History of Northampton, Massachusetts, from its settlement in 1654;

HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTON.
CHAPTER I.
ESTABLISHING THE PLANTATION.
Hardships and Dif- One-third of a ceiitiiry elapsed after Ply-
flcuities of the
same general ua-
ture Menaced
moiitli Rock became immortal, before perx
xxi £ i - 1 • • - •
. i
maiient settlers tomid their way into this
the Beginnings
every own.
immediate sectioH of the Valley. Gradually
^-j^^ fame of its fertile meadows and rich
uplands, made known by the natives and heralded by ex-
plorers, spread among the settlements at the Baj^, but years
passed ere the hardy pioneer tested for himself the truth of
these alluring reports. Civilization, delayed in its coming,
burst suddenly upon the banks of the tranquil Connecticut.
Four towns, the chronicles of whose progress have been
presented in many an entertaining volume, followed each
other almost within a twelvemonth. To trace the history of
the beginnings of any town is to reproduce, to a certain ex-
tent, the commencement of many another. Yet each has its
own peculiar characteristics, and each differs in many essen-
tials from all the rest. The hardships incident to the establishment
of a township in the wilderness, remote from
neighbors, and dependent wholly upon its own scanty resources,
beset the settlers here, even as they harrassed and
disturbed the first years of every other inland plantatiori.
Aware of the trials and dangers attending their undertak-
ing, the early inhabitants came prepared to meet, and determined
to conquer them all. With skill and resolution they
set about their arduous task, and in a strong and confident
spirit laid broad and deep the material, intellectual, social
and religious foundations upon which rests to-day the noble
superstructure of our beautiful city.