Hadley - South Hadley - Cornerstone - Hampshire County, Massachusetts
Posted by: 
NorStar
N 42° 18.057 W 072° 35.213
18T E 698909 N 4686011
This cornerstone sits near the summit of Mt. Holyoke on a rocky ledge, behind the old Summit House/Prospect House, about 280 ft east of the position for corner Hadley-South Hadley 6 cornerstone.
Waymark Code: WMC26P
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 07/16/2011
Views: 10
Between Hadley and South Hadley the border runs from the Connecticut River to the summit of Mt. Holyoke, then along the Holyoke Mountain Ridge. This cornerstone, near the position of H-SH-6, is on the summit of Mt. Holyoke.
To get to the boundary marker, from Mass. State Route 47, Hadley Street in South Hadley, and Hockanum Street in Hadley, at the town border, go east on Mountain Road to the J. A. Skinner State Park Entrance, the proceed up the park road to the summit. From the parking lot, proceed on a path toward a picnic area to the right of the former Summit House (marked Prospect House on the state historic atlas) following the path around to the left and around a rock outcrop and the cornerstone above and to the left of the path. There is no charge for admission into the park, but you should check the park web site for hours and days open.
The marker found is a four-sided monument about two feet high. One side has 'SH' (South Hadley), and one side had 'H' (Hadley). The other two are blank. Below 'SH' is the number '71' (not sure what this means, perhaps when this stone was made and placed). The top is pyramidal.
The monument is in good shape, though it appears that graffiti has been sprayed on the monument and either worn partially off or an attempt was made to remove it. The corners are still sharp.
Hadley was first settled in 1659 and incorporated in 1661. In 1752-3, the district of South Hadley within Hadley had been defined, including the boundaries. South Hadley broke from Hadley around 1775. This is documented in the state historic atlas; link included below.
20150206 - After some research using a viewer to compare the town boundaries with features on the summit and text from the Harbor and Lands Atlas, I changed the wording to a more generic title for the monument. Looking at the drawing in the atlas, the corner is clearly by the old hotel (Prospect House) on the southwest side. This is also shown in a US Topographic map and seems to fit the atlas description of placement (see below). While it is possible that it was placed wrong, this is unlikely. I did not see a marker in the disclosed position, but I wasn't looking hard at that exact spot, either. Here is the atlas account:
"HADLEY-SOUTH HADLEY 6.
LOCATION. - The corner is situated 50.7 feet south of the westerly corner of Prospect House on Mt. Holyoke.
MARK. - The corner mark is a 2-inch, iron pipe 4 ft high, set on a steel pin set in a fairly flat-topped ledge."
Was it moved? Possibly, but I don't know how to find out. Is it a witness mark? If so, it's not stated in the Harbor and Land Atlas on the MassDOT web site. Is it a road stone? Possible, but it is in an odd position on a rocky summit and not along the access road. So many questions...
Other Sources:
Mass.gov (Mass. DCR, J. A. Skinner):
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visit link)
Wikipedia
Hadley
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visit link)
South Hadley
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visit link)