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| WEST SPRINGFIELD Rotary grant chairman, Richard Hanchett, recently visited the Josiah Day House to observe the fifth graders' experiences. A Rotary grant to the Historical Commission facilitated the update of a 1905 booklet called A Brief History of the Day House by Winthrop S. Bagg. Bernie Lally, town historian, Rusty Clark and Dave Crosier of the Ramapogue Historical Society, updated the booklet. Updating, publication, and free distribution of the Bagg booklet were made possible through this Historical Commission grant. Another Rotary grant provided bus transportation to the Josiah Day House for fifth grade students and facilitated preparation of teacher materials for visiting classes. The teacher's packet, prepared by Rusty Clark, Dave Crosier, Diane Doe, and Anita Salamon, included the Bagg booklet, the 225th Anniversary Booklet, the Walking/Auto Tour brochure of West Springfield, and local historical information and illustrations for use in the classroom. Fifth grade students from all the public and parochial schools of West Springfield were history immersed in three hour guided tours. Tours started at the First Congregational Church on Park Street, a church the Day family attended regularly. There, Ramapogue Historical Society docents prepared students for their visit to the Josiah Day House and the Park Street Cemetery. Visiting the Day House, the children saw clothing, furniture, and musical instruments dating from the 1700s to the Victorian Age. The students also learned about gravestone carving, and visited the graves of Revolutionary and Civil War veterans, and other interesting townspeople who are buried in the historic 1787 Park St. cemetery. The Ramapogue Historical Society has done Josiah Day House tours to West Springfield fifth graders for a number of years. However, this was the first time the tour included the students at St. Thomas. Also, this was the first time that a representative of the West Springfield School Department, Diane Doe, has acted as coordinator for the public schools tour. The fifth grade tour season has just concluded with a total of three hundred and forty five youngsters touring and acquiring a better understanding and appreciation of West Springfield's history. |