Wednesday, September 1, 2010

This Month in Western Massachusetts History: September


B O R N :

1 Sept 1792 - Chester Harding - (1 Sept 1792 - 1 Apr 1866) - Portrait Artist - Born in Conway, resided 36 years in Springfield

6 Sept 1946 - Francis Xavier Healy - (6 Sept 1946 - ) - Major League Baseball Catcher; Sports Broadcaster - Born in Holyoke

15 Sept 1974 - Creighton Williams Abrams, Jr. - (15 Sept 1914 - 4 Sept 1974) - U.S. Army General; Army Chief of Staff - Namesake of the M1 Abrams Tank - Born in Springfield, raised in Feeding Hills - Buried in Arlington National Cemetery

27 Sept 1966 - Stephanie Diana Wilson - (27 Sept 1966 - ) - Engineer; NASA Astronaut - Lived in Pittsfield

30 Sept 1824 - Charles Pomeroy Stone - (30 Sept 1824 - 24 Jan 1887) - U. S. Army Officer; Surveyor; Engineer, Statue of Liberty Foundation and Pedestal, etc. - Born in Greenfield



D I E D :

4 Sept 1974 - Creighton Williams Abrams, Jr. - (See above)

11 Sept 1851 - Sylvester Graham, Rev. - (5 Jul 1794 - 11 Sept 1851) - Creator of the Graham Cracker; Dietary Reformist; Minister - Resided in Northampton

24 Sept 1991 - Theodor Seuss Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss - (2 Mar 1904 - 24 Sept 1991) - Author; Illustrator, Green Eggs and Ham, etc. - Born and raised in Springfield

28 Sept 1891 - Herman Melville - (1 Aug 1819 - 28 Sept 1891) - Author, Moby-Dick - Lived in Pittsfield

28 Sept 1938 - Charles Edgar Duryea - (15 Dec 1861 - 28 Sept 1938) - Co-producer of first gasoline-powered automobile; Co-founder of the Duryea Motor Wagon Co. - Springfield

29 Sept 1825 - Daniel Shays - (1741 - 29 Sept 1825) - American revolutionary remembered for 'Shays's Rebellion' 1786-87 - Resided in Pelham, buried in Springwater, NY.



H A P P E N E D :

2 Sept 1902 - On a visit to Massachusetts, President Theodore Roosevelt stops in Westfield and appears before a large crowd gathered to hear him speak from a platform on the town Green.

5 Sept 1892 - The newly-constructed Court Square Theater Building on Elm Street in Springfield is dedicated. Performances of "If I Were You," a comedy by William Young, and "Diana," burlesque by Sydney Rosenfeld, are given by the Manola-Mason Company. The building is owned by Dwight O. Gilmore and sets him back $250,000.

10 Sept 1799 - The first meeting of The Sixth Massachusetts Turnpike Corporation is held in Hardwick at the home of Jonathan Warner. When finished, the turnpike links Amherst and Shrewsbury.

10 Sept 1938 - From books to buildings, the Massachusetts Water District Supply Commission holds an auction of items it holds in the Swift River Valley, soon to be flooded for Quabbin Reservoir. It takes place in Enfield's Town Hall, which itself is sold that day for $550.00, a high price in comparison to the Enfield Grange Hall, which sells for the paltry sum of $35.00.

16 Sept 1940 - The Summit House atop Mt. Holyoke is the site of dedication ceremonies for the new Skinner State Park, named after land-donor Joseph Skinner.

17 Sept 1941 - Water begins to flow through the aqueduct connecting Quabbin and Wachusett Reservoirs for the first time, marking an exponential expansion of Greater Boston's public water supply.

21 Sept 1938 - The Great New England Hurricane claims an estimated 700 lives on its path of destruction. By September 22, the Connecticut River is coursing through the Franklin County town of Montague at nearly 17 feet above flood stage. 19,000 structures, 26,000 vehicles and 2,600 boats are lost to the devastation.

24 Sept 1847 - The American Dictionary of the English Language is first published by the Merriam brothers, George and Charles, in Springfield.

26 Sept 1786 - Daniel Shays leads 600 men on a protest march to the courthouse in Springfield. The Supreme Judicial court session taking place is duly interrupted and subsequently adjourned as a result of the group's actions in pursuit of financial justice against an unforgiving and slanted system. Although General Shepard of Westfield keeps a watchful eye on the citizen militia, no violence ensues between his troops and the marchers, and no one is taken into custody. With similar uprisings having occurred in Northampton and Worcester, it is decided to forego the October session of the court, meant to be held in Great Barrington. The birth of the United States Constitution is hastened by  these acts of civil disobedience.

28 Sept 1793 - The Franklin County town of Gill is incorporated.



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2 comments:

  1. What an interesting list! I have a great love for Massachusetts. We drove across the nation to perform in that area two times in past years.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks, Beth! I'm hoping to make it a monthly feature on EWM.

    ReplyDelete