Historical Collections, by John Warner Barber

330

NORTHAMPTON.

villages in New England. Situated in the delightful valley of the Connecticut, surrounded with beautiful and variegated prospects on every side, with the magnificent front of Mount Holyoke, rising to the height of 830 feet, on the opposite side of the river, the scenery of this place presents a specimen of the "sublime and beautiful." A fine stream passes the center of the town, possessing a good water power, on which are mills and factories of various kinds. This place has considerable river and inland commerce, which will probably be increased by the New Haven and Northampton canal, which terminates a little north of the village.

Eastern view of Round Hill, Northampton.

The above is a representation of Round Hill, an elevation which rises immediately back of the court-house and the central part of the village. It is very regular in its form, and the summit is crowned by a noble grove. A number of elegant residences stand on this side of this elevation, overlooking the village; and from this spot there is a fine prospect of Mount Holyoke and the delightful valley of the Connecticut. The view from which the above engraving was made, was taken standing on the western side of the first Congregational church. The building appearing on the left is the Town School; the Gothic structure on the right is the young Laides' Seminary. Round Hill is seen beyond. There are 5 churches, 3 Congregational, (1 of which is Unitarian,) 1 Episcopal, and 1 Baptist. There is 1 bank, the "Northampton Bank," with a capital of $200,000. Population, 3,576. Northampton is 91 miles W. of Boston, 72 E. of Albany, 40 N. of Hartford, 22 S. of Greenfield, 17 northerly of Springfield, and 376 from Washington. In 1837, there were 3 woollen mills, 7 sets of machinery; 70,000 yards of cloth were manufactured, valued at $230,000;

was sufficiently dry to furnish convenient building spots." -Dr. Dwight's Travels, volume i., page 328.