Here's a collection of local web sites folks might find interesting. From history to sports, the arts to the outdoors, you'll find plenty to peruse surfin' the Western Mass. web!
(Updated: October 5, 2010)
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The Arts
Early American Paintings: Chester Harding
"During his almost fifty-year career, which began in the frontier towns of Kentucky, Missouri, and Ohio and peaked in Boston in the 1830s, Chester Harding painted more than a thousand portraits." --From the Worcester Art Museum web site.
http://www.worcesterart.org/Collection/Early_American/Artists/harding/biography/content.html
Marlene Rye
"Travel in your mind back to a time as a child when you were in the “wilderness”: backyard, vacant lot, roadside, field, or forest. Remember how the world looked as you crawled through the grass, each individual blade becoming a towering tree, rocks transformed into mountains. Visualize looking through the brambles and thickets of your backyard and feeling the enormity of that space juxtaposed with the closeness of the surrounding branches. See a field, feel the openness of the air and the closeness of the warm ground beneath, expanding and contracting the space at the same time. These sensations are at the heart of my work." --Marlene Rye
http://www.marlenerye.com/
"One of the Primitive Sort": Chester Harding Becomes an Artist in the Early 19th-Century Countryside
"Chester Harding, born in Conway, Massachusetts, survived by working in a variety of country crafts as he related in his 1866 autobiography My Egotistigraphy." --From the History Matters web site.
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6476/
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Blogs
Western Massachusetts Blogs (On-site link)
http://explorewmass.blogspot.com/2007/02/wmass-blogs.html
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Commerce & Industry
A Millers Falls Home Page
"This page serves as the directory to an encyclopedic study of the Millers Falls Company for the years in which it was located in Massachusetts." --From the Millers Falls Home Page web site.
http://www.oldtoolheaven.com/
Peerless Handcuff Company
"Peerless® Handcuff Company was established in 1914 in Springfield, Massachusetts. Over eighty years later, the classic swing through design of the original Peerless® handcuff, continues to be the industry standard." --From the Peerless web site.
http://www.peerless.net/about.htm
Shop Western Mass
P.O. Box 303
Turners Falls, Massachusetts 01376
(413) 863-7752
"Welcome to Shop Western Mass, the first online store dedicated solely to products from Western Massachusetts!" --From the Shop Western Mass web site.
http://www.shopwesternmass.com/
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Genealogy
New England Historic Genealogical Society
"Founded in 1845, New England Historic Genealogical Society is the oldest and most respected nonprofit genealogical organization in the country." --From the NEHGS web site.
http://www.newenglandancestors.org/
Western Massachusetts History & Genealogy
"Over the years—in conducting my own family research—I have collected interesting books and ephemera of a historical nature." --From the WMH&G web site.
http://www.westernmasshistory.com/index.shtml
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History
Massachusetts Historical Society
"For more than two centuries the MHS has been collecting and preserving materials relating to the history of our commonwealth and our nation. The holdings of the MHS encompass millions of rare and unique documents and artifacts vital to the study of American history." --From the MHS web site.
http://www.masshist.org/welcome
Massachusetts Poorhouse History
"To provide a clearinghouse for information about 19th century American Poorhouses for ... history buffs, genealogists, teachers/students, and others with a similar interest."--From the Poorhouse Story web site.
http://www.poorhousestory.com/poorhouses_in_massachusetts.htm
Mt. Holyoke Historical Timelines
"The Mt. Holyoke Range is located in the Connecticut River valley of western Massachusetts. It is the home of the Prospect House, the original section of which was built in 1851 with several additions thereafter. Battered by the Great Depression and the Hurricane of 1938, the property was donated to the state. Today the renovated Summit House is the showpiece of Skinner State Park. I created the first version of this historical timeline when I was webmaster for the Friends Of the Mt. Holyoke Range. It is still a work in progress with much more material to add. Please send suggestions, corrections or material to Robb Strycharz." --From the Mt. Holyoke Historical Timelines web site.
http://www.chronos-historical.org/mtholyoke/index.html
The New England Anomaly
"The Journal of Unusual Folklore, History and Lifestyle in the American Northeast." --From the NE Anomaly web site.
http://www.newenglandanomaly.com/
Our Plural History: Springfield, MA
"Our personal history of people places and events makes each of us unique, but our plural history weaves a multifaceted fabric that is more beautiful than its individual threads. Explore Springfield's multicultural past and discover a new sense of place." --From the OPH web site.
http://ourpluralhistory.stcc.edu/
Pioneer Valley History Network
"Celebrating local history in western Massachusetts." --From the PVHN web site.
http://www.pioneervalleyhistorynetwork.org/
Raid on Deerfield: The Many Stories of 1704
"In the pre-dawn hours of February 29, 1704, a force of about 300 French and Native allies launched a daring raid on the English settlement of Deerfield, Massachusetts, situated in the Pocumtuck homeland. 112 Deerfield men, women, and children were captured and taken on a 300-mile forced march to Canada in harsh winter conditions." --From the Raid on Deerfield web site.
http://1704.deerfield.history.museum
Springfield-History.com: A Virtual Historical Society for the City of Springfield, MA
"We will present stories about Springfield's history, advocate for historical preservation, and provide a place for users to contribute their own knowledge of Springfield's past." --From the Springfield-History web site.
http://www.springfield-history.com/
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Maps
Trails, Rails and Roads: Maps (On-site link)
http://explorewmass.blogspot.com/2007/02/maps.html
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Miscellany
Old Man Scanlon's
Genealogy, whales, trains and more!
http://oldmanscanlon.com/
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Museums
Museums of Western Massachusetts (On-site link)
http://explorewmass.blogspot.com/2007/03/museums-of-western-massachusetts.html
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Nature
The Connecticut River Homepage
"A World Wide Web Site Containing Information About the Biology, History, and Geology of New England's Largest River." --Professor Ed Klekowski
http://www.bio.umass.edu/biology/conn.river/
National Wild & Scenic Westfield River
"From its origins in the Berkshire Hills in Western Massachusetts, the Westfield River links together historic villages, prime farmlands, pristine wilderness areas, and waterfalls and gorges of remarkable quality. In recognition of these “outstandingly remarkable” resources, over 78 miles of the Westfield River’s headwater tributaries and three major branches are designated as a National Wild & Scenic River." --From the WRWS web site.
http://www.westfieldriverwildscenic.org
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News
Local News Sources (On-site link)
http://explorewmass.blogspot.com/2007/02/local-media.html
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Photographs & Postcards
Classical High School, Springfield, Massachusetts
The Standard Electric Time Collectors' Photo Gallery
http://clockhistory.com/setclocks/classical_high/
Hampden County Postcards
"These postcards are from Springfield, Massachusetts, most were published in the early 1900's and are considered to be in the public domain." --From the HCP page.
http://www.hampdencountyhistory.com/springfield/postcards/index.html
The Houses of Springfield, Massachusetts
"Welcome to the Houses Of Springfield website. My name is Ralph Slate and I am a Springfield resident who enjoys the older architecture of the city. I've been collecting old photos of Springfield houses and thought it might be a good idea to make them available for others to see." --From the Houses web site.
http://www.housesofspringfield.com
ImageMuseum
"We created this site to collect, display and preserve historical images from cities, towns and places in Western Massachusetts (Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin and Berkshire counties)." --From the IM web site.
http://imagemuseum.smugmug.com
Joe's Wilbraham Photo History Page
"Here you will find possibly the largest on-line gallery of Wilbraham (Massachusetts, USA) photos that exists today." --Joe Roberts
http://www.rocketroberts.com/wilbraham/wilbhis.htm
Lisa's Postcard Page
"Welcome to my postcard page. I have tried to provide information useful to collectors whether they are old or new." --Lisa
http://www.lisaspostcards.com/
(Note: Not a local site, but chock-full of valuable information on postcard history. Trying to fix a date to a postcard? Visit Lisa's...)
Mornings on Maple Street
"A collection of articles, stories, photographs, the Lewis Hine Project, and much more by Joe Manning" --From the Maple Street web site.
http://www.morningsonmaplestreet.com/index.html
The Notch and Other Nearby Places
"I have fond Mountain Day memories of the Notch, a pass on Route 116. I've also included some views from Mount Holyoke (the mountain), and some other nearby views that didn't seem to fit in anywhere else." --From the N&ONP web site.
http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~dalbino/notch.html
Old Photos of Springfield, MA
"My photo collection and some old postcards of others." --From the Old Photos web site.
http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~dickbolt/Springfield.html
Old Postcards of Jacob's Ladder Trail
"Vintage Postcards of Jacob's Ladder Trail, Route 20, Berkshire , Hampden and Hampshire Counties, Massachusetts ; Includes Postcards of Becket, Chester, Huntington, Lee, Russell ,Westfield and Woronoco, Massachusetts." --From the Old Postcards web site.
http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~shirleyb/jacobsladder/index.html
Postcards at EWM (On-site link)
http://explorewmass.blogspot.com/search/label/Postcards
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Sports
Westfield Wheelmen Vintage Base Ball Club
"Our mission is to educate, entertain, preserve, and promote the game of base ball as it was played during its formative years in the city of Westfield during the 19th century." --From the Wheelmen web site.
http://wwvbbc.tripod.com
William "Adonis" Terry - The Forgotten Legend of 19th Century Baseball
"Born in Westfield Massachusetts William Terry, nicknamed "Adonis," spent thirteen full seasons playing in the major leagues, had an amazing career, worthy of Hall of Fame recognition but he has been sadly overlooked. This site is dedicated to his memory." --From the William Terry web site.
http://adonisterry.tripod.com
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Structures
Cinema Treasures: The Paramount
"Built in 1926, at a cost of over $1 million the Paramount Theater was the most ornate theater in Western Massachusetts in its glory days as a picture palace." --From the Cinema Treasures web site.
http://cinematreasures.org/theater/1261/
Historic Buildings of Massachusetts
"This blog will feature historic buildings from throughout Massachusetts, although right now the focus is on Boston, Cambridge and Salem." --From the HBM web site.
http://mass.historicbuildingsct.com/
The Hoosac Tunnel, Florida - North Adams, Massachusetts
"This website strives to be the most robust source of Hoosac Tunnel information on the Internet...On this website you will find old pictures, new pictures, historical information, and maps!" --From the HoosacTunnel.net web site.
http://www.hoosactunnel.net/index.php
Roads and Highways of the Pioneer Valley and Western Massachusetts
"This page specializes in routes and roads of Westfield, Springfield, Pittsfield, Lenox, Lee, Northampton, Agawam, and soon Williamstown, Greenfield, and other hilltowns like Blandford, Otis, Beckett, et cetera, with history and photos." --From the Roads and Highways web site.
http://homepage.mac.com/kefkafloyd/valleyroads/
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Towns & Cities
Choose Springfield, Massachusetts
"Springfield, MA is known as "The City of Homes" because of its abundance of historic and contemporary housing." --From the Choose Springfield web site.
http://www.choosespringfieldmass.com/
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To suggest a web site for listing on this page, please leave a comment or contact: explorewmass@yahoo.com.
As always, thanks for stopping by and take care.
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