Dwight is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

in north

Belchertown, Massachusetts Belchertown (previously known as Cold Spring and Belcher's Town) is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 15,350 at the 2020 census ...

, United States. It was a thriving

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

destination in the

19th century The 19th (nineteenth) century began on 1 January 1801 ( MDCCCI), and ended on 31 December 1900 ( MCM). The 19th century was the ninth century of the 2nd millennium. The 19th century was characterized by vast social upheaval. Slavery was abolis ...

with lumber mills, farms, schools, depots, a grocery store, post office, and world-renowned flower gardens. Today it is known for its natural beauty, scenic waterfalls, forests, ponds, brooks and hiking trails. It was named for the

Dwight family The Dwight family of New England had many members who were military leaders, educators, jurists, authors, businessmen and clergy. Around 1634, John Dwight came with his wife Hannah, daughter Hannah, and sons Timothy (1629–1718) and John (d. 163 ...

Geography

The center of Dwight is in the northwestern region of

Belchertown Belchertown (previously known as Cold Spring and Belcher's Town) is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 15,350 at the 2020 census ...

, and located a
42°19'40.0"N 72°26'53.8"W
(42.327778, -72.448278). Its boundaries have historically spanned approximately nine square miles and border Pelham on the north,

Amherst Amherst may refer to: People * Amherst (surname), including a list of people with the name * Earl Amherst of Arracan in the East Indies, a title in the British Peerage; formerly ''Baron Amherst'' * Baron Amherst of Hackney of the City of London, ...

on the west, the Lakes on the south and Route 202 on the east.Jenks, Gladys M. (1958) Dwight Station History, Belchertown Historical Association, Stone House Museum, Belchertown, Massachusetts. Box 33, Folder 1. The center of Dwight village developed around the intersection of three brooks: Montague Brook, Scarborough Brook, Hop Brook. It also encompasses Scarborough Pond, Knight’s Pond and Jabish Brook, and hundreds of acres of conservation land including Holland Glen, Wentworth, Topping Farm, Scarborough Brook, Upper Gulf, Mead's Corner and part of Jabish Brook. The

Metacomet-Monadnock Trail The Metacomet-Monadnock Trail (M&M Trail) is a hiking trail that traverses the Metacomet Ridge of the Pioneer Valley region of Massachusetts and the central uplands of Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. Although less than from Boston and ...

, part of the 215-mile

New England National Scenic Trail The New England National Scenic Trail (NET) is a National Scenic Trail in southern New England, which includes most of the three single trails Metacomet-Monadnock Trail, Mattabesett Trail and Metacomet Trail. After the Metacomet-Monadnock-Mattabe ...

, crosses through the heart of Dwight on Federal Street and up Gulf Road. The Robert Frost Trail transverses Dwight, following Warren Wright Road across Hop Brook. The

Norwottuck Branch Rail Trail The Norwottuck Branch Rail Trail, formerly the Norwottuck Rail Trail, is an combination bicycle/pedestrian paved rail trail running from Northampton, Massachusetts, through Hadley and Amherst, to Belchertown, Massachusetts. It opened in 1992, an ...

begins near Warren Wright Road, north of Wilson Road. Dwight lies 4.8 miles northwest from Belchertown Common (by State Route 9); 3.5 miles east from the South Amherst Common; and 4.2 miles southeast from East Amherst Common. The area is just north of Holland Pond, Lake Arcadia and Lake Metacomet, known previously as the Bridgman Ponds, or the Lake Vale/Pond Hill area, the site of early colonial settlement in Belchertown along Old Bay Road that ran from Boston to Albany and the birthplace of Elijah Coleman Bridgeman. A cemetery was established here in 1766.

References

{{coord, 42, 19, 40, N, 72, 26, 58, W, type:city_region:US-MA_source:GNIS-enwiki, display=title Belchertown, Massachusetts Villages in Hampshire County, Massachusetts