Route 143 is a

state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...

in the U.S. state of

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. The highway runs from Route 8 in Hinsdale east to Route 9 in Williamsburg. Route 143 passes through central

Berkshire County Berkshire County (pronounced ) is a county on the western edge of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2020 census, the population was 129,026. Its largest city and traditional county seat is Pittsfield. The county was founded in ...

town of

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

and the western Hampshire County towns of

Worthington Worthington may refer to: People * Worthington (surname) * Worthington family, a British noble family Businesses * Worthington Brewery, also known as Worthington's * Worthington Corporation, founded as a pump manufacturer in 1845, later a dive ...

and

Chesterfield Chesterfield may refer to: Places Canada * Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan * Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom * Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England ** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constitue ...

Route description

Route 143 begins at an intersection with Route 8 (South Street) just east of the Eastern Branch of the

Housatonic River The Housatonic River ( ) is a river, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 in western Massachusetts and western Connecticut in the United S ...

in the town center of Hinsdale. The two-lane state highway heads east as Maple Street but becomes Peru Road at New Windsor Road. East of its crossing of Ashmere Lake, Route 143 enters the town of

and becomes Main Road. On the eastern edge of Peru and as the highway crosses the Berkshire–Hampshire county line into Worthington, the highway has a winding descent into the valley of the Middle Branch of the

Westfield River The Westfield River is a major tributary of the Connecticut River located in the Berkshires and Pioneer Valley regions of western Massachusetts. With four major tributary branches that converge west of the city of Westfield, it flows (measured ...

. Route 143 ascends from the river valley as Old North Road. The highway meets Route 112 (Huntington Road) at Worthington Corners, and the two highways run concurrently northeast to where Route 112 splits north near the head of West Falls Branch. Route 143 descends along the valley of West Falls Branch into the Chesterfield Gorge, during which the highway enters the town of Chesterfield and its name changes to Main Road. The highway crosses the Eastern Branch of the Westfield River at the hamlet of West Chesterfield and ascends from the gorge to the town center of Chesterfield. Route 143 crosses the Dead Branch of the Westfield River and enters the town of Williamsburg at the headwaters of Meekin Brook. The highway, now named Chesterfield Road, follows the brook to its eastern terminus at Route 9 (Williams Street) immediately after crossing the Western Branch of the Mill River in the town center of Williamsburg.

History

Route 143 was originally numbered Route 109A in 1930. The route was renumbered to 143 in 1933. From Hindsale to Worthington, Route 143 is known as the Lafayette Trail, named after American Revolutionary War hero

Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (, ), was a French aristocrat, freemasonry, freemason and military officer who fought in the Ameri ...

, who spent the night in Worthington in 1825.

Major intersections

References

External links

{{Attached KML 143 Transportation in Berkshire County, Massachusetts Transportation in Hampshire County, Massachusetts