Historical Commission to celebrate 50 years of preserving East Longmeadow history

Date: 6/8/2022

EAST LONGMEADOW – Preserve, protect and promote East Longmeadow’s history. That has been the mission of the Historical Commission since its inception in 1970. On June 18, the Historical Commission will celebrate its 50th Anniversary.

While the commission has been around for 52 years, the coronavirus pandemic made celebration in 2020 and 2021 difficult. The hope is that by celebrating its past, the Historical Commission can get people interested in its future.

“Our goal is to become more well known, firstly in our town and elsewhere. We are a dedicated group with a love of our town’s rich history,” said Historical Commission Treasurer Andrea Driscoll. The commission consists of nine individuals, Driscoll, Chair Bruce Moore, Vice Chair John Makara, Treasurer Ken Hancock, Tom Behan, Ralph Cooley, George Kingston, John Fitzpatrick and newcomer Peter Bradley.

“We are especially proud of John Fitzpatrick,” said Driscoll. “At age 16, he is our hope for our future. He’s an exceptional young man who also serves on [District Attorney Anthony] Gulluni’s Youth Advisory Board. He works tirelessly to garner interest for the Museum at East Longmeadow High School, with successful results.”

The commission collects donations from residents and, occasionally, from those who come across East Longmeadow artifacts in other New England towns. Those items are then stored in the museum at 85 Maple St. and some other locations throughout town, such as the historical room at the East Longmeadow Library. From signs and newspaper clippings to railroad equipment and clothes irons, extensive research is put into verifying the age and origin of objects and how they fit into the historical tapestry of the town.

History

East Longmeadow separated from neighboring Longmeadow in 1894. Moore explained that the areas that now make up East Longmeadow were more agrarian at the time, while Longmeadow itself was more business oriented.
Even now, Moore said, you can see a rivalry between the towns’ high schools. Still, as Driscoll pointed out, “Longmeadow’s history is our history, before the separation.” She praised the work Longmeadow has done to preserve that history.

East Longmeadow has had a few lives. During its agrarian history, East Longmeadow was home to many family farms, but also to large tobacco farms. Moore explained that the land was owned by royalty from the Netherlands who had tobacco shipped overseas. The town saw a mining boom when redstone and brownstone were discovered and quarries, more than 100 in total, popped up all over town. Some of the most well-known names in East Longmeadow, such as the Norcross brothers, made their fortune in stone quarrying and cutting.

When the railroad depot was built as a stop on the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, stone was shipped around New England and East Longmeadow became a railroad town.

District

Makara said, “Because we value the town’s history, we’re hoping to promote more awareness.”

The Historical Commission is considering another campaign to create a historical district in town. The group’s first attempt was voted down by the Town Council. Moore said the concern was that people would be limited in what they could do with properties located in the district, but that the district designation would not include such provisions.

Behan assured, “Our desire isn’t to be overly restrictive.” The designation would allow the organization to apply for grant funding for the purpose of preservation, the group explained.

The group is hoping that more awareness will give them a chance to preserve more history. For example, they would like to be notified before old homes are demolished so they can protect some of the historical items that may be located inside.

Celebration

Many such items that have been found, donated or rescued over the commission’s half-century in operation will be on hand during the celebration on June 18. The museum, which has rooms centered around different aspects of the town’s past, will be open for tours between 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Norcross House located next door will also be open. There will also be an art show at Brew Practitioners and a car show at The Depot at Graham Central Station, the ice cream shop that is now housed in the former train depot.
Looking around at the museum’s artifacts, Behan remarked, “It’s a wonderful town with an interesting history.”