the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD).

The Ashuwillticook Rail Trail (ash-oo-will-ti-cook) is a beautifully scenic, paved, 11 mile (18 km) path connecting the Berkshire towns of Lanesboro, Cheshire, and Adams. TheTrail runs parallel to Route 8 and passes through woods and marshlands, and alongside a lake and a river, with wooded hills and Mt. Greylock, as a backdrop. The Trail is a former railroad corridor converted into a 10 foot (3 m) wide paved universally accessible path and has become a popular resource for biking, walking, roller-blading, jogging, etc.

The southern end of the Trail begins at the entrance to the Berkshire Mall off Route 8 in Lanesborough and travels 11 miles north to the center of Adams. The Trial passes through the Hoosac River Valley, between Mount Greylock and the Hoosac Range. Cheshire Reservoir, the Hoosac River and associated wetland communities flank much of the trail offering outstanding views and abundant wildlife.

The word Ashuwillticook (ash-oo-will-ti-cook) is from the Native American name for the south branch of the Hoosic River and literally means “at the in-between pleasant river,” or in common tongue, “the pleasant river in between the hills.” The name was adopted for the trail as a way to reconnect people to local history and the natural environment.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 71.4 km² (27.5 mi²). 69.8 km² (26.9 mi²) of it is land and 1.6 km² (0.6 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 2.21% water.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there are 3,401 people, 1,367 households, and 985 families residing in the town. The population density is 48.7/km² (126.3/mi²). There are 1,470 housing units at an average density of 21.1/km² (54.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 98.21% White, 0.38% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.62% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.06% from other races, and 0.65% from two or more races. 0.44% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 1,367 households out of which 30.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.8% are married couples living together, 8.4% have a female householder with no husband present, and 27.9% are non-families. 23.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.49 and the average family size is 2.92.

In the town the population is spread out with 23.4% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 28.1% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 41 years. For every 100 females there are 100.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 98.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town is $41,981, and the median income for a family is $53,885. Males have a median income of $40,205 versus $26,042 for females. The per capita income for the town is $19,156. 6.6% of the population and 4.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 9.3% of those under the age of 18 and 6.3% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.