Millers Falls is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the count ...

(CDP) in the towns of Montague and Erving in Franklin 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 1,139 at the 2010 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 ...

History

Located along the

Mohawk Trail The Mohawk Trail began as a Native American trade route which connected Atlantic tribes with tribes in Upstate New York and beyond. It followed the Millers River, Deerfield River and crossed the Hoosac Range, in the area that is now northwester ...

, Millers Falls was first established in 1824 as an agricultural community, named Grout's Corner after first settler Martin Grout (1790–1865). In the 1860s, however, the local growth of

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 ...

s stimulated development, as the

New London Northern Railroad The New London Northern Railroad was a part of the Central Vermont Railway from New London, Connecticut, north to Brattleboro, Vermont. After a long period with the Canadian National Railway, it is now operated by the New England Central Railroa ...

bought the Amherst & Palmer railroad in 1864 and in 1866 extended its line to a connection with the Vermont & Massachusetts at Grout's Corner. With this new railroad juncture, the abundant

water power Hydropower (from el, ὕδωρ, "water"), also known as water power, is the use of falling or fast-running water to produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by converting the gravitational potential or kinetic energy of a ...

of the falls at Grout's Corner provided a perfect place to establish

mills Mills is the plural form of mill, but may also refer to: As a name * Mills (surname), a common family name of English or Gaelic origin * Mills (given name) *Mills, a fictional British secret agent in a trilogy by writer Manning O'Brine Places Uni ...

. The village's present name derives from the Millers Falls Manufacturing Company (later the Millers Falls Company), established on the

Millers River The Millers River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 river in northern Massachusetts, originating in Ashburnham and joining the Connecticut River just ...

in 1868, and famed for its fine hand tools. The central portion of the village was 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 ...

in 2021. Image:Main Street, Millers Falls, MA.jpg, Main Street in 1910 Image:Millers River, Millers Falls, MA.jpg, Millers River in 1912 Image:Paper Mill and Power House, Millers Falls, MA.jpg, Paper mill in 1912

Geography

Millers Falls is located at (42.579154, -72.493414), near the border with

Erving, Massachusetts Erving is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,665 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts metropolitan statistical area. History Erving is located along the Mohawk Trail. The a ...

. 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 CDP has a total area of 2.4 km (0.9 mi²), of which 2.3 km (0.9 mi²) is land and 0.1 km (0.04 mi²) (3.26%) is water. The village is drained by the

, a tributary of the Connecticut River. Millers Falls is crossed by Massachusetts Routes 2 and 63.

Demographics

At the 2000 census there were 1,072 people, 439 households, and 273 families living in the CDP. The population density was 465.1/km (1,198.1/mi²). There were 472 housing units at an average density of 204.8/km (527.5/mi²). The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the CDP was 96.18% White, 0.28% African American, 1.03% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.09% from other races, and 2.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.12%. Of the 439 households 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.3% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 27.3% of households were one person and 13.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.95. The age distribution was 22.9% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 34.7% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.6 males. The median household income was $37,337 and the median family income was $41,711. Males had a median income of $34,886 versus $24,375 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $17,768. About 1.8% of families and 4.8% 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 4.8% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

Town of Montague, Massachusetts

Michael Henry's Blog, written in Millers

Millers Falls Library

Millers Falls Arts Bridge
{{authority control Montague, Massachusetts Census-designated places in Franklin County, Massachusetts Springfield metropolitan area, Massachusetts Census-designated places in Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Franklin County, Massachusetts