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TOWN
OF TYRINGHAM, BERKSHIRE COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS
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Incorporated
1762 |
Town
Hall - 116 Main Road - (413) 243-1749
Hours - Open - 9 AM to 1 PM M-T
Annual Town Meeting - Second Tuesday after First Monday
in May
Selectmen's Meeting Dates, Time & Place - 2nd & 4th Monday
- 7 PM - Town Hall
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Tyringham
is a small, mountainous farming town in the southerly part of
Berkshire County, 142 miles southwest of Boston; having Great
Barrington and Lee on the northwest, Becket and Otis on the
east, and Monterey on the southwest. It has 457 inhabitants,
settled mainly in the valley of Hop Brook; which runs diagonally
through the town from southeast to northwest, and enters the
Housatonic River in Lee; furnishing, with its branches, the
motive-power for two saw mills and two or three rake mills.
The borders of this stream formerly abounded in wild hops. Goose
Pond, in the northern part, is a beautiful sheet of about 225
acres, whose outlet is also an affluent of the Housatonic. Toby's
Mountain, in the southwestern section of the town, was taken
as a point of observation in the Trigonometrical Survey of the
State. The soil, through rough and hard, is fertile; and the
air is salubrious and the water pure.
The total product of the 76 farms in 1885 was $68,327. Tobacco
was raised to the value of $5,162; and of maple sugar there
were made 5,875 pounds, with 391 gallons of maple molasses.
The manufactures amounted to $18,966. The number of legal voters
was 130; and of dwelling-houses 101. The valuation in 1888 was
$234,449, with a tax-rate of $11.43. The 6 public school-houses
were valued at about $3,000. There are a Baptist and a Methodist
church.
The central village (Tyringham) on Hop Brook is very neat and
pleasant; and Shaker Village, north of it, bears the marks of
tidiness and thrift for which these people are noted. The post-office
is Tyringham. The localities called Fernside, Hop Brook, Jerusalem
and Sodom are also reckoned as villages. The nearest railroad
stations are those of the Housatonic Railroad at Lee and South
Lee; to both of which are good carriage roads.
Lieut. Isaac Garfield and others commenced a settlement
in this-place in 1739; and were followed the same year by Capt.
John Brewer, of Hopkinton, who erected mills, In 1744, during
the French and Indian War, some government soldiers were stationed
here, and several houses were fortified. The first settler on
Hop Brook was Thomas Orton, who built a log-house here
as early as 1743. The Rev. Adonijah Bidwell, settled
in 1750, was the first minister. The town originally existed
as "Number One," and was incorporated as a town, March
6, 1762. Governor Bernard gave its name of Tyringham,
of which English family he became the representative in 1770.
This town sent 36 men into the service of the Union in the late
war, and lost none.
pp.
647-648 in Nason and Varney's Massachusetts Gazetteer, 1890
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RESOURCE
INFORMATION
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Tyringham,
Massachusetts Vital Records to 1850. Originally published
in 1903 by the New England Historic Genealogical Society
this item is assumed to be in the public domain and has
been reproduced here. Be sure to take a look at the abbreviation
key and source information. Contributed by Claire Smith.
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BIRTHS
TO 1850
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Courtesy
of Claire Smith and Laurel O'Donnell |
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MARRIAGES
TO 1850
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Courtesy
of Claire Smith and Laurel O'Donnell |
DEATHS
TO 1850
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Courtesy
of Claire Smith and Laurel O'Donnell |
CEMETERIES
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Tyringham
Cemetery
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MAP
- 1876
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Source:
County Atlas of Berkshire, Massachusetts. From
actual survey by and under the Direction of F. W. Beers,
Published by R. T. White & Co., 36 Vesey Street, New York,
1876.
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