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Petersham, Massachusetts

Petersham, Massachusetts
Town
Petersham Common
Official seal of Petersham, Massachusetts
Seal
Location in Worcester County and the state of Massachusetts.
Location in Worcester County and the state of Massachusetts.
Coordinates: 42°29′15″N 72°11′15″W / 42.48750°N 72.18750°W / 42.48750; -72.18750Coordinates: 42°29′15″N 72°11′15″W / 42.48750°N 72.18750°W / 42.48750; -72.18750
Country United States
State Massachusetts
County Worcester
Settled 1733
Incorporated 1754
Government
 • Type Open town meeting
Area
 • Total 68.3 sq mi (176.9 km2)
 • Land 54.2 sq mi (140.5 km2)
 • Water 14.1 sq mi (36.4 km2)
Elevation 1,080 ft (329 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 1,234
 • Density 22.8/sq mi (8.8/km2)
Time zone Eastern (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code 01366
Area code(s) 351 / 978
FIPS code 25-53120
GNIS feature ID 0619486
Website townofpetersham.org
County-level state agency heads
Clerk of Courts: Dennis P. McManus (D)
District Attorney: Joseph D. Early, Jr. (D)
Register of Deeds: Anthony J. Vigliotti (D)
Register of Probate: Stephanie K. Fattman (R)
County Sheriff: Lew Evangelidis (R)
State government
State Representative(s): Susannah Whipps Lee (R)
State Senator(s): Anne Gobi (D)
Governor's Councilor(s): Jen Caissie (R)
Federal government
U.S. Representative(s): James P. McGovern (D-2nd District),
U.S. Senators: Elizabeth Warren (D), Ed Markey (D)

Petersham (pronounced "Peter Sam") is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,234 at the 2010 census. Petersham is home to a considerable amount of conservation land, including the Quabbin Reservation, Harvard Forest, the Swift River Reservation, and Federated Women's Club State Forest.

Petersham was first settled in 1733 and was officially incorporated in 1754. On February 4, 1787, it was the site of the second battle of Shays' Rebellion. The town is noted for its common, part of the Petersham Common Historic District. About 45 buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Country Store, an 1842 Greek Revival structure that has housed a general store on its main floor since its opening, sits just to the East of the common.

The town's lands were expanded greatly by the building of the Quabbin Reservoir in 1938. When the towns of the Swift River Valley were disincorporated, Petersham and neighboring New Salem benefited the most, with Petersham receiving all of the former town of Dana, much of the town of Greenwich, and a small portion of the former town of Prescott east of the Middle Branch of the Swift River. Its modern southwestern borders lie along the former East and Middle branches of the Swift River, and includes lands that were once part of Hampshire County.


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