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Bob Abel
Feb 95 min read
Rev. Samuel Wolcott's Civil War Letter
"I have just returned from the front line, having really no business there..." Early last fall, the Longmeadow Historical Society...
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Betsy McKee
Sep 12, 20242 min read
Jonathan Hale Goldthwait: Engraver of Maps
The Goldthwait family of Longmeadow had several talented and artistic members: Jonathan Hale Goldthwait (1811-1870) was an engraver,...
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Liz Kendall
May 19, 20243 min read
Charity Bush Ely (1836-1867)
Charity Bush Ely Collection of the Longmeadow Historical Society Born in the Connecticut River Valley town of Whately, Massachusetts,...
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Beth Hoff
May 2, 20243 min read
Lost Ponds of Longmeadow
Who doesn’t love relaxing next to (or swimming in) a body of water on a beautiful summer day? Longmeadow is blessed with an abundance of...
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Dave Marinelli
Apr 25, 20243 min read
American Chestnut Trees in Longmeadow
Perhaps you have noticed one or two information kiosks which recently sprouted in Bliss and Laurel Parks? These kiosks mark two of...
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Lenny Shaker
Mar 2, 20242 min read
Mary Ann Booth: Photomicroscopist
Mary Ann Allard Booth was born on September 8, 1843 to Rhoda and Samuel Colton Booth of Longmeadow. She was a direct descendant of the...
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Betsy McKee
Feb 16, 20242 min read
Who is the Mysterious Lady in the Portrait
The portrait, an oil on poplar board, is of an older lady with glasses, identified as "Harriet Ford Bull Lawton, 1700." Seems pretty...
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Betsy McKee
Feb 15, 20242 min read
Can You See it? The Magic of the Stereoscope Viewer
Many of our readers will remember enjoying a toy from our childhoods—the View-Master! Circular wheels with tiny photos were inserted into...
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Beth Hoff
Jan 24, 20243 min read
Old Town Hall
Across Longmeadow Street from Alex’s Bagels sits an unimposing small brick building – 417 Longmeadow Street. Originally a one-room...
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Beth Hoff
Nov 1, 20234 min read
Chandler Avenue
Across the Longmeadow Green from First Church of Christ and stretching to the west is a small country lane named Chandler Avenue. Flanked...
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Betsy McKee
Oct 5, 20232 min read
"Instantly Killed by a Bull" The Death of Young Gaius Bliss
Have you ever noticed this gravestone in the Longmeadow Cemetery? While not common, causes of death were sometimes included on...
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Betsy McKee
Sep 21, 20233 min read
Can you spell Silhouette?
Silhouette, like daguerreotype, is a word I always pause over when writing. No surprise that both terms were named after...
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Beth Hoff
Sep 14, 20234 min read
The Wallace Children
Census records are wonderful tools that offer researchers all sorts of clues into a person's life within a household or community. But...
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Betsy McKee
Sep 7, 20233 min read
As the Cock Crows: Longmeadow's Rooster
Have you ever wondered about the rooster on the top of First Church’s steeple? Did you think that it was a simple weathervane, helping...
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Lenny Shaker
Aug 31, 20232 min read
William C. Pease
I found these photographs in the Emerson file on Digital Commonwealth and it stirred my curiosity to learn more about the subject. The...
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Betsy McKee
Aug 17, 20234 min read
Longmeadow Go West! Persis and John Burt
Faithful readers of this blog may recall an article written by Beth Hoff on March 25, 2021 titled "Westward Bound," about the adventurous...
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Melissa Cybulski & Betsy McKee
Jul 27, 20231 min read
Barbie visits the Storrs House Museum
The dolls of the Storrs House Museum were thrilled to receive a visit this week from the most celebrated doll in the land right now …...
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Lenny Shaker
Jun 29, 20233 min read
Gettysburg 1913: A 50th Anniversary Reunion
One hundred and sixty years ago, Union and Confederate armies fought The Battle of Gettysburg from July 1-3, 1863. The Union victory is...
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Melissa M. Cybulski
Jun 1, 20232 min read
Wolf Swamp Road and School
Wolf Swamp Road School c. 1956 Longmeadow Historical Society Archives Who among us has not wondered about the name “Wolf Swamp?” In...
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Betsy McKee
May 18, 20232 min read
Alice F. Willard
Alice F. Willard 1866-1946 Alice Faith Willard, daughter of Mason and Aurelia Coomes Willard, was born in 1866 and was a lifelong...
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