http://www.longmeadowhistoricalsociety.org/

Longmeadow Historical Society, 697 Longmeadow Street, Longmeadow, MA (2026)

09/05/2026

Happy 194th birthday to Sarah Williams Storrs!

09/03/2026

***Next week's special presentation at the Storrs Library on the technological and ecological revolution that was Benjamin Franklin's invention of the Franklin Stove has us thinking about other early New England inventions, including this one by a curious Longmeadow resident, William Sheldon. More Information and registration available on our website***

Among the many fascinating items in the Longmeadow Historical Society’s Cabinet of Curiosities, one stands out as being particularly intriguing – a Naime Cylinder Type Electrostatic Machine. It is a type of frictional electrostatic machine that generates static electricity through the process of rubbing materials together.

As with many puzzling items in our collection, learning answers to three key questions helps us to learn more about the item: What is it? Who owned it? Why is it in our collection at the Storrs House Museum?

Part 1: What is it?

With our modern technology it was easy to quickly identify our device as a Nairne-Type Electrostatic Generator. In the late 18th century, Edward Naime, an English optician and scientific instrument maker invented the device.

Here's a brief overview of how it works:

· Glass Cylinder: The machine features a glass cylinder that is rotated by a hand crank.

· Rubbing Pad: A leather pad, often covered with silk or horsehair, is rubbed against the glass cylinder to generate static electricity.

· Charge Transfer: The generated charge is transferred to a conductor, which can then be stored or used for experiments.

Nairne's design improved upon earlier electrostatic machines by increasing the surface area of the glass in contact with the rubbing pad, making the generator more efficient. More importantly, it has a distinctive design that is easy to identify among the dozens of generators invented and manufactured in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Almost a century ago, the Longmeadow Historical Society inventoried the contents of its collection. The accession record identified the device as a "Shaker Electrostatic Machine" and attached a photograph to the worksheet. They permanently assigned it number 19XX-669 and promptly moved it storage in the basement of the Storrs House.

Strangely, a closer look at the attached picture revealed what appeared to be another Storrs House “Frankenstein” - a piece that seems to be comprised of various parts from various places. The wooden stand that the electric machine sat in seems to actually be a dough box with turned legs. There are many examples in collections and online but none in the Longmeadow Historical Society collection. The machine in the picture is significantly different from the one in the collection. Since the inventory sheet was created in 1930, it might be that the society chose to add the picture of a similar device from another collection as a sample.

Part 2: Who Owned It?

William Sheldon was a notable figure in Longmeadow, MA, known for his eccentric personality and various scientific interests. He was variously described as a gentleman, author, and retired farmer. Other sources referred to him as a Prophet and a Hermit. We know a great deal about him from his own writings, published books and various narratives written during his lifetime and later after his death.

Over the course of his life, William Sheldon pursued numerous scientific, philosophical and religious interests. He read many of the scientific journals of the day, especially those from Europe. He studied Franz Mesmer and was very familiar with the evolution of electricity during his lifetime. He was particularly drawn to Baron Carl Von Reichenbach and the Concept of Odic Force. The name was coined by von Reichenbach in 1845 in reference to the Germanic god Odin. It was a hypothetical vital energy or life force that he conceived as allied with electricity, magnetism, and heat.

Sheldon tells us in his writings, “For a number of years, commencing early in 1852, I was engaged in a series of experiments on the recently discovered imponderable element, od-force or odyle. These experiments led to interesting results. A number of important discoveries, concerning the nature and properties of the new element, were achieved.”

His obituary gives an intriguing insight. In a section titled “His “Odic” Experiment” we find the following: “Squarely pointed wands were a part of the apparatus by which he conducted his odic experiments …” Does this refer to the electric machine?

Part 3: How did it end up in our collection?

With an eye towards historic preservation, the Storrs family and residents of the Storrs house collected and saved hundreds, perhaps thousands of items. When the house was moved to its current location, the ell in the rear was removed, it contained many of the items in the current Longnmeadow Historical Society collection.

William Sheldon is thought to have been the longest resident of the Storrs house in its 240-year history. After the death of father in 1818, his mother Eunice Williams, a granddaughter of Reverend Stephen Williams, moved into the Storrs house with her widowed sister, Sarah Williams Storrs. Sheldon joined them and resided in the house after his mother and aunt’s deaths. Sometime between 1858 and 1860 his uncle, Eleazar Storrs, moved back to the Storrs home from Springfield. Sheldon built a house in the North End of Longmeadow near what is now Forest Park where he lived the remainder of his life.

Did William Sheldon leave the Electric Machine when he moved? Unfortunately, while there are several death inventories and wills, none to date is a specific itemized list of every item. Maybe someday we will have the answer.

Come visit the Storrs House Museum and see what may have been William Sheldon’s Electric Machine.

-Contributed by Bob Abel, Longmeadow Historical Society

09/02/2026

Town of Longmeadow to Plant Liberty Tree and host a Public Reading of the Declaration of Independence
LONGMEADOW. The Town of Longmeadow’s Revolution 250 Committee, organized by the Longmeadow Historical Society in partnership with representatives from other town groups, will hold “Celebrating Our Declaration of Independence: A Public Reading and the Planting of the Tree of Liberty” on Sunday, October 4, 2026 at 1:00 pm on the Town Green. Longmeadow’s Town Meeting supports this event, and all are welcome to renew our commitment to democracy and freedom.
After the July 4, 1776 Declaration of Independence, Massachusetts towns all held public readings of the Declaration. We celebrate that reading with a shared reading by Longmeadow youth. Longmeadow’s Tree Committee is working with Town Moderator Rebecca Townsend and the Longmeadow Historical Society to organize the event. All public and private schools in Longmeadow have been invited.
Lou Kornet, of the Longmeadow Tree Committee noted that “The Longmeadow Town Tree Committee will join a nationwide initiative by planting a “Liberty Tree”, an American Elm, in honor of the 250th anniversary celebration of our country. The original Liberty Tree—a massive elm tree located near the Boston Common—served as a rallying point for the Sons of Liberty to protest British colonial policies. The term Liberty Tree was often used to describe a large tree that was used as a landmark for communities to gather and discuss important news of the times.”
The Longmeadow Historical Society added, "The Longmeadow Historical Society has witnessed the sesquicentennial and the bicentennial celebrations of our nation's founding, and we look forward to celebrating the semiquincentennial!”
Town Moderator Rebecca Townsend said, “I look forward to hearing those who are the future of our nation reaffirm the principles in the Declaration of Independence. The date is also symbolic, as Massachusetts town meetings were the places where declarations of independence were first made, as early as October 4, 1774.”
The event will include Sign Language Interpreters. The event will coincide with the Tour of Homes, Sunday, October 4, 2026, 1:00 PM on the Town Green.

09/01/2026

The Storrs House Museum will be open on Wednesday, September 2nd from 1-4 p.m. Come see us!

08/31/2026

This photograph by Paesiello Emerson was taken in September 1910 and the subject was Margaret Taylor aged 12 years. Other photographs show her 2 sisters, a brother and her mother. Margaret was the daughter of Palmer and Lena Taylor and resided at 812 Longmeadow Street. On April 28, 1919 Margaret married Wilbur F. Young Jr. The couple had 2 children. In 1918 Wilbur’s father died and Wilbur became president of the company that his father Wilbur and his mother Mary Ida had founded; W. F. Young Inc. This company started producing a horse liniment, Absorbine, in 1892 and went on to create a human use version know as Absorbine Jr. in 1903. Unfortunately Wilbur died at age 30 when he and Margaret were visiting Bermuda in 1928 . He apparently had been ill for several months preceding this. W. F. Young had become a very successful business by that time and following the death of her husband Margaret inherited an estate worth approximately $1.1 million which is $18.7 million today. Margaret’s mother in law, Mary Ida Young, became president of W.F. Young and held this position until 1957 when Wilbur F. Young III (Margaret’s son) and Sadie Stephenson Young (Mary Ida’s daughter) became co-presidents.
Margaret resided at 2 Colony Rd in Springfield (Colony Hills) and had a summer home at Groton Long Point in Connecticut.

In 1931 she married Edwin Stanley Taylor who was to become headmaster at Monson Academy. Margaret thus became a Taylor again.

Edwin Taylor died at 60 years of age in 1956. Margaret (Taylor) Young Taylor died at 82 years of age in 1980 and was residing in Connecticut at the time of her death. She was survived by her son and daughter along with 10 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren.

One of her brothers, Berkeley, was the subject of a previous history note https://bit.ly/3Tj9tHd .

08/27/2026

***Today's History Note celebrates the First Day of School today for Longmeadow's students and teachers. Enjoy a look back at the history of one of our town's greatest treasures: Blueberry Hill School!***

The mid-1950s was a whirlwind of school planning and building in town. Prior to 1955, Longmeadow junior high students finished 9th grade at the Junior High on the green (presently part of Center School) and boarded trolleys or buses headed to one of the high schools in Springfield to complete their education.

In 1955, Longmeadow responded to a boom in residential construction and population growth by constructing its own first high school on Grassy Gutter Road to house students in Grades 10-12. The 9th Grade soon joined them. Wolf Swamp Road School opened the next year in 1956 to relieve the overcrowding at the Norway Street School off Maple Road. And in September 1957, Blueberry Hill School welcomed students in Kindergarten through Grade 6. Imagine how busy town meetings and school committees must have been in those years as important decisions about budgets and school district boundaries were being made.

Blueberry Hill School was constructed to handle the overflow of elementary school students from the Converse Street School which had been built around 1918. The land east of Burbank Road had not been developed into neighborhoods yet, but would be after school construction had begun. Annual Reports from the time are filled with warrant articles about the naming of streets, paving of roads, and infrastructure related to water and sewer systems in the area off Bliss Road near the high school.

Blueberry Hill School opened its doors in September 1957 to 200 elementary school students under the leadership of Principal Ronald G. Billings, who had previously held the same role at the Converse Street School. As far as the name “Blueberry Hill,” it is hard to find any solid evidence pointing to an abundance of blueberry bushes in the area. Perhaps it’s true that the area was a great place for picking, but it is also possible that it was just a nice-sounding name.

Interestingly, the famous song of the same name by Fats Domino was released in September of 1956, and became a chart-topper after a November 1956 appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. Surely, workers on the school construction site and in households around town were humming along to the tune as they went about their work. The song was popular in other versions all throughout the 1940s as well, but it was Fats Domino’s take that had staying power.

Even as initial construction on all three new schools was occurring in the 1950s, it was already apparent that each building was going to need additions in the years to come to meet the needs of a rapidly growing town population. As a matter of fact, other sites were also being looked at as potential sites for additional school buildings, including an area of Emerson Road.

In time, the Converse and Norway Street Schools were turned over for other purposes in town and the additions to Center, Wolf Swamp and Blueberry Hill School have been sufficient to house Longmeadow’s youngest learners.

08/24/2026

This home on Longmeadow Street, adjacent to the Green, was built in approximately 1713 probably by Nathaniel Bliss. By 1744 the home belonged to Matthew Keep and it remained in the Keep family until 1865. It was eventually sold to Louis and Bertha Stuckert in 1880 with its 29 acres. Both Louis and Bertha had emigrated from Germany at 16 years and 1 year of age respectively. They had 8 children together. The family owned and operated a successful hotel, restaurant and clothing store in downtown Springfield. In the late 1890s coinciding with the introduction of the trolleys into Longmeadow the family opened up Stuckert’s Grove on the property and eventually added a pavilion. It became a very popular recreational area well known for picnics and clambakes and lasted into the 1920s. At one point the property covered 40 3/4 acres. The home was sold by the Stuckert family in 1966.

08/20/2026

***Today's History Note highlights two paintings in our collection at the Storrs House Museum. The artist, Sarah A. Coomes Colton, carefully demonstrated the skills she learned as a student studying art at Thetford Academy in Vermont in the 1850's.***

Two charming folk art paintings in the collection of the Longmeadow Historical Society bear the hallmarks of the kind of work educated young women in mid-19th century America produced.

We are lucky to know the name of the artist of both pieces: Sarah Amelia Coomes Colton (1836-1922). Residing all of her life in Longmeadow, MA, her obituary does mention that she was educated in public schools and at Thetford Academy in Vermont. Though it is unclear how old Sarah Coomes Colton was at the time she attended Thetford Academy, her curriculum at the school would have included painting. A school advertisement from the era mentions, “The School is divided into two departments, English and Classical. Instruction is given in the Elementary and Higher English Branches, Latin, Greek, French, Drawing, Painting, and Music. Students are fitted for College, for professional teachers, or business.” Music, painting, and drawing added an extra $8 to the $4 tuition charged per term. That seems like quite a financial commitment.

So who were Sarah’s parents? Her father, Elias Coomes, was featured in an earlier History Note after we acquired his picture from eBay recently showing him wearing his militia uniform. He was a farmer in town whose real estate was valued at $5000 on the 1850 census, about double what the average farmer’s real estate value was. His unexpected death in 1851 at the age of 44 following a fall from the roof of a brick kiln left his wife alone to raise three young children. It is unclear if his daughter Sarah, who was fourteen at the time of her father’s death, attended Thetford Academy in Vermont before or after his loss, though his death surely must have been a significant financial hardship on the family She does appear on the 1850 register of the District 1 Schoolhouse in Longmeadow.

Both paintings are on canvas. One piece, “Chatsworth - Home of the Duke of Devonshire” features a faux-painted wood background and border around a bucolic British scene featuring a bridge, a river, hills, and various estate buildings. These sorts of scenes were popular subjects among schoolgirl painters, even though most had never traveled abroad.

The second piece bears two interesting labels on the back. One shows that it was donated to the Historical Society by J.D. Colton, the son of the artist, and identifies the subject as a “Biblical Scene.” Like the Chatsworth painting, it seems unlikely that young artist would have traveled to any place that looked anything like the scene of the columned building in the painting. For sure, Sarah Coomes Colton would have been familiar with hills and sheep and trees, both in her hometown and in the Vermont area around Thetford Academy.

The other interesting label on the back of the “Biblical Scene” is the canvas maker's mark: “From N.D. Cotton, 7 Tremont Street, Boston.” This mark helps to date the painting to circa 1855-1856. Newspaper advertisements show that N.D. Cotton was in the business of art supplies and stationery for many years in Boston, but only at that location in 1855 and 1856. Sarah Coomes Colton would have been 19 or 20 years old at that point, perhaps too old to be a student at Thetford Academy, but did she continue to practice the skills she learned in her earlier schooling? It’s hard to know, but many young women who attended Academies did so to receive a more refined education to make them better teachers. Perhaps Sarah was working as a teacher at the time she completed these works of art.

In 1861, at the age of 25, Sarah Coomes married Alvah Colton, Jr, also of Longmeadow. Surely, her days of painting would be behind her at that point as she became a successful farmer’s wife and a mother. Did Sarah bring these paintings with her to decorate her new home as she began married life? It is nice to know that her children held onto her paintings, and even nicer that they have found their way into the collection of the Longmeadow Historical Society.

-Contributed by Melissa M. Cybulski, Longmeadow Historical Society

-all images from the collection of the Longmeadow Historical Society with the exception of Thetford Academy advertisement which appeared in The New England Puritan on January 18, 1849

08/16/2026

The First Church is presently undergoing some renovations. The first meeting house was built on the Green in 1716. The second meeting house was built just north of the first meeting house 1767-1768. In 1828 this meeting house was remodeled into the First Church. It was moved from the Green to its present location in 1874. It was remodeled and painted brown. The church was painted white in 1923 which apparently was controversial at the time. It was again remodeled in 1932. These photographs show some of the changes over the years.

Longmeadow Historical Society

09/05/2026

09/03/2026

09/02/2026

09/01/2026

08/31/2026

08/27/2026

08/24/2026

08/20/2026

08/16/2026

Address

Telephone

Website

Alerts

Contact The Organization

Shortcuts

Share

Category

Listing takedown request