Situated at the crossroads of New England, Springfield, Massachusetts, was founded in 1636 by twelve families led by William Pynchon, who named the settlement after his birthplace in England. This book, the first of a two-volume set, is a collection of many never-before-seen photographs that tell the story of this city's history. Springfield is a city of "firsts." The first successful gasoline-poweredengine was built by the Duryea brothers here; the first U.S. musket was made at the Springfield Armory; and in 1891, resident Dr. James Naismith invented the game of basketball. The city's ties to the U.S. military are illustrated here, as are its many religious and ethnic communities. Within these pages, we can see images of a very different Springfield, including buildings much changed or long gone, and people remembered now in family albums.
Ginger Zabecki Cruickshank is a native of Springfield, and her passion for and knowledge of the city's history are evident in this volume. She has carefully selected over 200 vintage photographs that chronicle the city's growth from a settlement, to a town, to the nineteenth-century manufacturing center, and finally, to the modern and dynamic city it is today. The result is a captivating visual history that stands as a moving tribute to the people of Springfield and preserves the past for generations to come.