Worthington is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in Hampshire 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. The population was 1,193 at the 2020 census, up from 1,156 at the 2010 census. It is part of the

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is the most populous city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, and its county seat. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ea ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area. Worthington is discussed by name in the

Aaron Lewis Aaron Francis Lewis (born April 13, 1972) is an American musician who is best known as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and founding member of the alternative metal band Staind, with whom he released eight studio albums. Since 2010, he has p ...

song "Massachusetts" and referenced by the population size in "Country Boy". Both songs are on the album '' Town Line'', released in 2011.

History

Worthington was first settled in 1764 and was officially incorporated in 1768. The town's officials had settled for new land after the settling of

Northampton Northampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is the county town of Northamptonshire and the administrative centre of the Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. The town is sit ...

in 1654. In the 1760s, the wilderness that became Worthington was largely unpopulated. The 1840s and 1850s saw the arrival of a new form of transportation: railways. An effort to bring a line through Worthington failed. Although a train station was built in Huntington, many Worthington families began selling their farms and moving to western New York State, Ohio and further west in search of cheap land . By the 1860s, Worthington's population had declined to 925. These were years marked by deep conflict and rapid technological change. The population continued to decline—818 in 1875, 763 in 1885, 569 in 1910—yet in these same decades, many present-day town institutions were established. In 1887, the second Congregational Church burned down. The third and current church, including a steeple, bells, organ, and new stained glass windows, was built on the same site and dedicated in 1888. While the permanent population of farmers and small manufacturers declined steadily, Worthington gradually gained a reputation as a summer resort. A casino on Buffington Hill Road, a hotel, several boarding houses, and many summer homes brought many visitors as well as income to the town. The maple sugaring industry expanded into a commercial enterprise during this period. Worthington's population sagged during the 1930s and 40s, reaching its low point of 363 in 1945. With fewer people, Worthington's one-room schools closed, post offices were consolidated, and The Grange was forced to merge with its neighbors. During the winter of 1931, the Lafayette Inn burned to the ground and was never rebuilt. During the 1950s and 1960s, the town began to grow again, a reflection of improved roads. In August 1949, a special town meeting appropriated $6,800 to build a new fire house, which was completed the following year. The Palettes and Trowels Club met for the first time in 1950 and became a haven for several Worthington artists. The town's bicentennial celebration in 1968 was held from June 29 to July 6; events included a parade, an antique fair, an exhibit of photographs, a tour of Worthington homes, a play entitled "Bicentennial Quilting Party", and a beard-growing contest. The late 1960s and early 1970s saw more population growth. During the 1980s, the Hilltown Artisans Guild was established.

Geography

Worthington is in western Hampshire County, bordering

the Berkshires The Berkshires () are highlands located in western Massachusetts and northwestern Connecticut in the United States. Generally, "Berkshires" may refer to the range of hills in Massachusetts that lie between the Housatonic and Connecticut River ...

. It is bordered by Cummington to the north, Chesterfield to the east, Huntington to the southeast,

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

in Hampden County to the south, Middlefield to the southwest, and

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

Berkshire County Berkshire County (pronounced ) is the westernmost county in 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 17 ...

to the west. Worthington Center and Worthington Corners are two neighboring villages near the center of the town, while Ringville and South Worthington are in the southeast and West Worthington is in the northwest.

Massachusetts Route 112 Route 112 is a rural state highway through western Franklin and Hampshire Counties. It begins at U.S. Route 20 (US 20) in Huntington and ends at the Vermont state line in Colrain, where it continues as Vermont Route 112. Route descriptio ...

crosses the town, leading north to Cummington and south to Huntington.

Massachusetts Route 143 Route 143 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The highway runs from Route 8 in Hinsdale east to Route 9 in Williamsburg. Route 143 passes through central Berkshire County town of Peru and the western Hampshire County to ...

follows Route 112 briefly northeast from Worthington Corners but leads east to Chesterfield and

Williamsburg Williamsburg may refer to: Places *Colonial Williamsburg, a living-history museum and private foundation in Virginia *Williamsburg, Brooklyn, neighborhood in New York City *Williamsburg, former name of Kernville (former town), California *Williams ...

, and west to Peru and Hinsdale. 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 ...

, Worthington has a total area of , of which are land and , or 0.46%, are water. The town is within 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 (measure ...

watershed, with the Middle Branch of the Westfield River flowing through the western side of the town.

Climate

Demographics

At the 2000

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 ...

, there were 1,270 people, 503 households and 363 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 582 housing units at an average density of 18.2 per square mile (7.0/km). The racial makeup of the town was 98.27%

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 ...

, 0.31%

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 ...

, 0.08% Native American, 0.24% Asian, and 1.10% 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 1.02% of the population. There were 503 households, of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.8% 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, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.8% were non-families. 21.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.96. 24.5% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 31.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males. The

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of und ...

was $53,047 and the median family income was $60,132. Males had a median income of $42,500 compared with $26,438 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 $24,190. About 1.5% of families and 3.5% 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 2.0% of those under age 18 and 1.4% of those age 65 or over.

In popular culture

Worthington is discussed by name in the

song "Massachusetts" and referenced by the population size in "Country Boy". Both songs are on the album '' Town Line'', released in 2011. The song references the fact that the town of Worthington pre-existed the United States, being settled some twelve years before the end of the Revolutionary War. Composer

Rolande Maxwell Young Rolande Maxwell Young Schrade (September 13, 1927 – January 19, 2015) was born in Washington, D.C. She was an American composer, pianist, teacher, and the matriarch of a musical family with five children. After studying at Catholic University, sh ...

wrote the "Worthington Bicentennial March" in honor of the town's bicentennial in the 1960s.

Maple syrup and sugar houses

Worthington is home to many agricultural endeavors, including the manufacturing of maple syrup, with three sugar houses open nearly year-round.

Notable people

Russell Conwell Russell Herman Conwell (February 15, 1843 – December 6, 1925) was an American Baptist minister, orator, philanthropist, author, lawyer, and writer. He is best remembered as the founder and first president of Temple University in Philadelphi ...

(1843–1925), founder of

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist ministe ...

, lead singer of

Staind Staind ( ) is an American rock band from Springfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The original lineup consisted of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Aaron Lewis, lead guitarist Mike Mushok, bassist and backing vocalist Johnny April, and ...

and current country music singer * Alfred P. Stone (1813–1865), US congressman from Ohio
File:Aaron Lewis 2013.jpg, Aaron Lewis is a long-time Worthington resident. File:Corners Grocery, Worthington MA.jpg, Corners Grocery, the only store in town, with post office attached at left

References

External links

Town of Worthington official websiteWorthington Historical Society''MHC Survey Reconnaissance Town Report: Worthington''
Massachusetts Historical Commission, 1982. {{authority control Towns in Hampshire County, Massachusetts Springfield metropolitan area, Massachusetts Towns in Massachusetts