Editing Whately, Massachusetts (section)

== History ==
Whately was first settled in 1672 as a northern section of [[Hatfield, Massachusetts|Hatfield]]. The town peaceably petitioned for separation from the town because of its relatively long distance from the rest of Hatfield, and was officially incorporated in 1771, named by [[Thomas Hutchinson (governor)|Governor Thomas Hutchinson]] for [[Thomas Whately]], a [[Member of Parliament]] whose letter to Hutchinson would later be involved in the controversy which brought on Hutchinson's dismissal.  Julian Whately, a descendant of Thomas, visited the town during the Bicentennial celebration in 1971.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Newlin|first1=Paul|title=Town of Whately 2010 Annual Report|url=https://www.whately.org/sites/whatelyma/files/uploads/2010townreportcompleteforweb.pdf|website=Town of Whately|access-date=September 21, 2017|page=ii}}</ref>  Whately was the site of the state's first [[gin]] distillery, as well as other small mills, including wool and furniture mills.  The town also used the water in town for agricultural pursuits, including dairying and one of the few Sumatran [[tobacco]] fields outside of [[Indonesia]].<ref>[http://www.franklincc.org/whately.html Town of Whately - Franklin County Chamber of Commerce]</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.whately.org/about.html|title=About Whately - Town of Whately official website}}</ref>