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Date: 8/25/2021
WILBRAHAM – People visiting the Main Street area of Wilbraham will be welcomed to the historical section of town by three new signs.
“We felt that it would be really significant to recognize the Main Street corridor,” said Wilbraham Historical Commission Co-Chair Roberta “Bobbie” Albano.
The signs are located at three points bordering a roughly 1.5 mile area. They are on Main Street near FloDesign, at Merrick Farm near the Marin Street intersection with Tinkham Road, and at the intersection of Faculty and Springfield Streets.
The signs are part of a long-term initiative by the commission to celebrate the historical nature of Wilbraham.
“We’re on the National Register of Historic Places,” Albano told Reminder Publishing. “The areas that are designated are near the [Wilbraham Monson Academy].” The commission had launched an effort to create an official historic district in 2006 and 2010, but that vote failed at Town Meetings. Rather than creating a district, “This just designates the area as historically significant as well as a welcome. We were very mindful of making sure that the sign would read just a friendly welcome,” Albano said.
The green signs read, “Welcome to Wilbraham Historic Center,” In addition to the wording, the signs display the Wilbraham town seal, which Albano said had historical significance on its own.
The money for the signage came from special requests to the Board of Selectmen and the commission’s annual budget. The commission coordinated with the Department of Public Works, which installed the poles.
Albano, who has been on the Historical Commission for five years, said that the process was a “learning experience” that taught the commission to “look at ways to call attention to the town with an eye for conservation. “It’s an ongoing focus of interest for our commission.”