
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.

1870 Map of
Longmeadow
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"
[click image to enlarge]
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”
[click image to enlarge]
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
[click map to enlarge]
-
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.longmeadow.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
-
Longmeadow,
Massachusetts: A Plan
for Historic
Preservation
-
1870 Map of Longmeadow
-
Bliss and Laurel Parks
Master Landscape Plan
-
www.longmeadow.org
-
Springfield Republican,
June 3, 1899
-
Springfield Republican,
October 25, 1876
-
1988 Longmeadow Annual
Report
-
Thanks to Tim Casey