Town of Palmer

About This is the official Facebook page of the Town of Palmer, Massachusetts. Messages to this page are not actively monitored 24 hours a day. If you have an emergency or urgent situation to report, please contact the Palmer Police Department at 413-283-8792. Palmer is a medium sized town (11,444 in population), which covers an area of 31.53 square miles with approximately 115 miles of public roads. It has a very ir ... regular form that is dominated by four major river courses, namely, the Quaboag, the Ware and the Swift, which join together to form the headwaters of the Chicopee River in the Village of Three Rivers. Multiple hills are scattered throughout the area, and the valley plains along the riverbanks are the most populated areas for both industry and farming as well as residential living. The settlement of Palmer as a farming community began with the discovery of these rivers, and its growth into a 19th century manufacturing center is attributed to the utmost use of these watercourses as a source of power. Although the area was first settled in 1716 by a single pioneer family (John King), it wasn't until the migration of a relatively large group of Scotch-Irish Presbyterians in 1727 that this Elbow Plantation, so called, took on the presence of a township (a position that would be denied until 1775). However, in 1752, a district status was granted and a formal name applied. Thereby the Elbow Plantation became the District of Palmer. The Town of Palmer is divided into four villages. Three of them, namely, Three Rivers, Thorndike and Bondsville, were developed as a direct outgrowth of a single large textile mill per village. The fourth, Depot Village, which is called Palmer today, was developed as the transportation center and actively supported five railroads and two stage lines. Today, the large industries have been replaced by many smaller industrial and commercial enterprises, and the former mill villages are now, for the most part, quiet residential communities. Palmer is the most commercially active village. Although it is no longer the railroad center it once was, its network of highways reaches out to the larger metropolitan areas such as Boston, Hartford and New York City, as well as the beautiful Berkshire Hills and Atlantic seashore resorts. As the community moves forward into the future, the town look to revive its commercial base by taking advantage of the transportation hubs provided in town. A number of opportunities have presented themselves which have the potential to be an economic boon for the community. The town will continue to build upon its commercial development opportunities while maintaining its traditional small town New England feel. See More