The "Rattlesnake Incident of 1761" is thought to have occurred on farmland in what is now Hampden on August 7 of that year, when 22-year-old Timothy Merrick was killed by a snakebite while mowing his father's field—an event immortalized by "On Springfield Mountain", among the earliest ballads ever written in North America, and the basis for the modern folk song "Rattlesnake Mountain".

Fires leveled some of the largest mills—the Lacowsic in 1892, the Ravine in 1904—and with the lack of marketing, other businesses failed.

There was then the trend back to agriculture, with many orchards developed throughout the area, with the herds of milk-producing cows, and with farmers growing their many crops.

Now the mills and quarries, orchards and cows are almost gone, and Hampden has become a residential town.

[3] The fictional town of Dunwich is based on Hampden and the surrounding area.

Since 2000, Hampden residents have acquired over 100 acres (0.40 km2) of open space and park land, including the peak of Minnechaug Mountain, one of the higher hills in town.

Minnechaug Mountain trails can also be accessed from Old Coach Road, and, except for the fall Turkey Shoot season, from the VFW parking lot on Main St.

In September 2004, an arson[4] fire hit Laughing Brook Wildlife Sanctuary (located on Main Street in Hampden).

The headquarters building was burnt down, but Burgess' original home on the property was untouched by the fire, and still stands.

The town has no large bodies of water, but has several brooks which eventually drain into the Connecticut River.

Hampden is located on the Connecticut border, just north of Tolland County.

Hampden is one of sixteen towns in Massachusetts that has no numbered highways or state routes.

Winters are variable, sometimes fairly mild, with daytime high temperatures in the 30s, though sometimes rather cold.

[15][16] For a short time in 2005 and 2006, the town library and senior center were closed down after budget increases were voted for the school district within the main budget, but the existing library and senior center funding was put on a property tax increase override vote, which failed.

In fiscal year 2008, the town of Hampden spent 0.85% ($76,862) of its budget on its public library—approximately $14 per person.

In 1956, Hampden joined with the neighboring town of Wilbraham in a unified school district for grades 9–12.

The two towns built Minnechaug Regional High School in Wilbraham, which opened in 1959.

Thorton W. Burgess Middle School was built in 1967, and in 2018, was shut down due to decreased enrollment.