Gill, Massachusetts
Population: 1,363
Located in Franklin County
Gill... you might wonder about the name. Actually this town was named after the Lt. Governor, the Honorable Moses Gill. See? It isn't so unusual after all! These 15 square miles of rural charm are divided into 3 distinct sections: To the North is Mount Hermon, where you will find the campus of Northfield Mount-Hermon School est. in the 1880's; To the South is Riverside, which borders the Connecticut River. Riverside boasts a geological phenomenon known as "armored mud balls" and also some dinosaur footprints! In the middle of these two sections lies farm land, homes and Gill Center, complete with a town hall, town common, a 200 year old church, library and country store built in 1803, where you can still have your sale rung up on a cash register with no computerized parts. You can't miss this store as it still has the Mobil flying horse sign over the gasoline pump. Gill has no industry per se, however there are approx. 60 small businesses, horse farms, dairy farms and a 200-acre tree nursery. One of the county's largest public golf courses is here and there is also Barton's Cove- a camping and boating site and home of the region's eagle nesting sites which was featured in People Magazine in 1998. Barton's Cove is also the launch site for the lovely Quinnetucket II riverboat, which offers very popular guided historical tours and special sunset cruises on the river. The Western half of one of Franklin County's most well-known landmarks, the French King Bridge, "belongs" to Gill, with the Eastern half belonging to neighboring Erving. Gill is a wonderful place to live and I am proud to say, I make my home here. Come visit sometime, you will be glad you found us!
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