Agawam Massachusetts - Stories Carved in Stone by Rusty Clark
In the beginning there was Agawam; the river, the natives, and the first white settlement at the confluence of the
Agawam and Connecticut Rivers. These two rivers have defined the cities and towns around them ever since. In
1636 the General Court, having granted the right to make settlements upon the Connecticut River, gave William
Pynchon, a successful English merchant, permission to settle in the Connecticut Valley. Pynchon was one of the
patentees of the Winthrop Colony, and so gained some special privileges concerning trade with the Indians.
Springfield, the northernmost settlement on the Connecticut River at the time, was founded as a fur trading post.
The beaver had been hunted to extinction in Europe, and coastal New England was rapidly being depleted as
well, so Pynchon moved to the interior where there was an abundance of beaver. His intention was to eventually
establish a settlement of fifty families, to raise corn and cattle in this fertile valley, and to conduct trade with the
Indians. On his arrival he built a warehouse and general store and set out to corner the market on furs.
Springfield’s location upriver from a Dutch fort at Hartford and an English trading post at Windsor, enabled the
canny Pynchon to intercept the Nonotuck, Agawam and Woronoco people on their way downriver with furs to
trade. He was soon shipping thousands of furs to England.
In 1635 John Cable, a carpenter employed by Pynchon, preceded the first settlers of the Agawam Plantation,
and with a hired man, John Woodcock, built the first house in the House Meadow on the west bank of the
Connecticut River and south of the Agawam River - the site of present-day Agawam, Massachusetts.
It contains an extensive index of local family names and places. A sample of this index is available in a PDF file
and can be downloaded here (*PDF files require the free Adobe Acrobat Reader available here).
Domestic violence has been a fact of life since time began. Finally available in print is the account of the days
and events leading up to the grisly axe murder/razor suicide of Samuel and Harriet Leonard as written and
narrated by the Reverend William B. Sprague at the interment services in 1826.
If you would prefer to pay by mail please fill out this form. If you are unable to open a PDF file you may go
here and print the page, fill it in and mail it.
In the beginning there was Agawam; the river, the natives, and the first white settlement at the confluence of the
Agawam and Connecticut Rivers. These two rivers have defined the cities and towns around them ever since. In
1636 the General Court, having granted the right to make settlements upon the Connecticut River, gave William
Pynchon, a successful English merchant, permission to settle in the Connecticut Valley. Pynchon was one of the
patentees of the Winthrop Colony, and so gained some special privileges concerning trade with the Indians.
Springfield, the northernmost settlement on the Connecticut River at the time, was founded as a fur trading post.
The beaver had been hunted to extinction in Europe, and coastal New England was rapidly being depleted as
well, so Pynchon moved to the interior where there was an abundance of beaver. His intention was to eventually
establish a settlement of fifty families, to raise corn and cattle in this fertile valley, and to conduct trade with the
Indians. On his arrival he built a warehouse and general store and set out to corner the market on furs.
Springfield’s location upriver from a Dutch fort at Hartford and an English trading post at Windsor, enabled the
canny Pynchon to intercept the Nonotuck, Agawam and Woronoco people on their way downriver with furs to
trade. He was soon shipping thousands of furs to England.
In 1635 John Cable, a carpenter employed by Pynchon, preceded the first settlers of the Agawam Plantation,
and with a hired man, John Woodcock, built the first house in the House Meadow on the west bank of the
Connecticut River and south of the Agawam River - the site of present-day Agawam, Massachusetts.
It contains an extensive index of local family names and places. A sample of this index is available in a PDF file
and can be downloaded here (*PDF files require the free Adobe Acrobat Reader available here).
Domestic violence has been a fact of life since time began. Finally available in print is the account of the days
and events leading up to the grisly axe murder/razor suicide of Samuel and Harriet Leonard as written and
narrated by the Reverend William B. Sprague at the interment services in 1826.
If you would prefer to pay by mail please fill out this form. If you are unable to open a PDF file you may go
here and print the page, fill it in and mail it.
Rusty is now sharing her gravestone pictures with members of the Gravestone
group at Google. Join the group today for free and receive these fascinating
images every day via email.
group at Google. Join the group today for free and receive these fascinating
images every day via email.
DailyStone
Browse Archives at groups.google.com
Rusty Clark's West Springfield Stories Carved in Stone is also available. Order your copy today.
Rusty Clark's Agawam Stories Carved in Stone is also available. Order your copy today.
Bob Clark's Enfield Stories Carved in Stone is also available. Order your copy today.
Bob Clark's Westfield Stories Carved in Stone is also available. Order your copy today.
Buy the whole series and save money!
Rusty Clark's Agawam Stories Carved in Stone is also available. Order your copy today.
Bob Clark's Enfield Stories Carved in Stone is also available. Order your copy today.
Bob Clark's Westfield Stories Carved in Stone is also available. Order your copy today.
Buy the whole series and save money!
| Zephyr Stone |
Now offering the Zephyr Stone, featuring the
detail of the Nicholas Larrance (also Nicholas
Lawrence Jr) gravestone border. Enjoy it
yourself or give it as a gift for the gravestone
lover in your life.
detail of the Nicholas Larrance (also Nicholas
Lawrence Jr) gravestone border. Enjoy it
yourself or give it as a gift for the gravestone
lover in your life.
| Meet the Author |
| Rusty Clark will be available to sign your copy of Agawam Stories Carved in Stone at: 2006 Agawam Public Library - Cooper St - August 2, 2006 - 7 to 8:30pm Park St Cemetery tours - August 5 - 6, 2006 - 12 to 3 pm Colonial Harvest Day - Park Street Green in Westfield - September 30, 2006 - 10am to 4pm 2005 Barnes and Noble - Mountain Farms Mall Hadley MA- October 8,2005 - 11am to 1pm Colonial Harvest Day - Park Street Green in Westfield - October 8, 2005 - 2pm to 4pm Haunted Old New England - Storrowton Village Meeting House on the grounds of the Big E in West Springfield - October 21, 2005 - 6 to 7pm Supernatural Sunday - Old Deerfield, MA - October 30, 2005 - 12 to 4pm Heritage Hall West - Cooper St. Agawam, MA - November 12, 2005 - 10am to 3pm Fezziwigs Faire - Amelia Park - Westfield - December 10, 2005 - 10am to 4pm |
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| Copyright © Dog Pond Press 2004 All Rights Reserved |
