With Thanksgiving just two days away, here’s a bit of Chicopee Thanksgiving trivia…wild cranberries once flourished here.
One recorded memory of this is from Richard Inshaw, Jr., the son of Richard B. Inshaw, who is the subject of the Historical Society’s book: Richard B. Inshaw: A Craftsman’s Life and Work in Chicopee, Massachusetts. Richard, Jr., was interviewed in a 1908 article for the Springfield Sunday Republican. He was 77 years old at the time of the interview, recalling what life in Chicopee was like when he arrived here as a small boy with his parents and siblings. From the article as quoted in our book:
“This property [Cabotville] then looked far different than its present appearance. Along the bank of the river were swamps galore, and the land was covered with bushes. There were but three or four dwellings in the neighborhood, and Mr. Inshaw can remember clearly that he used to gather cranberries in the neighborhood of the common, now on West street.”
Special correspondent. (1908, Mar. 22). “A glimpse at old Chicopee: interesting recollections of Richard B. Inshaw, who came to the city in 1834.” Springfield Sunday Republican, p. 4. Newsbank.
The “common” mentioned is now Wisniowski Park. You can see it is still marked as “the common” in this 1855 map, with a lake-like reservoir.
Here below is the area in 1827, looking more as it did when the Inshaw family arrived in 1836. We can see how remarkably in the space of 30 years the neighborhood transformed from a wild cranberry bog to a manufacturing village.
Note: Map reflects Chicopee in 1855, published in 1857.
Wherever you get your cranberry sauce this Thanksgiving, the Chicopee Historical Society wishes you a wonderful holiday!
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We were very pleased at the standing-room-only turnout for our Fisk presentation by Joe Pasternak and Chet Kobierski. We’re sorry that despite so many requests to record it by people who could not attend, it was not recorded by ChicopeeTV.
Thank you so much for those who did attend, and for those who shared comments and memories. Community spirit is fostered best in moments when we can be together. We hope in the future that more of our elderly attendees will bring younger members of their families to learn and enjoy the story of our city.
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The presentation on Dr. Fletcher from October was videotaped by our local ChicopeeTV cable channel, and it is available to watch online here on YouTube at this link.
It is our hope that many future presentations will also be filmed and that you’ll be able to see them either on the ChicopeeTV cable channel or online at their YouTube channel.
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BOOK SALE
There are two more opportunities this coming December to purchase our book locally!
1) RiverMills Senior Center Holiday Craft Fair – Friday, December 5th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., 5 West Main Street, Chicopee Falls. Visit the table of Society vice president, Jacqueline T. Lynch, where the Inshaw book will be sold.
2) The Hub at Market Square (the former library) “Author Stroll” – Thursday, December 11th from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
The Chicopee Historical Society will have a table here among other authors selling their books.
(You can also purchase the paperback, as well as the eBook online — see below.)
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Gift-giving season is coming….you might have heard we have a book for sale that would make a dandy present!
NOW ON SALE !!! AVAILABLE AT ALL OUR MEETINGS AND THROUGH AMAZON in paperback and in eBook (here at this link!)
We’re pleased to announce the launch of the Chicopee Historical Society’s first published book, Richard B. Inshaw: A Craftman’s Life and Work in Chicopee, Massachusetts.
The book is 47 pages and tells the story of an English immigrant’s work and life here in Chicopee dating from the 1830s through to his descendants in the early 20th century and the enormous growth and changes in the city through that era.
The book contains many photos and maps, and a section on the details of his remarkable “Inshaw Rifle” that is in the Historical Society’s collection, and that we hope to put on display in the library when funds become available for us to purchase a museum-quality case. The price is $20.
The book will be on sale at all our presentations, and you can also purchase it in paperback or in eBook from Amazon here. With the holiday season coming up, we think it would make a great gift.
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