BlockBefore
Decorative drawing: a small American settlement seen from a low hill. Not a photograph of this place.

Williamstown, Massachusetts

40 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1886 and the latest in 1997. It stands in Williamstown town. It lies in ZIP code area 01267. It stands on Buxton Brook. The Survey maps it on the Williamstown quadrangle. 4,308 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 686 feet above sea level.

Williamstown within Berkshire County

Population over time

2 figures

Williamstown fell from 4,325 to 4,308 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
20104,325
20204,308-17 (-0%)

Then and now

1886 to 1997

The same ground, surveyed 111 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Williamstown, surveyed 1997
Topographic sheet of Williamstown, surveyed 1886

Topographic sheets covering this place

40 sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Photographs

2 photographs, 1941

Taken for the Office of War Information and the Farm Security Administration, who photographed the country between 1935 and 1944. Works of United States government photographers, with no known restriction on use. Each opens its catalogue record.

Williamstown, Massachusetts. Father reading to his children
Williamstown, Massachusetts. Father reading to his children
Collier, John, Jr, 1941. Library of Congress
Williams College, President's House, Williams College Campus, Williamstown, Berkshire County, MA
Williams College, President's House, Williams College Campus, Williamstown, Berkshire County, MA
Unattributed, . Library of Congress

Fires nearby

19 since 2007

The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 19 fires within 5 miles of Williamstown between 2007 and 2018, burning about 280 acres in total. 1 started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Debris and open burning8
Recreation and ceremony4
Smoking3
Missing data/not specified/undetermined2
Equipment and vehicle use1
Natural1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
7 September 2007Naturalunder an acreFire Department of New Yorknot named
24 July 2016Smokingunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
23 July 2016Smokingunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
8 May 2016Recreation and ceremony2.0 acresMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
6 May 2015Debris and open burning2.5 acresMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
11 May 2015Smokingunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
29 April 2015Missing data/not specified/undetermined272 acresAppalachian National Scenic TrailCLARKSBURG FIRE (MA)
28 April 2016Debris and open burningunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Berkshire County

Specimens collected nearby

12 of 789 shown

Museums hold 789 specimens collected within 10 miles of Williamstown between 1828 and 1975: 367 Plantae, 270 Animalia, 136 Fungi, 9 Protozoa, 6 Unrecorded, 1 Chromista. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by A K Harrison, A Schwartz, A. Cowee and others. Each is a physical object with a catalogue number, and each entry opens the museum's record. This is what was collected and kept, not a survey of what lives here - nothing can be concluded from a species being absent.

Image SpeciesYear Collected by Where, as recorded
Specimen of Antennaria plantaginifolia (L.) Richardson, 1823Antennaria plantaginifolia (L.) Richardson, 18231898J. R. Churchill
Specimen of Carex pensylvanica Lam.Carex pensylvanica Lam.1898J. R. Churchill
Specimen of Lycopodium annotinum var. pungens (Desv.) La Pylaie ex Desv.Lycopodium annotinum var. pungens (Desv.) La Pylaie ex Desv.1898Kofoid, C.A.North Adams.
A photograph of the species Carex aestivalis, not of this specimenCarex aestivalis M.A.Curtis ex A.Gray1828Collector unknownSaddle Mountain, near Williamstown.
A photograph of the species Carex emmonsii, not of this specimenCarex emmonsii var. muhlenbergii (A.Gray ex Torrey) Rettig1828Collector unspecifiedWilliamstown. [Inferred locality from precise loc.]
A photograph of the species Cystopteris bulbifera, not of this specimenCystopteris bulbifera (L.) Bernh.1828Collector unspecified
A photograph of the species Dryopteris goldiana, not of this specimenDryopteris goldiana (Hook. ex Goldie) A.Gray1828Collector unspecified
A photograph of the species Fraxinus americana, not of this specimenFraxinus americana L.1828J. Torrey
Jamesoniella autumnalis (DC.) Steph.1828Ebenezer Emmons
A photograph of the species Tilia americana, not of this specimenTilia americana L.1828Collector unspecified
A photograph of the species Scorzoneroides autumnalis, not of this specimenScorzoneroides autumnalis (L.) Moench1850not recorded
A photograph of the species Spiraea tomentosa, not of this specimenSpiraea tomentosa L.1850not recorded

All 789 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Mines and quarries nearby

4 within 5 miles

The federal mineral resources record lists 4 workings within 5 miles of Williamstown: 2 producers, 2 past producers. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Limestone, General, Stone, Crushed/Broken. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
North Adams Lime QuarryLimestone, GeneralProducerStratabound
North Adams Lime QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Harwood D Moore Sand and GravelSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary
Simonds Road PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer

Every working recorded in Berkshire County

Storms nearby

20 since 1995

The National Weather Service names Williamstown in 20 storm reports between 1995 and 2024: 10 thunderstorm wind, 5 flash flood, 2 hail, 2 lightning. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
August 2008LightningWilliamstown$200,000Lightning struck a barn at the Bonnie Lea Farm in Williamstown at approximately 1630 LST. The lightning then spewed from a circuit box, igniting a nearby bale of hay, which then spread through the barn.||In addition to significant structural damage to the barn, three to four thousand bales of hay, a horse trailer and equipment, and several all-terrain vehicles were also destroyed.||No injuries were reported.
July 1999Thunderstorm WindWilliamstown$10,000A strong warm front and favourable wind shear aloft allowed for some thunderstorms to become strong to locally severe across Western Massachusetts late on the evening of July 29. Thunderstorms produced destructive wind gusts from Williamstown to Clarksburg in Berkshire county. Numerous power lines were knocked down resulting in the deployment of Massachusetts and Bell Atlantic workers.
May 2002Thunderstorm WindWilliamstown$7,000no account filed
December 2023FloodWilliamstown$5,000Heavy rains caused portions of Walden Street in the Town of Williamstown to become flooded.
July 2003Thunderstorm WindWilliamstown$5,000no account filed
June 2014LightningWilliamstown$2,000A lightning strike downed a tree on Route 43 (Water Street) in Williamstown. The road was briefly closed as a result of the downed tree, which had to be removed. The local utility company reported 239 customers without power in the town.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindWilliamstown-Several trees and limbs were downed in the Town of Williamstown.
June 2021Thunderstorm WindSouth Williamstown-A tree was downed on US Route 7 at Cold Spring Road.
July 2014Thunderstorm WindWilliamstown-A large tree was downed due to thunderstorm winds on a house on Cole Avenue in Williamstown.
August 2013Flash FloodWilliamstown-Heavy rainfall resulted in flash flooding in Williamstown. Water rushed over roadways and flooded basements.
May 2013Flash FloodWilliamstown-Flash flooding was reported in Williamstown as a result of heavy rainfall from thunderstorms. Route 43 was reported to be impassable due to flooding.
May 2013Flash FloodWilliamstown-Several culverts along Treadwell Hollow Road in Williamstown were reported to be damaged due to flash flooding. Two homes were without road access as a result of the flooding.
May 2013Flash FloodWilliamstown-Flash flooding was reported along Northwest Hill Road near Williamstown. A garage and its concrete slab was swept away from the force of the flooding.
May 2012Thunderstorm WindWilliamstown-Multiple trees were reported down due to strong thunderstorm winds in Williamstown.
July 2009Flash FloodWilliamstown-Heavy rainfall from training thunderstorms produced flash flooding near Williamstown. Seven to nine inches of flowing water was reported at the intersection of Route 7 and Bridges Road, as Broad Brook overflowed.
August 2007Thunderstorm WindWilliamstown-Numerous trees and wires were reported down in Williamstown due to strong thunderstorm winds. Some of the roads that had downed trees in Williamstown included Cold Spring Road, Bee Hill Road, Southworth Street, Green River Road, Belden Road, Oblong Road, John Street, Route 2, Park Street, Northwest Hill Road, and Arnold Street.||A vehicle in a Park Street driveway sustained damage when trees and wires fell from the strong thunderstorm winds.||In addition, a tree fell on Mission Park Drive on the Williams College campus.
June 2005Thunderstorm WindWilliamstown-Trees were blown down.
June 2004Thunderstorm WindWilliamstown-Trees and power lines down.
August 2004HailWilliamstown-no account filed
May 1995HailWilliamstown-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Berkshire County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Hemlock Brook Estates0.8 miles40
Meadowvale1.2 miles40
White Oaks1.3 miles40
Blackinton2.1 miles40
Sweets Corner2.3 miles40
Hemlock Brook (historical)2.5 miles40
Greylock3.0 miles40
Brayton Hill3.3 miles40

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on WilliamstownAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q8021292The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 607825. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Specimens. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), https://www.gbif.org/. Only records licensed CC0 or CC BY are used. Records licensed CC BY-NC are excluded because this site carries advertising. Images are checked individually and any whose licence is non-commercial, no-derivatives or unreadable is refused.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.