By Retired Fire Chief David F. Bourcier The George M. Kingdon Fire Company 1919 Acknowledgments: Growing up near the North Wilbraham Fire Station, I was captivated by the rich history and dedication of the organization. The men and women of this department have made significant contributions both to the emergency service and to the community they serve. Within these pages, the remarkable accomplishments of this fire department, often p

On a beautiful winter day, my wife Kelley and I set out to explore the remnants of an old sawmill that once stood on Big Brook in the mountains of Wilbraham. Built by Moses Hancock in the 1800s, this sawmill was an intriguing piece of local history we were eager to uncover. We started our journey on the old Third Road, where Moses himself had once lived. The area was lined with ancient stone walls, a testament to the early farming life of this community. Some majestic trees h

The Boston Post Cane, introduced in 1909, was a unique tradition sent to the selectmen of 700 towns across Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, and Rhode Island. Its purpose was to honor the oldest citizens in each community. This iconic cane was the brainchild of Edwin Grozier, the publisher of the Boston Post, who was inspired by the promotional stunts of his former employer, Joseph Pulitzer. The canes, crafted from ebony imported from the Congo in Africa and adorned with a

On Friday, September 11, 1908, the small town of Wilbraham buzzed with excitement as the sun rose over the mountains, casting a golden hue on the rolling hills that framed the horizon. The air was electric with anticipation as townsfolk and visitors alike gathered along Monson Road, eagerly awaiting the historic hill climb race about to unfold. Organized under the auspices of the prestigious Springfield Automobile Club and proudly sponsored by the Automobile Club of Massachus

In the quaint town of Wilbraham, nestled within historic houses that stand as silent witnesses to centuries past, mysterious apotropaic marks (from Greek apotrepein "to ward off") are symbols or patterns scratched into a building or other objects to keep witches out through apotropaic magic. These symbols grace walls, doors, and attic beams alike. Known by many names, one common mark—hexafoil, witch mark, six-petaled rosettes, or six-lobed stars—these enigmatic daisy wheels

The Boston Tea Party was not solely a response to a tax on tea but was deeply rooted in broader political and economic issues. The Tea Act of 1773, which imposed taxes on tea and granted the East India Company a monopoly on tea sales in the American colonies, was perceived by the colonists as an infringement on their rights and a consolidation of British control. The protest was fueled by a combination of factors, including the resentment of taxation without representation, t

The Kibbe family name goes way back in time. In 1743, Israel Kibbe of Somers, Connecticut, purchased a large tract of land near the southwest corner of the precinct, which today would be in Hampden. In 1764, he sold this land, along with more land, to his son Gideon Kibbe. From this point on, the Kibbe family grew and settled all over these parts. Many generations later, the family lives on today in this area. The first settlers of the Outward Commons settled in 1731 in what

The land comprising the present towns of Ludlow, Wilbraham, and Hampden was originally known as the Outward Commons of Springfield, Springfield Mountain, or the Mountains. Nathaniel Hitchcock, with his family in 1731, settled on the west side of West Road, currently 603 Main Street, Wilbraham. By 1740 twenty-five other families had also settled here. They all attended religious services at the First Church in Springfield which was about nine miles from their homes. On January

In the January session of 1796, the Senate and House of Representatives in the General Court assembled and granted the act to incorporate a company by the name of Aqueduct in Wilbraham. The grantees were Samuel Fisk Merrick, Gideon Burt, Jonathan Merrick, Solomon Warriner, Jason Chapin, Joel Lyman, James Hammon, Moses Warriner Junr, Moses Burt, William Brewer, Nathan Ainsworth, John Adams, Augustus Sisson, all of Wilbraham in the County of Hampshire. The purpose of this ventu

Abraham Avery III moved to Wilbraham from the Montville, Connecticut area sometime in the early 1800s. The home he lived in, Wilbraham, was located at 239 Main Street. This home was built circa 1785, and it is unknown who lived in that house before Abraham. His first wife, Elizabeth Bliss Avery, was from Wilbraham and was born on January 29, 1788. Her father was Abel Bliss Jr., and her grandfather, Abel Bliss, the one who built his home taller than that of the Meeting House.

Did you know that Wilbraham almost had an airport? In 1957 , Waldemar Hagerman was granted a variance under the Zoning By-Law to establish an airport for private planes. This would have been located on the north side of Boston Road in the area of 2420. The reason for its failure was that a serious flaw was discovered in the land title. This could have been corrected, but it would have required a long and expensive legal action. Did you know that Wilbraham had two steamboats

As we learn the history of this small church, we have to understand the area in which this church is located. Will discuss the colonial and industrial periods, which will help us have a better understanding of this section of town and the church itself. Chapel Street, as you can guess, is why this small road in North Wilbraham was named as it was, but it did not always go by that name. In the early to mid-1700s, "the road that led to the mountain" was what it was called by m

I can guess what you are thinking, Lake George, the one that is located in upstate New York, but the lake I am referring to is located in Wales, Massachusetts. This small lake of ninety-three acres is situated in southeastern Hampden County. The lake itself started as a pond called Big Pond or Moulton Pond, as it was known in colonial times. After the Village of South Brimfield separated from the Town of Brimfield in 1828, the Town of Wales was established. At some point in t

The title of this research is a collection of names, locations, and references that we may or may not hear today. Many old local history books and town records refer to these old names, places, and references. Listed in alphabetical order, we will discover many things about the communities that make up Wilbraham and Hampden today. Some of these names, places, and references go back as far as the 1640s and up until the early twentieth century. For researchers of local history,

What is now the town of Wilbraham and Hampden was once a part of the settlement of Springfield Plantation. William Pynchon and his associates purchased this land and more, known then as "Agawam", in 1636. In 1640, the name was officially changed to Springfield after Pynchon's home village, now a suburb of Chelmsford in Essex, England. The lands making up the Town of Springfield were approximately twenty-five square miles, extending from the Connecticut River east to the prese

Wilbraham was home to at least two known private family cemeteries. In the late 18th century, three primary types of burial sites were common: land adjoining a church (often referred to as the “churchyard” or occasionally as a cemetery or burial ground), private family plots located on a family’s property (referred to as “burying grounds”), and public spaces unaffiliated with any specific denomination. These public spaces, though also sometimes called “burying grounds,” were

Before we get into the history of the Bay Path, we need to know a little background about this area we call the Connecticut River Valley. The settlement of Agawam Plantation, later referred to as the Springfield settlement, was established before the Bay Path, the northern route, was used by the Colonists to traverse back and forth from the Massachusetts Bay Colony to the Springfield settlement. This path was created after the Springfield settlement was established, most like

The Town of Wilbraham was incorporated on June 15, 1763, and split into two parishes, the North and South, on June 20, 1782. Later, these parishes were referred to as Wilbraham and South Wilbraham. Much of its early manufacturing was established on the Scantic River in the south, while in the north was along Twelve Mile Brook. The Scantic River has furnished power for manufacturing since the first sawmill and gristmills were built on its banks in 1772 by Lewis Langdon. The

Saturday, November 9, 1805, about the middle of the afternoon on a cloudy day, a horse was noticed grazing in a mowing lot of John Bliss, the grandson of Abel Bliss. The house can be seen today and is located at 182 Mountain Road, along with the mowing lot at the rear of 142 Mountain Road. John Bliss's mowing lot as seen today, viewed from the vicinity of the "High Road", the Old 1732 Bay Path. At about 3:00 PM, a neighbor notified John that his horse was supposedly at large

On May 20, 1941, the Office of Civilian Defense, United States Federal Emergency War Agency, was established by Executive Order 8757 to coordinate state and federal measures for the protection of civilians in case of a war emergency. Its two branches supervised protective functions such as blackouts and special fire protection, and "war services" functions such as child care, health, housing, and transportation. It also created the Civil Air Patrol. This agency was replaced u