Hardwick is a town in
Worcester County,
Massachusetts
Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
, United States, about northwest of the city of
Worcester
Worcester may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England
** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament
* Worcester Park, London, Engl ...
. It had a population of 2,667 at the
2020 census. It includes the villages of Hardwick,
Gilbertville,
Wheelwright
A wheelwright is a Artisan, craftsman who builds or repairs wooden wheels. The word is the combination of "wheel" and the word "wright" (which comes from the Old English word "''wryhta''", meaning a worker - as also in shipbuilding, shipwright ...
and
Old Furnace.
History
Hardwick was first settled in 1737 and was officially incorporated in 1739, named in honor of
Philip Yorke, Lord Hardwicke, an English nobleman. In 1762, General Timothy Ruggles, one of the leading
Tories of New England, introduced the Hardwick Fair, now the oldest annual fair in the United States. During the late 1800s, Hardwick experienced an expansion of its manufacturing industry, textile and paper mills, both of which left the area by the 1930s. The town has retained its agricultural roots, a long-standing tradition in the region. Hardwick is the home of
Eagle Hill School, founded in 1967.
Geography and transportation
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 5.51%, is water. Hardwick was one of the towns which gained lands (though lost some land area) by the building of the
Quabbin Reservoir. The reservoir's waters extend into the town along the former East Branch of the Swift River, which once ran through the northwest corner of town. Due to the disincorporation of the towns which the Quabbin Reservoir and its reservation lands now lie on, Hardwick gained a small portion of the former town of
Greenwich
Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross.
Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...
along the northwestern corner of town, though it is the smallest portion of land gained by any of the towns surrounding the reservoir. The town lies along the edge of the former Swift River Valley, with Muddy Brook and the former East Branch of the Swift River draining the western part of town, and the
Ware River draining the eastern portion. The lands along the Ware, especially in the far eastern part of town, are marshy. The town has some open areas, and a portion of the lands not already protected as part of the Quabbin Reservation are part of the Muddy Brook Wildlife Management Area.
Hardwick lies along the western edge of Worcester County, bordered by
Hampshire County to the southwest. It is bordered by
Petersham to the northwest,
Barre to the northeast,
New Braintree to the southeast and
Ware
WARE (1250 AM) is a commercial radio station broadcasting a classic hits format. Licensed to Ware, Massachusetts, United States, the station serves the Springfield radio market. The station is currently owned by Success Signal Broadcasting ...
to the southwest. From its town center, Hardwick lies west-northwest of
Worcester
Worcester may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England
** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament
* Worcester Park, London, Engl ...
, northeast of
Springfield, and west of
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
.
Hardwick has no interstates or limited access highways within town, lying approximately halfway between
Interstate 90
Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain states, Mountain West, Great Pla ...
, also known as the Massachusetts Turnpike, to the south and
Route 2 to the north. The southern neighborhood of Gilbertville is the location of the intersection of
Route 32 and the southern terminus of
Route 32A, with Route 32 coming from Ware heading northeast towards Barre, and Route 32A heading due north through the town's center towards the center of Petersham, where its northern end lies. The
Massachusetts Central Railroad
The Massachusetts Central Railroad is a short line railroad in western Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1975 to provide railroad transportation services on portions of the Boston & Maine Wheelwright Branch in and around their ...
line passes through the town from
Palmer
Palmer may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Palmer (pilgrim), a medieval European pilgrim to the Holy Land
* Palmer (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Palmer (surname), including a list of people and f ...
towards Barre, roughly following the path of Route 32. It does not carry passenger rail, however, not having done so since the early twentieth century. The nearest private airport is the
Tanner-Hiller Airport in New Braintree, and the nearest national air service can be reached at
Bradley International Airport
Bradley International Airport – historically known as Bradley Field – is a public international airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, Windsor Locks, Connecticut, United States. Owned and operated by the Connecticut Airport Authority, Con ...
in Connecticut.
Demographics
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 2,622 people, 997 households, and 689 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,086 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.79%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.53%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.15%
Native American, 0.11%
Asian, 0.19% from
other races, and 1.22% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 0.88% of the population.
There were 997 households, out of which 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.4% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.0% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $45,742, and the median income for a family was $54,667. Males had a median income of $37,763 versus $30,057 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the town was $20,824. About 5.5% of families and 7.5% 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 ...
, including 5.7% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Education
Hardwick is part of the Quabbin Regional School District, along with
Barre,
Hubbardston,
New Braintree, and
Oakham
Oakham is a market town and civil parish in Rutland (of which it is the county town) in the East Midlands of England. The town is located east of Leicester, southeast of Nottingham and northwest of Peterborough. It had a population of 12,14 ...
. Elementary School Students attend Hardwick Elementary School from grades K–6, middle school students attend Quabbin Regional Middle School from grades 7–8, and high school students attend
Quabbin Regional High School from grades 9–12. Hardwick is also part of the Pathfinder Regional Vocational-Technical High School District, comprising Belchertown, Granby, Hardwick, Oakham, Monson, New Braintree, Palmer, Ware, and Warren.
Library
The public library in Hardwick was established in 1892. In fiscal year 2008, the town of Hardwick spent 1.58% ($64,023) of its budget on its public library—approximately $24 per person. In fiscal year 2017, the town budget provided the library with 1.16 percent of the total budget, or $26.18 per year for each resident.
A library in the Village of Gilbertville was constructed in 1911 to replace a library housed over one of the nearby Gilbert Company mills. The Gilbertville Library was dedicated on March 29, 1913, by Association President, Charles A. Ware, who acknowledged the library being given by E.H. Gilbert.
The building today retains most of its original design. The only significant change occurred when a barrier-free entrance was added. This new entryway, completed in 2002, was designed to complement the charm and beauty of the original plan. The library is funded through donations, fundraising by the Association and town funds.
Notable people
*
Adeliza Perry, Civil War nurse, writer, educator, born in Hardwick
*
Jonathan Robinson,
United States Senator
The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress.
Party affiliation
Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...
from Vermont
*
Moses Robinson, Governor of Vermont
"Vermont Governor Moses Robinson"
''National Governors Association
The National Governors Association (NGA) is an American Politics of the United States, political organization founded in 1908. The association's members are the governors of the 55 U.S. state, states, Territories of the United States, territories ...
''
* Carrie Stevens, model
* Squire Whipple, engineer
* Charles Robinson, Governor of Kansas
References
External links
Town of Hardwick
, '' Chronicle HD'', WCVB-TV
WCVB-TV (channel 5) is a television station in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, affiliated with ABC and owned by Hearst Television. The station's studios are located on TV Place (off Gould Street near the I-95/ MA 128/Highland Avenue in ...
, Boston, Monday, October 22, 2012.
{{authority control
Towns in Massachusetts
Towns in Worcester County, Massachusetts
Populated places established in 1737
1737 establishments in the Province of Massachusetts Bay