The Chicopee Historical Society

The Chicopee Historical Society holds seven meetings each year at the Chicopee Public Library. Meetings are held in March, April, May, June, September, October and November on the third Wednesday of each month at 6:30 P.M. These meetings are free to attend and open to the public.

How Chicopee Celebrated the Revolution
A lecture by Wren Wood
Tuesday, July 28, 2026, 6 – 7 P.M.
Longmeadow Adult Center

What about the American Revolution drove Chicopee citizens to host competing Independence Day celebration in 1836?

Learn about the revolution’s place in public memory through newspaper feuds, speeches and maps with Wren Wood, a docent for the Chicopee Historical Society.

This program is sponsored by the Longmeadow Adult Community Center Fund.

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The Revolutionary War in Chicopee
A lecture by Jacqueline T. Lynch
Wednesday, September 16, 2026, 6:30-8 P.M.
Bazan Community Room, Chicopee Public Library

Who were the Patriots in Chicopee who answered the Revolution’s call?

Join Jacqueline T. Lynch, local author and our Vice President, as she shares the Revolutionary War veterans buried in Chicopee.

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Papermaking in Western Massachusetts
A lecture by Anton Zamachaj
Wednesday, October 21, 2026, 6:30-8 P.M.
Bazan Community Room, Chicopee Public Library

Paper mills were once a staple of factory villages in the Connecticut River valley, even in Chicopee.

Learn about the rise and fall of papermaking in Western Massachusetts with Anton Zamachaj, a former Strathmore Paper employee and now Historical Society docent.

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Author Talk: Honorable Rebellion by Daniel Bullen
Wednesday, November 18, 2026, 6:30-8 P.M.
Bazan Community Room, Chicopee Public Library

Join us for an evening with local author Daniel Bullen as he speaks about his 2024 book, Daniel Shays’s Honorable Rebellion.

“In a meticulously researched narrative, Daniel Bullen tells the story from the people’s point of view, and finds a story of regular people who banded together and kept the peace for five months of protests, as they protected their land and liberties from the powerful financiers and speculators who were abusing their power and seeking to profit at their expense.”

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Watch, Read, Listen

Chicopee Historical Society to unveil book on Inshaw this fall

The Reminder – Jul. 3, 2025

The 40-plus-page booklet will tell the story of one of Chicopee’s eminent figures, largely forgotten, from its 19th century industrial heyday.

July 4, 1851 – The 75th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence

July 4, 1851 was the 75th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. There were 31 states in 1851. Millard Fillmore was…
July 4, 1826 – The 50th Anniversary of 1776

By Jacqueline T. Lynch, Vice President July 4, 1826, was the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of…
July 4, 1801 – The 25th Anniversary of Independence

By Jacqueline T. Lynch, Vice-President Today we have a look back at 1801, the 25th anniversary of the start of…
Celebrating our 250th…in a time machine

The little ladies and gentlemen in the photo above are second graders from the former Alvord School on Broadway in…
Flyer Maude Tait on Wednesday

On Wednesday, our final presentation in the spring 2026 series is on the legendary flyer Maude Tait, born in Chicopee,…
Henry Knox and the Cannon

This month brings a Revolutionary War tale to The Hub in Market Square – From the Mayor’s Office: As part…
News, Notes, and Updates

In addition to the links on the Inshaw Rifle event coverage we included in our last email, today we add…
The Inshaw Rifle Project comes to its successful conclusion

We are very pleased, and to some great measure relieved, that the Inshaw Rifle is now installed in a proper…
Installation of the Inshaw Rifle

Our long-anticipated installation of the Inshaw Rifle is only a week away! The Historical Society is deeply grateful to the Chicopee…
Historic Exhibit Coming Soon!

Mark your calendars for May 20th, as the unveiling of our historic exhibit is only two weeks away! The Historical Society…