Editing Stockbridge, Massachusetts

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{more citations needed|date=December 2022}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Stockbridge, Massachusetts
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    = 
|image_skyline            = Looking from Heaton Hall, Stockbridge, MA.jpg
|imagesize                = 
|image_caption            = 
|image_seal               = Seal of Stockbridge, Massachusetts.png
|image_flag               = 
|image_map                = Berkshire County Massachusetts incorporated and unincorporated areas Stockbridge highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 260px
|map_caption              = Location in [[Berkshire County, Massachusetts|Berkshire County]] and the state of [[Massachusetts]].
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Massachusetts]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Massachusetts|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Berkshire County, Massachusetts|Berkshire]]
|established_title        = Settled
|established_date         = 1734
|established_title2       = Incorporated
|established_date2        = 1739
|established_title3       = 
|established_date3        = 
|government_type          = [[Open town meeting]]
|leader_title             = <!--[[Executive Secretary]]-->
|leader_name              = 
|leader_title1            = <!--Board of <br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Selectmen-->
|leader_name1             = 
|area_magnitude           = 
|area_total_km2           = 61.3
|area_total_sq_mi         = 
|area_land_km2            = 58.9
|area_land_sq_mi          = 
|area_water_km2           = 2.4
|area_water_sq_mi         = 
|population_as_of         = 2020
|settlement_type          = [[New England town|Town]]
|population_total         = 2018
|population_density_km2   = auto
|population_density_sq_mi = 
|elevation_m              = 257
|elevation_ft             = 842
|timezone                 = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|Eastern]]
|utc_offset               = −5
|timezone_DST             = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|Eastern]]
|utc_offset_DST           = −4
|coordinates              = {{coord|42|17|15|N|73|19|15|W|region:US-MA|display=inline,title}}
|website                  = {{URL|www.townofstockbridge.com}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP Code]]s
|postal_code              = 01262 (Stockbridge)<br/>01229 ([[Glendale, Massachusetts|Glendale]])<br/>01236 ([[Housatonic, Massachusetts|Housatonic]])
|area_code                = [[Area code 413|413]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 25-67595
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 0618274
|footnotes                = 
}}

'''Stockbridge''' is a [[New England town|town]] in [[Berkshire County, Massachusetts|Berkshire County]] in [[Western Massachusetts]], United States. It is part of the [[Pittsfield, Massachusetts|Pittsfield]], [[Massachusetts]], [[Metropolitan Statistical Area]]. The population was 2,018 at the 2020 census.<ref name="Census 2020">{{Cite web| url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0600000US2500367595| title=Census - Geography Profile: Stockbridge town, Berkshire County, Massachusetts| publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]| access-date=November 14, 2021}}</ref> A year-round [[resort area]], Stockbridge is home to the [[Norman Rockwell Museum]], [[Naumkeag]], a public garden and historic house, the [[Austen Riggs Center]] (a psychiatric treatment center), and [[Chesterwood (Massachusetts)|Chesterwood]], home and studio of sculptor [[Daniel Chester French]].

==History==
[[File:Old Mission House Stockbridge MA.jpg|thumb|left|[[Mission House (Stockbridge, Massachusetts)|Mission House]], built about 1740. Postcard {{circa|1908}}.]]

Stockbridge was settled by British missionaries in 1734, who established it as a [[praying town]] for the [[Stockbridge Indians]], an [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|indigenous]] [[Mohicans|Mohican]] tribe. The township was set aside for the tribe by Massachusetts colonists as a reward for their assistance against the [[Kingdom of France|French]] in the [[French and Indian Wars]]. The Rev. [[John Sergeant (missionary)|John Sergeant]], from [[Newark, New Jersey]], was their first [[missionary]]. Sergeant was succeeded in this post by [[Jonathan Edwards (theologian)|Jonathan Edwards]], a Christian theologian associated with the [[First Great Awakening]].

First chartered as Indian Town in 1737, the village was incorporated on June 22, 1739, as Stockbridge. The missionaries named it after [[Stockbridge, Hampshire|Stockbridge]] in [[Hampshire, England]]. Although the [[Massachusetts General Court]] had assured the Stockbridge Indians that their land would never be sold, the agreement was rescinded. Despite the aid by the Tribe to the [[Patriot (American Revolution)|American Patriots]] during the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]], their lands in Stockbridge were stolen by white townspeople. The Tribe was forced to relocate west, first to [[New York (state)|New York]] and then to [[Wisconsin]]. The village was taken over by [[European Americans|European American]] settlers.

With the arrival of the [[railroad]] in 1850, Stockbridge developed as a summer resort for the wealthy of Boston and other major cities. Many large houses, called [[Berkshire Cottages]], were built in the area before [[World War I]] and the advent of the [[income tax]]. Stockbridge was home to several cottages, including [[Naumkeag]].

Since 1853, Stockbridge has benefited from the presence of the [[Laurel Hill Association]], a village beautification society. The Stockbridge Bowl Association maintains and preserves the natural beauty of Stockbridge Bowl and the surrounding Bullard Woods.

Stockbridge was the home of [[Elizabeth Freeman (Mum Bett)|Elizabeth Freeman]], a freed slave, late in her life. The former slave engaged the attorney [[Theodore Sedgwick]] to file a [[freedom suit]] on her behalf, based on the statements in the new state constitution in 1780. In the case with a slave named Brom, the county court ruled that they were both free under the constitution. Their case served as precedent to a later case before the State Supreme Court, effectively ending slavery in Massachusetts. Freeman transferred as a free woman to work in the household of Sedgwick, who became a state judge. Also working in the household was [[Agrippa Hull]], a free black veteran of the war, who became the largest black landowner in Stockbridge. Freeman was buried in the Sedgwick family plot at the Stockbridge Cemetery.

[[Catharine Maria Sedgwick]], a daughter of Theodore and his wife, became a renowned 19th-century literary figure. She was born in Stockbridge in 1789. She is the author of six novels, including her most famous, ''[[Hope Leslie]]'' (1827).

In the [[Old Curtisville Historic District|Curtisville]] area, now known as the Interlaken part of Stockbridge, [[Albrecht Pagenstecher]], an immigrant from [[Saxony]], established the [[History of papermaking in Massachusetts|first wood-based newsprint paper mill]] in the United States, in March 1867. Pagenstecher later went on to found "numerous pulp and paper mills throughout the Northeast and Canada" and serve on the board of directors of the [[International Paper Company]].<ref>[http://www.cornwall-on-hudson.com/article.cfm?page=712 Mumford, Warren. 2006. "The Pagenstecher family: from Rags to Riches," ''News from Cornwall and Cornwall-on-Hudson''. Accessed April 30, 2012.]</ref>

The town has a tradition as an [[art colony]]. The sculptor [[Daniel Chester French]] lived and worked at his home and studio called [[Chesterwood (Massachusetts)|Chesterwood]]. [[Norman Rockwell]] painted many of his works in Stockbridge, which is now home to the [[Norman Rockwell Museum]].

==Geography and climate==

[[File:Stockbridge, MA - Town Offices 01.jpg|thumb|left|Stockbridge Town Offices in 1914 school building]]

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|61.3|km2|abbr=on|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|58.9|km2|abbr=on|order=flip}} is land and {{convert|2.4|km2|abbr=on|order=flip}}, or 3.97%, is water.<ref name="Census 2010">{{Cite web| url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/0600000US2500367595| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212143710/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/0600000US2500367595| url-status=dead| archive-date=February 12, 2020| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Stockbridge town, Berkshire County, Massachusetts| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder| access-date=December 17, 2013}}</ref> Stockbridge is bordered by [[Richmond, Massachusetts|Richmond]] to the northwest, [[Lenox, Massachusetts|Lenox]] to the north and northeast, [[Lee, Massachusetts|Lee]] to the east, [[Great Barrington, Massachusetts|Great Barrington]] to the south, and [[West Stockbridge, Massachusetts|West Stockbridge]] to the west. The town is located {{convert|13.5|mi}} south of [[Pittsfield, Massachusetts|Pittsfield]], {{convert|35|mi}} southeast of [[Albany, New York]], {{convert|45|mi}} west-northwest of [[Springfield, Massachusetts|Springfield]], and {{convert|130|mi}} west of [[Boston]].

Set among the [[Berkshire Mountains]], Stockbridge is drained by the [[Housatonic River]], which runs through the center of town. The river is fed by several marshy brooks and lakes, including Mohawk Lake to the west, Agawam Lake to the south, Lake Averic in the northwest, and [[Stockbridge Bowl|Lake Mahkeenac]], also known as the Stockbridge Bowl, to the north. Stockbridge Bowl is the site of a town beach, a boating club, and a summer camp, Camp Mah-Kee-Nac. North of the bowl lies parts of [[Tanglewood]]. To either side of the bowl lie West Stockbridge Mountain and Rattlesnake Hill. To the south, Monument Mountain peaks on the Great Barrington town line, and Beartown Mountain peaks to the east, closer to the Lee town line.

The town is nearly bisected by [[Interstate 90]], the [[Massachusetts Turnpike]]. There are exits in neighboring West Stockbridge and Lee. Several state routes, including [[Massachusetts Route 102|Route 102]], [[Massachusetts Route 183|Route 183]] and [[U.S. Route 7 in Massachusetts|U.S. Route 7]] all pass through town, with Routes 102 and 7 sharing a short stretch in downtown Stockbridge, and Routes 102 and 183 meeting in the village of Larrywaug. In this village are the [[Berkshire Botanical Gardens]] and the [[Norman Rockwell Museum]]. South of there, in the village of [[Glendale, Massachusetts]] lies Chesterwood.

The [[Housatonic Railroad]], the main rail line between Pittsfield and Great Barrington, passes through the town and lies mostly on the southern bank of the river. (The rail line is used for freight; there is no passenger service.) The town lies along a [[Berkshire Regional Transit Authority]] (BRTA) bus line, which provides service between Pittsfield and Great Barrington. Pittsfield is also the site of the nearest regional bus service, as well as regional [[Amtrak]] service. There are local airports (for private and charter planes) in Pittsfield and Great Barrington. The nearest national air service is located at [[Albany International Airport]] in New York.

<div style="width:85%;">
{{Weather box
|location = Stockbridge, Massachusetts (1981–2010 normals)
|single line = Y
|Jan high F = 32.5
|Feb high F = 35.8	
|Mar high F = 45.1
|Apr high F = 57.6
|May high F = 69.6
|Jun high F = 77.4
|Jul high F = 81.3
|Aug high F = 79.3
|Sep high F = 71.2
|Oct high F = 60.1
|Nov high F = 48.4
|Dec high F = 36.6
|year high F= 57.9
|Jan low F = 12.7
|Feb low F = 14.3
|Mar low F = 23.3
|Apr low F = 33.5
|May low F = 43.4
|Jun low F = 51.8
|Jul low F = 56.9
|Aug low F = 55.6
|Sep low F = 47.6
|Oct low F = 36.9
|Nov low F = 29.5
|Dec low F = 18.9
|year low F= 35.4
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 3.67
|Feb precipitation inch = 2.87
|Mar precipitation inch = 3.82
|Apr precipitation inch = 3.71
|May precipitation inch = 4.31
|Jun precipitation inch = 4.02
|Jul precipitation inch = 4.13
|Aug precipitation inch = 4.56
|Sep precipitation inch = 3.93
|Oct precipitation inch = 3.99
|Nov precipitation inch = 3.85
|Dec precipitation inch = 3.74
|year precipitation inch=46.60
|Jan snow inch = 16.2
|Feb snow inch = 16.1
|Mar snow inch = 11.4
|Apr snow inch =  3.6
|May snow inch =   .1
|Jun snow inch =    0
|Jul snow inch =    0
|Aug snow inch =    0
|Sep snow inch =    0
|Oct snow inch =    0
|Nov snow inch =  4.7
|Dec snow inch = 12.8
|year snow inch= 64.9
|Jan precipitation days = 10
|Feb precipitation days =  9
|Mar precipitation days = 11	
|Apr precipitation days = 12
|May precipitation days = 12	
|Jun precipitation days = 11
|Jul precipitation days = 11
|Aug precipitation days = 11
|Sep precipitation days = 10	
|Oct precipitation days =  9	
|Nov precipitation days = 11
|Dec precipitation days = 10
|year precipitation days=127
|source 1 = <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weatherall.php3?s=181891&units=|title=Stockbridge, Massachusetts Travel Weather Averages (Weatherbase)|website=weather base.com}}</ref>
|source 2 =
}}</div>

==Demographics==

{{Historical populations | type=USA
 | 1850|1941
 | 1860|2136
 | 1870|2003
 | 1880|2357
 | 1890|2132
 | 1900|2081
 | 1910|1933
 | 1920|1764
 | 1930|1762
 | 1940|1815
 | 1950|2311
 | 1960|2161
 | 1970|2312
 | 1980|2328
 | 1990|2408
 | 2000|2276
 | 2010|1947
 | 2020|2018
 | 2022*|1998
 | footnote=* = population estimate.  {{Historical populations/Massachusetts municipalities references}}<ref>{{cite web | title=City and Town Population Totals: 2020−2022| publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] | access-date=November 24, 2023 | url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-cities-and-towns.html}}</ref>
}}
[[File:The Village Street, Stockbridge, MA.jpg|thumb|left|Main Street, around 1910]]

As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref> of 2000, there were 2,276 people, 991 households, and 567 families residing in the town.  By population, Stockbridge ranks twelfth out of the 32 cities and towns in Berkshire County, and 285th out of the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts. The population density was {{convert|99.2|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}, which ranks 12th in the county and 281st in the Commonwealth. There were 1,571 housing units at an average density of {{convert|68.5|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the town was 96.92% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 1.23% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.04% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.44% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.04% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.97% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.35% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 2.90% of the population.

There were 991 households, out of which 18.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.7% were non-families. Of all households 36.7% were made up of individuals, and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.67.

[[File:Monument to the Stockbridge Indians, Stockbridge, MA.jpg|thumb|right|Indian Monument in 1905]]

In the town, the population was spread out, with 15.2% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 22.5% from 25 to 44, 33.5% from 45 to 64, and 22.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $48,571, and the median income for a family was $59,556. Males had a median income of $32,500 versus $27,969 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $32,499. About 1.7% of families and 8.5% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 1.2% of those under age 18 and 4.1% of those age 65 or over.

==Government==

Stockbridge is governed by [[open town meeting]], held annually on the third Monday in May, and by an elected three-member Board of Selectmen.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Town Government |url=http://www.townofstockbridge.com/Public_Documents/StockbridgeMA_WebDocs/government |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080920091524/http://www.townofstockbridge.com:80/Public_Documents/StockbridgeMA_WebDocs/government |archive-date=September 20, 2008 |website=Town of Stockbridge, MA}}</ref> The town operates its own police, fire and public works departments, with three fire stations and two post offices. The town's library, located in the central village, is connected to the regional library network. The nearest hospital, Fairview Hospital, is located in neighboring Great Barrington.

On the state level, Stockbridge is represented in the [[Massachusetts House of Representatives]] by the Fourth Berkshire district, which covers southern Berkshire County, as well as the westernmost towns in Hampden County. In the [[Massachusetts Senate]], the town is represented by the Berkshire, Hampshire and Franklin district, which includes all of Berkshire County and western Hampshire and Franklin counties.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mass.gov/legis/citytown.htm |title=Senators and Representatives by City and Town |website=Mass.Gov |access-date=March 1, 2008 |archive-date=September 29, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929115141/http://www.mass.gov/legis/citytown.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> The town is patrolled by the First (Lee) Station of Barracks "B" of the [[Massachusetts State Police]].<ref>[http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=eopsterminal&L=5&L0=Home&L1=Law+Enforcement+%26+Criminal+Justice&L2=Law+Enforcement&L3=State+Police+Troops&L4=Troop+B&sid=Eeops&b=terminalcontent&f=msp_divisions_field_services_troops_troop_b_msp_field_troop_b_station_b1&csid=Eeops Station B-1, SP Lee]</ref>

On the national level, Stockbridge is represented in the [[United States House of Representatives]] as part of [[Massachusetts's 1st congressional district]], and has been represented by [[Richard Neal]] of [[Springfield, Massachusetts|Springfield]] since January 2013. Massachusetts is currently represented in the [[United States Senate]] by senior Senator [[Elizabeth Warren]] and junior Senator [[Ed Markey]].

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible" style="float:center; margin:1em; font-size:95%;"
|+ Stockbridge presidential election results<ref>{{cite web|url=https://electionstats.state.ma.us/elections/search/year_from:1970/year_to:1970/|title=Election Results}}</ref>
|- style="background:lightgrey;"
! Year
! [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
! [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
! [[Third party (United States)|Third parties]]
! Total Votes
! Margin
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2020 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|2020]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''80.63%''' ''1,099''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|17.39% ''237''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|1.98% ''27''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|1,363
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|63.24%
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2016 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|2016]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''74.69%''' ''965''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|19.50% ''252''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|5.80% ''75''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|1,292
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|55.19%
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2012 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|2012]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''78.10%''' ''945''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|18.68% ''226''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|3.22% ''39''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|1,210
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|59.42%
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2008 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|2008]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''80.10%''' ''998''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|17.17% ''214''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|2.73% ''34''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|1,246
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|62.92%
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2004 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|2004]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''78.75%''' ''982''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|19.81% ''247''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|1.44% ''18''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|1,247
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|58.94%
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2000 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|2000]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''63.37%''' ''794''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|23.30% ''292''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|13.33% ''167''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|1,253
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|40.06%
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[1996 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|1996]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''68.54%''' ''867''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|20.87% ''264''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|10.59% ''134''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|1,265
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|47.67%
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[1992 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|1992]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''63.02%''' ''893''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|20.18% ''286''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|16.80% ''238''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|1,417
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|42.84%
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[1988 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|1988]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''66.74%''' ''947''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|32.21% ''457''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|1.06% ''15''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|1,419
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|34.53%
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[1984 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|1984]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''54.90%''' ''801''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|44.21% ''645''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|0.89% ''13''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|1,459
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|10.69%
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[1980 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|1980]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''39.29%''' ''552''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|36.94% ''519''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|23.77% ''334''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|1,405
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|2.35%
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[1976 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|1976]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''48.31%''' ''686''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|46.55% ''661''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|5.14% ''73''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|1,420
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|1.76%
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[1972 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|1972]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''50.70%''' ''689''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|48.20% ''655''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|1.10% ''15''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|1,359
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|2.50%
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[1968 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|1968]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''49.95%''' ''553''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|45.53% ''504''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|4.52% ''50''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|1,107
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|4.43%
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[1964 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|1964]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''73.32%''' ''805''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|25.87% ''284''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|0.82% ''9''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|1,098
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|47.45%
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[1960 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|1960]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|46.95% ''546''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''52.45%''' ''610''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|0.60% ''7''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|1,163
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|5.50%
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[1956 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|1956]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|28.95% ''319''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''70.78%''' ''780''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|0.27% ''3''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|1,102
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|41.83%
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[1952 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|1952]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|29.29% ''340''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''70.46%''' ''818''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|0.26% ''3''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|1,161
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|41.17%
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[1948 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|1948]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|31.95% ''277''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''65.28%''' ''566''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|2.77% ''24''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|867
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|33.33%
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[1944 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|1944]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|39.21% ''338''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''60.56%''' ''522''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|0.23% ''2''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|862
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|21.35%
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[1940 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|1940]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|33.93% ''305''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''65.52%''' ''589''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|0.56% ''5''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|899
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|31.59%
|}

==Education==

The first school in Stockbridge was opened in 1737 under the direction of [[John Sergeant (missionary)|John Sergeant]], a missionary to the local [[Mohican]] Indians.  It served as a school for the Christian education of Indian children.  During the pre-[[American Revolutionary War]] years, several small schools were established to serve the children of new settlers scattered further outside the village.<ref>Loraine Anderson Devoe & Kathleen Wayne Oppermann (1984), ''Williams High School Alumni Association, History and Directory, 1872-1968'', pg. 5, Retrieved September 5, 2015</ref> The founding of the semi-private Academy after the Revolutionary War marked the beginning of a more structured commitment to secondary education in the town.  Three of the four students in the first graduating class of [[Williams College]] in 1795 were alumni of the Academy.

In the early and mid-1800s Stockbridge schools earned the distinction of educating three [[Associate Justices]] of the [[Supreme Court of the United States]] who served on the high court at the same time. All educated in Stockbridge, [[Stephen Johnson Field]],<ref>[http://www.anb.org/articles/11/11-00299.html Stephen Johnson Field, U.S. Supreme Court Justices, anb.org, Retrieved September 24, 2015]</ref> [[Henry Billings Brown]]<ref>[https://michiganjournalhistory.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/broad-trevor_-a_forgotten_man_in_a_tumultuous_time.pdf Forgotten Man in a Tumultuous Time: The Gilded Age as Seen by United States Supreme Court Associate Justice Henry Billings Brown, ''Michigan Journal of History'', Retrieved September 24, 2015]</ref> and [[David Josiah Brewer]]<ref>[https://archive.org/details/davidjbrewerlif00brod/page/1 <!-- quote=david josiah brewer stockbridge. --> David J. Brewer, Life of a Supreme Court Justice, 1837-1910, Retrieved September 24, 2015]</ref> served together as Associate Justices from 1891 to 1897.

[[File:Former Bancroft-Curtisville Hotel, Interlaken MA.jpg|thumb|left|Former Bancroft-Curtisville Hotel in Interlaken, one of Stockbridge's small villages]]

Students from Stockbridge, its small villages of [[Old Curtisville Historic District|Interlaken]], Glendale and Larrywaug, and from the nearby town of [[West Stockbridge]] attended the town's [[Williams High School (Stockbridge, Massachusetts)|Williams High School]], established in 1872.  In April 1968 the school closed after nearly a decade of contentious school regionalization debates and failed ballot measures. After the state refused in 1964 to help fund a new high school building, Stockbridge voters approved a regionalization plan to join Great Barrington and West Stockbridge in a consolidated school district.<ref>Loraine Anderson Devoe & Kathleen Wayne Oppermann (1984), ''Williams High School Alumni Association, History and Directory, 1872-1968'', pg. 16, Retrieved September 20, 2015</ref>  In 1968 Stockbridge students joined those from Great Barrington's [[Searles High School (Great Barrington, Massachusetts)|Searles High School]] in transferring to a new regional high school located in Great Barrington.<ref>Loraine Anderson Devoe & Kathleen Wayne Oppermann (1984), ''Williams High School Alumni Association, History and Directory, 1872-1968'', pgs. 15-16, Retrieved September 5, 2015</ref>

The building of the former Stockbridge Plain School, completed in 1914, was shared by the elementary school and Williams High School, until the opening of [[Monument Mountain Regional High School]] in 1968. Stockbridge Plain School for several years then became one of the [[elementary school]]s in the new [[Berkshire Hills Regional School District]]. A renovation of the building was completed in 2008, and it now serves as the new town offices.

Today, Stockbridge, along with West Stockbridge and Great Barrington, remain members of the Berkshire Hills Regional School District. All students in the district attend school in Great Barrington, with elementary students attending Muddy Brook Regional Elementary School, middle school students attending Monument Valley Regional Middle School, and high school students attending Monument Mountain Regional High School.<ref>[http://www.maroontribune.com/berkshiresbeyond/2011/07/28/the-birth-of-a-spartan-nation/ The Maroon Tribune, July 28, 2011] Retrieved September 15, 2013</ref> In addition to public schools, there are private and religious schools located in the neighboring towns.

The nearest [[community college]] is the South County branch of [[Berkshire Community College]] in Great Barrington. The nearest state college is [[Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts]] in [[North Adams, Massachusetts|North Adams]], and the nearest state university is the [[University of Massachusetts Amherst]]. The nearest private college is [[Bard College at Simon's Rock]], also in Great Barrington.  Less than an hour's drive away, in [[Albany, New York]], is a state university, [[University at Albany, SUNY]], and also several private colleges.

==Sites of interest==

[[File:Rockwell museum.jpg|thumb|The Norman Rockwell Museum]]
[[File:Naumkeag Gardens, Stockbridge, MA.jpg|thumb|right|245px|Naumkeag Gardens {{circa|1908}}]]

* [[Austen Riggs Center]], psychiatric hospital
* [[Berkshire Botanical Garden]]
* [[Berkshire Theatre Festival]], originally designed by [[Stanford White]] as a casino (1888)
* [[Chesterwood (Massachusetts)|Chesterwood]], home of [[Daniel Chester French]]
* [[Old Curtisville Historic District|Curtisville Historic District]]
* Dudley Field Memorial [[bell tower|Tower]] (Children's Chimes Tower)
* [[Ice Glen]]
* [[Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health]]
* [[Merwin House (Stockbridge, Massachusetts)|Merwin House]] ({{circa|1825}})
* [[Mission House (Stockbridge, Massachusetts)|Mission House]] ({{circa|1739}})
* [[National Shrine of The Divine Mercy (Stockbridge, Massachusetts)|National Shrine of The Divine Mercy]]
* [[Naumkeag|Naumkeag Museum & Gardens]] (1886)
* [[Norman Rockwell Museum]]
* [[Oronoque (estate)|Oronoque]] (1887)
* [[Red Lion Inn (Stockbridge)|Red Lion Inn]]
* [[Sedgwick Pie]], unique family plot at the Stockbridge Cemetery
* [[Shadow Brook Farm Historic District]], summer home of [[Andrew Carnegie]]
* [[Stockbridge Bowl]], aka Lake Mahkeenac
* [[Tanglewood]], summer home of the [[Boston Symphony Orchestra]]

==Notable people==
{{div col|colwidth=28em}}
* [[Kenny Aronoff]], drummer
* [[Ezekiel Bacon]], congressman
* [[John Bacon (Massachusetts)|John Bacon]], congressman
* [[Barnabas Bidwell]], congressman
* [[Henry Charles Brace]], politician
* [[Alice Brock]], artist
* [[Joseph Choate]], ambassador
* [[Mabel Choate]], preservationist 
* [[Tara Conklin]], writer
* [[Henry W. Dwight]], congressman
* [[Joseph Dwight]], 18th-century judge
* [[Jonathan Edwards (theologian)|Jonathan Edwards]], 18th-century theologian
* [[Erik Erikson]], psychologist and author
* [[David Dudley Field I]], clergyman
* [[David Dudley Field II]], lawyer, law reformer, congressman
* [[Cyrus West Field]], financier
* [[Henry Martyn Field (minister)|Henry Martyn Field]], clergyman, author
* [[Stephen Johnson Field]], Associate Justice, Supreme Court of the U.S.
* [[Elizabeth Freeman (Mum Bett)]], freed slave
* [[Daniel Chester French]], sculptor
* [[William Gibson (playwright)|William Gibson]], novelist, playwright
* [[Teddy Gross]], playwright, co-founder of [[Common Cents]] & The Penny Harvest
* [[Arlo Guthrie]], songwriter, singer
* [[Terence Hill]], actor
* [[Agrippa Hull]], free black Patriot
* [[Abby B. Hyde]], hymnwriter
* [[Owen Johnson (writer)|Owen Johnson]], writer
* [[Stanley Loomis]], author of four books on French history
* [[Marcus P. Miller]], United States Army brigadier general<ref name="Thayer">{{cite web |url=https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/America/United_States/Army/USMA/Cullums_Register/1805*.html |title=Marcus P. Miller in Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the United States Military Academy, Volumes II-V |last=Thayer |first=Bill |website=Bill Thayer's Web Site |publisher=Bill Thayer |location=Chicago, IL |date=May 5, 2015 |access-date=August 22, 2020}}</ref>
* [[Story Musgrave]], physician, astronaut
* [[Reinhold Niebuhr]], theologian
* [[William J. Obanhein]], "Officer Obie"
* [[Albrecht Pagenstecher]], paper industry pioneer
* [[Arthur Penn]], movie and theatre director
* [[Benjamin Pond]], congressman from New York (1811–1813)
* [[Norman Rockwell]], artist
* [[Theodore Sedgwick]], congressman
* [[George Seeley (photographer)|George Seeley]], photographer
* [[John Sergeant (missionary)|John Sergeant]], missionary
* [[Gene Shalit]], writer, film critic
* [[Gertrude Robinson Smith]], arts patron, a founder of [[Tanglewood]] 
* [[Joan Kennedy Taylor]], writer, editor
* [[Allen T. Treadway]], congressman
* [[Ephraim Williams]], benefactor of [[Williams College]]
* [[Woodward & Lothrop|Samuel Walter Woodward]], department store founder
* [[Enoch Woodbridge]], Chief Justice of the [[Vermont Supreme Court]]<ref>{{cite book |last=Ullery |first=Jacob G. |date=1894 |title=Men of Vermont Illustrated |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_Nvg_AAAAYAAJ |location=Brattleboro, VT |publisher=Transcript Publishing Company |page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_Nvg_AAAAYAAJ/page/n173 176] |ref={{sfnRef|''Men of Vermont Illustrated''}}}}</ref>
{{div col end}}

==In popular culture==

Stockbridge was the location of [[Alice's Restaurant]] in the song of the same name by [[Arlo Guthrie]] which describes the town as having "three stop signs, two police officers, and one police car".<ref name="AlicesRestaurant">[http://www.arlo.net/resources/lyrics/alices.shtml Alice's Restaurant Lyrics] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070521215056/http://www.arlo.net/resources/lyrics/alices.shtml |date=May 21, 2007 }}</ref> The site of the restaurant is marked on the street; the site of Alice's home is now the community [https://guthriecenter.org/ Guthrie Center]. A "red VW microbus"<ref name="AlicesRestaurant" /> is parked outside, and may be the original.

Stockbridge is mentioned in one verse of [[James Taylor|James Taylor's]] "[[Sweet Baby James (song)|Sweet Baby James]]".<ref>{{Citation|title=JAMES TAYLOR ~ Sweet Baby James ~.wmv|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSkaEP2ZqbY| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/iSkaEP2ZqbY| archive-date=December 11, 2021 | url-status=live|language=en|access-date=December 10, 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

The last movement of Charles Ives' "[[Three Places in New England]]" takes place on the Housatonic River in Stockbridge.

Prospect St, Stockbridge is the first overpass seen in the ending credits of [[Good Will Hunting]].

==References==

{{Reflist}}

==External links==

{{Commons category}}
* [https://www.stockbridge-ma.gov/ Town of Stockbridge official website]

{{Berkshire County, Massachusetts}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Stockbridge, Massachusetts| ]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1734]]
[[Category:Towns in Berkshire County, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Towns in Massachusetts]]