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INDEX-
#LONGMEADOW #TBT
|
Index- Through the Lens- Longmeadow 100 Years Ago
Use the CONTROL+ F
hotkey to quickly
find #TBT articles of interest in the index about Longmeadow history
in the early 20th Century.
|
#TBT-1
Longmeadow Tennis Club |
Opening day for the
Longmeadow Tennis Club was Saturday,
June 28, 1913. The tennis courts were
built on the grounds of the original
Storrs Library by Vaughan & Kibbe.
Individuals that were interested in
playing the game had donated to build
these three courts. |
#TBT-2
Center School |
Older children in
front of the District 1 schoolhouse
which stood on the site of the present
Center School in 1878. In 1899 a new
Center School was built to replace the
two room Center School for grades 1 to
9. In 1929 both buildings were
demolished to allow construction of the
today’s Center Elementary School. |
#TBT-3
Country Store |
The Country Store
was built in 1805 by Calvin Burt and
Stephen Cooley. It is located at 776
Longmeadow Street. For many years
it was home to the Longmeadow Post
Office. In 1848 Dimond Chandler
established his first button factory
here. The building eventually became a
grocery store was owned and operated by
Charles L. Wood. It is currently
the home of the Spa-on-the-Green. |
#TBT-4
Doane Orphanage |
In 1902, George
Sanford Doane and his wife Lucy Maria
Cook established the Doane Orphanage at
the corner of Longmeadow Street and
Forest Glen Road. It is no longer in
existence. |
#TBT-5
First Church Parsonage |
In 1857 the First
Congregational Church parish voted to
build a parsonage on the site of the
Rev. Stephen Williams' original home
which was destroyed by fire in 1845. It
housed ministers until 1917, when Rev.
Henry Lincoln Bailey retired. It later
served as quarters for church school
classes and as the residence for the
church caretakers. The parsonage was
moved south of the church in 1921 when
the Community House was built by First
Church. The building currently is home
to the Longmeadow Montessori School. |
#TBT-6
A Changing Landscape |
In 1907 the Chapel
was located on the south side of the
First Congregational Church. In
1921 the Chapel was moved when the
Community House was built. The
First Church Parsonage was also moved to
its current location at 777 Longmeadow
Street. |
#TBT-7
Wolcott-Brewer
Young Mansion |
734 Longmeadow
Street was built in 1884 by Henry R.
Wolcott and Colorado Senator Edward O.
Wolcott for their father, Rev. Samuel
Wolcott. In 1901 it was purchased by
Edward Spaulding Brewer, who was a
prominent Springfield area businessman,
three-term chairman of the Longmeadow
Board of Selectmen and two-term
Massachusetts state legislator. In 1921
the home was sold to Mrs. Mary Ida
Young, a friend of the Brewers and wife
of the inventor of the horse (and later
human) liniment Absorbine, Jr. For
years thereafter, the mansion was a
focal point of many Longmeadow society
events. Mary Ida Young died on
Halloween, October 31, 1960, at age 95. |
#TBT-8
Thomas Watters House |
The Thomas Watters
House at 70 Longmeadow Street is a Queen
Anne style house in the north end of
town. It was built by Thomas Watters in
1880. Thomas Watters and his brother,
Joseph Watters, who built the house next
door (76), were successful contractors
in Springfield in the late 1800's and
early 1900's. One of their notable
projects was the Barney Estate in Forest
Park. Thomas Watters served as Park
Commissioner in Longmeadow in 1901 and
was elected Selectman in 1907. |
#TBT-9
Old Town Hall |
The Old Town Hall
was originally built as a school house
in 1855. This building is the old
North School which was used as a school
until 1906. It was then used as a Town
Hall/ Police Station from 1906 until
1930 when the current Town Hall was
built. It then became the headquarters
of the Albert T. Wood Post 175/ American
Legion. |
#TBT-10
Longmeadow
Garage |
The CVS/ Rinaldi’s/
Kate Gray Boutique building in an
earlier time period... This original
structure was completed in late 1916 and
has served as a home for the Longmeadow
Garage and Longmeadow Public Market,
Inc.+ many other local businesses
throughout the years. |
#TBT-11
A Changing Landscape-2 |
The Captain Simon
Parker house that was located at 777
Longmeadow Street and the First Church
Chapel were moved to Williams Street.
The First Church Parsonage (now the
Montessori School) was moved to make
room for the construction of the
Community House. |
#TBT-12
Longmeadow Water Works |
The Longmeadow Water
Works which was started in 1894
consisted of a pond, a screen filter. a
Deane steam pump, a storage tank
(connected to stand pipe) and an
engineer's house. The tank was open at
the top so the engineer usually pumped
it until it overflowed. The unused water
from the pond ran down to the
Connecticut River and was known as
Cooley Brook. Water was delivered to
town residents through pipes on
Longmeadow Street and side streets. As
the town’s water needs increased, the
town started purchasing additional water
from Springfield in 1912. |
#TBT-13
Longmeadow DPW |
In 1931 Longmeadow
Town voters approved moving the old
train station [“depot”] to the current
site of the Department of Public Works
Main Offices for use as a Caretaker’s
Cottage. The train “depot” building was
built ~ 1884 and remains as part of the
current DPW facility 130+ years later! |
#TBT-14
Old Red House |
The "Old Red House"
at 787 Longmeadow Street was built by
Captain Simon Colton in 1734 and is a
fine example of a New England "saltbox". |
#TBT-15
St. Mary's Church |
n 1868 a group of
five men purchased a building that was
believed to have been a spectacle shop
located across the Town Green from First
Church. They moved this building to
Williams Street opposite Longmeadow
Cemetery. On October 2, 1870 it was
dedicated as St. Mary's Church. In 1924
St. Mary's Church was moved to a
portable church that had been set up
behind the site of the current church at
the corner of Bliss Road and Longmeadow
Street. On Christmas Eve in 1931 a new
St. Mary's Church was opened. |
#TBT-16
"Meat Peddlar" |
Mr. Arthur A. Brooks
lived at 107 Hopkins Place. He worked in
Charles S. Allen's store at 766
Longmeadow Street and was best known as
the "meat peddlar". |
#TBT-17
Post Office |
Mr. Albion K.
Matthews was appointed the Longmeadow
Postmaster from 1885 - 1889 and from
1893 - 1897. During this period of time
postal business was conducted at 891
Longmeadow Street. He died in 1900. His
wife, Elizabeth operated a small store-
The Peoples Cheap Cash Store at the same
location selling various items including
thread, needles, pins and other
articles. |
#TBT-18
Bernard E. Graves |
201 Longmeadow
Street- Bernard E. Graves and his wife,
Mary lived in this home at the corner of
Longmeadow Street and Converse Street.
Mr. Graves spent his 52 year career with
the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance
Co. Throughout his life Mr. Graves
was an active citizen of Longmeadow. |
#TBT-19
Longmeadow Garage |
The GRAVES GARAGE
(also known as the Longmeadow Garage)
was located at the corner of Longmeadow
Street and Belleclaire Avenue.
Automotive repairs and gasoline sales
were its primary business. The Colonnade
built in 1917 also included a number of
stores including Ford Drug and The
Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company. |
#TBT-20
Storrs House |
Storrs House located
at 697 Longmeadow Street built in 1786
and is the home of the Longmeadow
Historical Society. The house was
the pastoral home of Rev. Richard Salter
Storrs and his family. Its appearance
has changed numerous times. |
#TBT-21
Post Office/
Cornelius Shine |
The Longmeadow Post
Office was opened on March 4, 1814 and
closed on June 30, 1902. The Post Office
was located in a number of different
buildings around the Longmeadow Town
Green. After the Post Office was closed,
Mr. Cornelius “Cornie” Shine delivered
mailed to town residents for the next 15
years. |
#TBT-22
Willard House |
The house at 340
Longmeadow St was designed by Guy
Kirkham and built for William Willard in
1901. William Willard lived there alone
until the mid-1920’s when he died
without leaving a will. Mr. Willard had
always said that he would leave his
property (18 acres) to the Town of
Longmeadow for use as a park. However,
the property was inherited by his
sisters who sold it to a developer. In
the spirit of Longmeadow tradition the
house was moved in 1925 to the corner of
Warren Terrace (316 Longmeadow St) where
Mr. Willard had also owned a small piece
of property. |
#TBT-23
South Park Terrace |
South Park Terrace/
(South Park Estates) was a
forty-five-acre estate purchased from
the Colton family by J. William Cheney,
Theodore W. Leete, and Edward J. Murphy.
This section of Longmeadow was quickly
developed at the beginning of the 20th
century. |
#TBT-24
Wesson |
In 1907 Joseph H.
Wesson purchased 6½ acres of land on
Forest Glen Road. He was a resident of
Springfield, MA and the son of Daniel B.
Wesson, a co-founder of Smith & Wesson
Co. located in Springfield, MA. Three
beautiful homes were built- one for each
of Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Wesson’s children:
Douglas (109) who married Elba Cotton,
Victor (135) who married Eleanor M.
Williams, and Eleanor (161) who married
Flynt Lincoln. They each raised their
families on Forest Glen Road. |
#TBT-25
Morgan Wesson |
Morgan Wesson was a
resident of the town of Longmeadow, MA.
He was killed in action aboard the USS
Atlanta and his body was lost at sea
during the battle of the Solomon Islands
off Guadalcanal. He was the first man
from Longmeadow killed in action during
WWII. On July 28, 1943 Lieut. (J.G.)
Morgan Wesson was posthumously awarded a
Purple Heart. |
#TBT-26
War Memorial/
Town Green
|
The Boulder Memorial
is located on our Longmeadow Town Green.
This 16 ton boulder with a Memorial
Plaque was dedicated in May of 1922. The
names of Longmeadow town residents who
took part in all wars up to and
including WWI are inscribed on the
plaque. The boulder was donated to our
town by Mrs. Joseph Wesson, Eleanor
Lincoln's mother, with the aid of Flynt
Lincoln (161 Forest Glen Road). This
boulder was originally located on the
Wesson estate located in Palmer, MA. |
#TBT-27
655-664 Longmeadow St |
The house at 664
Longmeadow Street was built with native
brick in 1856 for Nathaniel Ely, a
member of the prominent Ely family, as a
wedding gift from his father. The Thomas
Bliss II house originally stood on this
site and was moved across the street to
655 Longmeadow Street when the new Ely
mansion was built in 1856. The Thomas
Bliss II house is one of the oldest
houses in town and was built around
1714. It was purchased by Nathaniel Ely
in 1758 who converted it to a tavern. In
the late 1800’s Dr. Lester Noble, a
dentist, owned this property which
included a pond later called Noble Pond. |
#TBT-28
Bliss St/ Longmeadow St |
This Emerson photo
taken in 1913 looking east on Bliss
Street from Longmeadow Street was very
different from today’s landscape. 507
Longmeadow St. was the home of Mr. &
Mrs. C.D. Reid in 1912 and was then sold
to Theodore W. Leete in 1913. On the
northeast corner of this intersection,
there was a house at 481 Longmeadow St
which was occupied by Clifford Kempton
and his family (1910 Census). By April
1914, this house was moved or
demolished, possibly to make way for the
new Colonnade stores with Ford Drug, A&
P Store and Graves Garage. Today, the
trolley tracks are gone and the SE
corner is now occupied by St. Mary’s
R.C. Church. The house in the distance
on the south side of Bliss Street has
also disappeared. |
#TBT-29
169 Crescent Rd |
Rev. Henry Lincoln
Bailey was the Pastor of First Church in
Longmeadow, MA from 1901 to 1916. After
retiring from this position, he and his
wife Nelle moved from the Parsonage to
their newly built home at 169 Crescent
Road (1917 Longmeadow Street Directory).
Dr. Bailey became the Editor of the
Springfield Weekly Republican in
Springfield, MA. He was also President
of the Longmeadow Historical Society
from 1901 – 1908 and 1919 – 1928. This
well respected gentleman also served as
Moderator at Longmeadow Town Meetings
beginning in 1918 until his death in
1943. |
#TBT-30
Longmeadow Fire Dept |
The Longmeadow
Volunteer Fire Department was
established in June 1923 with its first
fire station located in the Longmeadow
(Graves) Garage at Longmeadow Street and
Belleclaire Avenue. From the 1926 Annual
Town Report… “For fire protection the
town has a combination chemical and hose
wagon and a motor pumper manned by a
volunteer fire department. The apparatus
is stored in the Longmeadow Garage with
a driver available 24 hours daily. Water
supplies are available from street
mains.” The Longmeadow Fire Department
moved into its new home in the Public
Safety Complex on Williams Street in
January 1960. |
#TBT-31
Barney Estate |
Pecousic Villa- home
of Everett Hosmer Barney was built in
1885 but was demolished in 1959 when
I-91 was built through Springfield/
Forest Park area. Trolley tracks for the
Springfield Street Railway on South
Pecousic Blvd can be seen in the lower
photo foreground. |
#TBT-32
280 Longmeadow St |
This elegant home
located in the north end of Longmeadow
Street is easily recognized and was
built by Colonel Alexander Field in
1794. Its Georgian architecture that
appeared in early colonial homes in the
Connecticut Valley has changed very
little in past 220+ years. Alexander
Field was born on February 5, 1764. He
served in the Revolutionary War for two
years and was later a colonel in the
Massachusetts Militia. Alexander married
Flavia Colton (Samuel “Marchant”
Colton’s daughter) in 1787. Later, after
Flavia died in 1815, he married Jerusha
Burt- daughter of Capt. Nathaniel Burt.
Alexander became a large and successful
farmer and died a weathy man in 1831. |
#TBT-33
Hatch Libary |
The 1910 Federal
Census lists Edwin and Augusta Hibbard
living at 539 Longmeadow Street. They
are likely the people shown in the left
photo. He was employed as an insurance
agent. In August 1924 the First Church
of Christ, Scientist began using this
residence for church services and it was
later purchased as its permanent home.
In February 1928 an extension to the
south side of the building was
completed. The building was purchased by
Bay Path Junior College in 1961 and it
became known as the Hatch Library.
Construction was started for a new
church on the corner of Redfern Drive
and Williams Street in the summer of
1962. |
#TBT-34
Clifford Kempton |
Clifford S. Kempton
was a prominent fruit grower picking
strawberries in a field on Longmeadow
St. It is believed that this field was
located on the east side of Longmeadow
St. near Bliss St. According to the 1910
US Census, Kempton rented a home with
his family at 481 Longmeadow St. and
later owned the house at 384 Longmeadow
St. (1920 US Census). News reported at
the time about his “ever-bearing” straw-
berries suggest that they were a
“genetically modified” type- “not only
bearing fruit throughout the growing
season from June until the ground
freezes… but they yield an abundance of
fruit the year that they are planted....
The miracle was brought about presumably
through the medium of a tiny insect
injecting into the blossom of a
cultivated strawberry plant, pollen
obtained from some hardy little berry of
field or wood.” |
#TBT-35
Bliss Street (Road) |
Clifford S. Kempton-
the local fruit grower lived at 481
Longmeadow St before it was moved.
He cultivated strawberries and other
fruit on the adjacent acreage. This
changing street landscape was the
beginning of the develop- ment of the
Colonnade shopping center. The photo
shows the Longmeadow Volunteer Fire Dept
(before it was officially established in
1923) fighting a fire at the relocated
house owned by the Patrick family. The
house was not saved and it was later
demolished. Another house was built on
the same lot a number of years later. |
#TBT-36
Morgan Wesson |
On July 28, 1943
Lieutenant (J.G.) Morgan Wesson was
posthumously awarded the prestigious
Purple Heart. He was the son of Victor
H. & Eleanor M. Wesson (135 Forest Glen
Road). His great- grandfather Daniel B.
Wesson co- founded Smith & Wesson in
Springfield, MA. The 1941 Yale
University graduate was called to active
duty and assigned to the USS Atlanta. A
promotion to Lieutenant (J.G.) followed.
During the battle of the Solomon Islands
off Guadalcanal on November 13, 1942
this brave 23 year old officer made the
ultimate sacrifice & his body was lost
at sea. “Lieut. Wesson was the first man
killed in action from Longmeadow” during
WWII. |
#TBT-37
259 Longmeadow St. |
Thomas Field built
this colonial located at the corner of
Ellington St and Longmeadow St in 1728
(259 Longmeadow St). It is one of the
oldest homes in Longmeadow and it
remained in the Field family for 215
years until 1943. The last Field to live
in the house- Nellie Field, was at one
time the town school teacher and taught
at the District #1- North school house
(old Town Hall). Her husband, Moses
Field, who died in 1927, was the town
water engineer and a volunteer fireman
for many years. This house had one of
the first telephones installed in
Longmeadow in 1901. In the event of a
fire, Moses would be called to go to the
“pumping station” to start the water
pump to fill the standpipe (water tower)
in order to ensure adequate water
pressure in the street hydrants. “The
house is unusual in that it was raised
up more than three feet in 1862 to
accommodate a first floor with 10 foot
ceilings. The massive center chimney was
replaced at that time by twin chimneys
which serve marble fireplaces in the
living and dining rooms. Upstairs the
original post and beam construction
(with gunstock posts) is evident.”
“Minutemen Oliver and Moses Field left
from this house to go to Lexington and
Concord in response to the "General
Alarm" of April 19, 1775. Oliver Field
served 5 years in the Revolutionary
army.” |
#TBT-38
8 Westmoreland Ave |
Philip A. Williams,
Jr. & his wife Helena began building
their new home at 8 Westmoreland Ave. in
1915. They and their young son Phillip
A. III moved here from Springfield, MA.
This couple lived in this home until the
early 1960's when they passed away. Mr.
Williams was an auto dealer & very
interested in vehicles. Early in his
career he worked for the bicycle
manufacturer Overman Wheel Co. (Chicopee
Falls, MA). He sold Ford automobiles in
Boston, MA and also worked for the Knox
Automobile Co. (Springfield, MA). When
Harry Knox formed the Atlas Motor Car
Co. in Springfield, Mr. Williams became
a Sales Manager there. In 1916 Philip A.
Williams, Jr. started his own business,
the Williams Motor Sales Company. It was
an auto salesroom & repair shop located
in Springfield. |
#TBT-39
54 Fernleaf Ave |
Richard W. Cartter
and his wife Ada B. lived in this home
in 1921. They had purchased it a year
earlier and moved from West Springfield,
MA. Mr. Cartter had retired from his
West Springfield, MA farming business in
1920. He was known in this area as the
"Riverdale market gardener". While
living in West Springfield at 972
Riverdale Road (across from the current
Riverdale Shops), the Cartters owned a
large farm and sold produce. Whenever
Mr. Cartter was improving his farming
methods to increase productivity on his
West Springfield farm, it attracted the
interest of area residents. One time he
tested the installation of an overhead
irrigation system on 2 acres of his
land. Another time a crowd gathered to
watch the usage of a new Henry Ford. |
#TBT-40
220 Longmeadow St. |
This home was built
in 1831 by Judah Cooley who was a member
of one of the original families of
Longmeadow. Mr. Cooley was a successful
farmer. In 1839 the house was sold to
Cyrus Newell who operated a dairy farm
and apple orchard. Source: Historic
Homes of Longmeadow/ Hall/Hayes 1988,
2012 At the time the above photos were
taken Eugene F. Russell and his wife,
Jessie were living in this house with
their three children. They lived in this
house from ~1914 - 1925. During WWI Mr.
Russell served as a major in the US Army
Ordinance Div. He was employed as a
mechanical engineer and served several
terms as a Longmeadow Selectman.
Sources: Longmeadow Street Directories
and 1920 US Census In the early 1930’s a
major portion of the 40+ acres of this
property was sold and developed into
homes on Englewood Road. |
#TBT-41
64 Belleclaire Av |
Dr. Edmund S. Temple
was listed in the 1916 Springfield
Street Directory as a Dentist practicing
in Springfield, MA at 318 Main St. (the
Hitchcock Building). He and his wife May
moved from 19 Warner St., Springfield to
this Long- meadow home soon after and
lived here when the photo was taken in
June 1919. During his long career Dr.
Temple also became the School Dentist
for the Longmeadow Public Schools. He
passed away in August 1940 and later his
wife moved back to Springfield. Their
son, Capt. Edmund S. Temple, Jr. died
while on an Air Force training flight in
California in Oct. 1956. |
#TBT-42
100 Crescent Rd |
100 Crescent Road
built in 1909 was home to Mr. William C.
Lawton and his wife Ruth and their four
children, Ruth, Rachel, Harriet and
Sanford. The US 1910 Census also lists a
servant- Hannah Dahl living with the
Lawton family. Mr. Lawton co-founded the
F.A. Bassette Company- a local printing
company in Springfield with Mr. Frederic
A. Bassette in 1898. Mr. Lawton was born
in 1861 and died in Longmeadow in 1943
at the age of 81. He was the great-great
grandson of Samuel “Marchant” Colton.
His wife Ruth was the daughter of
Charles Merriam- co-founder of G &C
Merriam Publishers. |
#TBT-43
Storrs Library |
The roots of the
Richard Salter Storrs Library began with
the construction of this small building
in 1910 through the generosity of Miss
Sarah Storrs. She was the granddaughter
of Rev. Richard S. Storrs- the second
minister of First Church. All of her
real estate in Longmeadow including the
Storrs parsonage- now the home of the
Longmeadow Historical Society, her
library of books, portraits and pictures
were bequeathed for the purpose of
establishing the Richard Salter Storrs
free public library. Included was a
matching gift of $5000 if town residents
could raise the first $5000. The Richard
Salter Storrs Library was incorporated
in 1908 under the auspices of a select
group of town residents who arranged a
consolidation with the existing
Longmeadow Town Library that was located
in the old Center School. |
#TBT-44
878 Longmeadow St |
Dr. Benjamin
Stebbins and his wife Lucy Colton
(Samuel "Marchant" Colton's daughter)
lived in this home. The original house
was built around 1795. The exterior was
brick painted red. Many families have
since owned this property. In 1894 Mr.
and Mrs. J. S. Carr (of Springfield, MA)
purchased it and made many changes. The
1910 U.S. Federal Census lists Julia L.
Bowles renting this home. Her son, Henry
L. Bowles had purchased it in 1904 with
7 acres of land from Rev. R.S.
Underwood. Mr. Bowles was the owner of
the Baltimore Lunch chain. The first
lunchroom was located in Springfield,
MA. He lived here for a short time and
moved to Springfield. His mother Julia
resided here for many years. Mr. Henry
L. Bowles also served as a U.S.
Congressman and was instrumental in the
building of the Bowles Agawam Airport in
Agawam, MA. |
#TBT-45
Hillbrow Dairy Farm |
The Hillbrow Dairy
Farm located at 1374 Longmeadow Street
was owned and operated by Harry M. Burt
not far from the state line in
Connecticut. At the time of this photo
Mr. Burt lived here with his wife Clara
and their son Warner. The farm derived
its name from its location on the brow
of the hill overlooking the Connecticut
River. The Hillbrow Farm consisted of ~
60 acres with 25-30 acres of pasture
land and woodland. Mr. Burt maintained
an average of 20 cows throughout the
year yield- ing about 270 quarts of milk
daily. The farm produced enough hay and
corn to feed his livestock. Mr. Burt
also maintained a garden with a wide
selection of berry types and an apple
orchard to feed his family. He was also
a Longmeadow Selectman for a number of
years. |
#TBT-46
609 Longmeadow St |
609 Longmeadow
Street (The David Booth House) Samuel C.
Booth (grandson of Samuel “Marchant”
Colton) built this house in 1861. It was
a wedding gift for his only son, David.
Carved on a beam in the attic is the
inscription: "This house built July 1st,
Sept. 17th, 1861 by S. C. Booth for his
only sone D. Booth ae 24 who married
Sept. 27th 1861 S. S. Davidson ae 24,
Sterling Mas.". David Booth’s
descendants occupied this home for 114
years. David Booth was named for his
grandfather (one of the earliest school
masters in Longmeadow). After his wife
Sarah Davidson Booth died, he married
Lucy A. Jorey. Mr. Booth died in 1907.
Lucy Jorey Booth and their son James
lived in this home in 1910. |
#TBT-47
104 South Park Avenue |
This home was built
in 1912 by Wells and White for Herbert
H. and Cora A. Ransehousen. It was the
third and last home that Mr. and Mrs.
Ransehousen had built and lived in. They
were both born in Berkshire County, MA.
The 1880 U.S. Federal Census lists Cora
working in the mills at the age of 12
years. In 1888 Herbert and Cora were
married in North Adams, MA and they
moved to Springfield, MA. Mr. Ranse-
housen was employed as an insurance
agent/ broker and retired after a very
successful career. They both lived in
this home for the remainder of their
lives. Herbert H. Ransehousen died in
1957 at the age of 93. |
#TBT-48
Springfield Street Railway |
The Springfield
Street Railway installed trolley tracks
on Longmeadow Street and introduced
service in 1896 from Springfield to the
Connecticut state line. The tracks were
laid on the west side of the Town Green
as shown in the photo. Town residents
quickly accepted this new mode of
transportation as an easy and convenient
way to travel to Springfield. A few
years later the line was extended to
Hartford, CT which made it easier to
travel between Hartford and Springfield.
By the 1920’s automobiles were becoming
a more convenient mode of
transportation. On May 11, 1940, the
trolley system made its last round trip
to the state line. The town removed the
tracks to salvage the steel for use in
the war effort. |
#TBT-49
70 Hopkins Pl |
In 1916 this was the
home of John Albert and Louise Peterson
and their two children, Albert H. and
Evelyn. John Albert and Louise had both
immigrated from Sweden. They arrived in
the United States during different years
at the turn of the 20th century. Mr.
Peterson was employed as a chauffeur by
C.H.Tenney, a Longmeadow resident. In
1914 Mr. Peterson purchased a building
lot on Hopkins Place from John L. Scott.
This house was built shortly after. John
A. Peterson remained in the employment
of the Tenney family for many years and
lived in this home. He died in 1963. |
#TBT-50
476 Longmeadow St
|
Most of the photos
that are being used for this Through the
Lens series were taken by Paesiello
Emerson. He lived in this house at 476
Longmeadow Street from ~1900 until his
death in 1927. Mr. Emerson was born in
Hopkinton, MA on February 10, 1832. He
began work as a boot maker in Ashland.
In 1863, at age 31, Paesiello enlisted
in the Union Army and served as a
private in the 5th Independent Battery,
Massachusetts Light Artillery. He
returned home in 1865 at the end of the
Civil War. His father, stepmother, and
their three young children, William,
Annie, and Henry moved to Longmeadow in
1872. They purchased the home of Captain
Luther Colton at 476 Longmeadow Street,
built in 1760- now known as the Cooley-
Emerson house. Paesiello moved to
Longmeadow to live with his step
brothers and step sister shortly after
1900. His interest in photography began
soon after reaching his 70th birthday in
1902. He then compiled an extensive
collection of photographic images of
Longmeadow. In August 1925, Paesiello
was presented with the gold-headed
ebonycane as the oldest resident in
Longmeadow. At his death in 1927, he
bequeathed this photo- graph collection
to his step sister Annie. She later
gifted the entire collection to the
Longmeadow Historical Society. |
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