Hadley was founded by emigrants of great respectability from
Connecticut, and originally included Amherst, South Hadley, Granby,
Hatfield, and Sunderland and Whately, two towns now in Franklin
county.
This is an agricultural town, and its meadows, on the banks of the Connecticut, are extremely fertile.
Brooms and palm-leaf hats are the chief manufactures.
The most interesting event in the history of Hadley is the conceal- ment in the minister's house of two or three of the judges who signed
the death-warrant of king Charles the First, and fled to New England
when Charles the Second came to the throne.
When the town was sorely beset by the Indians, in Philip's War, one of these concealed judges suddenly appeared, animated the people,
fought valiantly, drove off the Indians, and so suddenly disappeared
again, that an angel was said to have saved the village.
Distance from Northampton, 3 miles ; from Boston, 88.
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