Western Mass History

About Western Mass History

Exploring the historic people, places, and events of Western Massachusetts

Publisher

Western Mass History

Category

history

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

5 Jul 2022

Latest episode

31 Jan 2025

Latest episodes

14 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   31 Jan 2025

   Episode 13: The Battle of Bloody Brook

   This episode is the first in a three-part series, exploring the history of King Philip's War in Western Massachusetts. This episode focuses on the start of the war in the summer and fall of 1675, with an emphasis on the Battle of Bloody Brook in South Deerfield. The battle occurred in modern-day South Deerfield on September 18, 1675, when Nipmuc, Wampanoag, and Pocumtuck warriors ambushed a group of English soldiers. The battle was one of the deadliest of the war for the English, and it was subsequently commemorated with what may have been the first European war memorial in British North America. Sources for this episode included the following books and other resources: King Philip's War by Eric B. Schultz and Michael J. Tougias A History of Deerfield Massachusetts (https://archive.org/details/historyofdeerfie01shel) by George Sheldon King Philip's War (https://archive.org/details/kingphilipswar0000geor/) by George W. Ellis and John E. Morris The History of King Philip's War (https://archive.org/details/historyofkingphi00math/) by Increase Mather Soldiers in King Philip's War (https://archive.org/details/soldiersinkingph00bodg) by George M. Bodge A History of the Town of Northfield, Massachusetts (https://archive.org/details/historyoftownofn00temp) by Josiah Howard Temple and George Sheldon Travels in New-England and New York Vol. 2 (https://archive.org/details/travelsinnewengl02unse) by Timothy Dwight IV Historical Collections (https://archive.org/details/historicalcollec00barb_0) by John Warner Barber An Address Delivered at Bloody Brook (https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=iqE-AAAAYAAJ&rdid=book-iqE-AAAAYAAJ&rdot=1) by Edward Everett "(Re) Making History: Memory, Commemoration, and the Bloody Brook Monuments" (https://historic-deerfield.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Remaking-History-Memory-Commemoration-and-the-Bloody-Brook-Monuments.pdf) by Barbara Mathews and Peter A. Thomas

2. 

   27 Nov 2024

   Episode 12: Springfield, the Birthplace of Football?

   Western Mass History host Derek Strahan and local historian Tim Casey explore Springfield's pivotal role in the early development of football, from rule-making to violent college games.

3. 

   10 Jun 2024

   Episode 11: The "Hampton Indian" and the Search for a Mystery Gravestone Carver

   During the 1750s and 1760s, a stone carver in Hampton, Connecticut created a number of bizarre gravestones in the town and in a few other neighboring communities. He abruptly stopped producing these stones after 1769, but then in the 1770s his work started to appear some 60 miles away in the Western Massachusetts towns of Becket and Worthington. Until now, his identity has eluded gravestone scholars, who dubbed him the "Hampton Indian" because the feathered wings on the stones bear some resemblance to a Native American headdress. This episode explores the style of his gravestone carvings, his sources of inspiration, and a theory as to his identity, which is based on several key pieces of circumstantial evidence. For further reading on New England gravestones and carvers, I would highly recommend: Colonial Burying Grounds of Eastern Connecticut and the Men Who Made Them (https://www.amazon.com/Colonial-Burying-Grounds-Connecticut-Sciences/dp/0208021604) by Dr. James A. Slater Gravestones of Early New England and the Men Who Made Them (https://archive.org/details/gravestonesofear00forb_0/page/n7/mode/2up) by Harriette Merrifield Forbes Graven Images (https://www.amazon.com/Graven-Images-England-Stonecarving-1650-1815/dp/0819560405/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3LUCDRJ6PSGW3&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.VKxjKj3Iw7VmpWlVj0t_KKZP0CgNb2STjgNJffZsSlfwCydErgLG2KbqdIbBpJGKuttIoL53ShpMTMF_Neht3hOahRcv5F9B340t7I0Q5fMPBI6FxAhSImegjviD52XjgctgQANvJ1orLz8BJuAyKahFmsqB2uSQNMy5Q7BJ5i-KyD0q6IEnLZ7sOA8JYTtPQWtSTqEnTSvTcJYEB0AOMb9JrSP5DugqhbkK9i_LY1s2QIMGTlM4mpiWlje37A_tdgeIYOudliGYFBoQimQ2HgZN6MpmyO181s7TXn0HbUk.j4SdhRVisumdbVCIHnzC1IwrJgr2TKpe3JHanr6JXrU&dib_tag=se&keywords=graven+images&qid=1717989191&s=books&sprefix=graven+images%2Cstripbooks%2C102&sr=1-2) by Allan Ludwig The Masks of Orthodoxy (https://www.amazon.com/Masks-Orthodoxy-Gravestone-Massachusetts-1689-1805/dp/0870232371) by Peter Benes Memorials for Children of Change: The Art of Early New England Stonecarving (https://www.amazon.com/Memorials-Children-Change-England-Stonecarving/dp/0819540617) by Dickran and Ann Tashjian Back issues of Markers (https://archive.org/search?query=creator%3A%22Association+for+Gravestone+Studies%22), published by the Association for Gravestone Studies The Farber Gravestone Collection (http://www.davidrumsey.com/farber/) And if you are interested in more of my content on New England gravestones, you can follow my account @gravestonesofnewengland on Instagram and Facebook.

4. 

   5 May 2024

   Episode 10: Naming the Towns of Western Massachusetts

   Western Massachusetts is comprised of 101 cities and towns, which were incorporated between 1636 and 1894. Some of these are fairly self-explanatory, but others are a little more unusual. Ever wonder why there is a Florida in Massachusetts? Or Peru? Belchertown? Ware? And what happened to Murrayfield, Gagetown, Norwich, and Partridgefield? This episode explores the history and politics of municipal nomenclature in Western Massachusetts, looking at how - and why - the towns got their names. For more information, check out these resources: Historical Atlas of Massachusetts (https://www.geo.umass.edu/faculty/wilkie/Wilkie/maps.html) An Essay on the Origin of the Names of the Towns in Massachusetts (https://archive.org/details/essayonoriginofn00whit_0) Cover image from New Map of Massachusetts by Nathaniel Dearborn (1840) (https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth:xg94j267x)

5. 

   8 Jun 2023

   Episode 9: Damnable Outrage: Teddy Roosevelt's Near Death Experience in Pittsfield

   On September 3, 1902, Theodore Roosevelt was riding in a carriage in Pittsfield when it was struck by a trolley. His Secret Service bodyguard was killed, and Roosevelt himself narrowly escaped serious injury. This episode explores the causes of the accident, the subsequent investigations and criminal charges, and also looks at the possible long-term effects of this accident. If you are interested in learning more, the sources for this episode included Edmund Morris's biography Theodore Rex, along with a number of contemporary newspaper articles. Among the most helpful of these were the September 4, 5, and 6 issue of the Springfield Republican, and the September 4 issue of the Boston Globe. For photographs of the accident scene, including the one used as the cover image for this episode, see the Theodore Roosevelt Collection, which is available online through the Harvard Library.

6. 

   9 May 2023

   Episode 8: The Pine Tree Riot of 1765

   On October 25, 1765, an angry mob attacked two royal officials in Northampton. They beat them, held them captive for hours, and eventually forced at least one of them to resign his commission. The cause of this riot was their enforcement of the Pine Tree Acts, which restricted the ability of colonists to cut down valuable white pine trees. This episode explores the motivations behind these laws, the ways that colonists in Western Massachusetts resisted these laws, and the consequences of the 1765 riot. Episode photo: Looking up the trunk of the Jake Swamp Tree, the tallest known tree in New England. Sources: Forests and Sea Power by Robert G. Albion (https://archive.org/details/ForestsAndSeaPower/) History of Hadley: including the early history of Hatfield, South Hadley, Amherst and Granby, Massachusetts by Sylvester Judd (https://archive.org/details/historyofhadleyi00judd/page/464/mode/2up) April 24, 1764 letter to Governor Francis Bernard from Eleazer Burt and Elijah Lyman (https://www.colonialsociety.org/publications/3111/282-eleazer-burt-and-elijah-lyman) Pines, Profits, and Popular Politics: Responses to the White Pine Acts in the Colonial Connecticut River Valley by Strother E. Roberts (https://www.jstor.org/stable/25652075) The Acts and Resolves, Public and Private, of the Province of the Massachusetts Bay (https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Acts_and_Resolves_Public_and_Private/QPgsAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0) Hampshire County Court Records, Volume 8 (1764-1766) (https://archive.org/details/hampshirecountyc6466mass) A report on the trees and shrubs growing naturally in the forests of Massachusetts by George B. Emerson (https://archive.org/details/reportontreesshr01emer/page/78/mode/2up) The Exceptional White Pines of Mohawk Trail State Forest (https://www.uvm.edu/femc/attachments/project/1379/The_Exceptional_White_Pines_of_Mohawk_Trail_State_Forest_copy.pdf)

7. 

   12 Nov 2022

   Episode 7: The Dorrellite Cult

   In the 1790s, an illiterate former British redcoat named William Dorrell started a bizarre cult in the small town of Leyden, Massachusetts. He declared himself to be the messiah, and taught his followers to practice vegetarianism, nonviolence, and free love. His cult only lasted for a few years, but its brief heyday was in many ways a prelude to the many different unorthodox religious groups that would appear in the United States during the early 19th century. For more information about the Dorrellites: The History of Leyden, Massachusetts, 1676-1959 (https://archive.org/details/historyofleydenm00arms) by William Tyler Arms History of the Town of Bernardston, Franklin County, Massachusetts, 1736-1900 (https://archive.org/details/historyoftownofb00kellrich/page/n7/mode/2up) by Lucy Jane Kellogg History and Proceedings of the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association (https://archive.org/details/historyandproce05assogoog/page/82/mode/2up) An 1831 map of Leyden (https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth:25152m28z), made by Hezekiah Newcomb, one of Dorrell's followers.

8. 

   26 Oct 2022

   Episode 6: The Southwick Jog

   Ever wonder about that strange dip in the Massachusetts-Connecticut border in Southwick? It is the result of a long and often contentious border dispute between the two states, dating back to the early colonial period. This episode explores the nearly 400-year history of this dispute, and the various controversies and border changes that occurred along the way. For more reading, check out these resources: "The Southwick Jog" by the Rev. Edward R. Dodge (https://www.southwickma.org/sites/g/files/vyhlif1241/f/uploads/southwick_jog.pdf) The Boundary Disputes of Connecticut by Clarence Winthrop Bowen (https://archive.org/details/boundarydisputes00bowe) The History of Western Massachusetts vol. 1 by Josiah Gilbert Holland (https://archive.org/details/historyofwestern01holl) And also take a look at this 1785 map of New England, which places the towns of Suffield and Enfield within the state of Massachusetts: https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth:3f462x889 (https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth:3f462x889)

9. 

   5 Oct 2022

   Episode 5: The Springfield Convention of 1777

   In July 1777, in the midst of great uncertainty during the American Revolution, eleven of the most prominent Founding Fathers in the northeast traveled to Springfield, to participate in an interstate convention that sought to address wartime economic problems and the nation's finances. This episode explores the history of this largely-forgotten convention, including the challenges that the new country faced, the conclusions that the delegates reached, and the long-term effect of this and other wartime regional conventions.

10. 

    22 Aug 2022

    Episode 4: The Great Northampton Bank Robbery

    In the early morning hours of January 26, 1876, seven masked men entered the home of John Whittelsey, cashier of the Northampton National Bank. They tied up the family and tortured Whittelsey for several hours, until he finally gave them the combinations to the bank vault. The men then cleaned out the vault, taking around $1.6 million in cash and securities, making it one of the largest bank robberies in 19th century America. This episode explores the identities of these men, how they pulled off the heist, and their eventual downfall after being betrayed by one of their own.

11. 

    7 Aug 2022

    Episode 3: The Siege of Fort Massachusetts

    During the mid-1700s, the Massachusetts colonial government built a series of forts along the northwestern border, to defend against hostile French and Native American incursions. Of these, by far the most important was Fort Massachusetts, in modern-day North Adams. This fort defended the westernmost flank of the line of forts, and it was the site of several battles during King George's War. Among these was the 1746 Siege of Fort Massachusetts, when 30 colonists faced an army of nearly a thousand French and Native American soldiers. This episode tells the story of the siege and the men, women, and children who endured not only the battle itself, but also the subsequent year in captivity in Canada, where more than half of them died.

12. 

    25 Jul 2022

    Episode 2: Mount Tom Railroad and Summit House

    Mount Tom is one of the most distinctive landscape features in the Connecticut River Valley, and during the early 20th century it was the site of a popular summit house, which included a railroad to the top of the mountain. This episode explores the history of both the railroad and the summit house, including their eventual demise during the Great Depression.

13. 

    11 Jul 2022

    Episode 1: Steamboats on the Connecticut River

    This episode will explore the brief heyday of steamboats on the Connecticut River during the 1830s and 1840s, when steamboat operators attempted to overcome the many obstacles to navigation upstream of Hartford, in the hopes of turning towns like Springfield into major steamboat ports.

14. 

    5 Jul 2022

    Episode 0: Introduction

    Welcome to the Western Mass History podcast!

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

28 ratings

Spotify

4.9 / 5

30 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 44 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

54

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

82

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