Long Meadow Swamp

Was Long Meadow Swamp always a swamp? Picture this. Before 1644 Long Meadow was simply a vast expanse of meadowland. The Agawam Indians knew it as Masacksic the long meadow. William Pynchon a Puritan leader and Treasurer of the Massachusetts Bay Company saw its potential. He envisioned a thriving settlement a place to farm graze and trap beavers. Beaver pelts were highly valued in Europe. The long meadow became a shared pasture until 1645. Then it was divided into family lots. A road from Springfield connected the meadow to Pynchon’s warehouse. This made transporting goods easier. The first house appeared around 1649. Many landowners initially lived in Springfield. Long Meadow remained part of Springfield until the early 1700s. Residents went to Springfield for business. They also traveled there for church services. A devastating flood in 1695 changed everything. It highlighted the need for higher ground. In 1703 settlers moved to the hill now Longmeadow Street. This marked the beginning of a community independent from Springfield. By 1714 houses surrounded a common green. A meetinghouse was under construction. A minister Reverend Stephen Williams was hired. He had survived the Deerfield massacre. He served as the first minister until his death in 1782. Long Meadow grew slowly. More houses and farms appeared. By the 1750s houses emerged in what we know today as East Longmeadow. Small businesses and shops flourished. By 1767 a larger meetinghouse was needed. A raising ceremony was held to replace the original. The call for revolution reached Long Meadow. In 1775 farmers joined the Springfield militia. They rushed to Lexington and Concord to aid fellow colonists. The war divided the townsfolk. On October 17 1783 Long Meadow officially became a town. It was incorporated as the first community in the newly formed Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The long meadow provided food livelihood and safety for early settlers. The name Masacksic or long meadow proved accurate. Today Long Meadow is greatly transformed. It is a far cry from what early inhabitants would recognize. Yet if you take a walk through today’s Long Meadow and use your imagination you can envision the land that first attracted William Pynchon’s expedition centuries ago.