A Walk Through the Old Emerson Place

Cooley-Emerson House at 476 Longmeadow Street

image courtesy raveis.com

It’s not every day you get a complete basement-to-attic tour of one of the beautiful 18th-century homes that make Longmeadow Street so special. But today was such a day.

Image courtesy Emerson Collection, Longmeadow Historical Society

You may have noticed the For Sale sign outside of 476 Longmeadow Street these past few weeks, right at the intersection of Bliss Road, Emerson Road, and Longmeadow Street. The house, known as the Cooley-Emerson house, was built c. 1760 for Josiah Cooley (1716-1778) and his family. It is possible to trace the house ownership from its original owner to his son, also named Josiah Cooley (1749-1824), who seemingly walked out the door of that house the day he enlisted as a minuteman in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. He, in turn, passed the house to his daughter, Lucy (1789-1869) and husband, Luther Colton, and they to their son, Josiah Cooley Colton (1825-1895). In 1872 it sold to an Emerson, thus beginning its next phase of life.

Josiah Cooley's Will, 1772

Stipulating that House and Land Pass to his Wife & Son

from the Collection of the Longmeadow Historical Society

The Emerson name probably sounds familiar, especially as it relates to the famous, and often used “Emerson photos” that help us tell so many stories and learn so many details about life in Longmeadow c.1910-1920. It is at 476 Longmeadow Street where a widowed and aging Paesiello Emerson moved in with his much younger half-siblings, Henry and Annie Emerson, to spend his retirement years. The hundreds of images taken by Paesiello Emerson offer an extraordinary glimpse into life in Longmeadow, and occasionally inside some of its houses.

His own home and the corner on which he lived are among the most photographed places in town. Today, a few Longmeadow Historical Society Board members had the chance to walk through the home and we came prepared, eager to see if we could match up particular images with the places within the house they were taken. It was exciting to be in a house that has stood watching over Longmeadow Street since before the Revolutionary War. There are enough original 12-over-12 windows with original glass remaining, as well as other architectural details such as doors, hand-forged latches, fireplace hearths, and wood floors to allow the imagination to wander back to 18th-century Longmeadow.

Dr. Al McKee, of the Longmeadow Historical Society,

examines an original stone hearth

That same hearth as seen c. 1915

Image courtesy Emerson Collection, Longmeadow Historical Society

Annie Emerson and her brother, Henry, lived in the home until their deaths in the 1940s. Annie was a particularly devoted Longmeadow historian, and her notebooks and papers are still valuable resources for us today. Surely, she could feel the history all around her within the old house where she researched and wrote.

The realtor is running an Open House this Saturday, May 6, from 11-1. Stop by and take a walk through this extraordinary treasure. As they say, bring your imagination. Perhaps you will be the next steward of an important piece of Longmeadow history.

For more information, visit https://www.raveis.com/raveis/73085277/476-longmeadow-st-longmeadow-ma-01106

-Contributed by Melissa M. Cybulski, Longmeadow Historical Society

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 Montague. When we purchased our antique Longmeadow home, we took breaks from renovation projects to do research on the previous owners of the house. Searches through the old deeds in the Hampden County Registry of Deeds in Springfield revealed that the house dated to about 1801, and originally belonged to Hermon Newell, a local gravestone carver.

So by 1994, five years after purchasing the house, we had amassed a bit of information on the Newell family who had lived in the house until the 1850's. So, the discovery. At the time, we subscribed to a monthly antiques newspaper called the Maine Antique Digest, or MAD for short. This publication, with many sections covering antique shows, auctions and stories of interest to antique collectors, often went largely unread because of the overwhelming number of pages--I could barely look at photos and captions before the next issue arrived! Luckily, my husband was more thorough, and occasionally would get through the entire issue. In April of 1994, he spied an auction that was to take place in Maryland. In the auction ad was a tiny photo of two portraits--a gentleman and a lady--with a tantalizing caption; "Pair of portraits Obed and Mary (Newell) Montague of South Hadley, Mass, oil on canvas, circa 1830-40." Eureka! We knew who they were--Mary, also known as Polly--was Hermon Newell's daughter! Born in 1804, she married the handsome Obed Montague of South Hadley.

What to do? We couldn't drive to Maryland -- two small children, jobs, etc., made that impossible. This was before the days of internet auctions, and our option was to leave a "left bid," which essentially meant we had to pick a maximum price and trust the auctioneer to bid on our behalf! Yikes! But we prevailed, and some weeks later the portraits arrived in sturdy crates. After an evaluation and cleaning by a local expert, they were hung back in the house where Mary was born. Some further sleuthing revealed that she and Obed were married in 1832, and she died just four years later, about a month after giving birth to her namesake, Mary. Obed remarried, and he lived to the ripe old age of 82. We think the paintings went with young Mary when she relocated to Pennsylvania.

Now we have internet bidding, eBay and Google to find items to bring back home. The Historical Society has found a number of things that started out life in Longmeadow and traveled far afield. A few years ago we found a sampler made by a girl in Westhampton, MA at an auction in New Hampshire. A few emails later, and we were able to notify the Historical Society in Westhampton and the sampler is back home. The paintings will eventually have a new home at the Storrs House Museum.

Keep your eyes open! You never know what you'll find!

Contributed by Betsy McKee, Longmeadow Historical Society Board Member.

April 1775: Longmeadow Reports

Battle of Lexington 1775 by Amos Doolittle

This week Massachusetts celebrates Patriots’ Day, a holiday commemorating the Battles of Lexington and Concord which took place on April 19, 1775, and marked the first significant military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. But what impact did “the shot heard ‘round the world'' have on the more distant Western Massachusetts towns like Longmeadow? Though Paul Revere certainly didn’t ride as far as Springfield warning of the approaching British Regulars, surrounding towns were certainly aware of what was occurring to the east of us.

We have a lens on this important time via the diary of Longmeadow’s minister, Rev. Stephen Williams. Interestingly, April 19th, 1775 is only noteworthy in Williams’ diary as the day that a new house was raised on the town green. It was built for David White (1746-1823) and still stands in town today. Williams wrote: “this day David White’s house was raised - it was a windy day and therefore more difficult - but no remarkable disaster - Oliver Burt’s foot was bruised some and Billy Colton’s shin - broke -...” These were the last hours the community would be unaware of the history-altering events taking place on the other end of the state. Two days later it is believed that this same David White, whose house was being raised, and twenty-two other of Longmeadow’s own minutemen began a journey on foot towards the scene of the battle to see what kind of support they could lend.

By the next morning, April 20th, word of the conflict arrived in Longmeadow. Williams records, “This morning- as soon as it was light, the drum beat and three guns were fired as an alarm. The story is that some of the troops had marched from Boston to seize some military stores at Lexington, or Concord, and that some men had been killed, but the accounts are vague – and as yet uncertain - - we must wait. The Lord mercifully prepare us for the tidings we may have. … The minute men are gone to town and men are collecting from various parts, and we have reason to fear that much mischief is done - we are in distress…”

April 21 - this morning about 4 o’clock another message is come advising that there has been a smart engagement at Concord between the regulars and our people, and many killed, but we have but an uncertain account. ‘Tis said houses are burnt, and women and children killed - sad work, indeed - more men are collected and going forth. I prayed with a company. The Lord be pleased to go with them and preserve them; keep them in thy fear. This day we met together for prayer in the meeting house…

April 22 - this morning the post (Mr. Adams) came along and we got his account of matters; they are very indistinct, but we are told that there has been a battle between the King's troops and the people of the country, and that on both sides it was supported with great spirit; thus a war is begun. …In the evening our people (excepting the minute men) came home and bring an account that the King’s troops are got back to Boston; the account of the battle is yet very uncertain.

Six days later, Longmeadow resident, George Cooley, who had gone east with a wagon and provisions for the minutemen, returned to town and reported that Longmeadow’s men had made it as far as Waltham and were camped awaiting further direction. Over the next several years, men from Longmeadow served in various roles in the Continental Army. As you stroll up and down Longmeadow Street today, keep your eyes open to look for homes marked with signs depicting tri-corner hats. These are the homes where these men lived, David White’s house among them.

-Contributed by Melissa M. Cybulski, Longmeadow Historical Society Board Member

Source: Stephen Williams Diary, Volume 8 (Transcribed)

Originally published April 21, 2022