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Al McKee
Oct 26, 20234 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...
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Betsy McKee
Oct 5, 20232 min read
"Instantly Killed by a Bull" The Death of Young Gaius Bliss
Have you ever noticed this gravestone in the Longmeadow Cemetery? While not common, causes of death were sometimes included on...
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Melissa M. Cybulski
Jan 5, 20236 min read
"Prepare- for follow me you must"
A simple gravestone in Longmeadow Cemetery from 1720, with a classic inscription, warns passersby to consider their own fates. It marks...
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Betsy McKee
Nov 21, 20225 min read
"What does that mean on that gravestone?"
Cooley family gravestone, Longmeadow Cemetery James Cooley Died at Lima while Charge d'affairs for U.S. to Peru. Feb. 24, 1828, AE 37....
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Melissa M. Cybulski
Nov 19, 20222 min read
Say Their Names
Anyone who knows and loves the soundtrack from the musical Hamilton knows how haunting the final verse of the final song is, “who lives,...
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Betsy McKee
Nov 17, 20224 min read
Gravestone in the Basement!
I found a gravestone in my basement! What would you think if you found a gravestone in your basement? This happened to a new owner of an...
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Melissa M. Cybulski
Nov 16, 20225 min read
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...
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Melissa M. Cybulski
Nov 13, 20222 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...
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Al McKee
Nov 12, 20224 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...
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Betsy McKee
Nov 12, 20222 min read
Tales from the Cemetery
Longmeadow Cemetery We have often admired the skillfully carved gravestones in the Longmeadow Cemetery. Most made from locally quarried...
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Melissa M. Cybulski
Nov 11, 20227 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...
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Betsy McKee
Nov 2, 20222 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,...
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Betsy McKee
Oct 27, 20222 min read
"Instantly Killed by a Bull" The Death of Young Gaius Bliss
Have you ever noticed this gravestone in the Longmeadow Cemetery? While not common, causes of death were sometimes included on...
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Betsy McKee
Oct 27, 20222 min read
Jerusha Mather Williams Colton (1783 - 1844)
Jerusha Mather Williams was born in 1783 to Ensign Samuel Williams and Lucy Burt. Jerusha's grandfather was the Reverend Stephen...
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Betsy McKee
Oct 25, 20222 min read
Red Sandstone in Longmeadow
We live in a geologically very interesting area in western Massachusetts. The Connecticut River Valley is a rift valley, which means it...
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Betsy McKee
Oct 22, 20221 min read
Mary Colton Alias Mary Drake
The headstone of Mary Colton aka Mary Drake "The old burying ground of the Town of Longmeadow consisted originally of just one acre of...
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