Dwight is a village in north Belchertown, Massachusetts, United States. It was a thriving railroad destination in the 19th century with lumber mills, farms, schools, depots, restaurants, an inn, ballroom, general store, post office, and world-renowned flower gardens. Today it is known for its natural beauty, scenic waterfalls, forests, ponds, brooks and hiking trails. It was named for the Dwight family. Geography The center of Dwight is in the northwestern region of Belchertown, and located at 42°19'40.0"N 72°26'53.8"W (42.327778, -72.448278). Its boundaries have historically spanned approximately nine square miles and border Pelham on the north, Amherst on the west, the Lakes on the south and Route 202 on the east. The center of Dwight village developed around the intersection of three brooks: Montague Brook, Scarborough Brook, Hop Brook. It also encompasses Scarborough Pond, Knight’s Pond and Jabish Brook, and hundreds of acres of conservation land including Holland Glen, Wentworth, Topping Farm, Scarborough Brook, Upper Gulf, Mead's Corner and part of Jabish Brook. The Metacomet-Monadnock Trail, part of the 215-mile New England National Scenic Trail, crosses through the heart of Dwight on Federal Street and up Gulf Road. The Robert Frost Trail transverses Dwight, following Warren Wright Road across Hop Brook. The Norwottuck Branch Rail Trail begins near Warren Wright Road, north of Wilson Road. Dwight lies 4.8 miles northwest from Belchertown Common (by State Route 9); 3.5 miles east from the South Amherst Common; and 4.2 miles southeast from East Amherst Common. The area is just north of Holland Pond, Lake Arcadia and Lake Metacomet, known previously as the Bridgman Ponds, or the Lake Vale/Pond Hill area, the site of early colonial settlement in Belchertown along Old Bay Road that ran from Boston to Albany and the birthplace of Elijah Coleman Bridgeman. A cemetery was established here in 1766. References Belchertown, Massachusetts Villages in Hampshire County, Massachusetts