Editing Hawley, Massachusetts (section)

== History ==
Hawley was first settled in 1760 as Plantation Number 7, by a group from [[Hatfield, Massachusetts|Hatfield]]. The town was called the "Hatfield Reserve" until it was officially incorporated in 1792. The town was named for [[Joseph Hawley (Massachusetts politician)|Joseph Hawley]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gannett |first=Henry |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ |title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States |publisher=Govt. Print. Off. |year=1905 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n151 152] |via=Archive.org}}</ref> of [[Northampton, Massachusetts|Northampton]], a local leader in the [[American Revolution]]. Hawley's main industries were forestry and, eventually, recreation. The town originally included the land of its neighbor, [[Plainfield, Massachusetts|Plainfield]], which split off in the early nineteenth century.<ref>[http://www.co.franklin.ma.us/hawley.html Town of Hawley - Franklin Co. Chamber of Commerce]{{Dead link|date=January 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

Today, the town has very little industry. There are a few remaining farms, artisans and small businesses, though most people commute from the town, work from home or work for municipalities. The town has no gas stations, convenience stores, or liquor stores. Hawley does not have a police department, but does have a fire department.