Granville is a
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
in
Hampden County,
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
, United States. The population was 1,538 at the
2020 census.
It is part of the
Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area
In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...
. The town is named for
John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville
John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville, 7th Seigneur of Sark, (; 22 April 16902 January 1763), commonly known by his earlier title Lord Carteret, was a British statesman and Lord President of the Council from 1751 to 1763; he worked extremely close ...
.
History and description
Granville was first settled by English colonists in 1736 and was officially incorporated in 1754, after the end of the Indian wars in 1750. Early settlers could get a lot for free, providing they built a house and "put four acres in English hay". Perhaps the most famous resident of that era was
Oliver Phelps
Oliver Phelps (October 21, 1749February 21, 1809) was early in life a tavern keeper in Granville, Massachusetts. During the Revolution he was Deputy Commissary of the Continental Army and served until the end of the war. After the war ended, h ...
, whose purchase of in western New York (the
Phelps and Gorham Purchase
The Phelps and Gorham Purchase was the purchase in 1788 of of land in what is now western New York State from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for $1,000,000 ( £300,000), to be paid in three annual installments, and the pre-emptive right to th ...
) following the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
remains the largest real estate purchase in US history. The population in Granville expanded quickly, peaking at 2,100 in 1810, when it rivaled Springfield. However, likely due to the rocky soil in New England, many settlers eventually migrated west, some establishing the town of
Granville, Ohio
Granville is a village in Licking County, Ohio, United States. The population was 5,646 at the 2010 census. The village is located in a rural area of rolling hills in central Ohio. It is east of Columbus, the state capital, and west of Newar ...
.
Many historic homes dot
Route 57, the main road through town. The village center, the old center, and West Granville center are all designated as historic districts listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
. Historic buildings include Granville's Old Meeting House (superb acoustics), the Stevenson house to its west, the West Granville Academy, and the West Granville Church. The village center features an old-fashioned country store, known for its cellar-aged cheese.
In addition to period architecture, Granville is the watershed for three reservoirs:
Barkhamsted, the main source for the
Hartford
Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since t ...
metropolitan district; Cobble Mountain, the main source for the city of Springfield; and Westfield, the main source for the city of
Westfield, Massachusetts
Westfield is a city in Hampden County, in the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts, United States. Westfield was first settled by Europeans in 1660. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population w ...
. Much of the land in town is owned by the various water districts. Granville also has a number of active apple orchards.
Geography
Granville is in southwestern Hampden County, west of
Springfield, southwest of
Westfield, and east of
Great Barrington.
Massachusetts Route 57 is the main east–west route through the town, and
Massachusetts Route 189 leads south from the town center to the
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...
border.
Hartford, Connecticut, is to the south via Route 189.
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...
, the town of Granville has a total area of , of which are land and , or 1.87%, are water.
Granville is bordered on the north by
Blandford
Blandford Forum ( ), commonly Blandford, is a market town in Dorset, England, sited by the River Stour about northwest of Poole. It was the administrative headquarters of North Dorset District until April 2019, when this was abolished and ...
and
Russell, on the northeast by Westfield, on the east by
Southwick, on the south by
Granby, Connecticut, and
Hartland, Connecticut
Hartland is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,901 at the 2020 census.
History
Residents petitioned the General Court and the legislature incorporated the town in May 1761.
Geography
The town is bisected ...
, and on the west by
Tolland.
Demographics
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
of 2000, there were 1,521 people, 556 households, and 409 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 595 housing units at an average density of 14.1 per square mile (5.4/km
2). The racial makeup of the town was 98.69%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
, 0.26%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.20%
Asian, 0.39% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 0.46% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...
or
Latino of any race were 0.66% of the population.
There were 556 households, out of which 36.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.7% were
married couples living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.3% were non-families. Of all households 20.9% were made up of individuals, and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.19.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.6% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $53,148, and the median income for a family was $59,219. Males had a median income of $42,273 versus $30,380 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the town was $22,315. About 1.8% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 1.0% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over.
Library
The Granville public library began in 1894. In fiscal year 2008, the town of Granville spent 0.68% ($31,979) of its budget on its public library—some $18 per person.
[July 1, 2007, through June 30, 2008; cf. The FY2008 Municipal Pie: What's Your Share? Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Board of Library Commissioners. Boston: 2009. Available]
Municipal Pie Reports
. Retrieved 2010-08-04
Education
Granville is part of the Southwick Regional School District, along with
Southwick, and
Tolland. Students attend Woodland School from grades K to 2, and Powder Mill School from grades 3 to 6. High school students attend
Southwick Regional School from grades 7 to 12.
Points of interest
*
Granville State Forest
Granville State Forest is a Massachusetts state park located in the towns of Granville and Tolland in the southern Berkshire Hills along the state's southern border with Connecticut. The park is managed by the Department of Conservation and Rec ...
*
Granville Center Historic District
*
Granville Village Historic District
*
Nobel & Cooley Drum Factory
*
West Granville Historic District
*
Wild Cat Aqueduct
File:Granville Country Store, MA.jpg, Granville Country Store
Image:Granville Public Library, Granville MA.jpg, Granville Public Library
File:Congregational Church, West Granville MA.jpg, Congregational Church, West Granville
File:OBLIQUE VIEW SHOWING DORIC FREIZE AND FRAME CONSTRUCTION - Scott House, State Route 57, Granville, Hampden County, MA HABS MASS,7-GRANV,2-1.tif, Historic Scott House
File:Granville State Forest,Granville MA.jpg, Granville State Forest
Politics
Granville, Massachusetts is a reliably Republican town. It has voted for the Republican presidential candidate in all 26 presidential elections since 1920. In 1924, Massachusetts native
Calvin Coolidge received over 90% of the vote. From 1928 to 1972, even as the state of Massachusetts turned strongly Democratic, Granville remained strongly Republican, providing over 70% of the vote to the GOP in each election except one. In 1964, Republican nominee
Barry Goldwater won Granville by a 20-point margin despite losing Hampden County Massachusetts by a margin of almost 50 points.
In 1996, Granville was the only town in Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin, Worcester, or Hampden county where
Bob Dole received more votes than
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
.
Notable people
*
Israel Barlow
Israel Barlow (September 13, 1806 – November 1, 1883) was one of the founders of Nauvoo, Illinois and a noted early member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Early life and conversion
Israel Barlow was born in Granville, Massachu ...
(1806–1883), Latter-day Saint pioneer, co-founder of
Nauvoo, Illinois
*
Samuel L. M. Barlow, Sr. (1826–1889), politician
*
Isaac Chapman Bates (1779–1845), politician
*
Lemuel Haynes (1753–1833), African American religious leader
*
Daniel Penfield (1759–1840), merchant, soldier, town founder
*
Oliver Phelps
Oliver Phelps (October 21, 1749February 21, 1809) was early in life a tavern keeper in Granville, Massachusetts. During the Revolution he was Deputy Commissary of the Continental Army and served until the end of the war. After the war ended, h ...
(1749–1809), merchant and politician
*
Austin Scott (1848–1922), historian and college president
*
Seward Smith (1830–1886?), lawyer, politician, and judge
*
Sabrina Tavernise (born 1971), journalist
Annual events
Granville Harvest Fair
Running through Columbus Day weekend in October, Granville's Harvest Fair attracts vendors and people from all over New England. The fair stretches along Route 57 from the Granville Village School to the Granville Town Hall (1.4 miles) and has shops lining the streets with a majority of the fair centered at the school, town hall and the town green. A busing system would travel between these three points, however, as of 2012 the fair removed the town hall from being the last stop in exchange for the
Nobel and Cooley Drum Factory located on Water St. This reduced the overall travel length of the buses in half from 1.4 miles to 0.7 mile. The fair itself is primarily a crafts fair with most vendors selling handmade goods.
References
External links
Town of Granville official website''MHC Survey Reconnaissance Town Report: Granville''Massachusetts Historical Commission, 1982.
{{Authority control
Springfield metropolitan area, Massachusetts
Towns in Hampden County, Massachusetts
Towns in Massachusetts