[2] Nathan Jones purchased the township of East Hoosac at auction in 1762 from the Province of Massachusetts Bay for £3,200.

These were mostly farms with frontage on the Hoosic River, which over time would provide water power for woolen, cotton, lumber, and plastic mills.

The Quaker civil rights leader, abolitionist, and suffragist Susan B. Anthony was born in 1820 in Adams, and her family lived there until she was six.

With the construction of a number of mills on the Hoosic River, the demand for labor increased greatly, and Adams' population more than doubled to 4,000 between 1820 and 1835.

President William McKinley made two visits to the town, the second in 1897 to lay the cornerstone of the Adams Free Library.

He was a friend of the Plunkett brothers (founders in 1889 of the Berkshire Cotton Manufacturing Company), and of the textile industry generally.

Many textile jobs had moved South, as the industry relocated to states with lower wages and weak unions.

Since the late 20th century, the town has encouraged historic and destination tourism, part of a broader trend in the Berkshires.

It has promoted its natural environment and outdoor activities, and its proximity to the galleries, museums and colleges of North Adams.

The mountain, located within the state reservation of the same name, is the highest point in Massachusetts, a waypoint on the Appalachian Trail, and in the 19th century inspired writers including Herman Melville.

There were 4,362 housing units at an average density of 190.2 per square mile (73.4/km2), albeit packed into a fairly small portion of lower-lying land.

The current selectmen are Richard Blanchard, John Duval, Christine Hoyt, Joseph Nowak and Howard Rosenberg.

The Adams Free Library was founded in 1897, and was established as a war memorial, with the cornerstone being laid by President McKinley himself.

[22] The town is patrolled by the Fourth (Cheshire) Station of Barracks "B" of the Massachusetts State Police.

Adams is joined with neighboring Cheshire, and Savoy to form a regional school district.

Adams is also home to the Berkshire Arts & Technology Charter Public School (BArT)[25] serving grades six through twelve.

[26][27] Amtrak train service on the Lake Shore Limited is available 15 miles to the south at Pittsfield's Scelsi ITC.