Tuesday, February 06
Incorporated: 1798.

Settled: 1764 (officially, 1769).

Population: 1,686 (2000 U.S. Census); 1,663 (2005 town census).

Area: 12.84 square miles.

Elevation: 1,135 feet.

Average annual snowfall: 67 inches (Harriman & West Airport, North Adams).

Median resident age: 41.3.

Median household income: $43,362 (U.S. Census, 2000).

Median family income: $47,411 (U.S. Census, 2000).

Average house value: $136,007 (DOR, 2006).

Average property tax: $1,442, single-family home (DOR, 2006).

Unemployment rate: 5.5 percent (December 2006).

Races: White, 99.8 percent; African-American, other: 0.2 percent (U.S. Census, 2000).

Ancestries: French, 29.8 percent; Irish, 17.9 percent; Italian, 13.6 percent; English, 12.1 percent; French-Canadian, 9.8 percent; German, 7.9 percent; Polish, 6 percent; Scottish, 2 percent; Arab, 2 percent; Lebanese, 2 percent; Scotch-Irish, 1 percent; Austrian, 1 percent; Dutch, 1 percent; Canadian, 1 percent (U.S. Census, 2000).

Town Web site: None.

The town ...

... was named for the family of early settler Nicholas Clark. ... is home to the R.D. Musterfield House, considered Clarksburg's crown jewel and built in 1785; the 13-room house has
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six stone-lined fireplaces with brick chimneys on stone bases. ... had a portion of its original territory ceded to the town of Florida during the 19th century. ... has 24 business establishments employing 233 people, paying average weekly wages of $452, according to 2005 figures. ... boasts nearly 10,000 volumes and more than 1,000 videos at the Clarksburg Town Library on West Cross Road, which is open six days a week at 10 a.m. (with varying closing hours).

Of interest ...

A major regional attraction is Clarksburg State Forest, accessed via Middle Road from Routes 2 and 8 offers picnicking, camping, swimming, boating and fishing. The unspoiled forestland impresses visitors with its panoramic views of the Berkshires and Vermont's Green Mountains. At the adjacent state park, a scenic trail near Mausert's Pond is noted for its abundance of wild plants and animals.

Mount Hazen, in the northwestern part of the town, is 2,272 feet. Northern Brook flows down the south side into the Hoosic River's northern branch, with tributaries including Muddy Brook, Beaver Creek and Hudson's Brook, which flows under a natural bridge after it enters North Adams.

In the late 19th century, Clarksburg had three school buildings and a Sunday-school library. The town's villages were Briggsville and Powder Mills.

From 1812 to 1814, the Farmer's Glassworks was formed. It produced utilitarian goods such as housewares, windows and glass. Quarries in the hilltown of Washington supplied raw materials. A Farmer's Glassworks window survives in the elementary school library.