Exploring Western Massachusetts: Military

Showing posts with label Military. Show all posts

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Westfield Air Show This Weekend

The Blue Angels in diamond formation.

The Westfield International Air Show takes place this coming weekend, Saturday, August 21, and Sunday, August 22. Gates open at 8:30 a.m. with aerial acrobatics set to take off at 9:30 a.m. The skies will be streaked with aviation excitement until 4:30 p.m. both days. Entry is free, parking $10.

Some of the groups performing include, The Blue Angels, Thunderbirds, Snow Birds and the always-awesome U. S. Army parachute team, The Golden Knights.

In addition to the more than thirty aircraft that will actively perform, there will be sixty display aircraft for air show attendees to explore at ground-level. The 104th Fighter Wing will also be hosting an open-house: A great opportunity to thank our local troops!

For more information, visit the WIAS website: http://www.westfieldairshow.net/

Event:
2010 Westfield International Air Show

Details:
Barnes Air National Guard Base
(Off) Southampton Rd. (Rtes 10 & 202)
Westfield, Mass.
August 21 - 22, 2010, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Admission Free, Parking $10

For a look at a couple of panoramic photos of the Barnes Airport area when it was used as a staging ground for troops leaving for Europe and World War I, take a look at the previous EWM post, Camp Bartlett, Westfield, Mass. (1917)

Photo source: This image from PD Photo.org has been released into the public domain by its author and copyright holder, Jon Sullivan.

Friday, July 30, 2010

The War for the Union Pictorial Envelope - Great Barrington, Mass.

The War for the Union - Pictorial Envelope - Great Barrington, Mass

Each community in Western Massachusetts was expected to send its quota of men to fight in the war between the States.

Early on, when patriotism and war fever were high, volunteers and money were easily found and the war effort flourished. But, as the Civil War waged on and the true cost of union began to be felt, volunteers became fewer and far-between and towns struggled to keep up with their quotas.

Bounties grew higher and higher to attract recruits and it is said that men would sometimes move into the towns that paid more lucrative bounties for enlistment. Towns strained the limits of their budgets and their male populations to provide for the defense of the Republic, ultimately requiring state aid to meet expenses.

Many ladies aid societies sprang up, raising funds to provide necessities and support for the fighting men of Western Massachusetts and the families they left behind.

For an excellent accounting of Berkshire County's cost in blood and treasure in the Civil War, penned in 1871, just five years after the defense of liberty prevailed, visit the genealogytrails.com webpage: Berkshire County, Mass. in the Civil War featuring, A History Of Massachusetts in the Civil War, written by William Schouler at: http://genealogytrails.com/mass/berkshire/civilwar.html.

As always thanks for stopping by and take care.

Image source: Civil War Treasures from the New-York Historical Society, [Digital ID, nhnycw/aj aj04029]
http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/cwnyhs:@field(DOCID+@lit(aj04029))

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Photographs: Knightville Dam and the Westfield River's East Branch

Knightville Dam controls the flow of the East Branch of the Westfield River in Huntington, Massachusetts. Built by the Army Corps of Engineers over the years 1939-1941, the project was a response to the devastating flood of March, 1936, and is just one facet in a comprehensive system of flood protection for the Connecticut River Valley.

On a recent visit, the president of Ireland, Mary McAleese, said of Western Massachusetts: "In Ireland we talk about 40 shades of green, but I think here you must have 140 shades of green." President McAleese is right...and they are all represented in living color at Knightville Reservoir.

It's nice to bring a friend on a walk. Or to make one on the way.

The Westfield's East Branch twists and turns southward to a downriver rendezvous with the Middle and West Branches on its constant journey to the Connecticut River, Long Island Sound and the cold, dark Atlantic.

All days are a gift. Some are a treasure.

Without banks, without sentinels of stone playing walls to water's unthinking rush down the path of least resistance, there would be no rivers, no lakes, no seas. People are like that. Some are banks and some are rivers. Each is necessary to the others' existence.

Beauty is good for the soul. Western Massachusetts is an easy place to find visual joy.

Snow and ice and barren branches and earth annually give way to a thick floral carpet tall with trees and grasses and vines as the pendulum swings to Spring in Western Massachusetts. And the river rolls on...

For more information and directions, visit the Army Corps of Engineers Knightville Reservoir web site at:

http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/recreati/kvd/kvdhome.htm

For general directions, here's a link to a map of the area from Google Maps.

The photographs above were taken along the west side of the river, accessed by going north on Route 112 to Old Worthington Road to the Knightville Wildlife Area Road, as shown on the map. There is parking at the end of the Wildlife Area Road. It is a beautiful walk along the river north from here. The Army Corps web site has directions to the south side of the 1200 foot long dam, which offers a tamer, picnic-tabled and manicured (but no less interesting) section of the reservoir.

And here's a link to an EWM post with autumn photographs of the same area: Photos: The Westfield River's East Branch.

As always, thanks for stopping by and take care.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

The Captain John Potter House, Storrowton Village, West Springfield, Massachusetts

I consider myself pretty handy. I know how to turn a wrench (lefty loosey - righty tighty). I can hang a picture almost straight. One time I ran a fence that stayed up for awhile. But people like Captain John Potter amaze me. We all know one: That person who can do everything. Like they were born with a comprehensive 'how to' manual seared into their brain. Sheetrock, small motor repair, obscure plant identification, gourmet cooking...they got it all up there (tapping temple for emphasis).

John Potter of North Brookfield was such a person. Clockmaker, carpenter, cooper and cabinet-maker. Silversmith, soldier and surveyor. Blacksmith and farmer and prolific pro-creator, father of fifteen. John Potter was an 18th century renaissance man. Born September 12, 1746, in the northeastern Massachusetts town of Ipswich (which, in an interesting aside, was known as "Agawam" to the local native Americans way back when), John Potter was married twice and died once, on October 20, 1818, in North Brookfield, Massachusetts, where he lies at rest today.

And 'tis a well deserved rest, indeed.

Around 1775, John Potter began building, intent on expanding his current living quarters. Every nail and newel, pilaster and panel used in the construction were wrought from John's hands and intelligence. The house on the corner of South Main and Ward Streets, in the middle of the little village of Brookfield's 'North Precinct' (incorporated as North Brookfield in 1812), grew into a work of art as John followed his vision and created a masterpiece. A true patriot, John's labor of love was for a time interrupted by the calling of the American Revolution, during which he suffered the miseries recorded well at Valley Forge.

Nearly two centuries after his passing, Captain John Potter's craftsmanship lives on, the house he so meticulously wrapped around his expansive family like a warm blanket or hug from a father's arms, moved in 1929 to Storrowton Village on the Exposition grounds in West Springfield, Massachusetts, as benefactor Helen O. Storrow followed her own dream of replicating a quaint New England village for the education and entertainment of folks from far and near. To this day, Storrowton succeeds in that mission.

Here are some photos of the Captain John Potter House, taken in 1983 as part of the federally-sponsored Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) and found on the website of the Library of Congress. Better yet, take a peek in when you visit the Eastern States Exposition, which began September 12 and runs through the 28th.

Captions are from the HABS.

Exterior, General View, West Side.

Exterior, South Elevation.

Exterior, Detail of Central Portico, Southwest Entrance.

Exterior, Detail of Windows, Southwest Elevation.

Exterior, Detail of Pilaster Capital Carving, Northwest Porch.

Exterior, Detail of Plaster and Cornice.

Exterior, Detail of Entrance Porch, Northwest Side of House.

Interior, West End Room on First Floor, Detail of Fireplace and Paneling.

Interior, Ballroom from West Corner.

Detail, Fireplace, Paneling and Frieze.

Interior, Dining Hall, View in West Middle Room, First Floor, Fireplace and Cupboard.

To learn more about Storrowton, the Potter House and the Eastern States Exposition (the Big E), visit thebige.com, the website that has it all. A previous post here on EWM, 'Photos: The Eastern States Exposition, West Springfield, Mass., September 1936,' might be worth taking a look at, as well.

As always, thanks for stopping by and take care.

Photo 1: Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey, Digital ID: HABS MASS, 7-SPRIFW, 3-5
Photo 2: Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey, Digital ID: HABS MASS, 7-SPRIFW, 3-1
Photo 3: Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey, Digital ID: HABS MASS, 7-SPRIFW, 3-2
Photo 4: Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey, Digital ID: HABS MASS, 7-SPRIFW, 3-4
Photo 5: Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey, Digital ID: HABS MASS, 7-SPRIFW, 3-6
Photo 6: Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey, Digital ID: HABS MASS, 7-SPRIFW, 3-7
Photo 7: Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey, Digital ID: HABS MASS, 7-SPRIFW, 3-8
Phot0 8: Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey, Digital ID: HABS MASS, 7-SPRIFW, 3-9
Photo 9: Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey, Digital ID: HABS MASS, 7-SPRIFW, 3-10
Photo 10: Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey, Digital ID: HABS MASS, 7-SPRIFW, 3-12
Photo 11: Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey, Digital ID: HABS MASS, 7-SPRIFW, 3-13
Photo 12: Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey, Digital ID: HABS MASS, 7-SPRIFW, 3-11

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Westfield's Memorial Day Parade, 2007

Westfield is a growing city, but when it comes time to honor her war dead and veterans, she hasn't lost her old small-town values. And, with the 104th Air National Guard based here, Westfield residents have long enjoyed a special bond with the brave folks who are charged with the protection and safety of cities and towns throughout the Northeast and beyond.

Westfield has given some of her finest souls to the wars of the Nation, a Nation the blood of her best and brightest helped to build, with rightful claim to a patriotic tradition of volunteer-ism cast as far back as King Philip's War of 1675-76. And she remembers, Westfield does. When the Stars and Stripes glide up and the Anthem is sung, the good folks of Westfield turn out. After all, her veterans - and all who answered the call - deserve no less.

Here are some photographs of the city's Memorial Day Parade, 2007.

The Westfield Police Department.

Veteran's groups. Thank you, Vets!

Westfield High School Marching Band.

Military veterans and vehicles.

The future afoot.

North Middle School Marching Band.

The Polish-American Cavalry Squadron.

Parade wheels.

South Middle School Marching Band.

Cub scouts.

A-10 flyovers.

Amelia Park Skate Club and Children's Museum fire truck.

The Westfield Fire Department.

As always, thanks for stopping by and take care.

Monday, March 24, 2008

Photos: Littleville Lake and Spillway

3.1 mile-long Littleville Lake, in Huntington, Massachusetts, is the result of an Army Corps of Engineers constructed earth and stone dam that restricts the flow of the middle branch of the Westfield river as a method of flood control. Dedicated on October 5, 1965, the nearly quarter-mile long dam was put to the test in the Spring of 1987, when snow melt and April showers brought not only flowers, but 53 feet of flood waters lashing against the unmoving earthen wall of man, the fate of many inextricably tied to the quality of human engineering skills. Those skills proved their value indeed, as the lake reached a harrowing 90% of total capacity before peaking and receding, leaving lots of folks downriver between Huntington and West Springfield to breathe easier.

Here are some photographs of Littleville Lake and spillway, snapped this past Easter Sunday morning.

A long-cold ice fisherman's fire amplifies the quiet desolation of the frozen lake, a poignant reminder of man's lonesome battle for survival: A stark and basic truth unable to be pushed to the back of the mind absent the comfort of manufactured forgetfulness.

The ice was groaning and popping, the lake anxious to break through its Winter shell and greet the newly turned season despite temperatures below 20f and a wind howling steady and strong. These orange booms at the southern end of the lake signal the border between the water's public area and the restricted area closer to the dam. Boats are allowed with a maximum motor size of 10 hp and can be launched from the ramp located off Goss Hill Road. Canoes can be launched from the Dayville section of the middle branch, at the northern tip of Littleville Lake. Both areas offer ample parking.

The northern face of Littleville Dam stretches across the valley, joining hilltops, a bulwark against the watery doom that 'twould be certain in its absence. Two 4' X 8' gates control the flow of water allowed to continue beyond the earthen sentry to join the west and east branches of the trio that becomes the main branch of the Westfield river, which flows through Huntington, Russell, Woronoco, Westfield and West Springfield, merging near Springfield with the steady waters of the Connecticut river on its incessant hurry southward, destined for Long Island Sound.

The south side of the dam from the small parking area at the end of Littleville Road, off Route 112 in Huntington. Beyond the grassy hill, in the cut of land below the bridge, Littleville Lake spillway cascades o'er granite between stone walls forever reshaped by the swirls and pools and eddies of the turbulent stream. I saw a robin hunting worms on my walk over to the spillway: Could Spring truly be upon us?

The roaring cold presence of the rushing river drowns out shouted words as though they were whispers cast careless to the wind. One must be careful on the slippery stones alongside the spillway: Though the deep upper pools with their promise of trout are a powerful lure, a fall into the icy water is a scenario more likely to end in tragedy than in triumph.

The river flows on, testing its sodden banks' limits in an annual rite of Spring. Although no swimming is allowed in Littleville spillway or lake, they are great spots to wet a line, and a draw for local trout fishermen year 'round. Hiking trails on both sides of the lake allow visitors access to many miles of shoreline. For more information, hours and directions, check out the Army Corps of Engineers Littleville web site, and don't forget nearby Knightville Dam on the east branch, another integral part of the Westfield River Valley flood control project. For some photographs of the Knightville area, take a look at the EWM post 'Photos: The Westfield River's East Branch.'

As always, thanks for stopping by and take care.

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Poem: The Arsenal at Springfield, H. W. Longfellow, 1845

"Organ of Muskets," Springfield Armory, c 1940

The Arsenal at Springfield

THIS is the Arsenal. From floor to ceiling,
Like a huge organ, rise the burnished arms;
But front their silent pipes no anthem pealing
Startles the villages with strange alarms.

Ah! what a sound will rise, how wild and dreary,
When the death-angel touches those swift keys
What loud lament and dismal Miserere
Will mingle with their awful symphonies

I hear even now the infinite fierce chorus,
The cries of agony, the endless groan,
Which, through the ages that have gone before us,
In long reverberations reach our own.

On helm and harness rings the Saxon hammer,
Through Cimbric forest roars the Norseman's song,
And loud, amid the universal clamor,
O'er distant deserts sounds the Tartar gong.

I hear the Florentine, who from his palace
Wheels out his battle-bell with dreadful din,
And Aztec priests upon their teocallis
Beat the wild war-drums made of serpent's skin;

The tumult of each sacked and burning village;
The shout that every prayer for mercy drowns;
The soldiers' revels in the midst of pillage;
The wail of famine in beleaguered towns;

The bursting shell, the gateway wrenched asunder,
The rattling musketry, the clashing blade;
And ever and anon, in tones of thunder,
The diapason of the cannonade.

Is it, O man, with such discordant noises,
With such accursed instruments as these,
Thou drownest Nature's sweet and kindly voices,
And jarrest the celestial harmonies?

Were half the power, that fills the world with terror,
Were half the wealth, bestowed on camps and courts,
Given to redeem the human mind from error,
There were no need of arsenals or forts:

The warrior's name would be a name abhorred!
And every nation, that should lift again
Its hand against a brother, on its forehead
Would wear forevermore the curse of Cain!

Down the dark future, through long generations,
The echoing sounds grow fainter and then cease;
And like a bell, with solemn, sweet vibrations,
I hear once more the voice of Christ say, "Peace!"

Peace! and no longer from its brazen portals
The blast of War's great organ shakes the skies!
But beautiful as songs of the immortals,
The holy melodies of love arise.

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1845)

Photo from Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division, Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph Collection, Digital ID: fsa 8b08950, Alfred T. Palmer, photographer, circa 1940

Friday, August 31, 2007

Postcards: The Green, Westfield, Massachusetts

On September 2, 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt visited Massachusetts, stopping in Westfield and appearing before a large crowd that had gathered to hear him speak from a platform on the town Green. Although EWM was unable to find a transcript of that speech in time for this posting, perhaps it wasn't much different than the one he gave the same day in Fitchburg which contained this nugget of wisdom:

(Speaking to the Civil War veterans in attendance) "You had to win as the soldiers of Washington had won before you, as we of the younger generation must win if ever the call should be made upon us to face a serious foe. Arms change, tactics change, but the spirit that makes the real soldier does not change. The spirit that makes for victory does not change.

It is just so in civic life. The problems change, but fundamentally the qualities needed to face them in the average citizen are the same. Our new and highly complex industrial civilization has produced a new and complicated series of problems. We need to face those problems and not run away from them. We need to exercise all our ingenuity in trying to devise some effective solution, but the only way in which that solution can be applied is the old way of bringing honesty, courage and common-sense to bear upon it. One feature of honesty and common-sense combined is never to promise what you do not think you can perform, and then never fail to perform what you have promised. And that applies to public life just as much as in private life."

It's no "Speak softly and carry a big stick," the now-famous line which, interestingly enough, Roosevelt had included in his speech exactly one year earlier at the Minnesota State Fair, yet the timeless wisdom of the above passage certainly demonstrates Roosevelt's ability to inspire and exhort the citizenry just as effectively as that better-known quote.

No Presidents will be gracing Westfield with their presence this Labor Day weekend, but that doesn't mean that the Green won't be a source of inspiration for the folks of Westfield just the same, as the 4th Annual "Westfield Arts on the Green" kicks off its "End of Summer Celebration," on Saturday, September 1. Running all three days of the long weekend, the cultural potpourri will be open for public perusal and participation from 9 a.m to 7 p.m. each day. For more information on the event, visit www.westfieldonweekends.org.

Here are a few old postcards of Westfield's Green, from the Shaffer Collection, kindly donated to EWM by historian Barbara Shaffer. Thanks Barbara!

Where's the statue of General Shepard? Postmarked January 22, 1909, this postcard was mailed over ten years prior to the erection of the tribute to one of Westfield's most-cherished towns-men and historical figures. The Shepard Monument, located south of the Green, celebrates its 88th birthday this coming Monday, having been originally dedicated on September 3, 1919.

The steeple of the Presbyterian Church can be seen in this postcard. In the 1840s, the area on the east-side of the Green was known as "Rum Row," and was a place where no respectable person desired to be seen, and where citizens concerned for their safety dared not tread after dark.

The Green has been the "Common Ground" for Westfield residents since the 1600s, when it was purchased by some of the city's earliest residents and donated for the use of grazing the livestock of Westfield citizens. Trees were planted on the Green as part of a citizen initiative in the mid-1800s. The "Shade Tree Fund" resulted in Elms being planted on the Green and along the main roads leading to it, giving Elm Street the name it has held since.

On a personal note, I can't pass the Green without thinking of my grandfather, who whiled away many an afternoon toward the end of his years sitting on the bench that faced the Post Office with his cronies, watching the world go by from this special patch of land that has itself seen the centuries roll through from its unique vantage point at the city's core.

As always, thanks for stopping by!

September 2, 2010 - Westfield's Green is getting an extreme makeover! Check out EWM post Westfield's Park Square Gets a(n) (Extreme) Makeover for some photographs from the area, snapped two years apart (2008/2010).

Monday, May 28, 2007

Photos: A-10s Over Westfield

A-10s from the 104th Fighter Wing joined Westfield's Memorial Day commemoration, swooping in low over the city several times during this morning's parade, to the enjoyment of the proud townspeople, who have hosted the Air National Guard base near Barnes Airport for decades. The F-15 jet will more than likely be the flyover bird of choice next year, as plans fall into place for it to replace the A-10s,which are expected to be gone from the ANG base by October.

More at EWM: Photo: A-10s Over Springfield.

As always, thanks for stopping by and take care.