This month brings a Revolutionary War tale to The Hub in Market Square –
From the Mayor’s Office:
As part of Chicopee’s 250th Celebration, join historian Dr. Dan Breen for an engaging presentation on the Revolutionary War and the remarkable story of Henry Knox’s “Noble Train of Artillery.”
Discover how the capture of Fort Ticonderoga and the extraordinary transport of 59 cannons across Massachusetts helped bring an end to the Siege of Boston and changed the course of American history. Experience history the way it was once shared—out loud and among neighbors.
Open to the Public
Admission: FREE
Location: The HUB at Market Square, 31 Springfield Street, Chicopee, MA 01020
Date: June 25, 2026
Time: 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
This program is presented in partnership with Elms College and is sponsored by the Mass Cultural Council and the Chicopee Cultural Council.
The Chicopee Historical Society is proud to support this interesting program.
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Our next program will be a talk on the legendary flyer Maude Tait, born in Chicopee, whose home base was the Springfield Airport during the Roaring Twenties and early 1930s. She competed and won in several air races, including against the famed Ameila Earhart. Sue Bousquet, docent at the Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History, will present on this remarkable woman.
The event is free and open to the public, 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 17th in the Bazan Community Room of the Chicopee Public Library, 449 Front Street, Chicopee, Mass. This program was rescheduled after having been postponed earlier this spring. After the event, the Historical Society will conduct a brief annual business meeting.
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Congratulations to our friends at the Edward Bellamy Memorial Association, which will have a role in this year’s Dublin Seminar for New England Folklife, which is an ongoing series of conferences, exhibitions, and publications exploring the everyday life, work, and culture of New England’s past. The Bellamy House is to be featured in this year’s event in June, and we’ll have more details in weeks to come.
For information about the 2026 Dublin Seminar, including a schedule and registration, click here.
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Congratulations as well to our neighbors in Holyoke, which benefitted in grants from the Community Preservation Act in the total amount of $691,960. Among the projects which will receive funding this year are the restoration of the 100-year-old carousel horses operated by the Friends of Holyoke Merry-Go-Round, the Wistariahurst Museum, and several architectural and landscaping projects throughout the city.
From the Community Preservation Act website: “CPA is a state law passed in 2000 that allows Massachusetts communities to conduct a referendum to add a small surcharge on local property taxes. When combined with matching funds from the statewide Community Preservation Trust Fund, this dedicated fund is used to build and rehabilitate parks, playgrounds, and recreational fields, protect open space, support local affordable housing development, and preserve historic buildings and resources.”
Currently, 201 towns and cities in Massachusetts have adopted CPA, from cities as large as Boston to towns as small as Granville. Our neighbors Holyoke and Springfield both are CPA cities and benefit from the funds raised to help their communities in various ways. The Chicopee Historical Society sincerely hopes that one day Chicopee will introduce a referendum to adopt the Community Preservation Act in our city.
Want to know more? Information about the CPA can be found here.
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