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The Randolph Beebe House, its rattlesnake and the legend of the whippoorwill.
This house located at 48 Beebe Road in Wilbraham was built in 1785 and was originally occupied by Daniel Chappel, although he didn’t live...
Jul 5, 20222 min read
The Birthplace of Wilbraham's "Ethelbert Peaches"
Born in Monson on January 28, 1852, to Albert and Orpha Bishop Bliss, young Ethelbert joined his father in farm work following the...
May 30, 20226 min read
“Ye Olde” Burying Ground
In the summer of 1730, our first settler, Nathaniel Hitchcock, came out to the “Mountains,” or “Outward Commons” of Springfield cleared...
May 3, 20227 min read
Abigail and the Parson’s Rose of 1744
On May 26, 1741, the Worthy Mr. Noah Mirick (Merrick) accepted his nomination as the first minister of the fourth precinct of...
Mar 31, 20227 min read
The house at 6 Chapel Street
My first 23 years of life were spent growing up in this home. I have had many wonderful memories and believe the love of local history...
Mar 10, 20225 min read
Wilbraham and it's four railroad stations.
It took two different railroad companies to connect the City of Boston to the Town of Springfield, thus connecting the Town of Wilbraham...
Feb 11, 20224 min read
The Cutler Company of North Wilbraham.
Another large North Wilbraham business was the Cutler Company, a grain, and milling business that was first established in Ashland,...
Jan 15, 20224 min read
The Atheneum Society of Wilbraham and its old Meeting House.
The Society was incorporated in 1963 as a non-profit organization by a group of concerned townspeople. Their purpose was to form a...
Jan 4, 20225 min read
The “Melancholy Event” of 1799.
Gordon Bliss, son of Levi, graduated from Dartmouth College in 1797. He spent two years completing his legal studies and had just been...
Dec 19, 20217 min read
South Wilbraham, the Jonah Beebe house saved from the wrecking ball.
Jonah Beebe was born on 14 April 1750, in East Haddam, Connecticut Colony, British Colonial America. He married Ruth Dowley on 14 April...
Dec 14, 20213 min read
The Memorial Town Hall that was Never Finished.
Since the early to mid-1800s, there has always been discussion about building a Town Hall. It has appeared on the Town Warrant during the...
Dec 9, 20214 min read
The Ruth Merrick College Letters
Ruth Merrick History from the Letter Collector: "These letters were written by Ruth Merrick 1922 . Back in 1998, when I was new to eBay,...
Nov 23, 202147 min read
Tragedies at the Collins Paper Mill
The lack of effective government regulation led to unsafe and unhealthy work environments at the mill. In the late nineteenth century,...
Nov 22, 20215 min read
Collins Paper Mill
The Collins Paper Company was established in January 1872 when Warren Collins donated acreage on the Chicopee River to the Hollister...
Nov 22, 202111 min read
The Wilbraham Men that Helped Save the Federal Armory
In the quiet town of Wilbraham, where the winter air hung heavy with tension and discontent, a group of courageous residents found...
Nov 22, 20214 min read
The Wilbraham Woolen Mill
In 1863 Dwight Ellis rented a small Mill off Crane Hill Road, near the brook in North Wilbraham, this mill burned down 1 1/2 years later....
Nov 22, 20214 min read
The American Chestnut Tree Blight
In 1909 a scaly, blistery band was observed on a small chestnut tree standing near, the east side of Glendale Road, close to the...
Nov 22, 20213 min read
Legacy in Birch: The Journey of a Colonial Armchair
At the Old Meeting House Museum in Wilbraham, Massachusetts, this exquisite five-slat ladder-back armchair with mushroom armrests crafted...
Nov 22, 20212 min read
Abel’s Pretentious New Home
Abel Bliss was born February 18, 1708, in Springfield, Massachusetts. He was the middle child (7th out of 13 children) of Thomas and...
Nov 22, 20214 min read
The Old “Third Road”
Have you ever noticed this home which was built in 1785 by Samuel Kilburn and located today at 3113 Boston Road? Have you noticed that...
Nov 22, 20212 min read
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