[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 13 (Thursday, January 22, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E126-E127]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         HADLEY, MASSACHUSETTS, TO CELEBRATE 350TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. RICHARD E. NEAL

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 22, 2009

  Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate 
the 350th Anniversary of Hadley, Massachusetts. I would like to share 
some local history as provided by the Hadley guide into the official 
record.
  Hadley was founded by a dissenting Connecticut congregation under the 
leadership of Re. John Russell in 1659. As an agricultural community on 
the east bank of the Connecticut River, John Pynchon purchased the site 
of the new settlement from the Indians on behalf of the settlers. The 
first settlers laid out this area, formerly known as the Norwottuck 
Meadow, as the center of the new settlement before their arrival, with 
the Town Common, referred to as ``the Broad Street,'' as the central 
feature. The common measured 20 rods wide and one mile long, with the 
Connecticut River defining both ends, and was reportedly based on the 
original plan of Wethersfield, Connecticut. Eight-acre home lots were 
ranged along both sides of the common, with farmlands behind.
  In 1675-76, during King Philip's War, to guard against Indian 
attacks, a palisade that ran far enough behind the houses to include 
most of the barns and farm buildings enclosed the street and common. 
One such attack occurred on June 12 of 1676. Legend has it that the 
town was saved from destruction when, at a critical moment, one William 
Goffe showed up in the midst of the townspeople, warned them of the 
danger, and led the town in fending off the assault, disappearing 
shortly afterward. Goffe, later known as ``The Angel of Hadley,'' 
became the subject of many legends.
  Though the years, the common remained the focus of town life. The 
meetinghouse occupied a prominent site, animals were pastured on the 
open land, militia drills were held periodically, and Hadley's Liberty 
Pole was erected there during the Revolutionary War. Taverns at the 
north and south ends and at the center of the common served the needs 
of passengers on the ferry, stagecoach, and riverboat routes.
  By the 1670s, the town rapidly developed northward. The North Hadley 
Mill Pond, also known as Mill River, became the site of the Hopkins 
Corn Mill, and millers and farmers settled in Hopkins Meadow. The rent 
paid by mill workers to live here went to support the Hopkins School, 
which founded by Edward Hopkins of England, a former governor of 
Connecticut.
  Hadley has long been the subject of much folklore, especially when it 
came to witchcraft. The most notable ``witch'' in the town of Hadley 
was Mary Webster, who, although acquitted of ``familiarity with the 
devil'' in a Boston Court in 1683, was nonetheless hung, 
unsuccessfully, by young Hadley men in 1685.
  As the number of settlers south of Mount Holyoke grew, the desire for 
a local place of worship also grew. As an answer to the problems of 
settlers traveling many miles to church, the towns of Hatfield, Granby, 
South Hadley and Amherst formed from the sprawling town of Hadley. The 
town continued to grow as an agricultural town during the 1700s. While 
subsistence farming was most common during this time, the exporting of 
everything from produce to beef to furs grew. Most of the products were 
taken by flatboat down the Connecticut River and to the Boston area as 
well. It was around 1792 that broomcorn became the dominant crop in 
Hadley. So abundant was this crop that Hadley would come to be known as 
the Nation's broomcorn and broom manufacturing capital. Broom and brush 
making became a thriving industry here, exporting all across New York 
and New England, and as far as Ohio.
  Over time the soil that produced so much broomcorn slowly depleted. 
By 1840, tobacco would take its place as the major crop as well

[[Page E127]]

as seed onions and other vegetables. The Massachusetts Central Railroad 
crossed the northern half of the common in 1887, providing a faster way 
for Hadley farmers to ship their produce to market. The Connecticut 
Valley Street Railway lay out along Russell Street about 1900 made 
local travel to Northampton and Amherst easier.
  It was during the late 1800s that, because of labor shortages and a 
drop in land values, Hadley experienced somewhat of a decline in 
farming. It was also about this time that a large number of Irish and, 
later, Polish immigrants that were recruited from Ellis Island for 
labor purposes settled in Hadley. It was the Polish immigrants that are 
credited with saving Hadley's farmland as they worked the fine Hadley 
soil back into fertility. By 1920, asparagus became the popular crop in 
Hadley, soon making the town the asparagus capital of the world. Most 
recently, a shipment of Hadley asparagus from Alligator Brook Farm was 
shipped to former President Bush at the White House in July 2008 after 
the President had remarked how ``fabulous'' German asparagus was during 
his visit with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Once again, Hadley was 
able to claim its rightful title of ``The asparagus capital of the 
world.''
  Today, in spite of commercial development along Route 9, Hadley 
remains largely agricultural and residential. It has the largest number 
of acres in agriculture in the Pioneer Valley, which includes crops of 
corn, potatoes, tobacco and scores of other vegetables. Malls and 
commercial businesses now lie along Russell Street on Route 9 to the 
east of the town's center.
  Hadley is a beautiful place to live. I am proud to represent this 
town which is rich with history and join with its citizens in 
celebrating Hadley's 350th Anniversary.

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