For the second year in a row, the Pioneer Valley History Network will sponsor a “History on the Go” day of open houses in the Westfield area, on Saturday, Oct. 5.
The local event, dubbed the Tri-Town History Trail, will highlight local industrial history with stops in Granville, Southwick and Westfield. Between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., anyone can visit any of the five stops, in whatever order they choose. The featured destinations are the Westfield Athenaeum, the Dewey House, the Old Burying Ground, the Southwick History Museum and the Noble & Cooley Center for Historic Preservation.
“The Tri-Town History Trail is one of our big events of the year,” said Cliff McCarthy, with the Pioneer Valley History Network. “With the History on the Go project, we set these trails around Western Mass. in three counties. Each of the locations have their own story to tell and we just want to be sure that the public can view them all.”
The Athenaeum will showcase the history exhibits in its Reed Room. The room has information and artifacts about Westfield history from its founding in 1669 to the present day. The Athenaeum, at 6 Elm St., Westfield, also has a new exhibit on Victorian fashion, with dresses, purses and other clothing and accessories worn in the 19th century. The Athenaeum will also have the Smith Room open, which features a colonial fireplace and kitchen, as well as displays of Victorian artifacts and an exhibit on the history of childhood in Westfield.
Athenaeum Executive Director Guy McLain also said he’ll be asking for visitors to help identify some photographs from the archives that have incomplete information.
“Our archives here and a couple of the other historic sites on the tour have photographs of people, houses and buildings that we haven’t been able to identify,” McLain said. “We’re hoping by putting these photographs out in the historical site, people could come in and maybe recognize a person or particular site to give us more information on those photographs.”
He went on to say, “It’s going to be a photograph identification process. By adding identifications and finding more information on each of these photos, we will be better able to help people in their research inquiries.”
McLain feels that having a day dedicated to seeing these historic sites will help publicize them as resources for learning about the history of this region.
“Westfield is a very interesting city,” McLain said. “It’s very representative of towns that developed into industrial manufacturers. It went from a rural community in the early 1800s and became a center for industrial manufacturing by the end of the 19th century. It’s important for people to understand that, and get a better sense on how this community developed and why it has some of the characteristics it has today.”
The Dewey House, at 87 S. Maple St. (Routes 10 and 202) in Westfield, will have costumed docents taking visitors through the house and show what it was like to live in the 1700s. They will also serve cider and doughnut holes. Built around 1735, the Dewey House was owned by Joseph Dewey, who operated a sawmill on the Little River, just across the street.
Candy Pennington, chair of the Dewey House Trustees, said, “We are hoping for a good turnout. We want the general public to be aware of Westfield’s history, as well as histories of Southwick and Granville. This is a great opportunity to do this.”
The Old Burying Ground is Westfield’s oldest graveyard, at 45 Mechanic St. The oldest documented grave in the 4-acre cemetery is dated 1683. Though a large sign at the entrance explains the burying ground’s history and some of the terminology used on colonial-era gravestones, members of the Westfield Historical Commission will also be on hand to share pictures of some of the people buried there, and answer questions.
“We hope that people will come in,” said Kathleen Palmer, chair of the commission. “We would like them to see the burying grounds, learn a little bit about Westfield history and ask us as many questions as you would like.”
Large monuments at the burying ground entrance honor the Westfield residents who fought in the Revolutionary War, almost two and a half centuries ago.
“This burying ground is exactly the way it was 200 years ago, and it’s important for people to feel that history in Westfield that this is where those people stood where you walk in that cemetery,” Palmer said. “It’s important for people to have access to a site that is in its original condition.”
The Pioneer Valley History Network 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 historic sites an opportunity to open its doors to a larger audience.
For more information on the Tri-Town History Trail and History on the Go dates in other communities, visit pioneervalleyhistorynetwork.org, or email pioneervalleyhistory@gmail.com.
