At the heart of Wilbraham’s village center lies a parcel of land known as Crane Park, a place deeply connected to the town’s history and to those who served during the Civil War. In 1885, Wilbraham residents voted to honor the local men who gave their lives to preserve the Union. A committee of five was appointed to determine how best to commemorate them. Within a month, the committee proposed building a Memorial Town Hall, a structure that would serve both civic and memorial

Humans first began working with metals around 7000 B.C., starting with copper rather than iron. Iron was far more difficult to use; it rarely appeared in pure form and required extremely high heat and laborious hammering to remove impurities. By about 1400 B.C., people had mastered the techniques to smelt and forge it, and iron’s strength and reliability quickly made it indispensable to civilization. When English settlers arrived in North America, they depended entirely on im

One of the most common building materials we often take for granted is the brick. Yet for early colonists in the Connecticut River Valley, it was essential, making homes safer, hearths more durable, and industrial buildings stronger. To understand its significance, we first need to look at the history of brick. Bricks are among the oldest known building materials, dating back to around 7000 BC near ancient Jericho. Early bricks were sun-dried mud, while in Egypt, clay mixed w

Even though Paul Revere, William Dawes Jr., and Dr. Samuel Prescott are remembered as the celebrated Patriot messengers of the famous “Midnight Ride,” they were in fact part of a much larger network of riders who carried the alarm throughout the Province of Massachusetts Bay on the night of April 18, 1775. Their mission was to warn local militias and minutemen that British regulars were on the march toward Concord to seize colonial military supplies. This illustration depicts

In June of 1740, a petition was presented to the General Court requesting that the Outward Commons of Springfield be established as the Fourth Precinct of the town. Governor Jonathan Belcher approved the request on January 6, 1741, though the final grant differed slightly from the original proposal. It excluded the First Division and that portion of the Second Division lying north of the Chicopee River, land that would later become part of Ludlow. The new precinct included al

Springfield Mountain The Settlement of Springfield Mountain The early settlers of the “Outward Commons,” or “Springfield Mountain” as it was once known, were hardy, determined, and adventurous men and women. This vast wilderness, today, the towns of Wilbraham, Hampden, and Ludlow- tested their strength and spirit daily. Life was far from easy. The soil was stubborn, and the challenges of frontier living were constant companions. The land itself had deep roots in early colonia

Hessians were German soldiers hired by Britain to fight in the American Revolutionary War. Between 30,000 and 37,000 served in America, about one quarter of all British land forces. Most came from the German states of Hesse-Kassel and Hesse-Hanau. Though often called mercenaries, the Hessians were technically auxiliaries, troops loaned by their governments to Britain while remaining under their own officers and command. They fought as organized units under their own flags. He

The horse-drawn hearse on display at the Old Meeting House Museum in Wilbraham is a fine example of a rural two-horse-drawn hearse manufactured around the 1870s, believed to have been built by the George L. Brownell Company of New Bedford, Massachusetts. George L. Brownell was a renowned carriage maker throughout the mid-19th century, known for crafting elegant and durable hearses that were sold across New England and even shipped abroad. His business thrived until the arriva

"On Springfield Mountain"  is one of America’s earliest known ballads, recounting the tragic death of a young man fatally bitten by a rattlesnake while mowing a field. The song memorializes Timothy Merrick, who was recorded to have died of a snakebite on August 7, 1761, in the Outward Commons —an area that is now part of Wilbraham, Massachusetts. Recognized as a staple of early American folk tradition, the song appears in numerous collections and is often cited as an example

The story of the potato chip begins in the mid-1800s with George Crum, born George Speck, a chef of Native and African American heritage who worked at Moon’s Lake House in Saratoga Springs, New York. In 1853, a diner complained that Crum’s fried potatoes were too thick. In response, he sliced a new batch of paper-thin slices, fried them until perfectly crisp, and seasoned them with salt. To everyone’s surprise, the customer loved them, and soon “Saratoga Chips” became the tal

Members and guests entering the golf shop at the Country Club of Wilbraham (MA) may not realize it, but they are stepping into one of the most historic buildings in town The Country Club of Wilbraham as it appears today. Ken Cerino   I first became interested in the building after joining CCW a few years ago and noticed the date 1760 on the front right side. Research showed that this was the home of an early Wilbraham resident named Samuel Warner, and several generations of f

Friendly’s traces its origins to 1935, when brothers Prestley and Curtis Blake opened a small ice cream shop in Springfield, Massachusetts, during the hard years of the Great Depression. They named their shop “Friendly” and sold double-dip ice cream cones for just five cents each. The combination of quality, affordability, and genuine friendliness quickly won over local customers. By 1940, the Blakes opened a second shop in West Springfield and began expanding their menu beyo

On a cold January day in 1816, tragedy struck the quiet community of South Wilbraham. Isaiah Leach, a 30-year-old farmer, was hauling logs to a sawmill along the Scantic River. Like so many men of his time, he relied on the strength of his team, a wooden sled, and his own endurance to move the heavy timber. But as he made his way along the rough path, one of the massive logs slipped free. In an instant, it rolled from the sled and crushed him beneath its weight. For nearly an

Memorial School is one of Wilbraham’s true treasures. Its story begins in the years following World War II, a time when America was changing rapidly. For decades, Wilbraham’s school population had remained steady, but after 1945, signs of growth began to appear. By September 1949, eighty children entered first grade, an unprecedented number that reflected the national trend of families leaving the cities for the suburbs after the war. Memorial School in 1955, Wilbur Barnes As

In Adams Cemetery stands a remarkable monument belonging to the Dane and Soule families—a piece unlike any other in the burial ground. What makes it extraordinary is the material from which it was crafted: white bronze. White bronze, despite its name, is not a true bronze at all but rather a zinc-based alloy. Beginning in the 1870s, it became a popular choice for monuments and gravestones in the United States. While most commonly found in cemeteries along the East Coast, exam

The towns of Wilbraham and Hampden, along with other communities in the Connecticut River Valley, were once partially covered by a vast body of water called Lake Hitchcock. This glacial lake formed about 15,000 years ago after the Laurentide Ice Sheet began to melt. The ice melt collected at a natural dam near Rocky Hill, Connecticut, blocking the Connecticut River and creating a long, narrow lake that stretched north about 200 miles to St. Johnsbury, Vermont. Lake Hitchcock

One of the earliest maps of Wilbraham was created by Aaron Bliss in 1830. This map was part of a statewide effort prompted by the 1829 Massachusetts Resolves (Chapter 50), which required every town, including Boston, to submit an up-to-date town plan to the state secretary’s office. Each plan had to be based on a survey conducted within the previous five years and drawn to a precise scale of one hundred rods to the inch. These detailed town plans were to include a wide range

Following King Philip’s War in 1675, many Native Americans in the valley relocated west, thereby making the land available for European settlement. A few, however, remained in what is now Wilbraham. One such area, remembered as Indian Rock, stood just west of today’s Hefferon Road. Local history recalls that a Native family lived there and would sometimes cross into the center village to trade at Charles Brewer’s tavern on Main Street during the mid-1700s. Among those remembe

Wilbraham holds a unique distinction among Massachusetts communities: it was traversed by both the first and the most recent turnpikes constructed in the Commonwealth. The earliest toll road to pass through Wilbraham was established in the late 18th century. In 1796, a charter was granted to improve the County Road stretching from Warren to Palmer. Two years later, this route was extended to reach North Wilbraham. One of the most transformative developments from this project

Long before Wilbraham was incorporated in 1763, Ludlow in 1774, and Hampden in 1878, the land these towns occupy today was known collectively by a different name, Minnechaug , meaning “berry land” or “berry hill” to the Nipmuc people who first inhabited it. This region, rich in natural resources, was part of their ancestral territory until 1636, when it was sold to William Pynchon of Springfield. In the aftermath of the 1675 burning of Springfield during King Philip’s War, a