Here in Western Massachusetts we have much for which to be grateful.
Our landscape is an Eden of elements, carved by the hand of Mother Nature with her tools of glaciers and frosts and hot and cold and ever-erosive currents of wind and water. [...]
Autumn in Western Massachusetts is bonfires and spiced cider, rake tines teased by the dance of leaves in a brisk October wind, cozy-windowed homes glowing warm in an early dusk and trees bursting blooms of breath-taking brilliance and beauty: Crowns afire in the season's attire. It' [...] 
NOFA Press Release:
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 [...] 
Here are some Western Massachusetts flowers for Western Massachusetts Moms...and Mothers everywhere!
Seems as though the rain may hold off for a bit. Let's take a walk, shall we?
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Living in the age of enlightenment, when no bit of information can escape the sticky tendrils of the omni-accessible world-wide web, it stands to reason that rational, deliberate thought-processes and conclusions arrived at through simple research will generally control our impulsive human natures. We all know [...] 
Calvin Coolidge remains the only U. S. President (1923-1929) to have achieved the high honor and distinction of serving as Mayor of the City of Northampton, Massachusetts. That he was able to leave that fine city for Boston politics, and ultimately, Washington, D. C., only demonstrates [...] 
Offering a fertile fishery and shipping access to Long Island Sound that was crucial to the area's settlement and subsequent growth, William Pynchon and Company made a fruitful decision to hunker down on the banks of the Connecticut River, establishing Springfield in 1636. Indeed, for two-hundred' [...] 
The long view is clouded in the sulky immediacy of ice-out fog; the mist both bridal veil and funeral shroud: Spring born on the last breath of frost.
Here are a few postcards from Westfield's Court Street at the turn of the twentieth century from the Barbara Shaffer collection. Thanks for sharing with us Barbara!
Who doesn't like looking at an old map? Well, I suppose a traveler on a new highway might not, but hey, if you're using a bird's eye view from 1875 to navigate now, here's three letters for you: G - P - S. Not that I [...] 
Traveling a bit east today and in light of the season, here is a story of Christmas-past from the Depression-era Works Progress Administration's Federal Writers' Project. The project was part of a government-backed effort to put writers to work during hard times by setting them to [...] 
Sky or earth, steel or stone, rail or road: Choices all
Westfield is a great little city. But let's face it, the burg has issues. Traffic issues to be precise. Is it any comfort for the weary commuter to know that the monkey of motoring mayhem has been riding on the back of many a generation of' [...] 
If you're a Western Massachusetts native, or have been hanging around these parts for awhile, chances are pretty good that you have your favorite driving route for fall leaf-peeping. Chances are also pretty good that you think it's a secret: Your very own stretch of color-bursting [...] 
These scans of a page of classified advertisements from the February 23, 1938, issue of the Springfield Daily News stand today as a type-set footprint in the mud of the past. True to today's classifieds, there is something for everyone...
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The lines of Springfield's sky...
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 [...] 
Some jobs are tougher than others come the dog days of summer. Roofers, road crews, fire fighters, shade tobacco pickers and office workers come to mind right off the bat. Wait a minute. Office workers? Why sure, especially when those fine filing folks happen to be [...] 
Life is rife with edges and corners, sharp turns and sweeping arcs.
Before there was the Quabbin Reservoir, there was the Swift River Valley. There were the towns of Greenwich, Enfield, Prescott and Dana. There were the villages of Millington, Doubleday and Bobbinville. There were lives and people and parties and progress. There were farms and headstones, swimming [...] 
For better or worse, things change. Some change occurs imperceptibly: trees grow in, stones weather. Other change is more 'in your face': a skyscraper in place of a tri-level, an empty lot where a skyscraper was. Nature's adjustments tend to be of the former, more subtle,' [...] 
At first glance, I figured these photographs of the Crane Museum of Papermaking to be pretty old. After all, the government-sponsored Historic American Buildings Survey that commissioned the shots began in 1933, the museum had opened three years before that - in a stone mill [...] 
Whether it's the line at the deli or making a major technological advance, humans tend to want to be first. Heck, ever notice those people who put the hammer down to get to the next red light? Got there first, didn't they?
When I was a child...
'Twould be difficult, indeed, forced to choose a sole vantage point from which to witness the unfolding of Springfield. A challenge to find a bit of land undeserving of a chapter or two extolling its own unique history, a parcel untouched by its own share of' [...] 
Westfield's Great River Bridge Traffic Improvement Project continues apace, promising long-term gridlock relief at the cost of short-term enhanced gridlock aggravation. But isn't that the way all major traffic projects go? In the winter, folks grumble when construction projects stall. In the summer, they wonder [...] 
Mount Tom State Reservation boasts miles of options for folks looking to take a hike. The variety of terrains, grades, and scenery make the Reservation one of those unique destinations that affords repeat visitors many choices of exploratory excursion experiences. Carved out of parts of Holyoke [...]
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