A Very Brief History of Montague, Massachusetts

A Very Brief History of Montague, Massachusetts

After King Philip's War, which ended in 1676, and the subsequent William and Mary's war, which ended in 1698, Massachusetts residents began to feel free to leave the confines of established towns and the protection of forts in order to expand and gain new lands.

Many went to lands known to them from the Indian campaigns, and along the rivers where battles had been fought, and settling in lands previously thought of as hunting grounds.

And so Ebenezer Marsh left Hadley Massachusetts in 1726 and became the first resident of Montague, even before it was called Montague, by building himself a cabin in Hunting Hills.

Montague was, at that time, a sort of middle land with not much in it, or on it. Northfield among other town to the north and west of Montague had already been established. The land itself was considered part of Sunderland, a thriving community to the south. The Hunting Hills were named that because that was where townsfolk went hunting.

Residents still had much to fear:

Following 1726 were twenty years of comparative freedom from depredations, embracing the period during which a considerable number of farmers were building homes at Hunting Hills. Though they saw the Indian only as he roamed through the woods killing game and paddling his canoe up and down the great river in quest of shad and Salmon prudence required that they keep themselves armed against such stragglers as they might encounter. (Pressey 16)

The original settlement of the town of Montague was in what is now considered Montague center. It is worth note that the town was never plotted out. Rather, it sprung up naturally as farmers sought that balance between land for farming and neighbors for safety. Rather that an actual fort, or block house, these took the form of fortified houses were people would gather when the alarm was sounded.

Early settlers followed a custom when establishing new towns, which was that when a critical mass of people was reached, the people there would hire a minister, then organize a town government and then petition to be incorporated as a town. In 1752 the People of Montague hired the Reverend Judah Nash as the town minister. The first town meetinghouse was built during the next year.

The town was incorporated in 1753.

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