About the Town of Cummington

Prior to the 1762 establishment and June 23, 1779 incorporation of the Town of Cummington, the fertile banks of the Westfield and Swift rivers were home to the Nonotuck, Pocumtuc, and Woronoco Nations. With the Abenaki to the north, Nipmuc to the east, Pequot and Mohegan to the south and Mohican to the west.     

Nestled in the middle of rural towns, Cummington has a lovely preserved Main Street and is the geographic center and hub of major roads going through the Northern Hilltowns and Berkshires.  Cummington now encompasses 23 square miles with approximately 925 residents. The town has a long history as a rural community of deeply reflective artists, with notable connection to arts and culture since the 1800s. It is the birthplace of 19th century poet William Cullen Bryant, and his family home is now a Trustees of the Reservations property hosting cultural events throughout the year. Bryant is still featured on the town seal.       

The Cummington Press, founded by Harry Duncan in 1939 as part of the renowned Cummington School of the Arts, published limited letterpress editions of works by major 20th century poets. The School brought in a roster of luminaries, including Helen Frankenthaler, Willem de Kooning, Diane Arbus, Marianne Moore, Chaim Gross and Archibald MacLeish.  It later became the Cummington Community of the Arts, a live/work arts community until 1993.    

Cummington was also featured in a 1940's US Government propaganda film encouraging citizens to welcome World War II refugees from Europe by recognizing their skills in traditional crafts such as bookbinding and printmaking (The Cummington Story).  

US Poets Laureate Richard Wilbur and William Jay Smith also made Cummington their home until their recent deaths.   A second thread to the history of Cummington is the agricultural land use — working farms still dot the hillsides and the Cummington Agricultural Fair just celebrated its 150th year. The natural beauty of the Berkshire foothills, panoramic scenery, hundred-year-old maples lining stone wall bounded roads, and rugged mountain waterways make it clear why so many writers, painters, poets, sculptors, potters and musicians have made Cummington their home.   

Cummington has a unique community spirit of supporting one another — there is a community sewing room in the basement of the town building, and a community closet for children's clothing and toys started in that same building. The title of the town's historical book sums it up well: Only One Cummington!