Winter Wonderland

Emerson Photos
Courtesy of
Digital Commonwealth/ Longmeadow Historical Society

Looking back to snow covered roads and beautiful views of winters in Longmeadow, MA.  These scenic photographs were taken more than 100 years ago! 

The Annexation of "Franconia" by Springfield

On June 10, 1914 the Massachusetts Governor David I. Walsh signed the Bill that changed the boundary of Longmeadow, MA.  Franconia had been a little hamlet that had been located in the northeast corner of Longmeadow.  As of that day in June Franconia became part of Springfield, MA.

Springfield Union
June 10, 1914
(Click to enlarge.)

 

There were very few houses in this area that was known as Franconia. For that reason there were not many children. The few school age children that lived here attended schools in Springfield.  The Springfield schools were much closer to them.  The town of Longmeadow paid Springfield to educate these students.

Longmeadow School Committee Report
1894-1895
(Click to enlarge)

The residents of this area did not enjoy other conveniences other residents of Longmeadow had. As time went on these residents wanted better roads, water and sewer connections. Their children attended schools in Springfield and they lived closer to other residents in Springfield than in Longmeadow.  They were interested in being part of Springfield.     

Springfield Republican
Jan. 23, 1914
(Click to enlarge.)

Attorney John Aldrich represented the Franconia residents when they petitioned the State Legislature to become part of Springfield, MA.  The Bill was passed and Gov. David I. Walsh signed it on June 10, 1914.  According to the 1915 Longmeadow Annual Town Report there were 802 acres of land and about 33 houses in Franconia when the separation took place

1915 Longmeadow Annual Town Report

Shown below is a 1920 map of Longmeadow/ Springfield showing the section of Longmeadow (Franconia) that became part of Springfield in 1914.

1920 Map of Longmeadow/ Springfield
Franconia section is outlined in yellow
(Click map to enlarge)

 

Written by Judy and Jim Moran

Vote YES to Save the Young Mansion

 

This pivotal Special Town Meeting was held 5 years ago today
January 25, 2018. 

click to enlarge

The Brewer-Young Mansion at 734 Longmeadow Street was built in 1885 and is an iconic, historic landmark in Longmeadow. This 10,900 sq. ft. mansion was put on the market in 2010, but there was no interest from any residential buyers. The prior owner was foreclosed upon and evicted in 2015, and the mansion had fallen into severe disrepair. The mansion was considered too large and too costly to restore and maintain for it to ever be a private residence again.  Restoring it would cost more than $2 million.

The Longmeadow Historic Preservation Partners (LHPP) led by town residents Dr. Andrew Lam and Chris Orszulak and local general contractor Henry Clement purchased this property in September 2017. The deterioration of this structure had reached a point that they needed to act soon if the historic mansion was to be saved.

The LHPP believed that the only way to save it was to make it self-sustaining.  After analyzing all possible uses, they determined adaptive re-use as professional offices would be the most stable, sustainable way to preserve the mansion long-term. This use would also be least impactful to the Town Green and is one that can be supported by abutting homeowners.

The LHPP believed that saving this mansion would preserve and enhance Longmeadow’s historic character and the Town Green.  They planned to restore the exterior to its former grand appearance and preserve most of the historic interior as well.

One key hurdle was the rezoning of this property for professional offices only, not commercial, so it could never become a retail store, restaurant, or anything else.  This change would require a 2/3 vote at a Special Town Meeting in order to move forward.

This pivotal Special Town Meeting was held 5 years ago today on January 25, 2018.  

Below is a photo of this Special Town Meeting with Dr. Andrew Lam outlining the plans before a packed Longmeadow High School gymnasium of some 1,250 Longmeadow voters. 

In the weeks leading up to this STM there was significant opposition to this plan particularly by some owners living on the perimeter of the Town Green.  In the end the zoning change from Residential A-1 to Professional District passed by ahttps://gofund.me/8663ddc3 narrow margin of 857-381 (2/3 approval vote required).

Dr. Andrew Lam Outlining Plans for the B-Y Mansion
[click image to enlarge]

 

Today, the Brewer-Young Mansion at 734 Longmeadow Street is a vibrant building with many small businesses and entrepreneurs as well as a medical practice occupying the building.  The exterior as well as the interior of the structure have been completely renovated including restoration and preservation of many architectural and esthetic features. 

For additional information including many photos about this project visit the Save the Mansion Facebook page.

Below are some exterior photos of the mansion during the past 100+ years.

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A huge THANK YOU to the Longmeadow Historic Preservation Partners who have certainly delivered on their promise to rejuvenate the Brewer-Young Mansion (both inside and outside) and have returned it to its status as a historic gem on the Longmeadow Town Green.

 by Jim Moran/ Guest Historian

The Town of Enfield, Massachusetts

You may have guessed from the title of this blog post that the subject was related to the town of Enfield, Massachusetts in Hampshire County that disappeared as a result of the creation of the Quabbin Reservoir... but guess again.  It turns out that the first Enfield, Massachusetts was Longmeadow's neighbor to the south which is now called Enfield, Connecticut.

1785 map section
[click image to enlarge]

 

 

The boundary of Massachusetts and Connecticut was disputed for many years and was caused by a surveying error in 1642 by Woodard and Saffery- two Boston surveyors who were commissioned by the Colony of Massachusetts.  Their survey showed that the town of Enfield and other nearby towns were within the colony of Massachusetts.  At that time Connecticut was seeking a charter from the King of England and Massachusetts decided it was wise to survey its southern border.  A second 1695 survey by Butler and Whitney commissioned by Connecticut corrected the error and it showed that Enfield, as well as Suffield and Woodstock were within the borders of the Connecticut Colony (see 1713 survey map below).

1713 Map
Details 1642 survey and 1695 corrected MA/CT Border
[click image to enlarge]

In 1713 there was an agreement between the two colonies that allowed Massachusetts to continue governing the towns as defined by the 1642 survey even though it was recognized that there was a significant boundary error. 

"By the agreement Massachusetts was as before to have jurisdiction over her old border towns, though they fell to the south of the new Colony line. For this privilege of jurisdiction Massachusetts agreed to compensate Connecticut. For as much territory as Massachusetts governed south of the true line, she agreed to give the same amount of territory to Connecticut in unimproved lands in Western Massachusetts."  [The Boundary Disputes of Connecticut Chapter II, page 58]

Despite this 1713 agreement between the two colonies, the border dispute continued and was not fully resolved until 1804- a total of 162 years from the original 1642 survey.

Here is a 1774 map that showed the towns of Suffield and Enfield were included in the Colony of Massachusetts.

1774- Thomas Jefferys- Geographer
[click image to enlarge]

Another map- a 1785 post-Revolutionary War map of Massachusetts and Connecticut showed similar information.  The towns of Enfield and Suffield were both located in the state of Massachusetts.

1785 Map of MA/ CT/ Surveys by Holland, Evans and others
Source: Massachusetts State Archives
[click image to enlarge]

 

 

 

 

Below is a enlargement of the Enfield/ Longmeadow section of this map.... This 1785 map showed "Long Meadows" (included both East and West Villages of Longmeadow) as a town which was incorporated in 1783 after it separated from Springfield, MA.  This map clearly showed Enfield and Suffield to be part of Massachusetts at that time.

Enlargement of the 1785 map

 

 

While researching this subject I found an interesting book related to this subject....  The Boundary Disputes of Connecticut by Clarence Winthrop Bowen- published in 1882.  In Part III/ Chapter 3 of this book, entitled The Controversy Concerning Woodstock, Enfield and Suffield there are some notable comments....

"The next controversy Connecticut had with Massachusetts was with regard to the border towns (Enfield, Suffield and Woodstock) above alluded to. They desired to change the jurisdiction to Connecticut. In 1724 Enfield (March 9) and Suffield (March 12) asked to be brought under Connecticut. The General Assembly appointed a Committee to examine the question, but they reported that the agreement of 1713 with Massachusetts would prevent, and Connecticut should now stand by her agreement.*"

“Though Massachusetts would not openly recede, Connecticut continued to govern Enfield, Suffield, and Woodstock. Massachusetts continued until the Revolution to levy taxes without collecting them, and to send notices of fast days and elections to the three towns; and as late as 1768 claimed that she had not given up jurisdiction, and warned the towns not to pay taxes to Connecticut.”

Another history tidbit can be found in this chapter about this ongoing boundary dispute... Enfield did not want to wait to officially become part of Connecticut.... In 1750 Enfield seceded from the colony of Massachusetts and joined the Colony of Connecticut.

"the Colony (Connecticut) voted May 1749, to receive the towns, declared the agreement of 1713 not binding, and appointed Commissioners to unite with Massachusetts in determining the line, and in case of refusal to appeal to George II"

However this did not resolve the boundary dispute between the two colonies and it continued for another 50+ years.

Another map of Longmeadow was created in 1794-5.  It was part of a state mandated survey that was required of each town in Massachusetts by the state legislature.

"For the compilation of a state map, each town in Massachusetts (including those in the five eastern counties now part of Maine) was required by Resolves 1794, May Sess, c 101 to make a town plan based on a survey no more than seven years old, to be submitted to the state secretary's office. Rivers, county roads, bridges, courthouses, places of public worship, and distances of the town center to the county shire town and to Boston were to be included."

Here is the 1795 map submitted by the town of Longmeadow to the state which has been annotated for clarity that showed Enfield to be well within the borders of the state of Massachusetts.

1795 Map of Longmeadow
[click image to enlarge]

Interestingly enough, when the compiled state of Massachusetts map (1802) (see below) was drawn that used input from these surveys, it showed Enfield and Suffield within borders of the state of Connecticut.

1802 Map of Massachusetts
[click to enlarge]

1802 Map- enlarged section of Enfield/ Longmeadow

 

 

This 1802 map was the first time that Massachusetts had acknowledged that Enfield was in the state of Connecticut and not Massachusetts.   

In 1804 the border dispute involving the towns of Enfield and Suffield was finally resolved and agreed upon by both states- Massachusetts and Connecticut ending the 162 year old border dispute.

For those who are reading this post and are interested in the history of Enfield, Massachusetts located in Hampshire county, here are some specifics...

• Incorporated on February 15, 1816 from portions of Greenwich and Belchertown
• The Massachusetts towns of Enfield as well as Dana, Greenwich and Prescott were disincorporated in April 1938 when Quabbin Reservoir was created.

 _____________________________________

References

1. The Boundary Disputes of Connecticut by Clarence Winthrop Bowen- published in 1882 
2. The Settling of Enfield, Enfield Historical Society
3. 6 Places That Used to be Part of a Different State, New England Historical Society
4. Massachusetts State Archives
5. Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center

In addition, the assistance of William Fournier and Robert Ellis- members of the Enfield Historical Society are gratefully acknowledged for their contributions to this article.

by Jim Moran/ Guest Historian

A Difficult Travel Day in the Longmeadow Area

Unidentified trolly
Date: ~ 1905

The weather on Sunday- January 11, 1903 caused havoc for many people in the Longmeadow, MA area!  Snow began falling in the morning around 11 AM.  By 5 PM there was 2"- 3" of snow on the ground.  Then, there was more challenging weather.  A heavy rain and sleet storm suddenly appeared!  A method of transportation for so many people was taking a "trolly".  The electric trollys were running to stops in Springfield and to nearby towns.  

However, later that afternoon the temperature dropped and water froze on every surface including tree branches, sidewalks and the electric power line wires for the trollys.  A metal "wheel" at the end of a long pole connected the trolly to the overhead wires to supply electrical energy for the trollys.  These trolly wheels were smooth and had a difficult time moving along the ice coated wires.  To remedy this situation the electric current through the power lines was increased in  an attempt to melt the ice but the result was breakage of the power lines in eight different locations.  Loss of power disabled a number of the trollys and they were not able to move!  Repair wagons were sent out and the passengers needed to be helped.

At first reports had come in that broken wires affected 3 trollys.  One was located on the Liberty Street line in Springfield and another was on Springfield's Sumner Avenue line.  The third was on the Longmeadow line and this trolly was stuck on Pecowsic Hill.  Then 2 more trollys were affected in Longmeadow.  One trolly was located near the home of E. S. Brewer on Longmeadow Street (on the Town Green).  The second trolly was "in one of the gullies" in the southern part of town.  Then, more reports came in about broken wires in Springfield.  

Source:  Springfield Daily Republican
Jan. 12, 1903

Fortunately, not all of the trolly cars had been affected.  However, travel was slow for these cars, as described in the newspaper clipping below.

Source:  Springfield Daily Republican
Jan. 12, 1903

Many Springfield area travelers who used the trolly on January 11, 1903 would not forget this experience!  It was a day with snowfall and then heavy rain and sleet fell!  

Source:  Springfield Daily Republican- Jan. 12, 1903.  

~Written by Judy Moran                       

A New Year's Day Dinner Option in 1950

Springfield Republican
December 25, 1949

On New Year's Day in 1950 Longmeadow, MA residents and also residents in the area enjoyed their opportunity to have dinner at the Old House on the Green!  This restaurant was located at 797 Longmeadow Street in Longmeadow.  It was a favorite establishment for many organizations and also for family celebrations.  George E. and Margaret Adams were the proprietors of this restaurant that was located in a historic house on Longmeadow's Town Green.

797 Longmeadow Street
Date: 1909
Courtesy of
Digital Commonwealth/ Longmeadow Historical Society

Click here for a previously written post to learn more about this historic home that became a destination restaurant for many years. 

It is now the year 2023! 
I wish you all a Happy and a Healthy New Year!!    

~Written by Judy Moran    

A Christmas Tree at the Turn of the 20th Century

Harry E. Bisco- December 1905
Photo colorized by Longmeadow Historian
courtesy of Digital Commonwealth/ Longmeadow Historical Society
(Click photo to enlarge.)

In 1907 the Spencer, MA resident Paesiello Emerson moved to Longmeadow, MA.  Many of us recognize his name.  He was the gentleman who took up the hobby of photography later in his life.  Mr. Emerson took photographs of people, places and objects in Longmeadow, MA- documenting our town at the turn of the 20th century.  

Before moving to Longmeadow, Mr. Emerson enjoyed using his camera and took photos in the town where he lived, Spencer, MA.  The photograph above was taken in Spencer in 1905.  It is very interesting to see a young boy standing next to an early 20th century Christmas tree. We have the opportunity to view decorations on the tree and also gifts that he enjoyed.  Strands of popcorn decorate the tree along with treasured manufactured ornaments and other keepsakes.

The boy is 6 year old Harry Evelith Bisco.  He was born in Spencer, MA in 1899.  Harry's father Leonard was a farmer in Spencer where Harry, his dad and his mom Nellie lived.  

Perhaps this was a Christmas keepsake photo that Mr. and Mrs. Bisco paid Mr. Emerson to take.  Or maybe it was a gift from Mr. Emerson to Harry's parents.  Harry's name (first name misspelled) and the date is written on a sign under the tree.  

This 1905 photograph gives us a wonderful opportunity to view a Christmas tree from 117 years ago!

Paesiello Emerson took another photo also dated December 1905.  It was a photo of the Bisco family.

Bisco Family- December 1905
Photo colorized by Longmeadow Historian
courtesy of Digital Commonwealth/ Longmeadow Historical Society
(Click photo enlarge.)

 

This is a beautiful family photo of 3 generations of Harry E. Bisco's family.

Left to Right:
Joel F. Draper (his maternal grandfather), Nellie and Leonard A. Bisco (his parents), Harry sitting in front, Ella and Felix Cassavant (his step- sister and her husband)

Thank you Mr. Emerson for taking these interesting photographs 117 years ago!

Sources:  1899 Spencer, MA Marriage Records, 1899 Spencer, MA Birth Records, Springfield Republican- May 15, 1907, 1880, 1900 and 1910 U.S. Federal Census, 1903-04 Spencer, MA Marriage Records and 1907 Spencer, MA Street Directory.

~Written by Judy Moran