Hadley, Massachusetts, has a history as rich as its soil. The town provides fertile historical material for Marla Miller, associate professor of history. Hadley became Miller’s adopted hometown during the course of her graduate studies and she has made the community her home since 1997. Now director of the Public History Program at UMass Amherst, she is an expert on the history of Hadley, which once encompassed Amherst and other neighboring towns.

Miller's latest book, Cultivating a Past (University of Massachusetts Press, 2009), collects 15 scholarly essays commemorating Hadley’s 350th anniversary. Many of the contributors have UMass Amherst ties:

Associate professor of history Alice Nash is a descendant of early Hadley settlers. Her essay is about a 1663 mortgage drawn up between Native Americans and Europeans.

Siobhan Hart ’04G, an anthropology grad; Elizabeth Chilton ‘91, ‘96G, chair of the department of anthropology; and Christopher Donta, an adjunct faculty member in anthropology, wrote about archaeology and Native American history.

Bridget Marshall ’00, ‘04G, assistant professor in the humanities at UMass Lowell, and Brian Ogilvie, associate professor of history, contributed an essay on witchcraft.

English professor James Freeman focused on the nature writing of Clarence Hawkes, known in Hadley as “the blind poet.” Former UMass Amherst professor of architecture and regional planning Ethan Carr wrote “Preserving Mt. Holyoke.”

Unearthing previously unpublished scholarship, matching up contributors, and working with colleagues on the collection was a pleasure, says Miller. “It’s easy to work with people you’re close to and fond of.”