Foxfield
"...West of New Jerusalem the hills rise wild, and there are valleys with deep woods that no axe has ever cut. There are dark narrow glens where the trees slope fantastically, and where thin brooklets trickle without ever having caught the glint of sunlight. On the gentler slopes there are farms, ancient and rocky, with squat, moss-coated cottages brooding eternally over old New England secrets in the lee of great ledges..."
Located approximately twenty–five miles from downtown New Jerusalem, Foxfield is reached by driving out the Aylesbury Pike
for nearly half an hour then turning right on the unpaved Foxfield Road that runs north and crosses the Missituk River. Foxfield Road is of the corduroy type, unpaved, and reinforced by timbers that provide traction and footing even during the rainy season. It also makes for a teeth–jarring, bumpy ride. Bear right at the fork (the left fork leads to Tewksbury), and four miles up the road travelers arrive in the town of Foxfield.
The central town, southern, and northern farms enjoy electricity from the local power company. Phone lines are up, connecting most of the farms with older style phones that still require an operator to make connections.
Demographics
When the mill was abandoned in 1911, most of the southern farmers gave up raising sheep and turned their land back to food crops. The rocky, hilly northern farms are less adapted to agriculture and, as a result, the northern farmers have suffered more than their southern counterparts. Some of the timber is on property owned by northern farmers, so they gained more from the lumber industry than their southern neighbors.
The farmers north of the river are often referred to as the “Congregates” or “Old Believers.” These are families who, years ago, broke ties with the original Foxfield Congregational Church when the membership voted to go Unitarian in 1844. There are long–standing rumors about the Congregates circulating among the townsfolk, but in truth they merely practice the severe, Calvinistic Puritan religion of their forefathers.
Government
Foxfield does not have a police force. There is a Town Constable in residence, but most real law enforcement is handled by the Massachusetts State Police.
Infrastructure
A good number of citizens own automobiles or small trucks, but horse–drawn wagons can still be seen, and in the case of the rustic northern roads, are all but required.
History
Originally the territory of the Massachusett Indian tribe, the area was said to be guarded by a fox-like spirit who watched over
the area, and an offshoot tribe formed called “The People of The Fox;” their totem spirit became the otherworldly, vulpine being said to prowl the territory.
The People of the Fox were gradually absorbed into the white European settlers colonizing the new world. With its rich native culture and mythic Indian legends, the area became known as “Foxfield.”
Founded in 1729, the town proper lies mostly on the southern bank of the Fox River, which flows east–southeast before joining the Missituk River a few miles downstream. A small farming community, Foxfield joined the industrial revolution in 1843 when the Pickering family of Salem bought the old Sutler sawmill on the north side of the river and replaced it with a large woolen mill.
The mill prospered, and many of the local farmers shifted from raising crops to breeding sheep and selling the wool to the mill. Planned from the outset as an idealized industrial community, worker housing was built next to the mill, providing lodging for the many immigrant workers drawn to the area. There was even a small chapel where the workers could celebrate Catholic mass.
With local Yankees hired to supervise the work force, Foxfield soon found itself home to a mix of French Canadians, Belgians, Poles, and Lithuanians. While there was occasional friction between the locals and the newcomers, the mill workers mostly kept to the north side of the river in what came to be known as Mill Town, and the local population, appreciating the economic growth provided by the mill, found reason to tolerate them.
With the advent of the Civil War, the mill was expanded to fulfill contracts to provide woolen goods for the manufacture of soldiers' uniforms. By the late nineteenth century business had slowed, and portions of the mill were shut down and workers laid off. In 1938 a disastrous fire burned the structure beyond repair. Fully insured, the Pickering family chose not to rebuild, moving out of Foxfield and deeding all their properties, including the ruined mill, to the town.
Without the mill, the local economy all but collapsed. Most of the immigrant workers moved out, leaving Foxfield mainly to the Yankee descendants of the farmers who founded the town. Although still a proud community, Foxfield began to deteriorate as small businesses closed and unoccupied buildings went neglected.
In 1942 the town saw a revitalization as the lumber industry came to the area. A lumber company offered to lease large tracts of undeveloped township land in the hills north of town. There, the company began to harvest top quality hardwoods from the stands of oak and maple. This deal proved to be an economic boon for the struggling community as the new industry not only allowed for the lease to pay the township well, but also provided a fresh economic base for businesses in the town.
Thirteen years later Foxfield is now a heavy lumber and farming community that, although a bit backward, remains a prosperous if hard working town.
Maps
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Foxfield, Massachusetts
Founding Date
March 3, 1729
Type
Town
Population
876
Inhabitant Demonym
Foxfielders
Included Locations
Additional Rulers/Owners
Owning Organization
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