Northampton, Massachusetts: Smith College
The Campus Center, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts.
Northampton
Massachusetts, United States
Northampton, city, seat (1662) of Hampshire county, west-central Massachusetts, U.S. It lies along the Connecticut River, 17 miles (27 km) north-northwest of Springfield. The site, originally known as Nonotuck (an Algonquian word meaning “middle of the river”), was settled in 1654 and named for Northampton, England. It subsequently became a self-sufficient farming community. During King Philip’s War (1675–76) and Queen Anne’s War (1702–13), the area was the scene of brutal raids. In one such attack...