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{{Infobox settlement

|official_name = Stockbridge, Massachusetts

|nickname =

|motto =

|image_skyline = Looking from Heaton Hall, Stockbridge, MA.jpg

|imagesize =

|image_caption =

|image_seal = StockbridgeMA-seal.png

|image_flag =

|image_map = Stockbridge MA lg.PNG

|mapsize = 250px

|map_caption = Location in Berkshire County in Massachusetts

|image_map1 =

|mapsize1 =

|map_caption1 =

|coordinates_display = inline,title

|coordinates_region = US-MA

|subdivision_type = [[List of countries|Country]]

|subdivision_name = United States

|subdivision_type1 = [[Political divisions of the United States|State]]

|subdivision_name1 = [[Massachusetts]]

|subdivision_type2 = [[List of counties in Massachusetts|County]]

|subdivision_name2 = [[Berkshire County, Massachusetts|Berkshire]]

|established_title = Settled

|established_date = 1734

|established_title2 = Incorporated

|established_date2 = 1739

|established_title3 =

|established_date3 =

|government_type = [[Open town meeting]]

|leader_title = <!--[[Executive Secretary]]-->

|leader_name =

|leader_title1 = <!--Board of <br>   Selectmen-->

|leader_name1 =

|area_magnitude =

|area_total_km2 = 61.3

|area_total_sq_mi =

|area_land_km2 = 58.9

|area_land_sq_mi =

|area_water_km2 = 2.4

|area_water_sq_mi =

|population_as_of = 2010

|settlement_type = [[New England town|Town]]

|population_total = 1947

|population_density_km2 = 33.1

|population_density_sq_mi =

|elevation_m = 257

|elevation_ft = 842

|timezone = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|Eastern]]

|utc_offset = -5

|timezone_DST = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|Eastern]]

|utc_offset_DST = -4

|latd = 42 |latm = 17 |lats = 15 |latNS = N

|longd = 73 |longm = 19 |longs = 15 |longEW = W

|website = {{URL|www.townofstockbridge.com}}

|postal_code_type = ZIP code

|postal_code = 01262

|area_code = [[Area code 413|413]]

|blank_name = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]

|blank_info = 25-67595

|blank1_name = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID

|blank1_info = 0618274

|footnotes =

}}

'''Stockbridge''' is a [[New England town|town]] in [[Berkshire County, Massachusetts|Berkshire County]] in [[Western Massachusetts|western]] [[Massachusetts]], United States. It is part of the [[Pittsfield, Massachusetts|Pittsfield]], [[Massachusetts]], [[Metropolitan Statistical Area]]. The population was 1,947 at the 2010 census.<ref name="Census 2010">{{Cite web| url=http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/0600000US2500367595| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Stockbridge town, Berkshire County, Massachusetts| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder| accessdate=December 17, 2013}}</ref> A year-round [[resort area]], Stockbridge is home to the [[Norman Rockwell Museum]], the [[Austen Riggs Center]] (a noted psychiatric treatment center), and [[Chesterwood (Massachusetts)|Chesterwood]], home and studio of sculptor [[Daniel Chester French]].

==History==

[[Image:Old Mission House Stockbridge MA.jpg|thumb|left|[[Mission House (Stockbridge, Massachusetts)|Mission House]], built about 1740. Postcard c.1908.]]

Stockbridge was first settled by English missionaries in 1734, who established it as a [[mission (Christianity)|mission]] for the [[Mahican]] [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Indian]] tribe known as the Stockbridge Indians. The township was set aside for the tribe by English colonists as a reward for their assistance against the [[French people|French]] in the [[French and Indian Wars]]. The [[John Sergeant (missionary)|Reverend John Sergeant]] from [[Newark, New Jersey]], was their [[missionary]]. Sergeant was succeeded in this post by [[Jonathan Edwards (theologian)|Jonathan Edwards]], a notable Christian theologian associated with the [[First Great Awakening]].

First chartered as Indian Town in 1737, the village was officially incorporated on June 22, 1739, as Stockbridge. The English colonists named it after [[Stockbridge, Hampshire|Stockbridge]] in [[Hampshire, England]].

Although the [[Massachusetts General Court]] had assured the Stockbridge Indians that their land would never be sold, the agreement was rescinded. Despite the aid by the tribe during the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]], the state forced their relocation to the west, first to [[New York State]], then to [[Wisconsin]]. The village was taken over by [[English people|British-American]] settlers.

With the arrival of the [[railroad]] in 1850, Stockbridge developed as a summer resort for the wealthy of Boston and other major cities. Many large houses, called [[Berkshire Cottages]], were built in the area before [[World War I]] and the advent of the [[income tax]]. One estate on the [[Lenox, Massachusetts|Lenox]] border, [[Tanglewood]], was adapted for use as the summer home of the [[Boston Symphony Orchestra]].

Since 1853, Stockbridge has benefited from the presence of the [[Laurel Hill Association]], a village beautification society. The Stockbridge Bowl Association maintains and preserves the natural beauty of Stockbridge Bowl and the surrounding Bullard Woods.

Stockbridge was the home of [[Elizabeth Freeman (Mum Bett)|Elizabeth Freeman]], a freed slave, late in her life. The former slave engaged the attorney [[Theodore Sedgwick]] to file a [[freedom suit]] on her behalf, based on the statements in the new state constitution in 1780. In the case with a slave named Brom, the county court ruled that they were both free under the constitution. Their case served as precedent to a later case before the State Supreme Court, effectively ending slavery in Massachusetts. Freeman transferred as a free woman to work in the household of Sedgwick, who became a state judge. Also working in the household was [[Agrippa Hull]], a free black veteran of the war, who became the largest black landowner in Stockbridge. Freeman was buried in the Sedgwick family plot at the Stockbridge Cemetery.

[[Catharine Maria Sedgwick]], a daughter of Theodore and his wife, became a renowned 19th-century literary figure. She was born in Stockbridge in 1789. She is the author of six novels, including her most famous, ''[[Hope Leslie]]'' (1827).

In the [[Old Curtisville Historic District|Curtisville]] area, now known as the Interlaken part of Stockbridge, [[Albrecht Pagenstecher]], an immigrant from [[Saxony]], established the [[History of papermaking in Massachusetts|first wood-based newsprint paper mill]] in the United States, in March 1867. Pagenstecher later went on to found "numerous pulp and paper mills throughout the Northeast and Canada" and serve on the Board of Directors of the [[International Paper Company]].<ref>[http://www.cornwall-on-hudson.com/article.cfm?page=712 Mumford, Warren. 2006. "The Pagenstecher family: from Rags to Riches," ''News from Cornwall and Cornwall-on-Hudson''. Accessed April 30, 2012.]</ref>

The town has a tradition as an [[art colony]]. The sculptor [[Daniel Chester French]] lived and worked at his home and studio called [[Chesterwood (Massachusetts)|Chesterwood]]. [[Norman Rockwell]] painted many of his works in Stockbridge, home to the [[Norman Rockwell Museum]].

==Geography and climate==

[[Image:Stockbridge-Mass Pike View.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The Massachusetts Turnpike, looking east in Stockbridge]]

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|61.3|km2|abbr=on|disp=flip}}, of which {{convert|58.9|km2|abbr=on|disp=flip}} is land and {{convert|2.4|km2|abbr=on|disp=flip}}, or 3.97%, is water.<ref name="Census 2010"/> Stockbridge is bordered by [[Richmond, Massachusetts|Richmond]] to the northwest, [[Lenox, Massachusetts|Lenox]] to the north and northeast, [[Lee, Massachusetts|Lee]] to the east, [[Great Barrington, Massachusetts|Great Barrington]] to the south, and [[West Stockbridge, Massachusetts|West Stockbridge]] to the west. The town is located {{convert|13.5|mi}} south of [[Pittsfield, Massachusetts|Pittsfield]], {{convert|35|mi}} southeast of [[Albany, New York]], {{convert|45|mi}} west-northwest of [[Springfield, Massachusetts|Springfield]], and {{convert|130|mi}} west of [[Boston]].

Set among the [[Berkshire Mountains]], Stockbridge is drained by the [[Housatonic River]], which runs through the center of town. The river is fed by several marshy brooks and lakes, including Mohawk Lake to the west, Agawam Lake to the south, Lake Averic in the northwest, and [[Stockbridge Bowl|Lake Mahkeenac]], also known as the Stockbridge Bowl, to the north. Stockbridge Bowl is the site of a town beach, a boating club, and a summer camp, Camp Mah-Kee-Nac. North of the bowl lies parts of [[Tanglewood]]. To either side of the bowl lie West Stockbridge Mountain and Rattlesnake Hill. To the south, Monument Mountain peaks on the Great Barrington town line, and Beartown Mountain peaks to the east, closer to the Lee town line.

The town is nearly bisected by [[Interstate 90]], the [[Massachusetts Turnpike]]. There are exits in neighboring West Stockbridge and Lee. Several state routes, including [[Massachusetts Route 102|Route 102]], [[Massachusetts Route 183|Route 183]] and [[U.S. Route 7]] all pass through town, with Routes 102 and 7 sharing a short stretch in downtown Stockbridge, and Routes 102 and 183 meeting in the village of Larrywaug. In this village are the Berkshire Botanical Gardens and the Norman Rockwell Museum. South of there, in the village of Glendale, lies Chesterwood.

The Housatonic Railroad, the main rail line between Pittsfield and Great Barrington, passes through the town and lies mostly on the southern bank of the river. The town lies along a Berkshire Regional Transit Authority (BRTA) bus line, which provides service between Pittsfield and Great Barrington. Pittsfield is also the site of the nearest regional bus service, as well as regional [[Amtrak]] service. There are local airports in Pittsfield and Great Barrington, and the nearest national air service is located at [[Albany International Airport]] in New York.

{{-}}

{{Weather box |imperial first = Y

|location = Stockbridge, Massachusetts (1981–2010 normals)

|single line = Y

|Jan high F = 32.5

|Feb high F = 35.8

|Mar high F = 45.1

|Apr high F = 57.6

|May high F = 69.6

|Jun high F = 77.4

|Jul high F = 81.3

|Aug high F = 79.3

|Sep high F = 71.2

|Oct high F = 60.1

|Nov high F = 48.4

|Dec high F = 36.6

|year high F= 57.9

|Jan low F = 12.7

|Feb low F = 14.3

|Mar low F = 23.3

|Apr low F = 33.5

|May low F = 43.4

|Jun low F = 51.8

|Jul low F = 56.9

|Aug low F = 55.6

|Sep low F = 47.6

|Oct low F = 36.9

|Nov low F = 29.5

|Dec low F = 18.9

|year low F= 35.4

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation inch = 3.67

|Feb precipitation inch = 2.87

|Mar precipitation inch = 3.82

|Apr precipitation inch = 3.71

|May precipitation inch = 4.31

|Jun precipitation inch = 4.02

|Jul precipitation inch = 4.13

|Aug precipitation inch = 4.56

|Sep precipitation inch = 3.93

|Oct precipitation inch = 3.99

|Nov precipitation inch = 3.85

|Dec precipitation inch = 3.74

|year precipitation inch=46.60

|Jan snow inch = 16.2

|Feb snow inch = 16.1

|Mar snow inch = 11.4

|Apr snow inch = 3.6

|May snow inch = .1

|Jun snow inch = 0

|Jul snow inch = 0

|Aug snow inch = 0

|Sep snow inch = 0

|Oct snow inch = 0

|Nov snow inch = 4.7

|Dec snow inch = 12.8

|year snow inch= 64.9

|Jan precipitation days = 10

|Feb precipitation days = 9

|Mar precipitation days = 11

|Apr precipitation days = 12

|May precipitation days = 12

|Jun precipitation days = 11

|Jul precipitation days = 11

|Aug precipitation days = 11

|Sep precipitation days = 10

|Oct precipitation days = 9

|Nov precipitation days = 11

|Dec precipitation days = 10

|year precipitation days=127

|source 1 = <ref>http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weatherall.php3?s=181891&units=</ref>

|source 2 = <ref>http://www.homefacts.com/weather/Massachusetts/Berkshire-County/Stockbridge.html=</ref>

|date=March 2013

}}

==Demographics==

{{Historical populations | type=USA

| 1850|1941

| 1860|2136

| 1870|2003

| 1880|2357

| 1890|2132

| 1900|2081

| 1910|1933

| 1920|1764

| 1930|1762

| 1940|1815

| 1950|2311

| 1960|2161

| 1970|2312

| 1980|2328

| 1990|2408

| 2000|2276

| 2010|1947

| footnote=* = population estimate. {{Historical populations/Massachusetts municipalities references}}

}}

[[Image:The Village Street, Stockbridge, MA.jpg|thumb|left|Main Street, around 1910]]

As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=http://factfinder2.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=2008-01-31|title=American FactFinder}}</ref> of 2000, there were 2,276 people, 991 households, and 567 families residing in the town. By population, Stockbridge ranks twelfth out of the 32 cities and towns in Berkshire County, and 285th out of the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts. The [[population density]] was 99.2 people per square mile (38.3/km²), which ranks 12th in the county and 281st in the Commonwealth. There were 1,571 housing units at an average density of 68.5 per square mile (26.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.92% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 1.23% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.04% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.44% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.04% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.97% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.35% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 2.90% of the population.

There were 991 households out of which 18.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.7% were non-families. 36.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.67.

[[Image:Monument to the Stockbridge Indians, Stockbridge, MA.jpg|thumb|right|Indian Monument in 1905]]

In the town the population was spread out with 15.2% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 22.5% from 25 to 44, 33.5% from 45 to 64, and 22.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females there were 91.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $48,571, and the median income for a family was $59,556. Males had a median income of $32,500 versus $27,969 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $32,499. About 1.7% of families and 8.5% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 1.2% of those under age 18 and 4.1% of those age 65 or over.

==Government==

Stockbridge is governed by [[open town meeting]], held annually on the third Monday in May, and by an elected three-member Board of Selectmen.<ref>See http://www.townofstockbridge.com/Public_Documents/StockbridgeMA_WebDocs/government</ref> The town operates its own police, fire and public works departments, with two fire stations and two post offices. The town's library, located in the central village, is connected to the regional library network. The nearest hospital, Fairview Hospital, is located in neighboring Great Barrington.

On the state level, Stockbridge is represented in the [[Massachusetts House of Representatives]] by the Fourth Berkshire district, which covers southern Berkshire County, as well as the westernmost towns in Hampden County. In the [[Massachusetts Senate]], the town is represented by the Berkshire, Hampshire and Franklin district, which includes all of Berkshire County and western Hampshire and Franklin counties.<ref>[http://www.mass.gov/legis/citytown.htm Senators and Representatives by City and Town]</ref> The town is patrolled by the First (Lee) Station of Barracks "B" of the [[Massachusetts State Police]].<ref>[http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=eopsterminal&L=5&L0=Home&L1=Law+Enforcement+%26+Criminal+Justice&L2=Law+Enforcement&L3=State+Police+Troops&L4=Troop+B&sid=Eeops&b=terminalcontent&f=msp_divisions_field_services_troops_troop_b_msp_field_troop_b_station_b1&csid=Eeops Station B-1, SP Lee]</ref>

On the national level, Stockbridge is represented in the [[United States House of Representatives]] as part of [[Massachusetts's 1st congressional district]], and has been represented by [[Richard Neal]] of [[Springfield, Massachusetts|Springfield]] since January 2013. Massachusetts is currently represented in the [[United States Senate]] by senior Senator [[Elizabeth Warren]] and junior Senator [[Ed Markey]].

==Education==

The building of the former Stockbridge Plain School was once shared with the former Williams High School, before the opening of [[Monument Mountain Regional High School]] in 1968. Stockbridge Plain School then became an [[elementary school]] for the [[Berkshire Hills Regional School District]]. A renovation of the building was completed in 2008, and it now serves as the new town offices.

Today, Stockbridge, along with West Stockbridge and Great Barrington, are members of the Berkshire Hills Regional School District. All students in the district attend school in Great Barrington, with elementary students attending Muddy Brook Regional Elementary School, middle school students attending Monument Valley Regional Middle School, and high school students attending Monument Mountain Regional High School.<ref>[http://www.maroontribune.com/berkshiresbeyond/2011/07/28/the-birth-of-a-spartan-nation/ The Maroon Tribune, July 28, 2011] Retrieved September 15, 2013</ref> In addition to public schools, there are private and religious schools located in the neighboring towns.

The nearest [[community college]] is the South County branch of [[Berkshire Community College]] in Great Barrington. The nearest state college is [[Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts]] in [[North Adams, Massachusetts|North Adams]], and the nearest state university is the [[University of Massachusetts Amherst]]. The nearest private college is [[Bard College at Simon's Rock]], also in Great Barrington.

==Sites of interest==

[[Image:Naumkeag Gardens, Stockbridge, MA.jpg|thumb|right|245px|Naumkeag Gardens c. 1908]]

* [[Austen Riggs Center]], psychiatric hospital

* [[Berkshire Botanical Garden]]

* [[Berkshire Theatre Festival]], originally designed by [[Stanford White]] as a casino (1888)

* [[Chesterwood (Massachusetts)|Chesterwood]], home of [[Daniel Chester French]]

* [[Old Curtisville Historic District|Curtisville Historic District]]

* Dudley Field Memorial [[bell tower|Tower]] (Children's Chimes Tower)

* [[Ice Glen]]

* [[Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health]]

* [[Merwin House (Stockbridge, Massachusetts)|Merwin House]] (c. 1825)

* [[Mission House (Stockbridge, Massachusetts)|Mission House]] (c. 1739)

* [http://www.marian.org/shrine/about.php National Shrine of the Divine Mercy]

* [[Naumkeag|Naumkeag Museum & Gardens]] (1886)

* [[Norman Rockwell Museum]]

* [[Sedgwick Pie]], unique family plot at the Stockbridge Cemetery

* [[Shadow Brook Farm Historic District]], summer home of [[Andrew Carnegie]]

* [[Stockbridge Bowl]], aka Lake Mahkeenac

* [[Tanglewood]], summer home of the [[Boston Symphony Orchestra]]

==Notable people==

[[Image:The Children's Chimes, Stockbridge, MA.jpg|thumb|right|245px|Children's Chimes Tower c. 1908]]

* [[Lauren Ambrose]], actress

* [[Ezekiel Bacon]], congressman

* [[John Bacon (Massachusetts)|John Bacon]], congressman

* [[Barnabas Bidwell]], congressman

* [[Joseph Choate]], ambassador

* [[Henry W. Dwight]], congressman

* [[Joseph Dwight]], 18th-century judge

* [[Jonathan Edwards (theologian)|Jonathan Edwards]], 18th-century theologian

* [[Erik Erikson]], psychologist and author

* [[Cyrus West Field]], financier

* [[Joseph Franz]], public engineer, architect

* [[Elizabeth Freeman (Mum Bett)]], freed slave

* [[Daniel Chester French]], sculptor

* [[William Gibson (playwright)|William Gibson]], novelist & playwright

* [[Arlo Guthrie]], songwriter & singer

* [[Terence Hill]], actor

* [[Agrippa Hull]], free black Patriot

* [[Owen Johnson (writer)|Owen Johnson]], writer

* [[Stanley Loomis]], author of four books on French history

* [[Story Musgrave]], physician & astronaut

* [[Reinhold Niebuhr]], theologian

* [[William J. Obanhein]], "Officer Obie"

* [[Albrecht Pagenstecher]], paper industry pioneer

* [[Norman Rockwell]], artist

* [[Theodore Sedgwick]], congressman

* [[John Sergeant (missionary)|John Sergeant]], missionary

* [[Gene Shalit]], writer & film critic

* [[James Taylor]], musician

* [[Joan Kennedy Taylor]], writer, editor

* [[Allen T. Treadway]], congressman

* [[Ephraim Williams]], benefactor of [[Williams College]]

==In popular culture==

===In fine art===

Longtime Stockbridge resident [[Norman Rockwell]] illustrated the town in his 1967 painting, ''Main Street, Stockbridge at Christmas''. He frequently used Stockbridge residents in his drawings and paintings, such as [[William Obanhein]]'s appearance in the advertisement "Policeman with Boys."

===In music===

Stockbridge was the location of [[Alice's Restaurant]] in the song of the same name by [[Arlo Guthrie]] which describes the town as having "three stop signs, two police officers and one police car".<ref>[http://www.arlo.net/resources/lyrics/alices.shtml Alice's Restaurant Lyrics]</ref>

Inspired by the river during his honeymoon, the American classical music composer [[Charles Ives]] wrote ''The Housatonic at Stockbridge'' as part of his composition ''Three Places in New England''.

The town is mentioned in the [[James Taylor]] song "[[Sweet Baby James (song)|Sweet Baby James]]". ("The first of December was covered with snow, and so was the turnpike from Stockbridge to Boston")

===Onscreen===

The final scene of the film ''[[Good Will Hunting]]'', in which Will is seen driving on the highway, was filmed on the section of the [[Mass Pike]] in Stockbridge. (Citation: at the end of the credits, an overpass is labeled "Route 102 Stockbridge")

The town was the setting for the 1994-95 NBC sitcom ''[[Something Wilder]]'' starring [[Gene Wilder]].

==References==

{{Reflist}}

==External links==

{{Commons category}}

* [http://www.townofstockbridge.com/ Town of Stockbridge official website]

* [http://www.berkshireweb.com/themap/stockbridge/history/index.html History of Stockbridge, Massachusetts]

* [http://www.nrm.org/ Norman Rockwell Museum]

* [http://www.thesba.org/ Stockbridge Bowl Association]

*''[http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/Stockbr Tocqueville in Stockbridge]'' - Segment from [[C-SPAN]]'s ''[[Alexis de Tocqueville Tour]]''

{{Berkshire County, Massachusetts}}

[[Category:Stockbridge, Massachusetts| ]]

[[Category:Settlements established in 1734]]

[[Category:Towns in Berkshire County, Massachusetts]]

[[Category:Towns in Massachusetts]]

{{usedwp|Stockbridge, Massachusetts}}

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