Most people could not imagine that a trolley line came through Wilbraham. One would think that they were reserved only for the large cities. This being true, it was also very common to have these systems reaching out beyond city limits, to small communities as well. There was a very large network of trolley systems throughout the country, especially after the 1900s. In March of 1870, the first horse-drawn trolley, running on rails, appeared in the city of Springfield. By 1890

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 here for long. The next family, Nathan and Mary Mack, lived here from around 1790 to 1810, and their daughter earned a place in local folklore in this house. According to the story that was passed down through generations of the Mack family, Mary, the wife of Nathan Mack, was looking out the door at her daughter sitting in the grass, pl

Born in Monson on January 28, 1852, to Albert and Orpha Bishop Bliss, young Ethelbert joined his father in farm work following the family's move to Wilbraham in 1870 from Monson, Massachusetts. In 1873, the 21-year-old Ethelbert married Abbie Cross, and by April of 1875, the couple had their first child, Walter Marshall Bliss. Their second child, August 1877, was Hattie Estella Bliss, and their third child, March 1882, was Dora A. Bliss. The farm to which the Blisses moved ha

In the summer of 1730, our first settler, Nathaniel Hitchcock, came out to the “Mountains,” or “Outward Commons” of Springfield, cleared two acres of ground, and erected a log hut on the west side of the West Road (603 Main Street). The following spring, May of 1731, he and his family settled here permanently. Over the next few years, other families started to settle in this area. During the first ten years, 1731 to January 1, 1741, thirty-eight children were born here, and

On May 26, 1741, the Worthy Mr. Noah Mirick (Merrick) accepted his nomination as the first minister of the fourth precinct of Springfield, a place called “Springfield Mountain” in the Outward Commons. He was born in West Springfield on August 6, 1711, and was the son of James and Sarah (Hitchcock) Mirick. Noah Merrick, while attending Yale College in New Haven, Connecticut, was a boarder of Reverend Phineas Fiske of Haddam, Connecticut. There he met his daughter; Abigail who

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 embedded itself within me during that time. Some of my fondest memories would be looking out my bedroom window at the church and listening to the sweet music of its bells on Sunday morning, or watching a thunderstorm from the second-floor porch and seeing the lightning light up the old Collins mill house and barn. The neighborhood is full of

It took two different railroad companies to connect the City of Boston to the Town of Springfield, thus connecting the Town of Wilbraham in between. The first was the Boston and Worcester Railroad (B&W), chartered and incorporated in 1831. Construction began in August of 1832, and the first train running on that line was on July 4, 1835. This was the very first railroad in Massachusetts. The second railroad was the Western Railroad, which was chartered and incorporated in 183

Another large North Wilbraham business was the Cutler Company, a grain and milling business that was first established in Ashland, Massachusetts, in 1839 by Simeon Newton Cutler. Cutler ran the mills and, in 1844, was joined by his son Henry, grinding all the corn from the local farmers. They even expanded the operation to buy corn from the West. All seemed prosperous until 1867, when Simeon Newton Cutler suddenly died. To add to this misfortune, an arsonist burned down the m

The Society was incorporated in 1963 as a non-profit organization by a group of concerned townspeople. Their purpose was to form a permanent local group to preserve artifacts and memorabilia relating to the people and history of Wilbraham. The operation of our organization is funded entirely by the dues, gifts, and activities of our membership, which is open to all interested persons from Wilbraham and other communities. The Old Meeting House, which is now our museum and head

Gordon Bliss, son of Levi, graduated from Dartmouth College in 1797. He spent two years completing his legal studies and had just been admitted to the Massachusetts Bar early in 1799 when he came back home to Wilbraham for a short rest. Gordon’s Mother, Martha, spared no effort to make Gordon’s brief stay as happy as his success had made her. When he arrived home, the young people gathered around the hearth in the Blisses’ house to listen to Gordon’s stories of Hanover and Bo

Jonah Beebe was born on 14 April 1750 in East Haddam, Connecticut Colony, British Colonial America. He married Ruth Dowley on 14 April 1772, in Lyme, Connecticut Colony, British Colonial America. At some point in time, he and his wife moved to the newly formed South Parish of Wilbraham and built a beautiful federal-period home in 1783 on the East Road (now 421Glendale Road, Hampden). They were the parents of at least 6 sons and 2 daughters. Jonah also built a schoolhouse jus

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 years of 1838, 1840, and 1844. The 1840 Town Warrant stated building a Town House on the Green near the home of John Adams. This spot would today be located at 678 Main Street, where to Children's Museum now stands. During those early times, the town was divided into the North and South Parishes, and of course, parish rivalry always block

Ruth Merrick History from the Letter Collector: "These letters were written by Ruth Merrick in 1922 . Back in 1998, when I was new to eBay, I missed being able to win the bulk of Ruth's letters, but over the years, a few have trickled in from various stamp dealers. Her letters to her mother (Mary George (Seavey) Merrick) and brothers are full of humor and stories of campus life. Ruth's brothers Charles Llewellyn Merrick and (James) Harold Merrick were at Amherst College, and

The lack of effective government regulation led to unsafe and unhealthy work environments at the mill. In the late nineteenth century, more industrial accidents occurred in the United States than in any other industrial country. Working conditions were difficult and exposed employees to many risks and dangers, including cramped work areas with poor ventilation, loud noises, cold and hot environments, trauma from machinery, and toxic exposures to heavy metals, dust, and solven

The Collins Paper Company was established in January 1872 when Warren Collins donated acreage on the Chicopee River to the Hollister family. Collins had inherited land in North Wilbraham. He was a farmer who was prominent in town as its first postmaster. Collins Mill, 1890 With a capital of $200,000, a large part of which was furnished by funds invested by the trustees of Amherst College. The Collins Paper Company purchased water privilege on the Chicopee River north of and n

In the quiet town of Wilbraham, where the winter air hung heavy with tension and discontent, a group of courageous residents found themselves at the forefront of an unexpected historical event – Shays' Rebellion. As the winds of rebellion blew through the region, the people of Wilbraham played a pivotal role in thwarting Daniel Shays' audacious plan to attack the Federal Armory. On January 24, 1787, Shays arrived in Wilbraham during the afternoon, intending to lodge his soldi

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. This small mill was most likely the mill erected by Jonathan Kilborn, who in 1803 placed in service a carding machine, brought from Mendon, Massachusetts. Wilbraham Woolen Mill, late 1800's The first mill in this area was a gristmill, very near the site of the small mill that Mr. Kilborn built. In 1762, the town gave Caleb Stebbins of the

In 1909, a scaly, blistery band was observed on a small chestnut tree standing near the east side of Glendale Road, close to the Wilbraham-Hampden town line. Experts from the State and Federal Departments of Agriculture came to examine it. The fungus of this disease, which is wind-borne, had its first known victim in Massachusetts. Since the surface of the tree is vulnerable to the white-tendriled parasite, birds aided the wind in this mass destruction. Efforts to control thi

At the Old Meeting House Museum in Wilbraham, Massachusetts, this exquisite five-slat ladder-back armchair with mushroom armrests crafted from birch stands as a testament to the craftsmanship of the early 18th century. Its origins trace back to the skilled hands of a Springfield chair maker. The initials of AG are inscribed on the right armrest. Peletiah Glover 2nd (1665-1737) of Springfield, Massachusetts, was a child of the illustrious Glover lineage. Peletiah 2nd, son of t

Abel Bliss was born on February 18, 1708, in Springfield, Massachusetts. He was the middle child (7th out of 13 children) of Thomas and Hannah (Caldwell) Bliss. Upon reaching adulthood, he left his hometown of Springfield to become one of the early settlers of Wilbraham, Massachusetts, in 1736. Abel Bliss's gravestone is located in Adams Cemetery He was reputed to have had great physical strength and was supposed to have been instrumental in cutting the path from Springfield