One of the prettiest main streets in Franklin County belongs to the quiet haven of Northfield. With its location on the fertile banks of the Connecticut River (bordered by New Hampshire and Vermont on the north, Warwick on the east, Erving on the south and Gill and Bernardston on the west), the area attracted European farmers as early as 1673. Two attempts at forming a town were made and abandoned before a permanent settlement was established in 1714. But while the land may have brought the area its early fame, it was missionaries that gave it its international reputation. And the most successful of these by far was D. L. Moody.

Dwight Lyman Moody was born in Northfield in 1837. He left home for Boston at the age of 17 to work in his uncle's shoe store and while there, in 1855, he was "born again." Moody moved to Chicago and there felt compelled to preach to the youth who were struggling with the temptations and disappointments of life in the big city. These informal Sunday Bible classes quickly expanded to a full time commitment to evangelism and in the 1860s, he was ministering to civilians, soldiers and prisoners. He also made the first of his famed evangelical trips.

Moody found he needed a singer to fill the intervals between sermons and when he met singer and composer Ira David Sankey in 1870, it was the beginning of a long and fruitful association. Together, the two men brought their brand of urban revivalism to meetings across the United States, England, Scotland, Jerusalem, Ireland, Italy, Egypt, Paris, Switzerland and Mexico. Moody's fame grew to the extent that humorist H. L. Mencken wrote that the larger-than-life figure had "established soul-saving as Big Business, just as surely as John D. Rockefeller established oil-refining, or old Phil Armour the assassination of hogs, or Pillsbury the milling of flour."

In 1879, Moody extended his ministry in his home town by starting the Northfield Seminary for Girls and, two years later, The Mount Hermon School for Boys. His noble idea was to provide a top-notch education for young people regardless of race, religion, or economic background, and his student population was drawn from all over the world. The schools continued as separate entities until 1971 when they became a single co-ed institution with two campuses (the other one is in Gill). Moody death in 1899 made news worldwide, and his funeral was the biggest event ever held in Northfield history. He is buried in the place he was born, an area of NMH's Northfield campus called Round Top.

With its striking 19th century buildings and lush lawns, The Northfield Mount Hermon campus is still a dominant presence on Northfield's Main Street. And with nearly 500 employees, NMH is the third largest employer in Franklin County.

Though without the fervor of the 1800s, religion is still important to Northfield residents. Churches line Main Street, including ones of the Unitarian, Baptist, and Catholic variety. And a little farther up the road, you'll find the graceful white spire of Trinitarian Congregational, Moody's home church (and where his funeral was held), which is both a source of spirituality and a community meeting place for pot-luck suppers, concerts and art shows (our friend Dot Persons showed her lovely paintings there last year — and to her surprise sold a few, she later told us).

Main Street, which is also Routes 10 and 63, is dotted with small businesses. At the Northfield Country Store, you can get a little bit of everything, from greeting cards to painting supplies. Two doors down is The Notch Family Restaurant, which opens for breakfast at 6 AM (a handy thing to know in these parts). There's also a couple of gas stations, a nursery, a bicycle store, a bakery, and the recently opened Green Trees Gallery. Many of Main Street's shops are tucked into homes or are otherwise unobtrusive — Northfield residents have been obviously careful to retain the rural feeling of their central boulevard.

In terms of dining, Northfield isn't exactly a culinary hot spot, so it was big news when the Big Kitchen Café opened its doors in a converted barn on Main Street a couple of years ago. The setting is a mix of elegance and informality. Tables are dressed in white cloth, while the rustic barnboard walls are covered with paintings by local artists. But the real draw is the food, which is freshly prepared and quite tasty (we ought to know — we've sampled it on several occasions and have never been disappointed). Wednesday night at the BKC features Mexican cuisine, with an all-you-can-eat buffet. There's also a Thursday lunch buffet and brunch on Sundays. One word of warning, though — the Big Kitchen Café doesn't have a liquor license, so bring your own beer or wine or stop at Mim's Market across the street to pick up your favorite mealtime libation.

For recreation, residents and non-residents alike can visit Northfield Mountain, the pumped storage hydroelectric facility owned and operated by Northeast Utilities. As part of its license to operate the plant, NU developed Northfield Mountain into a four-season recreational area, with opportunities for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, snowshoeing and cross country skiing on 26 miles of trails. Northfield Mountain sponsors interpretive environmental programs at its Visitors Center and other locations, provides camping, canoeing and kayaking at Barton Cove (in Gill), provides a public picnic area at Riverview, give tours of its generating operations to schools and other groups, and offers seasonal riverboat cruises up and down the Connecticut River on the 60-seat Quinnetukut II.

On our recent visit, we hiked the Hidden Quarry Nature Trail, a mile-long loop with signs along the way highlighting the geology, natural history and land use of the area. It was a perfect woodland ramble for an early spring day — quiet, short and not too steep (thankfully, as I'm out of shape from winter inactivity). Guess I'll have to work on my stamina for the longer trails, which ascend the 1100' summit of Northfield Mountain and promise scenic views.

You'll find a different kind of recreation at the Northfield Drive-In, a drive-in movie theatre that has operated continuously in its location on the MA/NH border for 53 years. The Northfield screens double features and they still have the traditional speakers (as well as AM/FM vicinity radio broadcasting). And, of course, they've got a snack shop. For those of us who fondly remember the drive-in experience (OK, stop snickering), the Northfield is a throwback to a simpler time. So hop into your '55 Chevy and cruise on over on a summer's night for a real trip down memory lane.

Whether attending a town event, taking advantage of its access to the Connecticut River, or passing through on my way to Keene or Bellows Falls, I always enjoy my trips to this quintessential Valley town. Stop by sometime — I'm certain you'll find something to enjoy in Northfield, too.

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