Enfield

Here are a few pictures that are copies of postcards taken sometime in the early 1900's before the decision was made to flood the area to make the Quabbin Reservoir.

This is a bird'e eye view of the town of Enfield.

The Congregational Church

The Grammer School

Swift River Company Mill

There are many pictures of the town of Enfield available and it shows that Enfield was an active & vibrant community. The town was incorporated in 1816 and was located at the junction of the branches of the Swift River. The town was then disincorporated on April 28, 1938 in anticipation of the razing of the town & flooding of the town center as part of the development of Quabbin Reservoir. The areas that now house Quabbin Observatory, Enfield Lookout and the main entrance and headquarters of Quabbin State Park, were parts of the original town though most of the town is now underwater. We have been to the Quabbin many times in the past & will add pictures of how the area looks now when we make another trip there. Click on the link for Enfield and you will find several more interesting pictures.

Deerfield

We made our first visit on our journey through Massachusetts on Sunday March 2, 2008 to the town of Deerfield in Franklin County. Actually we basically visited Old Deerfield which is an historic area of the town. We drove from our home in Chicopee about 40 minutes to the historic Deerfield region where they were having a re-enactment of the 1704 Deerfield Massacre. A battle of Queen Anne's War, the early morning raid of the quiet Puritan village by French and Native American forces, razed the village and left 47 dead with over 100 others captured. The battle has gained local notoriety and is marked by a reenactment every year. The surrounding area is a curious mix of old and restored buildings, modern houses, museum buildings that are a favorite field trip destination for students from all over western Mass and the grounds of the prestigious Deerfield Academy.

We visited the Flynt Center for Early New England Life which is part of the museum complex in Old Deerfield. It was very interesting to see the extensive collection of engraved powder horns - something I wouldn't necessarily ever thought of looking at but once you see them, it is very entriguing! Many of them are ornately decorated with the names of their owners and pictures of battles, coats-of-arms or other items of interest to the owner. This powder horn is engraved with the name David Willson 1747.

Dave has been researching his geneaology for several years now and is always looking for names that may connect in some way to his family tree. He knew this was a possible connection and he was right! He has posted the picture on one of his websites and is making the connections.

The rest of the museum had all types of artifacts and one of the best parts is the "attic" which is filled with furniture, dishes, swords, household items and pictures that they own but have not been made part of an official display yet. All items are beautifully preserved, numbered and displayed behind glass with access to computers to get more information about any item. This building is open to the public free of charge.

We also walked to the old burying ground to see if we could find any other of Dave's ancestors because he knows there were Bassett's and Blodgett's in the area at that time. As you can see the stones were pretty much buried in the snow so we will have to make another trip to old Deerfield in the spring or summer.

The last place we stopped in Old Deerfield was outside the post office to take a picture. The building is restored but retains the old world charm.

It was a great day for a drive and a walk outside - seems like spring is on its way!

A Bit About Us

My name is Karen & my husband is Dave. We live in Chicopee, MA now and have both lived in Massachusetts most of our lives.

I was born in Worcester & grew up in Millbury, then moved to Holyoke in 1978 for a job opportunity. I am a registered nurse and have worked with children throughout my career. Currently I am a school nurse in Chicopee.

Dave was born & raised in Springfield. Dave has lived in Holyoke, Easthampton, Springfield and Chicopee, MA as well as Albuquergue, New Mexico. He has been in the auto business all his life and currently is a managing partner of an automotive personnel placement agency.

We are both interested in history and learning more about the world around us so have challenged ourselves to see all the communities in Massachusetts & learn something new about every place we visit. Dave also has done extensive genealogical research & hopefully will be able to add to his vast family tree as we explore Massachusetts.