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Date: 4/25/2023
LUDLOW — The planning for Ludlow’s 250th birthday celebration in 2024 is in full effect and the Ludlow 250 Book Committee is looking to create a picture book to capture Ludlow’s history.
Ludlow 250 Book Committee Chair Brian Bylicki said the committee wanted to capture the history of Ludlow and recreate a history book. They found inspiration from Westfield’s history picture book created for its 350th birthday celebration.
Westfield hosted its 350th birthday celebration in 2019 and had 2,000 picture books printed that residents were able to purchase.
There has not been a Ludlow history book since 1974 and before that, 1912.
So far, the committee has decided to separate the book into three sections. One section will be from 1636 to 1860, section two will be from 1860 to 1974 and section will be from 1974 to today.
Bylicki added, “We have come up with the basic themes that we want in the book. Things like the churches, livelihood, the farms, military, schools, government. In the second section we will add in immigration, the mills, government changes, the turnpike, Westover. From 1974 on we will have things like the jail, closing of the hospital, boys and girls club, housing developments and how that played in.”
The committee is now looking at the logistics of putting the book together.
They will host a meeting later this month to discuss the process of gathering pictures, putting them together and the cost of it all.
“That will be the toughest part,” Bylicki added.
When Westfield constructed their history books, they printed 2,000 copies for $55,000. Bylicki said that since Ludlow is smaller than Westfield in terms of population, they will also discuss how many books to print.
Bylicki said the committee needs help finding content from 1974 to present day such as pictures, brochures, pamphlets, antiques, etc., to be featured.
He said, “We have tons of stuff that have been donated by the mills and by people for pre 1974. We need stuff 1974 to today. We all kinds of stuff leading up to the 1974 bicentennial parade but after that, that is what we are looking for.”
He added that people with pictures can send them to ludlow250book@gmail.com or talk to someone from the Ludlow 250 book committee.
“We are trying to look at it from a picture standpoint. There are books with three inches of detailed writing which is great, and you can take so much out of it. We are looking at more of a coffee table book,” Bylicki said.
Anyone with a physical picture can also donate them to the committee and they will be returned after the book is complete, according to Bylicki.
Bylicki said he has already had people who used to live in Ludlow reach out to him with links to pictures and other artifacts from each period.
He was given a program from Ludlow’s 175th birthday celebration and cookbooks from Ludlow’s 200th celebration in 1974.
Bylicki added, “There are things like that floating around out there that people have. Those are things we will be happy to take a picture of to be used for the book if we can break it down into the right section.”
He is also going to discuss the idea of hosting an open house where people can come in with their artifacts and have them be photographed for the book.
According to Bylicki, the goal is to have the book completed by July 2024 and have everything sent off to the publisher and sold by October 2024.
“It could be a great Christmas gift,” Bylicki said jokingly.
As the committee continues to meet, Bylicki said more announcements will be made at ludlowma250.org.