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This county is bounded north by
Hampshire County, east by
Worcester County, south by
Tolland and Hartford Counties, Connecticut, and west by the county of
Berkshire.
The
Connecticut River passes from north to south through the centre of the county.
Springfield, the shire town, is one of the most beautiful and enterprising cities in the
Commonwealth.
The Boston and
Albany, and several other railroads, centre there.
The United-States arsenal, for the manufacture of fire-arms, is located in
Springfield.
The ‘Springfield Daily Republican’ has a national reputation for ability and enterprise.
‘Some parts of the county are mountainous, but the principal part of it is rather undulating than hilly.’
The occupations of the people are farming and manufacturing, and altogether it is one of the most thriving and intelligent counties in the
Commonwealth.
The population of the county in 1860 was 57,866, in 1865 it was 64,438, which is an increase in five years of 6,572.
The valuation of the county in 1860 was $28,252,663, in 1865 it was $33,253,177, which was an increase of $5,000,514 in five years. In 1870 the population of the county was 78,409, which was an increase in five years of 13,971.
The county contains twenty-one towns and one city.
The number of men furnished by the county for the war, as returned by the city and town authorities in 1866, was 6,239, which was about the true number that it furnished.
The aggregate amount of money appropriated and expended by the various municipalities in
Hampden on account of the war, exclusive of State aid to the families of soldiers, was $630,031.89.
