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Designing To Get An Apprentice Boy
On October 31, 1774, Rev. Stephen Williams of Longmeadow wrote in his diary, “this day, my son Samuel set out on a journey for Boston...
Beth Hoff
Nov 13, 20223 min read
A Letter from Mary Lyon....
South Hadley, Aug 26.1847 My dear Miss Bliss, Won’t you be willing to go to Virginia to teach? It’s a place where Miss Moore taught this...
Melissa M. Cybulski
Nov 13, 20223 min read
John Akley and Sarah Forbus
Washington Crossing the Delaware by Emanuel Leutze Who were John Akley and Sarah Forbus? They are pauper children from Boston whom Ensign...
Beth Hoff
Nov 13, 20227 min read
Mourning Adolphus
This poignant little mourning painting from the collection of the Longmeadow Historical Society reminds us of the frailty of children's...
Melissa M. Cybulski
Nov 13, 20222 min read
William Holland, Longmeadow's First Stone Carver
When people ask what the oldest gravestone in the Longmeadow Cemetery is, the answer is the stone for Mary Drake Colton. She died in...
Al McKee
Nov 12, 20224 min read
Peter Pease- "... if he should be living..."
Indenture of Peter Pease to Noah Ashley “…if he should be living…” Sometimes, research leads you to more questions than answers, and this...
Beth Hoff
Nov 11, 20224 min read
Searching for Susan Freedom
Susan Freedom d.1803, Springfield Cemetery (image courtesy of Betsy McKee) Under the shade of evergreen trees in a section of Springfield...
Melissa M. Cybulski
Nov 11, 20227 min read
Miss Storrs, Professor Storrs and the American School for the Deaf
From the 1840's to the 1880's the connection between the American School for the Deaf in Hartford and the Storrs family of Longmeadow was...
Melissa M. Cybulski
Nov 11, 20223 min read
Is There a Doctor in the House?
Dr. Thomas L. Chapman (1817-1889) Collection of the Longmeadow Historical Society The town of Longmeadow has had many doctors in the...
Al McKee/ Betsy McKee
Nov 4, 20223 min read
The Elusive Johnny Appleseed... of Longmeadow- Part II
Illustration by George Richards from "Johnny Appleseed and Other Poems" by Vachel Lindsay, NY, 1929 Last week’s History Note article...
Melissa M. Cybulski
Nov 4, 20227 min read
The Elusive Johnny Appleseed... of Longmeadow
Harper's Magazine, 1871 This article is widely believed to be the source of much of the myth of Johnny Appleseed. Is it true? Was he...
Melissa M. Cybulski
Nov 4, 20224 min read
Stockbridge Indians and Rev. Stephen Williams
Stockbridge Indians and Rev. Stephen Williams Stockbridge, Massachusetts is the quintessential New England town. Norman Rockwell, who...
Beth Hoff
Nov 4, 20225 min read
Defective, Dependent and Delinquent Classes: The Care of Two Longmeadow Residents
***Today's History Note is part of our Hidden Voices Series that looks to highlight the stories of people often overlooked in history....
Melissa M. Cybulski
Nov 2, 20226 min read
Solomon Burt and the Explosion at the Powder Mill
As this gravestone attests, patriots faced danger at home as well as on the battlefield. This stone stands in Longmeadow Cemetery,...
Betsy McKee
Nov 2, 20222 min read
"Working on the Railroad: Thomas Murray 1848-1926"
Longmeadow resident Thomas Murray kept a diary in 1887, and like many of his time who kept diaries, included mostly comments on the...
Betsy McKee
Nov 2, 20222 min read
The Lives and Legacies of the William Goldthwaits
William Goldthwait In the 1800s, the talented and well-known Goldthwait family enriched the community and culture of Longmeadow. Today,...
Beth Hoff
Oct 31, 20223 min read
The Truth is in the Teeth
Did you know that two dentists connected to Longmeadow were critical witnesses in one of the most celebrated murder trials of the...
Beth Hoff
Oct 31, 20223 min read
Drs. Lester Noble and Nathan Cooley Keep
Lester Noble, D.D.S. Have you ever had a tooth extracted without anesthesia? Thanks in part to Dr. Lester Noble and Dr. Nathan Cooley...
Beth Hoff
Oct 31, 20224 min read
Holdup at Sharkey's
Long before MGM built its casino in Springfield, persons interested in gambling had to seek out illegal sites to place their bets. One of...
Beth Hoff
Oct 27, 20222 min read
Thanks and Giving: Emeline Colton's Friendship Journal
On this day of Thanks and Giving, we wanted to reach out to our friends near and far and share a recent and wonderful addition to the...
Melissa M. Cybulski
Oct 27, 20222 min read
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