The Longmeadow Historical
Society
Our Mission
First settled in 1644, the Town of Longmeadow
has a long and interesting history.
The mission of the Longmeadow Historical
Society is to preserve our Town's history and
inspire public awareness of the people, places,
and events that have contributed to Longmeadow's
history.
Our
organization, which is a 501(c)(3) corporation,
was founded in 1899.
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We operate the Storrs House Museum and
manage its extensive and diverse collections
and archives. Each week, an educational post
is distributed to over 1,600 persons through
our email newsletter and Facebook page.
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During the summer, students intern in our
archives research subjects which is
part of our educational outreach to the
town.
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Throughout the year, we conduct Museum house
tours, sponsor speakers, host smaller
events, and interact with persons who
inquire about people or events associated
with our town’s history.
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Each October, we host
Ghosts in the Graveyard, an afternoon or evening tour of
the old burying ground which includes
dramatizations of former citizens.
Our Program
Over the past eight+ years, we have worked to
update our home, the Storrs House Museum, so
that it adequately protects our textile and
furniture collections. Community Preservation
Act funds have provided monies for a new roof
and gutters, heating and air conditioning
system, waterproofing, and electrical and safety
systems. Our documentary archives, which contain
original town records dating from the early
1700’s, are now in acid-free boxes in our secure
archival storage vault.
Each room in the museum reflects different
periods or exhibit themes. Most recently, we
have created a
new exhibit space in one of the upstairs
chambers. The current exhibit in this room
includes displays of early gravestones and
Longmeadow stone carvers, a prominent 19th
century family and the artwork of a Longmeadow
resident.
A second upstairs chamber was renovated
for an exhibit that opened in May 2018 which
focused on international, national, and regional
history from 1890–1920 from the perspective of
Longmeadow residents. Some of the exhibit was
changed to include the 125th anniversary of the
split of Longmeadow into two separate towns-
Longmeadow/ East Longmeadow by the state
legislature on July 1, 1894.
Archivists funded by a grant from the Community
Foundation of Western Massachusetts have
cataloged and organized our documents and other
historical objects. This project developed
an online
finding aid which enables
researchers to locate all documents about our
town’s history in one database.
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