The Forty Acres and Its Skirts Historic District is a rural
historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...
along the
Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Island ...
in
Hadley, Massachusetts
Hadley (, ) is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,325 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The area around the Hampshire and Mountain Farms Ma ...
. Located north of the town center on River Road, the district is a rural landscape with a well-documented history of settlement and usage from the mid-18th century into the 20th century. It includes the
Porter-Phelps-Huntington House and adjacent properties, which have been home to a succession of prominent local families. The district was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places in 2023.
Description and history
"Forty Acres" is a name given in the 17th century to a tract of land lying north of the village center of Hadley, located between the
Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Island ...
and Mount Warner, a prominent local hill. The "skirts" of the property referred to the outlying uplands of the property near the mountain. The Forty Acres name persisted, and in 1752 was applied to the house built by Moses Porter which is now known as the
Porter-Phelps-Huntington House. The district also includes the Phelps Farm, located on the east side of River Drive, which was established in 1816 and retains a significant number of 19th-century outbuildings, and the 1927 Sessions House, built on the Phelps Farm property.
The history of this district is richly attested by detailed family records now archived at the
University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Included in the records are the use of slave labor in the development of the Porter-Phelps-Huntington House in the 18th century, as well as the important role the women of the owning families played in the development and management of the farms. The Porter-Phelps-Huntington House is now a
historic house museum that preserves family objects and artifacts and interprets the history of the area.
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See also
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Hampshire County, Massachusetts
References
{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
Historic districts in Hampshire County, Massachusetts
National Register of Historic Places in Hampshire County, Massachusetts
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
Hadley, Massachusetts