Place Information
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South Deerfield is a village of Deerfield in Franklin County, Massachusetts. It is home to the well-known Yankee Candle Company. History
The area was once home to the Pocumtuck tribe, who were driven away by settlers relocated in 1673 from Dedham. In retaliation, on September 18, 1675 the Indians attacked and killed Captain Thomas Lathrop and a small force in the Battle of Bloody Brook, before being routed by reinforcements. Thereafter called Bloody Brook or Muddy Brook, South Deerfield in 1809 attempted to be set off from Deerfield because of the distance to its meetinghouse, in addition to religious differences with its minister, the Reverend Samuel Willard. The grant was refused and the village remained part of Deerfield, but South Deerfield nevertheless dedicated its own meetinghouse in 1821. Situated beside the Connecticut River, it would develop as a small farming community. South Deerfield is sometimes regarded as the poor cousin to Old Deerfield, home of Deerfield Academy. Despite the preconception, one can find retail and service establishments of many sorts in South Deerfield. There is a hardware store, video rental store, a used book store, an internet cafe, a coffee shop, a family restaurant, various hair salons, a liquor store, the Tilton Library, a dive bar, an Italian restaurant, In Touch Studios (a massage therapy salon), a pizza place, Polish American Citizens Club and a small, local brewery. Research Tips
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