Stockbridge is a small town in Berkshire County, located in Western Massachusetts, United States. It's part of the larger Pittsfield area. In 2020, about 2,018 people lived here.

Stockbridge is a popular place to visit all year round. It is famous for several important places. These include the Norman Rockwell Museum, which shows the works of a famous American artist. You can also visit Naumkeag, a beautiful historic house with amazing gardens. Chesterwood is another special place, it was the home and studio of the famous sculptor Daniel Chester French.

History of Stockbridge
Geography and Climate
People in Stockbridge
Education in Stockbridge
Fun Places to Visit in Stockbridge
Famous People from Stockbridge
See also

History of Stockbridge

Mission House, built around 1740.

Stockbridge was first settled in 1734 by British missionaries. They created a "praying town" for the Stockbridge Indians, who were a group of Mohican people. The Massachusetts colonists gave this land to the tribe. It was a thank you for their help against the French during the French and Indian Wars.

The first missionary was John Sergeant. Later, Jonathan Edwards, a well-known Christian thinker, took over. The village was first called Indian Town in 1737. It officially became Stockbridge on June 22, 1739. The missionaries named it after a town in England.

Even though the Stockbridge Indians were promised their land would never be sold, this promise was broken. Their lands were taken by white settlers, even after the tribe helped the American Patriots in the Revolutionary War. The tribe had to move far away, first to New York and then to Wisconsin. European American settlers then took over the village.

When the railroad arrived in 1850, Stockbridge became a popular summer spot. Wealthy families from Boston and other big cities built large homes here. These homes were called "Berkshire Cottages." One famous example is Naumkeag.

Since 1853, the Laurel Hill Association has helped make Stockbridge beautiful. Another group, the Stockbridge Bowl Association, works to protect the natural beauty of Stockbridge Bowl and the nearby Bullard Woods.

Stockbridge was also home to Elizabeth Freeman, a formerly enslaved woman. She hired a lawyer, Theodore Sedgwick, to fight for her freedom in court. She used the new state constitution from 1780 to argue her case. The court agreed that she and another enslaved person, Brom, were free. This case helped end slavery in Massachusetts. Elizabeth Freeman then worked for Sedgwick's family. Agrippa Hull, a free Black veteran of the war, also worked there. He became the largest Black landowner in Stockbridge.

Catharine Maria Sedgwick, Theodore's daughter, was born in Stockbridge in 1789. She became a famous writer in the 1800s. She wrote six novels, including her most famous, Hope Leslie.

In the area now called Interlaken, Albrecht Pagenstecher started the first paper mill in the U.S. that used wood to make newsprint. This happened in March 1867. He later helped start many other paper mills.

Stockbridge has a long history as a place for artists. The sculptor Daniel Chester French lived and worked at his home, Chesterwood. Norman Rockwell painted many of his famous pictures in Stockbridge. Today, you can see his art at the Norman Rockwell Museum.

Geography and Climate

Stockbridge Town Offices in a 1914 school building.

Stockbridge covers about 61.3 square kilometers (23.7 square miles). Most of this is land, with a small part being water. Stockbridge is surrounded by other towns like Lenox to the north and Great Barrington to the south. It is about 13.5 miles south of Pittsfield.

The town is nestled among the Berkshire Mountains. The Housatonic River flows through the middle of Stockbridge. Several small streams and lakes feed into the river. These include Mohawk Lake, Agawam Lake, and Lake Mahkeenac, also known as the Stockbridge Bowl. Stockbridge Bowl has a town beach, a boating club, and a summer camp. Part of Tanglewood, a famous music venue, is north of the bowl.

Interstate 90, also known as the Massachusetts Turnpike, runs through the town. You can find exits in nearby towns like West Stockbridge and Lee. Several state roads, like Route 102 and U.S. Route 7, also pass through Stockbridge.

The Housatonic Railroad train line goes through the town. It is used for moving goods, not for passengers. You can catch a bus from the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority (BRTA) that connects Stockbridge to Pittsfield and Great Barrington. For air travel, there are small airports nearby. The closest major airport is Albany International Airport in New York.

Climate data for Stockbridge, Massachusetts (1981–2010 normals)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	32.5 (0.3)	35.8 (2.1)	45.1 (7.3)	57.6 (14.2)	69.6 (20.9)	77.4 (25.2)	81.3 (27.4)	79.3 (26.3)	71.2 (21.8)	60.1 (15.6)	48.4 (9.1)	36.6 (2.6)	57.9 (14.4)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	12.7 (−10.7)	14.3 (−9.8)	23.3 (−4.8)	33.5 (0.8)	43.4 (6.3)	51.8 (11.0)	56.9 (13.8)	55.6 (13.1)	47.6 (8.7)	36.9 (2.7)	29.5 (−1.4)	18.9 (−7.3)	35.4 (1.9)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	3.67 (93)	2.87 (73)	3.82 (97)	3.71 (94)	4.31 (109)	4.02 (102)	4.13 (105)	4.56 (116)	3.93 (100)	3.99 (101)	3.85 (98)	3.74 (95)	46.60 (1,184)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	16.2 (41)	16.1 (41)	11.4 (29)	3.6 (9.1)	.1 (0.25)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	4.7 (12)	12.8 (33)	64.9 (165)
Average precipitation days	10	9	11	12	12	11	11	11	10	9	11	10	127

People in Stockbridge

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1850	1,941	—
1860	2,136	+10.0%
1870	2,003	−6.2%
1880	2,357	+17.7%
1890	2,132	−9.5%
1900	2,081	−2.4%
1910	1,933	−7.1%
1920	1,764	−8.7%
1930	1,762	−0.1%
1940	1,815	+3.0%
1950	2,311	+27.3%
1960	2,161	−6.5%
1970	2,312	+7.0%
1980	2,328	+0.7%
1990	2,408	+3.4%
2000	2,276	−5.5%
2010	1,947	−14.5%
2020	2,018	+3.6%
2022*	1,998	−1.0%
* = population estimate. Source: United States Census records and Population Estimates Program data.

Main Street, around 1910.

In 2000, there were 2,276 people living in Stockbridge. The town has a mix of families and individuals. About 15% of the people were under 18 years old. The average age was 49 years. Most households were families, with some single people living alone.

Indian Monument in 1905.

Education in Stockbridge

Former Bancroft-Curtisville Hotel in Interlaken, one of Stockbridge's small villages.

The first school in Stockbridge opened in 1737. It was led by John Sergeant and taught Christian education to local Mohican children. Later, more small schools opened for children of new settlers. After the Revolutionary War, a more formal school called the Academy was started. Some of its students went on to attend Williams College.

In the 1800s, Stockbridge schools were known for educating future leaders. Three students who went to school in Stockbridge later became Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States. They were Stephen Johnson Field, Henry Billings Brown, and David Josiah Brewer. They all served on the Supreme Court at the same time from 1891 to 1897.

Students from Stockbridge and its small villages like Interlaken and Glendale used to attend Williams High School. This school opened in 1872. In 1968, the high school closed. Stockbridge joined a new school district with Great Barrington and West Stockbridge. High school students from Stockbridge now go to Monument Mountain Regional High School in Great Barrington.

The old Stockbridge Plain School building, built in 1914, used to house both the elementary school and Williams High School. After the new regional high school opened, it became an elementary school. In 2008, the building was updated and now serves as the town offices.

Today, students from Stockbridge attend schools in Great Barrington. Elementary students go to Muddy Brook Regional Elementary School. Middle school students attend Monument Valley Regional Middle School. High school students go to Monument Mountain Regional High School. There are also private schools in nearby towns.

For higher education, the closest community college is in Great Barrington. The nearest state college is in North Adams. The closest state university is the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Fun Places to Visit in Stockbridge

The Norman Rockwell Museum.

Naumkeag Gardens around 1908.

Stockbridge has many interesting places to explore:

Berkshire Botanical Garden: A beautiful garden with many different plants.
Berkshire Theatre Festival: A theater that used to be a casino, designed by Stanford White.
Chesterwood: The home and studio of famous sculptor Daniel Chester French.
Dudley Field Memorial Tower (Children's Chimes Tower): A tower with bells.
Ice Glen: A cool, rocky gorge where ice can last into summer.
Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health: A center for yoga and wellness.
Merwin House (around 1825): A historic house.
Mission House (around 1739): One of the oldest buildings in town.
National Shrine of The Divine Mercy: A religious site.
Naumkeag Museum & Gardens (1886): A historic estate with stunning gardens.
Norman Rockwell Museum: Displays the art of famous American painter Norman Rockwell.
Red Lion Inn: A historic inn that has been open since 1773.
Sedgwick Pie: A unique family burial plot in the Stockbridge Cemetery.
Shadow Brook Farm Historic District: The former summer home of wealthy businessman Andrew Carnegie.
Stockbridge Bowl, also known as Lake Mahkeenac: A beautiful lake for swimming and boating.
Tanglewood: The summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, where many concerts are held.

Famous People from Stockbridge

Kenny Aronoff, drummer
Alice Brock, artist
Joseph Choate, ambassador
Mabel Choate, preservationist
Tara Conklin, writer
Jonathan Edwards, 18th-century religious leader
Erik Erikson, psychologist and author
Cyrus West Field, financier who helped lay the first telegraph cable across the Atlantic Ocean
Stephen Johnson Field, Supreme Court Justice
Elizabeth Freeman (Mum Bett), a formerly enslaved woman who won her freedom in court
Daniel Chester French, sculptor
William Gibson, novelist and playwright
Arlo Guthrie, songwriter and singer
Terence Hill, actor
Agrippa Hull, a free Black soldier who fought in the Revolutionary War
Owen Johnson, writer
Reinhold Niebuhr, theologian
Norman Rockwell, artist
Theodore Sedgwick, congressman
John Sergeant, missionary
Gene Shalit, writer and film critic
Gertrude Robinson Smith, arts patron who helped start Tanglewood
Allen T. Treadway, congressman
Ephraim Williams, who helped create Williams College

Stockbridge, Massachusetts facts for kids

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