Great Guns!
Fourth of July Fireworks in downtown Springfield are a treasured part of people’s holiday celebrations. But you may be surprised to learn...
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Betsy McKee
Mar 283 min read
Frankenstein! And we don’t mean Mary Shelley’s monster!
We are all familiar with the story of Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley—perhaps from one of the many movies inspired by the book. My...
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Melissa M. Cybulski
Dec 21, 20232 min read
“The Multitude Have Risen:” Longmeadow Learns of the Boston Tea Party
Engraving by E. Newberry, 1789. New York Public Library You’ve probably seen some of the coverage come across your news and social media...
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Melissa M. Cybulski
Aug 24, 20234 min read
Fridays with Zoe- Documenting Early Black Lives in Longmeadow (updated, 2023)
Editor's Note: This article first ran in August 2021. Since then our work on this important topic has continued. Zoe Cheek is now...
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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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Lenny Shaker
Nov 22, 20223 min read
The Chapel
The First Church of Christ of Longmeadow is a truly historic town landmark. At one time there was an associated structure that stood for...
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Beth Hoff
Nov 22, 20224 min read
Dairy Farming in Longmeadow
Jarius R. Kibbe and oxen of Frank B. Allen. Image courtesy of Stephen Forbes. Until the turn of the century, most Longmeadow families...
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Betsy McKee
Nov 21, 20223 min read
Standish, or "Why don't you speak for yourself, John?"
Have you ever heard of a standish? Besides the Pilgrim story of Miles Standish, I hadn't either. Long before Henry Wadsworth Longfellow...
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Betsy McKee
Nov 21, 20223 min read
Fire! Fire!
If you were one of the many people who voted at the Community House this week, then you were visiting the site of a significant mid-19th...
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Melissa M. Cybulski
Nov 19, 20223 min read
April 1775: Longmeadow Reports
Battle of Lexington 1775 by Amos Doolittle This week Massachusetts celebrates Patriots’ Day, a holiday commemorating the Battles of...
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Melissa M. Cybulski
Nov 18, 20224 min read
Longmeadow's Irish
Today's History Note takes a look back at the history of the Irish in Longmeadow in honor of St. Patrick's Day. "Irish emigrants leaving...
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Christopher Cummings LHS '22
Nov 17, 20227 min read
Deerfield Sculpture
ETA: This 2022 article by an LHS Class of '22 graduate was the culminating project for an internship he completed as part of his...
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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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Beth Hoff
Nov 13, 20227 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...
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Melissa M. Cybulski
Nov 12, 20224 min read
Fridays with Zoe- Documenting Black Lives in Longmeadow
This summer the Longmeadow Historical Society has been participating in a project called “Documenting the Early History of Black Lives in...
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Melissa M. Cybulski
Nov 4, 20227 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...
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Melissa M. Cybulski
Nov 4, 20224 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...
387 views2 comments
Beth Hoff
Nov 4, 20225 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...
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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
Nov 2, 20223 min read
To Encourage Music
Music at Longmeadow's early meeting house had been a very controversial topic during Stephen William's early years as minister. The...
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