Duncan vs. Flynn- A Story of Mid-20th Century Housing Discrimination

During the years that followed the second world war, many white Americans experienced unprecedented prosperity in large part due to programs like the GI Bill that enabled them to more easily purchase homes than ever before. Unfortunately, their fellow black citizens were frequently denied these same opportunities. Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) was a state body created in 1945 to enforce state-level anti-discrimination laws, its 1965 Annual Report indicated that several Longmeadow citizens both participated in and fought against this disgraceful practice.

In February of 1965, David Duncan III, a 40-year-old African American WWII combat veteran and manufacturing engineer at Pratt and Whitney, was looking to purchase a home when he came across a listing in a local newspaper for 24 Pine Hill Road in Springfield. Mrs. Duncan called the listing agent, Robert J Flynn, who was operating his real estate business, the Robert J. Flynn Real Estate Agency, out of his house in Longmeadow. During the phone conversation, Flynn informed Mrs. Duncan that the house was for sale for a price of $21,500 (about $190,000 in October 2021 dollars) and they agreed to meet on February 6th so the couple could see the house. After touring the house, Flynn informed the Duncans that the price of the house was $25,000 (about $221,000 in October 2021 dollars). When Mr. Duncan protested that the real estate broker had told his wife over the phone only a few days earlier that the price was only $21,500, Flynn retorted that his wife must have misheard him.

A little more than a week after the showing with the Duncans, Mr. Flynn received a call from Elizabeth Grandison, a white woman, also asking to see the house for sale. Unbeknownst to Flynn, David Duncan III had contacted MCAD to file a complaint about his experience trying to purchase 24 Pine Hill Road and the Commission had sent Mrs. Grandison to “test” Duncan’s claims. Ms. Grandison was a member of the Springfield Urban League and a civil rights activist from Longmeadow. She inquired about seeing the house and Mr. Flynn offered to show it to her that day. After touring the house, Flynn informed Mrs. Grandison that the house was priced at $21,500 but he would be willing to accept an offer as low as $20,000 (about $177,000 in October 2021 dollars).

After the showing, Mrs. Grandison reported back to MCAD and informed them of the results of the showing and confirmed the charge of discrimination. Based on Grandison’s and the Duncans’ testimony, MCAD Commissioner and Longmeadow resident John F. Albano, filed an injunction against Flynn in Hampden County Superior Court in order to prevent Flynn from selling the house to anyone except Duncan. Albano had been appointed to the commission in 1964 and concurrently served as president of the Springfield-Chicopee-Westfield AFL-CIO. Albano brought his nearly 30 years of experience fighting against unfair labor practices and used it to fight against racial discrimination.

In court, Flynn’s attorneys along with those of the property owner Jean C. Tierney argued that they should be permitted to sell the house because Mr. Duncan was misrepresenting the facts. They asserted that they had an asking price of $25,000 and were only willing to go as low as $21,500 and that the Duncans had told Flynn that the highest they were willing to pay was $20,000. The Duncans reiterated their story of the phone pricing vs. the in-person pricing. Judge Francis L. Lappin attempted to mediate and try to have the two parties come to an agreement. However, when it was apparent that the defendants were not going to come down in price low enough for the Duncans, he dismissed the injunction request allowing Tierney and Flynn to go about their business of selling the home.

While MCAD had failed to force the house in question to be sold to the Duncans, the commission still needed to have a public hearing to assess if discrimination had taken place. On September 20, 1965, with the benefit of both Duncan and Grandison’s testimony the MCAD commissioners Malcolm C. Webber, Ben G. Shapiro, and Ruth M Batson found Robert Flynn guilty of housing discrimination. MCAD subsequently ordered Mr. Flynn to stop discriminating against anyone he interacted with as part of his real estate business, he must include in all of his newspaper advertisements for his real estate business that they were “Equal Rights” listings and he was required to report in writing the steps he had taken to comply with the order to MCAD.

After the ruling, in October of 1965, Flynn sued MCAD to obtain a restraining order to prevent the ruling from going into effect. In February of 1966, Judge Joseph Ford ruled that Flynn needed to comply with the order. As a result, Flynn placed the ads like the one pictured.

In April of 1965, Elizabeth Grandison and her husband sold their house in Longmeadow and moved to Boston.

As for Mr. Duncan, in the years following the decision, he did successfully purchase a home in Springfield, MA where he lived until he passed away at the age of 80 in 2005. Duncan found much success and was a fixture in the Springfield community in the 40 years following the decision. He received numerous awards including the “Eyes on the Prize'' award in 1996 from WGBY and induction into the Black and Gold Society of his alma mater the Wentworth Institute of Technology. He was a member of the VFW, was very active in the Freemasons serving in numerous roles over the years, treasurer of the Alden Street Baptist Church, and on the Board of Directors of both the Dunbar Community Center and the Springfield Girls Club Family Center. Perhaps most notably, Duncan served as the first African American on the Springfield Police Commission and served as Chairman during the period of civil unrest following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Albano continued to serve as an MCAD commissioner until 1969. After the end of his time on MCAD, he continued to play a large role in the labor movement in Western Massachusetts. In Longmeadow, he spent many years serving the Jewish Home for the Aged. When he died in 1979, his funeral had over 500 mourners in attendance and included political and labor leaders from across the state.

Mr. Flynn continued to operate his real estate business in Longmeadow after the MCAD decision until his death in 1969. Flynn never gave a reason for discriminating against Mr. Duncan, specifically declining to comment to the press after MCAD’s decision. The behavior that Flynn and others like him displayed created a system that denied black people the ability to equitably purchase a house.

This practice affected black homebuyers in the mid-20th century and this lost economic opportunity was passed on to their children and their children’s children. For example, if Mr. Duncan had been able to purchase this house at a price of $20,000 and then sold it today for Zillow’s current estimated value of $254,000, he would have made an inflation-adjusted profit of about $77,000 which he could then pass on to his children and/or grandchildren. In 1968, Congress passed the Fair Housing Act (FHA) which enshrined equal housing opportunity at the federal level and provided federal enforcement mechanisms to combat housing discrimination which were much more of a deterrent than most state anti-discrimination laws. While the work that David Duncan III, John Albano and Elizabeth Grandison combined with the passage of federal legislation, certainly has improved the housing discrimination situation, inequities and discrimination are still very much a problem all over this country and even in our region. That is why, if you are living in Massachusetts and feel you have been a victim of discrimination, you can contact MCAD either by phone at (413) 739-2145 or by email at mcad@ma.gov and if you are living anywhere in the USA and you feel you have been the victim of housing discrimination, please contact the Department of Housing and Urban Development either by phone at (800) CALL-FHA (800-225-5342) or by email at answers@hud.gov

Special thanks to the Hampden County Clerk of Courts staff for their assistance with this research.

Sources

• America, United States of. “CPI Inflation Calculator.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2021. An Exceptional Opportunity, Robert J. Flynn Agency.

• An Exceptional Opportunity Springfield Union, March 13, 1966.

• Assessors, Springfield. 24 Pine Hill Road. Photograph. Springfield Assessors Database. Springfield, MA: Springfield Assessors, April 29, 2016. Duncan, Tracy.

• Mr David Anderson Duncan III, 80 The Republican. July 28, 2005.

• Flynn, William. Robert J. Flynn, Realtor, Dies Springfield Union News, July 25, 1969. Hampden County, Massachusetts Deed Book 3105: 128

• Springfield, and Malcolm Webber, ANNUAL REPORT of the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination January 1, 1965 to December 31, 1965 § (1966).

• Springfield Union, The (Massachusetts) 25 February 1965, Flynn Is Cleared, GenealogyBank.com

• Springfield Union, The (Massachusetts) 3 March 1966, Realtor is Told to Comply with MCAD Order, GenealogyBank.com

• Springfield Union, The (Massachusetts) 18 November 1966, Virginia Meyers Marries Lt. Wilfred Grandison, GenealogyBank.com

• Sunday Republican, The (Massachusetts) 11 November 1979, John Albano Hailed as a Friend in Need, GenealogyBank.com

• Zillow, Inc. 24 Pine Hill Rd, Springfield, MA 01118.” Zillow, 2007.

Contributed by Tim Casey, LHS Board Member

Originally published February 3, 2022

Sentenced to Death for Treason: Alpheus Colton of Longmeadow

Jonathan Hale Daybook: Jan 25, 1787

On January 25, 1787, a Longmeadow merchant, Jonathan Hale, recorded in his daybook a debit to Alpheus Colton for the rental of a “slay to West Springfield.” On that same day, Hale made a notation that felt like it carried far greater importance. It referenced a decisive incident in the series of actions collectively known as Shays’ Rebellion. Hale wrote, “This Day about 4 o’Clock Began the Sivel War by Shaiyes Party …on the Hill in Springfield, were fired on & Turned and they Left three Men Dead on the ground & one Mortally wounded.” Why does the rental of the “slay” (sleigh) on January 25th matter?Because the man who rented it, Alpheus Colton, would be sentenced to death for actions he took that day in his role in Shays’ Rebellion.

Alpheus Colton, of Longmeadow, MA, was only fifteen years old in 1781 when he and two other young men from town appeared at the Rev. Stephen Williams’ door asking for a blessing as they left their families’ farms in Longmeadow to enlist in the Continental Army: “This day Alpheus Colton, Hancon [Hanan] Colton, & Alpheus Hancock - weny off to go to ye Army - ye Youth called at my house - I prayed with them. Ye Lord be pleased to be with and bless them.” Records show that Colton served for 2 years and nine months in the Continental Army before being honorably discharged at West Point in December of 1783.

Despite the end of the Revolutionary War, all was not settled for many of its veterans. Many men who had fought and served found themselves back in their hometowns struggling financially. Pensions and payments that had been promised by the government never materialized, leaving many veterans destitute and angry. In general, the new nation was struggling under the uncertainty of a fledgling financial system, and citizens throughout the new republic were anxious and stressed by their lack of access to real money to meet their basic needs. When pleas, petitions, and letters to government representatives were unsuccessful, men like Daniel Shays of Pelham attempted to harness the energy of fellow frustrated Americans into action. Shays’ Rebellion culminated on January 25, 1787 in an attempted raid on the Springfield Arsenal, today known as the Springfield Armory. Six men from Western Massachusetts, including Alpheus Colton, were sentenced to hang for their role in the unsuccessful uprising. Alpheus Colton was only twenty-two years old at the time.

On that frigid January afternoon in 1787, as many as 2000 frustrated men, many veterans like Alpheus Colton, tramped through knee deep snow from various points in Western Massachusetts prepared to overwhelm the military stationed at the Springfield Arsenal with their show of unity and strength. Ultimately their goal was to steal the weapons housed there and march towards Boston to force the government to recognize their frustrations and act to make necessary changes to relieve them of their financial problems. The soldiers at the Arsenal fired on the Shaysites forcing them to retreat. The raid was unsuccessful.

So, what was the sleigh to West Springfield for? We can’t know for sure, but it is likely Alpheus Colton was taking it to the headquarters of Luke Day, one of several leaders of groups organized in support of the Rebellion. A very interesting account of how he might have used the sleigh appears in an 1893 family history of the Burt family of Hampden County: “The last Nathaniel Burt was taken as a hostage during “Shays’ Rebellion” and carried to West Springfield. He was a large, heavy man and he made his captors carry him by force and put him in the wagon when they took him prisoner. … The leader, Alpheus Colton, wrote an humble and heartfelt apology to Nathaniel Burt, for the part he took in his capture, under date January 30, 1787, acknowledging that he had ‘acted the part of a fool,’ but pleaded that he was a ‘hasty youth.’ ‘My design,’ he wrote, ‘in taking you was to exchange you for William Russell, as I told when I took you, but as soon as I got to West Springfield I felt a sorrow within. The next day I went to Luke Day to get him to write your brother [Col. Gideon Burt] to make an exchange for William Russell, but his answer was ‘No.’ I repent of what I have done. It causes bitter repentings and sincere sorrow, and I pray you to overlook it if it be possible. *** I humbly ask pardon from you and your whole family.’ ”

While some of the attackers were arrested, none faced punishments as dire as the men sentenced with Alpheus Colton on April 27, 1787. Per newspaper accounts, “Last Saturday ended a fortnight’s sessions of the Supreme Judicial Court at Northampton; at which were convicted and sentenced to DEATH for the crime of TREASON six unhappy persons, who had taken a very active part in the late rebellion, had been concerned in captivating, plundering, bayoneting or firing upon peaceable citizens of the Commonwealth, had been in arms from time to time, for stopping courts of justice, and acted as zealous officers under Shays and Day, at the time of the attack upon the continental arsenal…” In reading out his sentence that day in April in Northampton, Alpheus Colton, among his fellow conspirators, heard the sentence pronounced by the Hon. William Cushing, Esq, Chief Justice, ““You shall go from hence to prison, from whence you came, and thence to the place of execution, and there be each of you hanged by the neck, till you are dead.” And God Almighty have mercy on each of your souls!” Strong words indeed.

Ultimately, within a matter of weeks, all men would receive pardons from Gov. John Hancock. In a dramatic turn, the last two men to be pardoned were first led to the gallows before an assembled crowd. Nooses were placed around their necks, and only then were they informed of the governor's pardon.

Alpheus Colton lived out his days in Longmeadow. In 1818 he was still seeking the pension he had been promised for so long. In a letter published in the Hampden Federalist on Nov. 12, 1818 he wrote, “Attention! Soldiers of the thundering 3rd of the Massachusetts line! Rear rank! Take distance! March! Dress! Order arms! Bear regimental orders! Daniel Merrill calls upon us once more to petition to the honored fathers of our country, for that is our just due. Let us hear the call, brother officers and soldiers, or lose the blessing by delay. …Ought I now give up the chase? No - let us all try once more, that we may receive our just dues; and may the blessings of heaven follow. - Alpheus Colton. Longmeadow, November 5, 1818.” It appears that he did receive a pension of $96/ yr from 1818-1820. Colton died in 1823 at the age of 58 and is buried in Longmeadow Cemetery. A marker placed near his gravestone pays tribute to his service as a soldier in the Revolutionary War, but makes no mention of his brief, but dramatic turn as an insurrectionist. Nathaniel Burt, whom he allegedly forced from his bed on that cold January night in 1787 is buried nearby in the same cemetery.

photo credit: Betsy McKee

Special thanks to Dennis Picard for his editorial assistance.

Sources

1. Ancestry.com, Military Records, Pension Papers for Alpheus Colton (1765-1823)

2. Burt, Henry M. and Silas W. Burt. Life and Times of Henry Burt of Springfield and Some of His Descendants, 498. Clark W. Bryan Company, Springfield, 1893.

3. Hale, Jonathan. Daybook C: 1784-1788 BV 52, Longmeadow Historical Society Archives

4. Hampden Federalist. Nov 12, 1818: p.2 letter from Alpheus Colton

5. Johnson, Clifton. Hampden County 1636-1936, 219. Am. Historical Society, New York, 1936.

6. Massachusetts Gazette. Apr 27, 1787: Boston, MA Vol: VI Issue: 325 Page: 3

7. Williams, Rev. Stephen. Diaries Vol. 10. May 2, 1781

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

Originally published January 27, 2022

Preserving Longmeadow

First Congregational Church on the Longmeadow Town Green

When my husband and I first drove north on Longmeadow Street, we were drawn to the well-maintained antique homes and boulevard-like appearance of the street. By the time we reached the north end of town, we were intrigued enough by the physical beauty of the town to stop at Stearns & Yerrall to make an appointment with a realtor. The built environment and expansive vistas that caught our attention were not an accident; they were intentionally created and maintained by the Town of Longmeadow.

Longmeadow residents have been actively preserving it’s history for a long time. Longmeadow is fortunate to have so many older houses still standing; they are here today only because many early residents of Longmeadow valued and maintained their homes. As the town evolved and new streets and community buildings were required, residences which were standing in the way of development needed to either be relocated or torn down. To preserve these homes, residents moved them to new locations. For example, the Storrs House Museum was moved to its current location in 1932 when the Richard Salter Storrs Library was built. When Center School and Center School Annex were built in the 1920’s, existing homes on the property were moved to new locations. When the streetcar was installed on Longmeadow Street in the 1890’s, the Thomas Hale house had to be moved; it is now at 37 Birnie Road. For information on moving homes in Longmeadow, see Houses on the Move.

Residents of Longmeadow, many of whom were farmers, valued and wanted to preserve the town’s rural and agrarian aesthetic. In the 1800’s, most of the commercial enterprises and community buildings in the west village were located on the Green and neighboring Chandler Avenue. A beautification push to enhance the appearance of the west village and “restore” the Green to an open, green expanse began in the 1830’s. Shops located on the Green were given 40-year leases which were not renewed. By 1898, all commercial activity had been cleared from the Green.

The sanctuary of First Congregational Church, which was also located on the Green, was moved to its current location in 1874.

As part of this beautification movement, the Longmeadow Street Improvement Association was founded in 1876.

In 1899, interest in the history of Longmeadow spurred residents to organize the Longmeadow Historical Society. Now a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation, the Longmeadow Historical Society operates and maintains the Storrs House Museum, curates and preserves extensive town archives, images, and artifacts, and serves as a resource for persons interested in Longmeadow history. Our archive of early town documents has provided researchers with the opportunity to re-evaluate existing narratives of Longmeadow's history, updating them to respond to today's queries. For 40 years, the Longmeadow Historical Society ran Long Meddowe Days, a history-celebrating community fair held on the Green. For more details on the founding of the Longmeadow Historical Society, please see Our History.

Springfield Republican, June 3, 1899

Over the years, Historical Society members have led town preservation efforts. For example, in the 1930s, ten volumes of the diary of Rev. Stephen Williams were transcribed as part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). When WPA funds were fully expended and the project had not yet been completed, Historical Society members stepped in and finished the job. Rev. Stephen Williams, the first pastor of First Church, had kept a daily diary for the 66 years of his pastorate. The 4,000 page transcription, as well as the original handwritten diary, have been digitized and can be accessed through the Storrs Library website.

Oral histories of town residents have been preserved through at least two projects:

• In the 1970s, Historical District Commissioners and Historical Society members audio-taped interviews of former selectmen, librarians, school headmistresses, and other long-time residents.

• About 10 years ago, former Selectwoman Kathy Grady and Longmeadow Community TV created Living History, a series of video interviews of long-time Longmeadow residents. These interviews can be viewed at Living History.

One of the most important Longmeadow preservation efforts was the establishment of “The Green” historic district in 1973. A Massachusetts Local Historic District, it is governed by the Longmeadow Historic District Commission. In 1982, “The Green” also became listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2012, "The Green" district was expanded and six neighboring houses were added.

Longmeadow Historic District "The Green"

In 1994, the “Longmeadow Street – North Historic District” was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Unlike "The Green", The “North Historic District” is not also a Massachusetts Local Historic District, so the Historic District Commission is not responsible for it.

“Longmeadow Street – North Historic District”

As Longmeadow developed away from the Green, the town worked to preserve the aesthetic of open space in other parts of the town through the establishment of parks.

• Public water works land containing Cooley Brook, along with 70 acres of its watershed, became parkland in 1934 and, when Laurel Street divided the parcel, Bliss and Laurel Parks were formed.

1910 Map Section of Longmeadow

• Turner Park was formed later. In 1964, the town began a 10-year plan to purchase the parcels of land which now comprise the park.

• The Fannie Stebbins Wildlife Refuge, while not town property, created additional preserved open space in Longmeadow. Owned and maintained by the Allen Bird Club and The Nature Conservancy, it became a National Natural Landmark in 1972. As of 2016, ownership of this land has begun to transfer to the National Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the Silivio O. Conte National Wildlife Refuge.

Today, in addition to the Longmeadow Historical Society, there are four town boards which help to preserve the historic character of Longmeadow. These organizations are often confused, but they have different responsibilities in the town. Links to the town boards can be found at www.longmeadowma.org

• The Historic District Commission was the earliest of these town boards. It is currently responsible for preserving the historic nature of "The Green" Historic District. It approves or denies certificates of appropriateness for any exterior alterations to a property in the Historic District that are visible from a public view.

• In 1987, the Historic District Commission commissioned Longmeadow, Massachusetts: A Plan for Historic Preservation. Upon receiving the recommendations of this plan, the Historic District Commission realized that the town's preservation needs were far too large in scope for one commission. Based on that realization, the Select Board created the Historical Commission in 1988. Irregularities in the 1988 creation of the Historical Commission were rectified at the 2021 fall Town Meeting. The Longmeadow Historical Commission is now formally established under Mass. G.L. c. 40, sect. 8(d).

• The Historical Commission’s mission is to identify, preserve, and educate the Town of Longmeadow about its unique historical heritage. Board members work in an advisory capacity to other town commissions and boards to ensure that historic preservation is considered in planning for future community development.

• The Community Preservation Committee was established in 2006 when Longmeadow adopted the Community Preservation Act. Through an annual grant process, the CPC awards funds that support historic preservation, open space, recreation, and affordable housing.

• The Building Demolition Committee was established in 2007 when Longmeadow passed the Demolition Delay Bylaw. Demolition of the Born House, a beloved older home in town, inspired a community grassroots movement which culminated in the enactment of the bylaw. The Demolition Delay Bylaw applies only to structures built before 1901; the list of properties impacted can be found on the Historical Commission website. If a demolition permit is requested for one of these structures, the Building Demolition Committee will determine if the permit can be issued.

We welcome you to join us in our efforts to preserve our town’s history for future generations. Support the Longmeadow Historical Society and attend our programs and activities, apply for an appointment to a town board, and learn more about Longmeadow's long history.

Sources

1. Longmeadow, Massachusetts: A Plan for Historic Preservation

2. 1870 Map of Longmeadow

3. Bliss and Laurel Parks Master Landscape Plan

4. www.longmeadow.org

5. Springfield Republican, June 3, 1899

6. Springfield Republican, October 25, 1876

7. 1988 Longmeadow Annual Report

8. Thanks to Tim Casey

Contributed by Elizabeth Hoff, Longmeadow Historical Society Board Member Originally published January 20, 2022