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Longmeadow Minute Men to Arms!
We’ve all been hearing about the Revolutionary War commemorations happening across the Commonwealth, including the pivotal battles at...
Betsy McKee
3 days ago2 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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"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
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Letter from Call Field
Recently, a fellow researcher discovered and alerted me to a letter in our archives from Berkeley Taylor to his friend, James D. Booth of...
Beth Hoff
Sep 12, 20245 min read
23 views
1 comment
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
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Frankenstein! And we don’t mean Mary Shelley’s monster!
We are all familiar with the story of Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley—perhaps from one of the many movies inspired by the book.  My...
Betsy McKee
Mar 28, 20243 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, Fake, or Repro: the Story of the Caned Chair
The Longmeadow Historical Society, like many other historical organizations, has a variety of objects with stories attached. Sometimes...
Betsy McKee
Feb 1, 20242 min read
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What We're Thankful For
During this season of thanksgiving, the Longmeadow Historical Society would like to reflect on what we are grateful for. This kind of...
Betsy McKee
Nov 23, 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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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 …...
Melissa Cybulski & Betsy McKee
Jul 27, 20231 min read
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Tales of Discovery II: Obed and Mary (Newell) Montague
Like I've said before, we love tales of discovery, and re-discovery. This is a tale of Mary Newell Montague and her husband Obed...
Betsy McKee
Apr 27, 20232 min read
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Martha Chapin Goldthwait (1863-1934)
Faithful readers will be familiar with the name Goldthwait from previous History Notes, including a recent one about the return of a...
Betsy McKee
Mar 30, 20232 min read
39 views
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Stop Thief! The Mystery of the Missing Gun!
The exciting news in 2023 is the return of a firearm missing from the Longmeadow Historical Society Collections since 1970! The story...
Betsy McKee
Mar 16, 20236 min read
75 views
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Skating, Sleighing and Sliding
Barney & Berry Ice Skates Longmeadow Historical Society Collection Next week, local historian and friend of the Longmeadow Historical...
Melissa M. Cybulski
Mar 2, 20232 min read
6 views
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Hey Phil!
In honor of Groundhog Day, this author thought our readers might like to don their beaver silk top hats like this c. 1890-1905 one in our...
Betsy McKee
Feb 2, 20234 min read
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Let it Snow
Do you remember the thrill of a new snowfall, a snow day, and your parents saying "let's go sledding?" This author remembers dragging a...
Betsy McKee
Dec 29, 20222 min read
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Sarah A. Coomes Colton's Paintings
Two charming folk art paintings in the collection of the Longmeadow Historical Society bear the hallmarks of the kind of work educated...
Melissa M. Cybulski
Dec 21, 20223 min read
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Paying for the Great War
"Over the Top for You" by Sidney H. Riesenberg, 1918. How do you pay for a war? Waging war is expensive and when the United States...
Beth Hoff
Nov 22, 20223 min read
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