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Date: 10/25/2023
WEST SPRINGFIELD — Four historical sites in town will be open for the West Side History Trail 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4.
“We want local people to connect with their local history,” said Cliff McCarthy, vice president of the Pioneer Valley History Network, which is organizing the event. “To understand the place they live in. To see and feel how people lived in a different time helps put our lives in perspective.”
He continued, “Some of these museums are open only on a limited basis. We are offering an opportunity to see these four locations all on the same day.”
This is the fifth and final event in the “History on the Go” series, which sponsored history trails in other Western Massachusetts communities. Participating sites in West Springfield are the Storrowton Village Museum, Eastern States Exposition Museum, Josiah Day House and Altamont Museum, which together highlight unique aspects of history from the mid-18th century up until the 20th century. Visitors can go to all or any of the stops, for free, in whatever order they choose.
PVHN is a consortium of historical institutions promoting and providing effective communication and collaboration among historical societies, sites, and museums in the Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties. With support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the History on the Go project brings together historical institutions in an area to create a trail on a coordinated day and time for history enthusiasts to follow as well as giving museums and historical sites an opportunity to open their doors to a larger audience.
PVHN offered Storrowton Village Museum, on the Eastern States Exposition fairgrounds, the opportunity to apply for a grant that co-funded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. They applied and received the grant that allows them to offer this event free of charge. In addition to free general tours of the museum, a re-creation of a traditional New England village, the Storrowton Village Museum will host a blacksmith demonstration on Nov. 4. It will also have kids’ crafts and cooking demonstrations.
Storrowton Director Jessica Kaeding Fontaine said she wants visitors to be aware of the important role the Eastern States Exposition plays in the region’s agricultural past and future. The Eastern States Exposition Museum, just steps from Storrowton, traces the fair’s and fairgrounds’ own history.
“We are a not-for-profit organization with over a century of history committed to agriculture. Not only can you learn about Eastern States Exposition’s history at the ESE Museum, but you can also learn about New England agricultural roots through Storrowton’s 19th century lens,” she said. “We want participants to know about the rich history in our local communities. Our history teaches us so much about human connection, agricultural roots, and societal norms over time.”
Parking is available at Gate 1 of the fairground, 1761 Memorial Ave.
The Altamont Museum, West Springfield’s town museum, will display local artifacts and historical items from the Civil War, the history of Mittineague Park and the early 1900s Bear Hole Resort. Also available to view are models of 18th and 19th century town buildings, churches and other structures. The museum is at 55 Altamont Ave., off Westfield Street (Route 20) near Mittineague Park.
Josiah Day House tours include a tour of the first floor of 1754 residence, featuring displays of china, cookware, a death mask, and musical instruments, all from the 18th and 19th centuries. The Josiah Day House is one of only two National Historic Register sites in West Springfield, and one of the oldest saltbox brick houses still on its original foundation in the country. It is at 70 Park St., West Springfield; parking is in the rear.
“I hope that visitors will really get to learn about people and buildings that have been integral to West Springfield’s history,” said Samantha DePergola of the Ramapogue Historical Society, which takes care of the Josiah Day House. “There are many gems, hidden or well known, that fill West Springfield. I hope that, if nothing else, visitors learn about the figures in local history that wouldn’t have had a light shone on them without these four museums.”
For more information, visit pioneervalleyhistorynetwork.org or email pioneervalleyhistory@gmail.com.