Gill

Gill offers education, recreation and quiet, peaceful living opportunities within its 15 square miles. Gill is 7 miles east of Greenfield, 36 miles north of Springfield and 95 miles northwest of Boston. The river forms most of the town's boundary with Northfield, to the east, and separates the town from Erving to the southeast, and Montague to the south. The 1,500 residents live mostly in single-family homes, although there is one development of condominiums. Gill is the home of the co-ed Northfield Mount Hermon School, known in the last century as the Mount Hermon School for Boys.

Attractions

Gill Historical Collection is located in the former Riverside School on Route 2. Consisting of two rooms, it features many reminders of the town's history, early Gill photographs, including items and pictures related to fossils, artifacts, letters of important scientists who studied and created collections found at Gill sites along the Connecticut River, poetry and writing of early Gill residents, ice cutting implements, farm implements, and old newspapers. Among the photographs is the famous shot of the science building burning at Mt. Hermon School while a football game is being played. The collection is run by the Historical Commission. Open by appointment. (413) 863-8103

Barton Cove Boat Ramp provides access to the Connecticut River on Route 2 less than a mile east of the Gill-Montague Bridge. The ramp is operated by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation. Closed during the winter. FirstLight operates a private camping, picnic and canoe launching area several hundred yards to the east. (413) 863-9300

French King Bridge, on Route 2, spans the Connecticut River between Gill and Erving, providing scenic views to the north and south, where the Millers River empties into the Connecticut. The iron bridge was built in 1932 and renovated in 1992. It's a popular tourist stop during foliage season.

Stacy Mountain Preserve, one mile off of the French King Highway is a 169-mile preserve of rich forest, cliffs, and vernal pools in the Connecticut River's French King Gorge. The site is accessible by automobile and visitors are welcome. There is a marked trail, steep in places, off Pisgah Mountain Road. For further information, see their website.

Common People Concerts, free weekly concerts on the town common Tuesdays (June through August) featuring acts ranging from reggae to members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Check the events calendar on the Town's website.

For more information, visit the Gill Town Website