The Legend of Wahconah Falls

Wahconah Falls

From Myths and Legends of Our Own Land, Vol. 4, Tales of Puritan Land by Charles M. Skinner, 1896

The pleasant valley of Dalton, in the Berkshire Hills, had been under the rule of Miacomo for forty years when a Mohawk dignitary of fifty scalps and fifty winters came a-wooing his daughter Wahconah. On a June day in 1637, as the girl sat beside the cascade that bears her name, twining flowers in her hair and watching leaves float down the stream, she became conscious of a pair of eyes bent on her from a neighboring coppice, and arose in some alarm. Finding himself discovered, the owner of the eyes, a handsome young fellow, stepped forward with a quieting air of friendliness, and exclaimed, "Hail, Bright Star!"

"Hail, brother," answered Wahconah.

"I am Nessacus," said the man, "one of King Philip's soldiers. Nessacus is tired with his flight from the Long Knives (the English), and his people faint. Will Bright Star's people shut their lodges against him and his friends?"

The maiden answered, "My father is absent, in council with the Mohawks, but his wigwams are always open. Follow."

Nessacus gave a signal, and forth from the wood came a sad-eyed, battle-worn troop that mustered about him. Under the girl's lead they went down to the valley and were hospitably housed. Five days later Miacomo returned, with him the elderly Mohawk lover, and a priest, Tashmu, of repute a cringing schemer, with whom hunters and soldiers could have nothing in common, and whom they would gladly have put out of the way had they not been deterred by superstitious fears. The strangers were welcomed, though Tashmu looked at them gloomily, and there were games in their honor, Nessacus usually proving the winner, to Wahconah's joy, for she and the young warrior had fallen in love at first sight, and it was not long before he asked her father for her hand. Miacomo favored the suit, but the priest advised him, for politic reasons, to give the girl to the old Mohawk, and thereby cement a tribal friendship that in those days of English aggression might be needful. The Mohawk had three wives already, but he was determined to add Wahconah to his collection, and he did his best, with threats and flattery, to enforce his suit. Nessacus offered to decide the matter in a duel with his rival, and the challenge was accepted, but the wily Tashmu discovered in voices of wind and thunder, flight of birds and shape of clouds, such omens that the scared Indians unanimously forbade a resort to arms. "Let the Great Spirit speak," cried Tashmu, and all yielded their consent.

Invoking a ban on any who should follow, Tashmu proclaimed that he would pass that night in Wizard's Glen, where, by invocations, he would learn the divine will. At sunset he stalked forth, but he had not gone far ere the Mohawk joined him, and the twain proceeded to Wahconah Falls. There was no time for magical hocus-pocus that night, for both of them toiled sorely in deepening a portion of the stream bed, so that the current ran more swiftly and freely on that side, and in the morning Tashmu announced in what way the Great Spirit would show his choice. Assembling the tribe on the river-bank, below a rock that midway split the current, a canoe, with symbols painted on it, was set afloat near the falls. If it passed the dividing rock on the side where Nessacus waited, he should have Wahconah. If it swerved to the opposite shore, where the Mohawk and his counselor stood, the Great Spirit had chosen the old chief for her husband. Of course, the Mohawk stood on the deeper side. On came the little boat, keeping the centre of the stream. It struck the rock, and all looked eagerly, though Tashmu and the Mohawk could hardly suppress an exultant smile. A little wave struck the canoe: it pivoted against the rock and drifted to the feet of Nessacus. A look of blank amazement came over the faces of the defeated wooer and his friend, while a shout of gladness went up, that the Great Spirit had decided so well. The young couple were wed with rejoicings; the Mohawk trudged homeward, and, to the general satisfaction, Tashmu disappeared with him. Later, when Tashmu was identified as the one who had guided Major Talcott's soldiers to the valley, the priest was caught and slain by Miacomo's men.


Wahconah Falls State Park: http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/western/wahf.htm

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Massachusetts Mountain Lions and Quabbin Gray Wolves: Putting the "Fur" in Furtive

Grave's Landing, Quabbin

(This is a copy and paste of a comment I left back in 2008 on the Outdoors Forum on Masslive.com. With recent talk of restoring the gray wolf population in New England, I thought it worth reviving.)

Mountain lion evidence was found in Pelham, Mass., in the spring of 1997 by professional tracker John McCarter. DNA testing of  droppings left behind proved conclusively that a mountain lion had been in the area.

http://www.easterncougarnet.org/northeast-desc/4-97.htm

http://www.easterncougarnet.org/northeast.html

Mass Wildlife had a press release from around that time confirming the McCarter find, but speculating that the mountain lion had been a captive released into the wild and not a native. With the reworking of the Mass Wildlife web site, the press release is now unavailable from the bookmark I had saved. I tried a search of the site, but so far have come up empty. From now on, I copy and paste stuff I don't want to lose to cyberspace!

Along with the McCarter find, I have heard firsthand two reliable accounts of mountain lion sightings in the same area of the west side of the Quabbin Reservoir. These sightings were not related to me by city folks out for a weekend jaunt, but by loggers who have spent their lives in the forests of New England. What struck both of these men was the way the animal they saw moved, unlike any animal they had seen before. In one of the accounts, the lion cleared the forest road with one leap from snowbank to snowbank.

According to the logger who witnessed the leaping animal, the next time he ran into an environmental officer while he was out logging his plot at Quabbin, he told him about the cat. The officer supposedly confided in the logger (who he had known for quite awhile through their Quabbin connection) that mountain lions had indeed made the area home, at least temporarily, if not permanently.

Apparently, in the winter, to help the resident eagle population out, the good folks at the Quabbin (and they do an awesome job) will sometimes put a fresh-killed deer on the ice for the birds' dining enjoyment. This particular officer claimed to have witnessed mountain lions feeding on these carcasses, as well.

I relate this second-hand, so it is subject to scrutiny and certainly unofficial in every sense of the word, to be sure. I've been interested in the question of whether mountain lions are among us here in Western Massachusetts for quite awhile now, but for now, history records 1858 as the year the last Massachusetts mountain lion was killed. Officially, there are no resident mountain lions in Massachusetts.

Of course, that's what the experts said about the gray wolf, too. And they were wrong:

http://www.recorder.com/story.cfm?id_no=4900943

With the presence of the gray wolf in Western Massachusetts confirmed, I feel less wacky sharing this experience my wife and I had almost ten years ago now.

We were hiking Quabbin's Gate 40, passing Dana Common and heading the two miles further out along Skinner Hill Rd. to the spot on the eastern shoreline known as Grave's Landing. Making our way around dead man's curve and down the slippery and steep hill beyond, we shed the walls of the forest for the wide-open expanse of the reservoir. It was a cold day in late winter, and the Quabbin was still plenty iced-in, with no hint of spring's approach.

Our attention was quickly drawn to the circling eagles above a deer carcass on the ice. Blood trails on the ice told the story of the young deer's final minutes. This was no ranger-kill, but a natural death. A death by predator.

My wife, Roma, and I hunkered down to watch the bald eagle buffet from the vantage point of the little peninsula just at the end of the road. We were about 100 yards away from the carcass, hoping to see our first Quabbin bear. I know, bears are dangerous, but remember, you only have to outrun the person you're with.

What we did see was even more amazing as far as we were concerned, although we've told very few people about our experience, for reasons pretty obvious to any skeptical Western Massachusetts outdoors-person.

Creeping slowly and warily out of the woods, a canine about one-and-a-half to one-and-three quarters the size of a large German Shepherd made its way down the snowy bank and onto the ice, stopping about ten feet from the deer, scouting for danger. Moments later, a second canine emerged from the woods, walking slowly past the first and to the carcass. After a glance around, the second animal began to feed, while the first waited patiently surveying the area, undoubtedly standing - or sitting in this case - guard. The markings, shapes and sizes of these two Quabbin creatures left no doubt in my mind of what we were looking at. Even more compelling was the instinctive, primordial sense that flooded my cranium, causing my adrenalin to surge and my hair to stand on end. My immediate and involuntary reaction upon the initial sighting was to whisper to my wife with a mixture of fear and awe, "Wolf!"

Indeed, it is possible to be both very pleased and scared silly at the same time.

The animals relaxed, the wind blowing in our favor. For about twenty minutes they took advantage of the free meal. Then again, maybe it was their kill. Looking at the healthy, strong and formidable creatures through binoculars, it didn't take a far stretch of the imagination picturing the scene.

By placing ourselves on a somewhat barren point of raised land jutting out into the frozen water, we had no choice but to lay low and wait for the animals to finish dining, hoping that they didn't head our way when they were done. Any attempt to remove ourselves from the tricky situation at that point involved the good possibility of drawing the (unwanted) attention of the two canines. I'm not so smart sometimes. With two sharp-toothed predators in play, outrunning my partner probably wouldn't cut it.

Okay, where are the photographs you ask? I must have taken pictures. Well, yes. I did. But unfortunately, being poor back then - funny how some things never change - my camera at the time was a cheap 110, and the photo quality is very poor. I also have photos of Scotland's Nessie. Just kidding.

I'll dig the photos up and scan them into my computer and post a link here when I get the chance.

When the two animals (notice I am still reluctant to call them wolves) had eaten their fill, they trotted off across the ice, heading southwest towards the ghosts of Greenwich. We feel privileged to this day to have spent part of that chilly morning with two such beautiful and regal creatures. Their shared bond was evident. Watching out for each other. Taking turns at the feast. Continuing their journey through the cold wilderness together when they are finished.

Some memories are worth dragging out for a look-see every once in awhile.

Mountain lions? Maybe. Gray wolves. Yep.

As always, thanks for stopping by and take care.

For more on Quabbin, check out 'The Quabbin Page' or 'The Quabbin Chronology: A Timeline of the Swift River Valley,' both found exclusively at EWM!

Update - June 13, 2011: A 140-pound mountain lion was hit and killed by a vehicle in Milford, Ct. on Saturday, June 11, 2011. Here is a link to the Reuters article: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/13/us-mountainlion-killed-idUSTRE75B1JE20110613.

Update - July 27, 2011: Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Daniel Esty says the Milford, CT, mountain lion hailed from South Dakota, traversing upwards of 1,500 miles over a period of years as tracked by its DNA. Here is a link to the amazing story at the Middletown Press: http://www.middletownpress.com/articles/2011/07/26/news/doc4e2f1341de52f489437623.txt?viewmode=fullstory

The New York Times also has an article on the far-flung feline: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/27/nyregion/wild-cougar-traveled-east-1500-miles-tests-find.html?_r=1&smid=tw-nytimes&seid=auto

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The Quabbin Page

Quabbin Reservoir, built by displacing the residents of the four towns of Dana, Prescott, Greenwich and Enfield (as well as several villages) and then damming and flooding the Swift River Valley in Central Massachusetts, is a draw from all compass points.

Here's a handy page of Quabbin-related links to assist you on your Swift River Valley travels and explorations. (Updated September 17, 2010)




Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation
251 Causeway Street, Suite 600
Boston, Massachusetts 02114-2104
(617) 626-1250

"The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is steward of one of the largest state parks systems in the country. Its 450,000 acres is made up of forests, parks, greenways, historic sites and landscapes, seashores, lakes, ponds, reservoirs and watersheds." ~From the DCR web site.

http://www.mass.gov/dcr/index.htm


DCR Quabbin-related Web Pages:

Quabbin Reservoir: http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/central/quabbin.htm

Quabbin on Facebook

Ware River Watershed: http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/central/ware.htm

Wachusett Reservoir: http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/central/wachRes.htm

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Massachusetts Water Resources Authority
Charleston Navy Yard
100 First Avenue
Boston, Massachusetts 02129
(617) 242-6000

"This website provides information on drinking water quality, the health of Boston Harbor and Massachusetts Bay, progress on projects to improve water and sewer infrastructure, community assessments, school education, and many other MWRA programs." ~From the MRWA web site.

http://www.mwra.state.ma.us/


MWRA Quabbin-related web pages:

Metropolitan Boston's Water System History - MWRA

http://www.mwra.state.ma.us/04water/html/hist1.htm


A History of the Development of the Metropolitan District Commission Water Supply System (1984), Prepared by Wallace, Floyd, Associates Inc.

http://www.mwra.state.ma.us/04water/pdf/ws1984book.pdf

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MassWildlife
Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife
1 Rabbit Hill Road
Westborough, Massachusetts 01581
(508) 389-6300

"The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife) is responsible for the conservation - including restoration, protection and management - of fish and wildlife resources for the benefit and enjoyment of the public." ~From the MassWildlife web site.

http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/


MassWildlife's Quabbin Reservoir Web Page:

http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/recreation/locations/quabbin_reservoir.htm


Abstracts of the 2010 Massachusetts Fish & Wildlife Laws (PDF)

http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/dfwpdf/dfwab01.pdf

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County Roads - Hampshire Council of Governments

Including the towns of Enfield, Greenwich and Prescott

http://www.hampshirecog.org/highways/indexofcountyhighways.html







Quabbin Gate 40: The Dana Greenwich Road

"The walk from the parking lot at Gate 40 to Dana common along the old Dana-Greenwich Road..."

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Quabbin Gate 40: Dana Town Common

"About a two mile walk from Gate 40 on Rte. 32a in Petersham, the common affords explorers the best glimpse into the past of a vanished Quabbin town."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Quabbin Gate 40: The Road to Dana Common

"Quabbin's Gate 40 on Rte. 32a in Petersham is undoubtedly one of the most well-known and well-visited areas of the watershed."

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Quabbin Photos: Traces of Man, North Dana

"North Dana was a village of the town of Dana, Massachusetts. The four towns of Dana, Prescott, Enfield and Greenwich - located in the Swift River Valley - were flooded for the creation of Quabbin Reservoir, which is part of Boston's public drinking water supply."

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A Hike to Doubleday Village

"These photographs are from a hike to Doubleday Village, located about halfway between Dana Common and North Dana in Petersham, Massachusetts, and nestled in the valley formed by Whitney Hill to the southeast and Rattlesnake Hill to the northwest."

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Doubleday Mill Site - Petersham

"These photographs were taken in Petersham, at an old mill site owned by the Doubleday family for whom Doubleday Village - its residents long displaced by the creation of Quabbin Reservoir - was named."

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Ice and Fog, Mist and Mountains: Photographs of Quabbin in March

Photographs of Quabbin from old Route 21, Petersham, Massachusetts

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Quabbin Gate 43: The Road to Greenwich Village

"Gate 43 is an important area of the Quabbin Reservoir. The reservoir's baffle dam is located here..."

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Greenwich, Massachusetts (1754 - 1938)

"The town of Greenwich was incorporated per Chapter 37 of the Massachusetts laws on April 20, 1754."

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Postcards From a Lost Town: Enfield, Massachusetts

"Before there was the Quabbin Reservoir, there was the Swift River Valley. There were the towns of Greenwich, Enfield, Prescott and Dana..."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Quabbin History: Enfield's Last Town Meeting, April 8, 1938

"The last town meeting was held in Enfield, Massachusetts, in the Enfield Town Hall, on April 8, 1938, 20 days before the end of the town's official existence."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Quabbin's Mt. Lizzie: Before & After

Photographs of Mt. Lizzie from the Goodnough Dike area.

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The Quabbin Chronology: A Timeline of the Swift River Valley

EWM exclusive time lines by year and month.

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Map: Hampshire County, Massachusetts, 1854

Including Enfield, Massachusetts.

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Dana, Ghosts of a Lost Town

"...lured by the stories we’ve heard of Dana’s ghosts. This is an account of our first paranormal investigation at the discontinued township." ~From the newenglandoddities.com web site.

http://newenglandoddities.com/2008/06/11/dana-ghosts-of-a-lost-town/#more-47

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Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory

"The FCRAO was founded in 1969 by the University of Massachusetts, together with Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College and Smith College. From its inception, the Observatory has emphasized pioneering research, the development of state-of-the-art technology and the training of students -- both graduate and undergraduate." ~From the FCRAO web site.

http://www.astro.umass.edu/~fcrao/

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Friends of Quabbin, Inc.

"The Friends of Quabbin, Inc., was formed in 1984 as a non-profit volunteer organization dedicated to increasing public awareness and appreciation of the unique natural and historical resources of the Quabbin Reservoir and Reservation" ~From the FOQ web site.

http://www.foquabbin.org/

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Ghost Towns of Massachusetts - GhostTowns.com

Including the towns of Dana, Enfield, Greenwich and Prescott.

http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/ma/ma.html

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Haunting the Quabbin: Inside Out

"In this documentary, Inside Out's Sean Cole meets the valley residents who were forced to move out. They still have vivid memories of their lives in the towns that were destroyed.

Cole chronicles the dramatic manner in which the Swift River Valley was flooded and the effect on its residents. What happened is still part of who they are and how they live." ~From the Inside Out web site.

http://www.insideout.org/documentaries/hauntingquabbin/default.asp

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Mass Moments: Quabbin Reservoir Filled to the Brim, June 22, 1946

"On this day in 1946, water flowed over the spillway and officials declared Quabbin Reservoir full. Construction took more than 20 years and required the obliteration of four towns in the Swift River Valley." ~From the Mass Moments web site.

http://www.massmoments.org/moment.cfm?mid=182

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North Quabbin Chamber of Commerce

"The North Quabbin Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1982 to promote the economic stability of the nine town Athol/Orange region of Massachusetts." ~From the Chamber web site.

http://www.northquabbinchamber.com/

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North Quabbin Woods - Forestry, Wood Products, Recreation

"North Quabbin Woods is a project of the New England Forestry Foundation. The goal of the project is to revitalize the North Quabbin economy based on the sustainable use of local forest resources." ~From the NQW web site.

http://www.northquabbinwoods.org/

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Quabbin - Photos, Commentary

"When folk think about Massachusetts what probably comes to mind is Sen's. Kennedy and Kerry, or the City of Boston, Tanglewood, the Boston Pops, the Theatres, the many famous colleges. But, there is another side of Massachusetts, ...the woods." ~From the Woodsman's web site.

http://www.the-woodsman.com/

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Quabbin Park Cemetery - GraveAddiction.com

"Quabbin Park Cemetery was established in 1938 when graves from smaller towns were relocated to make way for the Quabbin Reservoir. Approximately 6500 graves were moved to Quabbin Park Cemetery. There are many old gravestones, including many with interesting carvings and epitaphs." ~From the Grave Addiction web site.

http://www.graveaddiction.com/quabbin.html

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The Quabbin Reservoir - The Impact on Surrounding Towns, the History and the Making

"This web site was created by the 2004 fifth-grade class of Pelham Elementary School" ~From the students' web site.

http://www.arps.org/pe/quabbin/index.htm

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Quabbin Reservoir - Photography, History & Fishing

"During the 1920's it became apparent that Eastern Massachusetts did not have a large enough water supply to satisfy its growing needs for water. Thirsty Eastern Massachusetts inhabitants looked westward to the Swift River 100 miles away." ~From the web site.

http://westfordcomp.com/

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The Road Less Traveled, The Exploration of a Ghost Town Known as Dana, Massachusetts

"Dana was a quaint little town incorporated back in 1801. North Dana was the business district, having contributed largely to the farming industry and the palm-hat industry." ~From the skinut.net web site.

http://www.skinut.net/dana.htm

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Third Graders Uncover the Quabbin

"The students in Ms. Convery's (Swift River School) class took the majority of photographs displayed on this site. They also conducted historical research from primary and secondary source materials and wrote the text descriptions displayed herein." ~From the students' web site.

http://www.swiftriverschool.org/quabbin/index.html







Captain Lombard's House (c. 1767, moved from Enfield, Mass. in 1938)

"...thumbnail photos...with related historical notes." ~From the UFL web site.

http://nersp.nerdc.ufl.edu/~dicke/rgcape.htm

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Satellite Photograph of Central Massachusetts - Smith College Science Dept. Web Site

http://www.science.smith.edu/departments/Geology/Field/04Photos/04Quabbin/Central_Mass.jpg

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Quabbin on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/quabbin/

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Quabbin Photo Gallery by Dick Cooper

"All images here were taken at Quabbin Reservation which is located in central Massachusetts, USA." ~Dick Cooper

http://www.pbase.com/thewoodsman/quabbin

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Quabbin Reservoir

"Almost 60 years after the flooding of the Swift River Valley, Ed Klekowski and his team of divers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst gained permission to dive the waters of the Quabbin Reservoir." ~From the web site.

http://www.bio.umass.edu/biology/conn.river/quabbinres.html

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Thumbnails of Quabbin Reservoir - Town of Belchertown Web Site

http://www.belchertown.org/photos/Quabbinthumbs.htm







Directions to the Quabbin Administration Building/Visitor Center at Quabbin Park, Belchertown Massachusetts

http://www.mass.gov/dcr/waterSupply/watershed/quabdir.htm

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Historical Road Maps, Franklin County, Massachusetts

"A series of maps in the same format allows one to determine in what year a particular change occurred. These maps were all scanned from Rand McNally Road Atlases." ~From the web site.

Note: These maps show the area before and after the Quabbin Reservoir was built in the 1930s.

http://www.merrill.olm.net/mafr

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Historical Topographic Maps, Quabbin Reservoir, MA Quadrangle - MyTopo.com

http://historical.mytopo.com/quad.cfm?quadname=Quabbin%20Reservoir&state=MA&series=7.5

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UNH DIMOND LIBRARY, Documents Department & Data Center, Historic USGS Maps of New England & New York, Quabbin Reservoir, MA Quadrangle

http://docs.unh.edu/nhtopos/QuabbinReservoir7.5MA.htm







Massachusetts DCR Quabbin Reservoir Fishing Guide 2010:

http://www.mass.gov/dcr/waterSupply/watershed/quabfish.htm







Books by J. R. Greene (List of works by preeminent Quabbin historian)

http://www.middlesexcanal.org/docs/JRGreene.htm

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Cougar Presence Recorded in Pelham - The Cougar Network

http://www.easterncougarnet.org/northeast-desc/4-97.htm

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Quabbin Quenches Boston's Thirst, By Stephen C. Hill, Staff Writer, Daily Hampshire Gazette, Northampton, Massachusetts (Posted on the Town of Belchertown's web site.)

http://www.belchertown.org/departments/Planning/Quabbin%20story.htm

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Quality at Quabbin, Boston Globe Editorial, November 21, 2004

"The Quabbin Reservoir, an 87,000-acre state reservation 65 miles from Boston, shows the ability of government to solve an essential societal problem -- assuring a supply of drinkable water to a large metropolitan area." ~From the Globe editorial.

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2004/11/21/quality_at_quabbin/


As always, thanks for stopping by and take care.

(Photographs: Mark T. Alamed)

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Ashes in an Hour: Springfield's City Hall Fire of January 6, 1905

City Hall, Springfield, Mass. (created 1865?-1885?)
NYPL Digital Gallery, Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views

It's said that truth can be stranger than fiction. It's not difficult to subscribe to that view in the case of the fire that occurred on Friday, January 6, 1905, that quickly and decisively decimated Springfield's City Hall. Allegedly the result of a wayward monkey up to unnoticed mischief during the slack-time noon hour of an exhibition being held in the building, the inferno is said to have begun when the suspect simian overturned an unattended kerosene lamp. The rapidly spreading flames easily claimed the life of the structure and, very nearly, some of the folks who made their living inside. The building, located on Court Street just east of the current Municipal Group, had reached the half-century mark just four days before, originally dedicated on January 1, 1855.

The New York Times was quick to press with the story, publishing on the same day this brief account of the blaze, under the headline "$50,000 Fire in Springfield," with the sub-heading, "City Hall Completely Destroyed - Narrow Escapes From Death."

"Springfield, Mass, Jan. 6 - Springfield City Hall, valued at more than $50,000 was completely destroyed by fire in less than an hour to-day. The fire was discovered in the Assembly hall at 12:45 by employees of a food fair being held in the hall. There were probably fifty people in the building, and the flames spread so rapidly that there were many narrow escapes, but it is believed all got out.

It is believed that the fire was caused by the overturning of a kerosene lamp on the stage in the Assembly hall, where the fair was being held."

The photograph of the old City Hall below is scanned from the book 'Springfield Present and Prospective,' published in 1905. Authors, Judge Alfred Copeland and Edwin Dwight, had this to say about the City Hall, just recently burned at the time of the book's publication:

"The late city hall was built in 1854 and dedicated January 1, 1855, and it answered the purpose for which it was designed fairly well. It housed the several departments of the city government, including at one time the police court room, and it housed the police department with lock-up accommodations. The school committee also had rooms in the building. Its ample audience room proved defective in acoustic qualities; but after several years of experimenting it was greatly improved in that respect. Its destruction by fire revealed the fact that it was a fire trap."

A more intriguing account of the fire is contained in the book "The History of Springfield in Massachusetts for the Young," by Charles H. Barrows, published in 1911 by the Connecticut Valley Historical Society. Here is Barrow's account:

"Soon after the incorporation of the city there was built a City Hall, a large and towered building, holding all the city offices and also having a big audience room for public meetings. There was a bell in the tower that took up the work of the church bell, in announcing to the people, in the ancient fashion, that the hour of nine o'clock at night had come. It was also the bell of the clock, striking the hours. The nine o'clock bell was at last discontinued and in later years replaced by the so-called curfew or bell at half-past nine. For half a century City Hall was the favorite for large political meetings, fairs and concerts, but in 1905 it was destroyed by fire and the great bell fell to the ground.

An exhibition was being held in the large hall. At the noon hour this hall was nearly deserted. A kerosene lamp was burning and a monkey got loose. Whether the monkey overturned the lamp and caused the fire is not certainly known. The fire was the occasion of a fine example of devotion to duty by two assistants in the office of the city clerk. Their names were Edith M. Ware and Bertha B. Fuller. They had both been pupils in Springfield schools. For the protection of the priceless records of the city, there was a great fire-proof vault. It was necessary to take out the records during the day for use, but at its close they were replaced in the vault. At the beginning of the fire the city clerk was absent. When the knowledge of the fire reached his office it had made much headway and danger was near. The first impulse, of course, would be to flee, and, indeed, everyone was fleeing from the building; but there were the heavy books of priceless records lying about. The two clerks gathered them all up, placed them all in the vault, and then shut and locked the ponderous door. This took time and courage. Meanwhile the fire was upon them and they were but just able to escape; in fact, Miss Fuller, arriving at the door of the building, was so overcome by smoke that she had to be rescued by others.

Thus the lesson of duty, having been early learned, received its magnificent illustration in the face of danger and death, and becomes part of the history of the city. We recall the motto of John Pynchon, when, self-interest tempting him to remove from Springfield and leave the town to its fate, he wrote that he should 'Stick to It.'"

As always, thanks for stopping by and take care.

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Legend: "The White Deer of Onota"

Mystical tales of the natural world mixing with the supernatural - ethereal awakenings erasing the boundaries of stone and river, reason and intellect - creep like fingers of fog off the western ridges: Aeries of soaring legend, misty nests of cosmic truth. The Berkshires are laced with the stories of man and myth. One of the most well-known tales is the legend of the White Deer of Onota. 'Tis a cautionary tale, to be sure.

Here is the story, 'The White Deer of Onota,' as taken from the book 'Tales of Puritan Land; Myths and Legends of Our Own Land, Vol. 4,' written by Charles M. Skinner (1852-1907).

THE WHITE DEER OF ONOTA

Beside quiet Onota, in the Berkshire Hills, dwelt a band of Indians, and while they lived here a white deer often came to drink. So rare was the appearance of an animal like this that its visits were held as good omens, and no hunter of the tribe ever tried to slay it. A prophet of the race had said, "So long as the white doe drinks at Onota, famine shall not blight the Indian's harvest, nor pestilence come nigh his lodge, nor foeman lay waste his country." And this prophecy held true. That summer when the deer came with a fawn as white and graceful as herself, it was a year of great abundance. On the outbreak of the French and Indian War a young officer named Montalbert was despatched to the Berkshire country to persuade the Housatonic Indians to declare hostility to the English, and it was as a guest in the village of Onota that he heard of the white deer. Sundry adventurers had made valuable friendships by returning to the French capital with riches and curiosities from the New World. Even Indians had been abducted as gifts for royalty, and this young ambassador resolved that when he returned to his own country the skin of the white deer should be one of the trophies that would win him a smile from Louis.

He offered a price for it--a price that would have bought all their possessions and miles of the country roundabout, but their deer was sacred, and their refusal to sacrifice it was couched in such indignant terms that he wisely said no more about it in the general hearing. There was in the village a drunken fellow, named Wondo, who had come to that pass when he would almost have sold his soul for liquor, and him the officer led away and plied with rum until he promised to bring the white doe to him. The pretty beast was so familiar with men that she suffered Wondo to catch her and lead her to Montalbert. Making sure that none was near, the officer plunged his sword into her side and the innocent creature fell. The snowy skin, now splashed with red, was quickly stripped off, concealed among the effects in Montalbert's outfit, and he set out for Canada; but he had not been many days on his road before Wondo, in an access of misery and repentance, confessed to his share of the crime that had been done and was slain on the moment.

With the death of the deer came an end to good fortune. Wars, blights, emigration followed, and in a few years not a wigwam was left standing beside Onota.

There is a pendant to this legend, incident to the survival of the deer's white fawn. An English hunter, visiting the lake with dog and gun, was surprised to see on its southern bank a white doe. The animal bent to drink and at the same moment the hunter put his gun to his shoulder. Suddenly a howl was heard, so loud, so long, that the woods echoed it, and the deer, taking alarm, fled like the wind. The howl came from the dog, and, as that animal usually showed sagacity in the presence of game, the hunter was seized with a fear that its form was occupied, for the time, by a hag who lived alone in the "north woods," and who was reputed to have appeared in many shapes--for this was not so long after witch times that their influence was forgotten.

Drawing his ramrod, the man gave his dog such a beating that the poor creature had something worth howling for, because it might be the witch that he was thrashing. Then running to the shanty of the suspected woman he flung open her door and demanded to see her back, for, if she had really changed her shape, every blow that he had given to the dog would have been scored on her skin. When he had made his meaning clear, the crone laid hold on the implement that served her for horse at night, and with the wooden end of it rained blows on him so rapidly that, if the dog had had half the meanness in his nature that some people have, the spectacle would have warmed his heart, for it was a prompt and severe revenge for his sufferings. And to the last the hunter could not decide whether the beating that he received was prompted by indignation or vengeance.

The Legend of Wahconah Falls on EWM.

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