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, today that 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 is Wilbraham. It wasn't until 1741 that the southern part of the precinct, Hampden, was inhabited by Stephen Stebbins who came from Longmeadow and settled on the West Road (Somers Road) just north of the Scantic River.
So now we come to the legend of Kibbe's shirt. The story was told by Chauncey E. Peck, the author of the 1913 History of Wilbraham. Chauncey was the great-great-grandson, on his mother's side, to Israel Kibbe, who was the first Kibbe to settle on this land.
In the legend, Chauncy never mentions the first name of the individual, and only states the person's last name was Kibbe.
One Sunday, Sabbath Day in 1750, Kibbe went into the woods to get his cow who had wandered off. He took with him his gun in case he should see any game. Sabbath Day is a sacred day that no work including any hunting would be done. The seventh day was consecrated by God as a Sabbath, for all good Christians to follow. But Kibbe had no fear of either God or the law at first.
Not long after Kibbe left his home, there were reports of two gunshots being heard by people in the area. Kibbe had taken his chances at firing a shot at some game. Now he realizes that the loud blast of his gun would have been heard. He begins to panic knowing he would be exposed to prosecution for violating the Sabbath. He then takes off his shirt and fires a second shot through it, to make his neighbors believe that Native Americans had attacked him. He then proceeded to put his shirt back on and then came running out of the woods in great haste.
Kibbe met up with his neighbors who did hear the two gunshots. Nervously he told his neighbors that he had been fired upon by two Native Americans and that there were more lurking in the woods. He showed his shirt with the two bullet holes on the front and back. The alarm was sounded and the townspeople scoured in search of these attackers. None were found nor were any traces of them.
Suspicion began to take hold about Kibbe's story. A more thorough examination of his shirt was made. Kibbe declared that he received one shot in his breast, and when he turned to run, a second shot to his back. However, neighbors realized that Kibbe was not harmed in the incident. By looking at the two holes in his shirt he would at least have been injured if not even killed. Now Kibbe realized that he had been caught, and confessed that he fired a shot upon some game and tried covering it up by firing another shot at his shirt to make the bullet holes.
The legend of Kibbe's shirt, veiled in the mists of time, leaves the imagination to ponder the aftermath. The repercussions and Kibbe's fate linger in the whispers of the wind, becoming a timeless anecdote, woven into the rich tapestry of Wilbraham and Hampden's history.
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