Want to learn about the people and places of Amherst in 1860? Click a location spot for more information! Most purple areas still exist today, and streets highlighted in green are part of Amherst’s contemporary landscape.
Though it may deviate from today’s average town and campus relationship, early Amherst College depended very much upon the people and businesses located in town. In 1821, the money, building materials, and labor needed to establish the college was literally received from the hands of townspeople from Amherst and the surrounding area. In the years that followed, many of these same families and individuals (as well as new ones) contributed things such as time, funds, relationships, ideas, and even their own homes to the young college and its students.
Regardless of the changing social landscape, many of the buildings and landmarks that are found on this map still impact the daily life of Amherst residents and students today.
This map visualization was created from an original map of Hampshire County created by Henry Francis Walling in 1860, entitled “Map of the County of Hampshire, Massachusetts.” The digitized version of this original map was accessed through the Library of Congress.