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Mourning Lincoln - Storrs House, 1865
160 years ago on Saturday April 15, 1865, the residents of Longmeadow, Massachusetts, like the rest of the nation, would learn that...
Bob Abel
May 12 min read
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William Sheldon’s Electric Machine? A Collections Mystery
Among the many fascinating items in the Longmeadow Historical Society’s Cabinet of Curiosities, one stands out as being particularly...
Bob Abel
Apr 104 min read
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The Robbery of 1888
The Springfield Republican  reported in an article published on December 22, 1888, “doubtless the world will be much older when the good...
Lenny Shaker
Apr 32 min read
40 views
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"Here, can you put this in your purse?"
Ask any woman you know, and she will confirm that someone has asked her to put something in her purse for them. Today’s purses can be...
Betsy McKee
Mar 272 min read
13 views
3 comments
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...
Bob Abel
Feb 95 min read
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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,...
Betsy McKee
Sep 12, 20242 min read
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Charity Bush Ely (1836-1867)
Charity Bush Ely Collection of the Longmeadow Historical Society Born in the Connecticut River Valley town of Whately, Massachusetts,...
Liz Kendall
May 19, 20243 min read
27 views
1 comment
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...
Beth Hoff
May 2, 20243 min read
191 views
1 comment
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...
Dave Marinelli
Apr 25, 20243 min read
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1 comment
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...
Lenny Shaker
Mar 2, 20242 min read
99 views
1 comment
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...
Betsy McKee
Feb 16, 20242 min read
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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...
Betsy McKee
Feb 15, 20242 min read
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Old Town Hall
Across Longmeadow Street from Alex’s Bagels sits an unimposing small brick building – 417 Longmeadow Street. Originally a one-room...
Beth Hoff
Jan 24, 20243 min read
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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...
Beth Hoff
Nov 1, 20234 min read
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"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...
Betsy McKee
Oct 5, 20232 min read
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Can you spell Silhouette?
Silhouette, like daguerreotype, is a word I always pause over when writing. No surprise that both terms were named after...
Betsy McKee
Sep 21, 20233 min read
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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...
Beth Hoff
Sep 14, 20234 min read
28 views
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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...
Betsy McKee
Sep 7, 20233 min read
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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...
Lenny Shaker
Aug 31, 20232 min read
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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...
Betsy McKee
Aug 17, 20234 min read
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