Spencer

City and administrative headquarters of Clay County, northwestern Iowa, at the confluence of the Little Sioux and Ocheyedan rivers, 126 km/78 mi northeast of Sioux City; population (1996 est) 11,200. It is an important railway junction (the railway arrived in 1878), and grain and livestock from the area are shipped from the city. It produces wood, food products, fabricated metals, clothing, and chemical products.

Clay County's seat was first at Peterson from 1860 but moved to Spencer in 1870 when this town was laid out. Spencer has had three courthouses, 1871–1884, 1884–1900, and the present building, erected on the site of the second courthouse in 1900. In 1979 a new administrative building was added to Spencer. The annual Clay County fair held in Spencer has an attendance of up to 250,000.

Spencer

Town in central Massachusetts, in Worcester County, 16 km/10 mi west of Worcester; population (2000 est) 6,000. Industries include the manufacture of shoes, chemicals, and plastics. There are also a number of dairy farms in the area. It was incorporated in 1753.

The area was first settled in 1717 by Nathaniel Wood. It was named after Lieutenant Governor Spencer Phipps. The first mill in the Spencer began operation in 1740. The town has been a manufacturing centre since Josiah and Nathaniel Green began making shoes in Spencer in 1811, opening the first factory in 1834. Elliot Proudy began wire drawing in 1812 and at one time there were 11 wire-making factories in Spencer.

Spencer has five entries on the National Register of Historic Places including historic districts and a school.