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flag  History of Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

Journey back in time to Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

(Indian Orchard)

Visit Springfield, Massachusetts, USA. Discover its history. Learn about the people who lived there through stories, old newspaper articles, pictures, postcards and genealogy.

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Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

Springfield, Hampden, Massachusetts, USA

Springfield had its name transferred from the town of Essex county, England.
How New England Towns Received Their Names
The Day
New London, Connecticut
October 21, 1914

In 1891, James Naismith of Springfield, invented basketball. The game was played with soccer balls and peach baskets. The Basketball Hall of Fame is located in Springfield.

Springfield includes: Rushville, Sixteen Acres, Wachogue, Amory Hill, Brightwood, Fiberloid, Forest Park, Franconia, Glenwood, Highland, Iceville, Indian Orchard, Jenksville, Oaklands, Oak Street Station, Pecousic, and Pine Point.


netronline.com/mass_lookup.htm

There is MUCH more to discover about Springfield, Massachusetts, USA. Read on!
  • 1636 - Springfield is settled and incorporated

    Massachusetts City and Town Incorporation and Settlement Dates

  • General Henry Knox and his troops passed through Springfield, Massachusetts in the winter of 1775-76 with a load of 59 cannons pulled by teams of oxen.
    The cannons were captured from the British at Fort Ticonderoga and Crown Point. They were transported from Lake Champlain to Dorchester Heights, Massachusetts and used by George Washington's army on March 17, 1776 (Evacuation Day) to free Boston from British control during the American Revolutionar...Read MORE...


  • News 1786 - August 29 - Shays' Rebellion in Springfield, Mass
    Shays‍'​ Rebellion was an armed uprising in Massachusetts (mostly in and around Springfield) during 1786 and 1787. Revolutionary War veteran Daniel Shays led four thousand rebels (called Shaysites) in rising up against perceived economic injustices by Massachusetts, and later on attempted to capture...Read MORE...


  • News 1836 - October 24 – The earliest United States patent for a phosphorus friction match is granted to Alonzo Dwight Phillips of Springfield, Massachusetts.

    wikipedia.org
    October 24, 1836

  • 1839 - Springfield
    Springfield, Massachusetts
    Chief town, Hampden county. This is one of the most beautiful and important inland towns in New England. It is situated on the east bank of Connecticut river, and is supplied with a good hydraulic power by Chickopee and Mill rivers. It is 87 miles W. by S. from Boston, 17...Read MORE...


  • 1845 - SPRINGFIELD. [Pop. 10,985. Inc. 1636.]
    Springfield was called Agawam by the Indians.

    The township was originally very extensive, including Longmeadow, Wilbraham, and Ludlow, on the eastern side of Connecticut River; West Springfield, Westfield, and Southwick, on the western side; with Suflield, Enfield, and Somers, which fell ...Read MORE...


  • 1852 - Springfield is incorporated as a city

    Massachusetts City and Town Incorporation and Settlement Dates

  • News 1854 - The Destructive Gale - Its Effects at the East.
    ...The unroofing of the great railroad depot at Springfield is described of wind force. The cars had just left for Hartford, and were just coming in from New-York, when about 300 feet of the roof was lifted off and scattered about in the streets, crushing several adjacent roofs, and demolishing carr...Read MORE...


  • 1854 - Springfield
    Springfield, a city and seat of justice of Hampden county, Massachusetts, is situated on the left bank of the Connecticut river, at the intersection of the Connecticut Valley, and the New Haven Hartford and Spring field railroads with the Western railroad, 98 miles W. by 8. from Boston, 58 miles S. ...Read MORE...


  • News 1864 - Great Fire in Springfield, Mass. - Loss $106,000.
    SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Sunday, July 24. - A fire broke out broke about 12:30 on Saturday night in a wooden building on Main-street in this city, occupied by JAMES MALLY, dry goods dealer, and GEORGE M. LAW, clothing warehouse. The ? destroyed, and the fire spread to the Music Hall block, a brick buildi...Read MORE...


  • News 1873 - MASSACHUSETTS. A TERRIBLE FIRE RAGING---THE SPRINGFIELD REPUBLICAN OFFICE DAMAGED.
    SPRINGFIELD, Feb. 5. - A fire broke out this evening in the block occupied by the Merchants' Union Express and Massachusetts. Mutual Life Insurance Company, and in a short time the flames enveloped the block. The heat became so intense that the compositors in the Springfield Republican office, the b...Read MORE...


  • News 1888 - THE SPRINGFIELD FIRE. DONOHUE, THE COMPOSER, IS DEAD, MAKING SEVEN VICTIMS IN ALL.
    SPRINGFIELD, Mass., March 8. - There is little to add to the story of the fire which wrecked the Daily Union office and building yesterday. A great deal of adverse criticism is heard on all sides regarding the bungling work of the hook and ladder men, and also what seems the criminal negligence in t...Read MORE...


  • Springfield Massachusetts, 1890
    SPRINGFIELD, the capital of Hampden County, is a beautiful, industrial, and progressive city, in latitude 42° 6' 4'', north and longitude 72° 35' 45'', west, 98 miles southwest of Boston by the Boston and Albany Railroad, having a population of 37,575. It is finely situated on the east bank of the C...Read MORE...


  • Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
    Winchester Park Fire Apparatus
    Postcard
  • Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
    J. R. Hewitt Saddle, Harness and Trunk Maker.
    Corner of Main and E. Bridge Streets., Springfield, Mass.

    Advertisement
  • 1891 - First Basketball Game
    First basketball game played in Springfield

  • News 1892 - January 15 – James Naismith's rules for basketball are published for the first time in the Springfield YMCA International Training School's newspaper, in an article titled "A New Game."

    wikipedia.org
    January 15, 1892

  • 1892 - March 11 – First basketball game ever played in public, between students and faculty at the Springfield YMCA.
    The final score is 5–1 in favor of the students, with the only goal for the faculty being scored by Amos Alonzo Stagg. A crowd of 200 spectators watches the game.
    wikipedia.org
    March 11, 1892

  • News 1893 - Big Fire at Springfield.
    SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Nov. 22.- Fire broke out in the Worthington Street Block, owned by I. I. Dexter & Co., about 12:30 this morning, and that, with one adjoining, are burning. The firemen expect to hold the flames in these two buildings, although the result is in doubt.

    Henry Dickinson is half ow...Read MORE...


  • News 1893 - September 21 - First Gasoline-Powered Automobile
    The first successful gasoline-powered automobile was perfected by Charles and Frank Duryea in Springfield.

    September 21 – Brothers Charles and Frank Duryea drive the first gasoline-powered motorcar in America on public roads in Springfield, Massachusetts.
    www.e-referencedesk.com/ resources/state-history-timeline/ massachusetts.html
    September 21, 1893

  • 1895 - Springfield
    Springfield, a city and seat of justice of Hampden co., Mass., is situated on the left bank of the Connecticut River, at the intersection of the New York, New Haven & Hartford, New York & New England, and Connecticut River Railroads with the Boston & Albany Railroad, 98 miles W. by S. of Boston, 58 ...Read MORE...


  • News 1897 - FIRE IN SPRINGFIELD, MASS. The Opera House Burned and Two Persons Overcome by Smoke.
    SPRINGFIELD, Mass., April 5. - A stubborn fire which broke out in the Gilmore Opera House at 11:30 o'clock to-night gutted the block and caused a loss of between $80,000 and $100,000.

    The fire is supposed to have started in the Acme Laundry, and had gained such headway before it was discovered th...Read MORE...


  • Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
    Webster's International Dictionary
    G. &. C. Merriam Co., Publishers
    Springfield, Mass.

    The Ladies' Home Journal
    May 1898

    G. & C. Merriam Company, established by George and Charles Merriam in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1831, publisher and reviser of Noah Webster's American Dictionary beginning in 1847. snaccoperative.org
    Advertisement
  • Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
    The New Game
    Conette
    Sold Everywhere
    Two Styles 25 & 50 Cts.
    Milton Bradley Co., Springfield, Mass.

    The Ladies' Home Journal
    November 1898

    Founded in 1860, Milton Bradley Company is the oldest game manufacturer in the United States. Over the years Milton Bradley has marketed such classics as The Game of Life, Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, Twister, and Yahtzee. Since 1984 the company has operated as a division of the world’s largest toy company, Hasbro, Inc. encyclopedia.com
    Advertisement
  • Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
    Highest Award World's Fair Skates
    Barney & Berry, Springfield, Mass.

    The Ladies' Home Journal
    December 1898

    The Barney & Berry company was founded at the old Warner's pistol plant near Springfield, Massachusetts. It was started by Everett Barney, a former supervisor of a small arms manufacturer during the Civil War who spent many a winter on the frozen ponds of nearby Framingham, and his old friend John Berry in 1865. Barney and Barney manufactured five hundred skates in their first... Read MORE...

    Advertisement
  • News 1900 - PECULIAR RAILWAY ACCIDENT.
    Passengers on 7:16 Train Last Evening Get a Little Shock.

    The passengers in the smoking car on the train on the New York, New Haven and Hartford railroad, due in this city at 7:16 last evening, were surprised and shaken up by the sudden crashing of five windows on one side of the car and the sudd...Read MORE...


  • Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
    Theatre
    Postcard
  • Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
    View of Court Square from City Hall, Springfield, Mass.
    Postcard
  • Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
    Main Street Arch
    Postcard
  • News 1905 - January 6 - BIG FIRE IN SPRINGFIELD - THE CITY HALL DESTROYED; LOSS, $50,000
    Springfield, Mass., Jan. 6 - Springfield's City hall, valued at more than $30,000, was destroyed by fire in less than an hour today. The fire was discovered in the assembly hall at 12.45 by employees of a food fair being held in the hall. There were probably fifty people in the building and the flam...Read MORE...


  • Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
    Crescent Hill Residences, 1905
    Postcard
  • Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
    School and Hose 4 House, Mittineague
    Postcard
  • 1906
    Springfield, a city and seat of justice of Hampden co., Mass., is situated on the left bank of the Connecticut River, here crossed by several bridges, on the New York, New Haven and Hartford, the Boston and Albany and other railroads... Springfield is one of the handsomest towns in the state. The si...Read MORE...


  • News 1907 - BIG PUBLISHING HOUSE BURNED - Phelps Co., at Springfield, Mass., Sustain Loss Estimated at $1,000,000 - Spontaneous Combustion Started Fire.
    Springfield, Mass., Jan. 28. - The entire plant of the Phelps Publishing Company, comprising four buildings and covering nearly an acre of ground, was destroyed by fire to-day, causing a loss estimated at $1,000,000. No one was injured.

    The fire started from spontaneous combustion among some benz...Read MORE...


  • News 1907 - HURT BY JUMPING FROM CAR. Brakeman Thought Car Would Overturn and Leaped.
    William H. Whalen, a brakeman employed by the Boston and Albany railroad, was seriously hurt late yesterday afternoon by jumping from a car which was being switched in the local freight yard. The car collided with another one, the forward trucks leaving the rails and the end being crushed like an eg...Read MORE...


  • Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
    Court House, 1908
    Postcard
  • Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
    1908 Court Square
    Postcard
  • News 1910 - EXPRESS OFF RAILS
    Two Mail Clerks and an Engineer Badly Injured.
    ACCIDENT AT SPRINGFIELD, MASS.

    Springfield, Mass., March 15 - Two mail clerks and an engineer were seriously injured today when the New York express, bound for Springfield from New York on the New York, New Haven & Hartford railroad, jumped the rail...Read MORE...


  • News 1910 - TEAMS STRUCK BY AUTOMOBILE.
    The heavy automobile truck used by the New England telephone company to carry supplies for the linemen collided with two teams at the corner of Chestnut and Sharon streets Tuesday morning and seriously injured one of the horses. The auto skidded and struck first a team owned by Nicholas Zeo, smashin...Read MORE...


  • Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
    Chiefs of Fire Departments
    Postcard
  • Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
    First Church

    First Church of Christ, Congregational, or Old First Church, is a historic church at 50 Elm Street in Springfield, Massachusetts. Built in 1819, the present structure is the fourth church building on the site, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. wikipedia
    Postcard
  • Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
    Post Office and Custom House
    Postcard
  • Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
    Winchester Park Fire Station
    Postcard
  • Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
    Y.M.C.A. Building

    The Springfield Young Men’s Christian Association was established in 1852, the same year that Springfield became a city. It was only the second YMCA in the country, and the fourth in the world, after London, Montreal, and Boston... lostnewengland.com
    Postcard
  • Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
    The Cooley Hotel Block, 1911

    The original Cooley Hotel on the site was a four-story brick block erected in 1849 by Justin M. Cooley (exact footprint uncertain). It was expanded with an additional structure in the 1860s (footprint uncertain) for a total of 85 rooms by 1882. historic-structures.com
    Postcard
  • Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
    Connecticut Valley Historical Society, 1912
    Postcard
  • Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
    Select Stock at Forest Park

    Forest Park in Springfield, Massachusetts, is one of the largest urban, municipal parks in the United States, covering 735 acres (297 ha) of land overlooking the Connecticut River. Designed by the renowned landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted... It is the site of America's first public, municipal swimming pool... wikipedia
    Postcard
  • Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
    Main Street, 1915
    Postcard
  • Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
    Town Hall and Common West
    Postcard
  • Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
    New Police Department Building, 1917
    Postcard
  • Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
    West State Street, 1919
    Postcard
  • Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
    Public Library
    Postcard
  • Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
    Dancing at Riverside Park
    Postcard
  • Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
    State Street, West to Mass. Mutual Life Insurance Co.
    Postcard
  • Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
    Springfield Institution for Savings and Court House
    Postcard
  • Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
    Central High School, 1929
    Postcard
  • News March 6, 1930: Clarence Birdseye's first frozen food appeared in grocery stores in Springfield, MA

    The Old Farmer's Almanac www.almanac.com
    March 6, 1930

  • Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
    Barney Residence, Forest Park
    Postcard
  • 1935 - Friendly's Ice Cream is founded in Springfield
    Friendly's was founded in 1935, at the height of the Great Depression, by brothers Prestley and Curtis Blake in Springfield, Massachusetts. The Blake brothers opened a small ice cream shop named "Friendly", selling double-dip cones for 5 cents each. wikipedia
    friendlys.com /about-friendlys/about-us

  • 1938 - "Long Island Express" - HURRICANE, FLOODS SWEEP NEW ENGLAND. 296 WERE KILLED IN STORM ALONG ATLANTIC COAST; PROPERTY DAMAGE ENORMOUS.
    ...At Springfield, the grandstand at the Eastern States exposition ground collapsed, injuring four and when 10,000 spectators stampeded in panic, scores were trampled.

    Failure of power and telephone service left doctors to perform emergency operations by search light and cut residents of many tow...Read MORE...


  • Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
    Hotel Charles

    The Hotel Charles is the successor to Cooley's Hotel, established in 1849 and grown over the years to a complex of five buildings occupying the key parcel between the railroad station and Main St. in Springfield... historic-structures.com
    Postcard
  • Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
    St. Michael's Cathedral
    Postcard
  • Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
    Swett Bros. Heating & Appliance Co.
    Postcard
  • 1944 - HURRICANE HITS NEW YORK AND NEW ENGLAND COASTS. HIGH WINDS LASH JERSEY, LONG ISLAND.
    ...About one-fourth of the city of Springfield was without lights.
    Also about 100 families there were evacuated from a housing project as a precautionary measure. They were bedded in a school on cots and blankets furnished by the Red Cross...
    The Troy Record
    Troy, New York
    September 15, 1944

  • News 1968 - February 17 - Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Springfield Mass, opens

    historyorb.com
    February 17, 1968



Old Photos, Pictures, Advertisements and Postcards from Springfield, Massachusetts, USA


Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

Postcard
Pinterest
Winchester Park Fire Apparatus

Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

Advertisement
Pinterest
J. R. Hewitt Saddle, Harness and Trunk Maker.
Corner of Main and E. Bridge Streets., Springfield, Mass.

Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

Advertisement
Pinterest
Webster's International Dictionary
G. &. C. Merriam Co., Publishers
Springfield, Mass.

The Ladies' Home Journal
May 1898

G. & C. Merriam Company, established by George and Charles Merriam in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1831, publisher and reviser of Noah Webster's American Dictionary beginning in 1847. snaccoperative.org

Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

Advertisement
Pinterest
The New Game
Conette
Sold Everywhere
Two Styles 25 & 50 Cts.
Milton Bradley Co., Springfield, Mass.

The Ladies' Home Journal
November 1898

Founded in 1860, Milton Bradley Company is the oldest game manufacturer in the United States. Over the years Milton Bradley has marketed such classics as The Game of Life, Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, Twister, and Yahtzee. Since 1984 the company has operated as a division of the world’s largest toy company, Hasbro, Inc. encyclopedia.com

Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

Advertisement
Pinterest
Highest Award World's Fair Skates
Barney & Berry, Springfield, Mass.

The Ladies' Home Journal
December 1898

The Barney & Berry company was founded at the old Warner's pistol plant near Springfield, Massachusetts. It was started by Everett Barney, a former supervisor of a small arms manufacturer during the Civil War who spent many a winter on the frozen ponds of nearby Framingham, and his old friend John Berry in 1865. Barney and Barney manufactured five hundred skates in their first... Read MORE...

Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

Postcard
Pinterest
Theatre

Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

Postcard
Pinterest
View of Court Square from City Hall, Springfield, Mass.

Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

Postcard
Pinterest
Main Street Arch

Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

Postcard
Pinterest
Crescent Hill Residences, 1905

Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

Postcard
Pinterest
School and Hose 4 House, Mittineague

Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

Postcard
Pinterest
1908 Court Square

Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

Postcard
Pinterest
Court House, 1908

Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

Postcard
Pinterest
Y.M.C.A. Building

The Springfield Young Men’s Christian Association was established in 1852, the same year that Springfield became a city. It was only the second YMCA in the country, and the fourth in the world, after London, Montreal, and Boston... lostnewengland.com

Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

Postcard
Pinterest
Chiefs of Fire Departments

Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

Postcard
Pinterest
First Church

First Church of Christ, Congregational, or Old First Church, is a historic church at 50 Elm Street in Springfield, Massachusetts. Built in 1819, the present structure is the fourth church building on the site, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. wikipedia

Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

Postcard
Pinterest
Post Office and Custom House

Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

Postcard
Pinterest
Winchester Park Fire Station

Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

Postcard
Pinterest
The Cooley Hotel Block, 1911

The original Cooley Hotel on the site was a four-story brick block erected in 1849 by Justin M. Cooley (exact footprint uncertain). It was expanded with an additional structure in the 1860s (footprint uncertain) for a total of 85 rooms by 1882. historic-structures.com

Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

Postcard
Pinterest
Connecticut Valley Historical Society, 1912

Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

Postcard
Pinterest
Select Stock at Forest Park

Forest Park in Springfield, Massachusetts, is one of the largest urban, municipal parks in the United States, covering 735 acres (297 ha) of land overlooking the Connecticut River. Designed by the renowned landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted... It is the site of America's first public, municipal swimming pool... wikipedia

Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

Postcard
Pinterest
Main Street, 1915

Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

Postcard
Pinterest
Town Hall and Common West

Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

Postcard
Pinterest
New Police Department Building, 1917

Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

Postcard
Pinterest
West State Street, 1919

Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

Postcard
Pinterest
Public Library

Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

Postcard
Pinterest
Dancing at Riverside Park

Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

Postcard
Pinterest
State Street, West to Mass. Mutual Life Insurance Co.

Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

Postcard
Pinterest
Springfield Institution for Savings and Court House

Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

Postcard
Pinterest
Central High School, 1929

Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

Postcard
Pinterest
Barney Residence, Forest Park
Read more about Everett Hosmer BARNEY photo of ancestor

Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

Postcard
Pinterest
Hotel Charles

The Hotel Charles is the successor to Cooley's Hotel, established in 1849 and grown over the years to a complex of five buildings occupying the key parcel between the railroad station and Main St. in Springfield... historic-structures.com

Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

Postcard
Pinterest
St. Michael's Cathedral

Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

Postcard
Pinterest
Swett Bros. Heating & Appliance Co.

History, News and Stories of Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

Add informationAdd History/News/Story
  • 1636 - Springfield is settled and incorporated

    Massachusetts City and Town Incorporation and Settlement Dates
  • THE HISTORY OF SPRINGFIELD, MA. AND THE KING PHILLIP WAR
  • History of Springfield, Massachusetts
  • General Henry Knox and his troops passed through Springfield, Massachusetts in the winter of 1775-76 with a load of 59 cannons pulled by teams of oxen.
    The cannons were captured from the British at Fort Ticonderoga and Crown Point. They were transported from Lake Champlain to Dorchester Heights, Massachusetts and used by George Washington's army on March 17, 1776 (Evacuation Day) to free Boston from British control during the American... Read MORE...


    Read more about Henry KNOX photo of ancestor
  • News  1786 - August 29 - Shays' Rebellion in Springfield, Mass
    Shays‍'​ Rebellion was an armed uprising in Massachusetts (mostly in and around Springfield) during 1786 and 1787. Revolutionary War veteran Daniel Shays led four thousand rebels (called Shaysites) in rising up against perceived economic injustices by Massachusetts, and later on attempted to... Read MORE...


    Read more about Daniel Ogden SHAYS photo of ancestor
  • News  1836 - October 24 – The earliest United States patent for a phosphorus friction match is granted to Alonzo Dwight Phillips of Springfield, Massachusetts.

    wikipedia.org
    October 24, 1836

    Read more about Alonzo Dwight PHILLIPS
  • 1839 - Springfield
    Springfield, Massachusetts
    Chief town, Hampden county. This is one of the most beautiful and important inland towns in New England. It is situated on the east bank of Connecticut river, and is supplied with a good hydraulic power by Chickopee and Mill rivers. It is 87 miles W. by S. from Boston,... Read MORE...

  • 1845 - SPRINGFIELD. [Pop. 10,985. Inc. 1636.]
    Springfield was called Agawam by the Indians.

    The township was originally very extensive, including Longmeadow, Wilbraham, and Ludlow, on the eastern side of Connecticut River; West Springfield, Westfield, and Southwick, on the western side; with Suflield, Enfield, and Somers, which fell ... Read MORE...

  • 1852 - Springfield is incorporated as a city

    Massachusetts City and Town Incorporation and Settlement Dates
  • 1854 - Springfield
    Springfield, a city and seat of justice of Hampden county, Massachusetts, is situated on the left bank of the Connecticut river, at the intersection of the Connecticut Valley, and the New Haven Hartford and Spring field railroads with the Western railroad, 98 miles W. by 8. from Boston, 58 miles S. ... Read MORE...

  • News  1854 - The Destructive Gale - Its Effects at the East.
    ...The unroofing of the great railroad depot at Springfield is described of wind force. The cars had just left for Hartford, and were just coming in from New-York, when about 300 feet of the roof was lifted off and scattered about in the streets, crushing several adjacent roofs, and demolishing... Read MORE...

  • News  1864 - Great Fire in Springfield, Mass. - Loss $106,000.
    SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Sunday, July 24. - A fire broke out broke about 12:30 on Saturday night in a wooden building on Main-street in this city, occupied by JAMES MALLY, dry goods dealer, and GEORGE M. LAW, clothing warehouse. The ? destroyed, and the fire spread to the Music Hall block, a brick... Read MORE...

  • News  1873 - MASSACHUSETTS. A TERRIBLE FIRE RAGING---THE SPRINGFIELD REPUBLICAN OFFICE DAMAGED.
    SPRINGFIELD, Feb. 5. - A fire broke out this evening in the block occupied by the Merchants' Union Express and Massachusetts. Mutual Life Insurance Company, and in a short time the flames enveloped the block. The heat became so intense that the compositors in the Springfield Republican office, the... Read MORE...

  • News  1888 - THE SPRINGFIELD FIRE. DONOHUE, THE COMPOSER, IS DEAD, MAKING SEVEN VICTIMS IN ALL.
    SPRINGFIELD, Mass., March 8. - There is little to add to the story of the fire which wrecked the Daily Union office and building yesterday. A great deal of adverse criticism is heard on all sides regarding the bungling work of the hook and ladder men, and also what seems the criminal negligence in... Read MORE...

  • Springfield Massachusetts, 1890
    SPRINGFIELD, the capital of Hampden County, is a beautiful, industrial, and progressive city, in latitude 42° 6' 4'', north and longitude 72° 35' 45'', west, 98 miles southwest of Boston by the Boston and Albany Railroad, having a population of 37,575. It is finely situated on the east bank of the... Read MORE...

  • 1891 - First Basketball Game
    First basketball game played in Springfield
  • News  1892 - January 15 – James Naismith's rules for basketball are published for the first time in the Springfield YMCA International Training School's newspaper, in an article titled "A New Game."

    wikipedia.org
    January 15, 1892

    Read more about James NAISMITH photo of ancestor
  • 1892 - March 11 – First basketball game ever played in public, between students and faculty at the Springfield YMCA.
    The final score is 5–1 in favor of the students, with the only goal for the faculty being scored by Amos Alonzo Stagg. A crowd of 200 spectators watches the game.
    wikipedia.org
    March 11, 1892
  • News  1893 - September 21 - First Gasoline-Powered Automobile
    The first successful gasoline-powered automobile was perfected by Charles and Frank Duryea in Springfield.

    September 21 – Brothers Charles and Frank Duryea drive the first gasoline-powered motorcar in America on public roads in Springfield, Massachusetts.
    www.e-referencedesk.com/ resources/state-history-timeline/ massachusetts.html
    September 21, 1893
  • News  1893 - Big Fire at Springfield.
    SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Nov. 22.- Fire broke out in the Worthington Street Block, owned by I. I. Dexter & Co., about 12:30 this morning, and that, with one adjoining, are burning. The firemen expect to hold the flames in these two buildings, although the result is in doubt.

    Henry Dickinson is half... Read MORE...

  • 1895 - Springfield
    Springfield, a city and seat of justice of Hampden co., Mass., is situated on the left bank of the Connecticut River, at the intersection of the New York, New Haven & Hartford, New York & New England, and Connecticut River Railroads with the Boston & Albany Railroad, 98 miles W. by S. of Boston, 58 ... Read MORE...

  • News  1897 - FIRE IN SPRINGFIELD, MASS. The Opera House Burned and Two Persons Overcome by Smoke.
    SPRINGFIELD, Mass., April 5. - A stubborn fire which broke out in the Gilmore Opera House at 11:30 o'clock to-night gutted the block and caused a loss of between $80,000 and $100,000.

    The fire is supposed to have started in the Acme Laundry, and had gained such headway before it was discovered... Read MORE...

  • News  1900 - PECULIAR RAILWAY ACCIDENT.
    Passengers on 7:16 Train Last Evening Get a Little Shock.

    The passengers in the smoking car on the train on the New York, New Haven and Hartford railroad, due in this city at 7:16 last evening, were surprised and shaken up by the sudden crashing of five windows on one side of the car and the... Read MORE...

  • News  1905 - January 6 - BIG FIRE IN SPRINGFIELD - THE CITY HALL DESTROYED; LOSS, $50,000
    Springfield, Mass., Jan. 6 - Springfield's City hall, valued at more than $30,000, was destroyed by fire in less than an hour today. The fire was discovered in the assembly hall at 12.45 by employees of a food fair being held in the hall. There were probably fifty people in the building and the... Read MORE...

  • 1906
    Springfield, a city and seat of justice of Hampden co., Mass., is situated on the left bank of the Connecticut River, here crossed by several bridges, on the New York, New Haven and Hartford, the Boston and Albany and other railroads... Springfield is one of the handsomest towns in the state. The... Read MORE...

  • News  1907 - BIG PUBLISHING HOUSE BURNED - Phelps Co., at Springfield, Mass., Sustain Loss Estimated at $1,000,000 - Spontaneous Combustion Started Fire.
    Springfield, Mass., Jan. 28. - The entire plant of the Phelps Publishing Company, comprising four buildings and covering nearly an acre of ground, was destroyed by fire to-day, causing a loss estimated at $1,000,000. No one was injured.

    The fire started from spontaneous combustion among some... Read MORE...

  • News  1907 - HURT BY JUMPING FROM CAR. Brakeman Thought Car Would Overturn and Leaped.
    William H. Whalen, a brakeman employed by the Boston and Albany railroad, was seriously hurt late yesterday afternoon by jumping from a car which was being switched in the local freight yard. The car collided with another one, the forward trucks leaving the rails and the end being crushed like an... Read MORE...

  • News  1910 - TEAMS STRUCK BY AUTOMOBILE.
    The heavy automobile truck used by the New England telephone company to carry supplies for the linemen collided with two teams at the corner of Chestnut and Sharon streets Tuesday morning and seriously injured one of the horses. The auto skidded and struck first a team owned by Nicholas Zeo,... Read MORE...

  • News  1910 - EXPRESS OFF RAILS
    Two Mail Clerks and an Engineer Badly Injured.
    ACCIDENT AT SPRINGFIELD, MASS.

    Springfield, Mass., March 15 - Two mail clerks and an engineer were seriously injured today when the New York express, bound for Springfield from New York on the New York, New Haven & Hartford railroad, jumped the... Read MORE...

  • News  March 6, 1930: Clarence Birdseye's first frozen food appeared in grocery stores in Springfield, MA

    The Old Farmer's Almanac www.almanac.com
    March 6, 1930
  • 1935 - Friendly's Ice Cream is founded in Springfield
    Friendly's was founded in 1935, at the height of the Great Depression, by brothers Prestley and Curtis Blake in Springfield, Massachusetts. The Blake brothers opened a small ice cream shop named "Friendly", selling double-dip cones for 5 cents each. wikipedia
    friendlys.com /about-friendlys/about-us
  • 1938 - "Long Island Express" - HURRICANE, FLOODS SWEEP NEW ENGLAND. 296 WERE KILLED IN STORM ALONG ATLANTIC COAST; PROPERTY DAMAGE ENORMOUS.
    ...At Springfield, the grandstand at the Eastern States exposition ground collapsed, injuring four and when 10,000 spectators stampeded in panic, scores were trampled.

    Failure of power and telephone service left doctors to perform emergency operations by search light and cut residents of many... Read MORE...

  • 1944 - HURRICANE HITS NEW YORK AND NEW ENGLAND COASTS. HIGH WINDS LASH JERSEY, LONG ISLAND.
    ...About one-fourth of the city of Springfield was without lights.
    Also about 100 families there were evacuated from a housing project as a precautionary measure. They were bedded in a school on cots and blankets furnished by the Red Cross...
    The Troy Record
    Troy, New York
    September 15, 1944

  • News  1968 - February 17 - Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Springfield Mass, opens

    historyorb.com
    February 17, 1968

    Read more about James NAISMITH photo of ancestor


Springfield, Massachusetts, USA Genealogy

Ancestors Who Were Born or Died in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

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Ancestors buried in Springfield - Cemeteries in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA

Springfield Cemetery

Oak Grove Cemetery

Genealogy Resources for Springfield

1896 Springfield, Massachusetts City Directory

Springfield Republican, Springfield, Massachusetts

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