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 Easthampton
is a study of contrasts. Part quaint New England town,
part Noho-wannabe, it's a town that can't be
pigeonholed into an easy description.
Founded
in 1785, but settled more than a century earlier, the
town was an agrarian community of just a few families
through the first half of the 19th century. In 1789, the
community got its first minister, Payson Williston (the
name figures prominently in Easthampton history). It was
Williston and his family that established the Williston
Seminary, now the Williston Northampton School, the prep
school whose buildings dominate the center of town.
Williston's son Samuel took the town in a new economic
direction in 1847 when he opened the Williston-Knight
Button Company (there's a curious button theme in the
Pioneer Valley — check out last edition's Monson
spotlight). Following the success of the button company,
more manufacturing came to Easthampton — several
elastic companies (that later merged to form United
Elastic), a rubber thread company, and several clothing
mills. Some of these factory buildings still stand.
This
economic boom took a hard hit in the depression era, but
manufacturing rebounded in World War II with defense
contracts, which carried the town through the 1950s and
into the '60s. Then, like countless other New England
communities, the town suffered through several economic
slumps. Many of its factories closed (including United
Elastic in 1972). But fortunately, Easthampton continued
to adapt and grow. Of course, it's proximity to
Northampton and the five colleges hasn't hurt a bit.
What's
the town like today? We took a tour with former resident
Laura Blair (she has since vacated the Pioneer Valley
for Portland, Maine, but don't hold that against her)
through its clean downtown and past well cared-for
homes. There's a neighborhood feel to the place. During
the summer, you can meet your friends on Saturday night
at Jack the Barber's Backyard Movies, a free weekly
event (though donations are cheerfully accepted) with
almost first-run movies shown on a big screen.
Then
there's the funkier side of town. Flywheel, a volunteer
collective of artists, musicians, videographers and
others, runs year-round events out of a converted
cabinet store that range from punk, pop, avant-garde,
hip-hop, jazz and techno to folk, theater, art openings,
game nights, and even haunted houses (at Halloween, one
would assume). They feature performers from around the
world and just down the street (one of their recent
events is an art show in a travelling Airstream!).
There's
also the "natural" side of town. Easthampton
is home to the 1,800-acre Mt. Tom Reservation. Once a
popular downhill ski area (and recently the site of a
ongoing protest against encroaching development), Mt.
Tom offers 20 miles of hiking trails, a lake for
canoeing, places to fish, picnic and observe scenic
vistas. Another nature preserve is the 625-acre Arcadia
sanctuary, part of the Mass. Audubon Society. Comprised
of upland forest habitats, marshes and wetland
ecosystems, Arcadia can be enjoyed by walking its five
miles of marked trails. There are also interpretive
programs through much of the year and kids' camps in the
summer months.
But
wait! How could we have gotten this far in the Town
Spotlight without eating? (You'll probably notice a food
theme in everything my husband and I write — it's one
of our passions.) Our favorite Easthampton eatery is
Zoe's Fish & Chop House. This place knows the
meaning of customer service! We arrived sans reservation
on a Friday night and were told the wait would be about
an hour. So we headed over to the bar for drinks and
munchies. But before the appetizer had even arrived, our
table was called and we were ushered into one of the
dining rooms (a big old house, Zoe's has several dining
nooks). And we couldn't have been more impressed.
Portions were big, the entrees were tasty and
presentation was above par. I understand they're doing
Sunday brunch now, and although we haven't tried it
(yet), we surely will. The offerings (both the
traditional breakfast fare and luncheon items) sound
scrumptious.
We
were impressed with Easthampton. If you're tooling
around the Noho area, check it out sometime. It's a
little challenging to get there from Northampton right
now (the Oxbow Bridge is closed for repair, as we
discovered), but it's still easily accessible from I-91
(the Route 141 exit). Tell them Valley Viewpoint sent
you. It will probably just get you a blank stare, but
then again, you never know!
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