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Date: 6/21/2022
CHICOPEE – The Edward Bellamy Memorial Association are hosting their annual used book sale and open house on June 25. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Bellamy’s former homestead at 91 Church St. now stands as a memorial to his legacy. Bellamy and his family moved to the Church Street house in 1853. The home is where Bellamy lived for a majority of his life before passing away in 1898. The house exists as Chicopee’s only National Historical Landmark.
Born in Chicopee, Bellamy became an internationally-renowned author for his utopian works in the 19th century. His novel “Looking Backward,” which follows a young man waking up 113 years in the future, represented a canvas for progressive social ideals of his day.
The novel inspired many to create calls of action against the era’s problematic factory culture and financial monopolies. Bellamy’s literature was even referenced as a source of inspiration for Upton Sinclair’s California Governor campaign in 1934, which influenced some of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal programs during the Great Depression.
“Looking Backward” also reached the mainstream masses, ultimately becoming one of the three highest selling books of the 19th century next to “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” and “Ben-Hur.”
Along with his novels, Bellamy worked as an attorney in Springfield and founded The Penny News tri-weekly newspaper in 1880. The news outlet eventually morphed into the Springfield Daily News, which eventually merged with The Republican, according to President of the Edward Bellamy Memorial Association Jason Amos.
In the aftermath of his life, Amos shared that the Edward Bellamy Memorial Association formed in 1972. The association purchased Bellamy’s homestead in 1975 and eventually transformed the property into a museum dedicated to his influence.
“We decided to pivot towards turning the house into a historic house museum where we could be a resource to the community in terms of Chicopee’s history,” said Amos in an interview with Reminder Publishing.
The association operates entirely on a voluntary basis, with Amos explaining that the annual book sale serves as a mechanism for funding restorations to the building. The association president shared that repairs for the museum’s roof and chimneys are required.
The sale takes place in the Hanifan Room of the house, which is dedicated to the family that purchased the house in the early 1900s. The room exhibits some of Daniel Hanifan’s work as a local photographer. Attendees can also tour the house’s relics dedicated to Bellamy, including the desk he used when writing his “Looking Backward” follow-up, “Equality”.
Amos envisions continual growth for the storied house. He expressed his hopes that the museum grows its presence as a community space by engaging with local educational entities and other organizations.
“He did have an international impact. To me, that is a story worth preserving and sharing,” said Amos.
Readers can learn more about the annual book sale and the The Edward Bellamy Memorial Association at https://edwardbellamyhouse.org/.