Note: the following content is from our 2017 conference and has not yet been reviewed for current accuracy.
Research Near Springfield
The Forbes Library in Northampton:
– Located in Northampton, Massachusetts, 19 miles north of the Mass Mutual Center, the Forbes Library boasts a genealogy collection in their Reference Room which includes numerous local and family histories, city directories, and research guides, as well as access to online databases. Their research room will be open from 9 am until 9 pm on Wednesday, 1 pm to 5 pm on Thursday, and from 9 am to 5 pm on Friday and Saturday during the conference.
The Forbes Library is also home to the Hampshire Room for Local History, which houses a wealth of local resources including account books and town papers, maps, manuscripts, and more. The Hampshire Room will be open from 1 pm to 5 pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday during the conference. Appointments are recommended, and can be made by calling 413-587-1014 or emailing the library at [email protected] Forbes Library strives to be accessible to all patrons, and a complete description of their services and assistive technologies for guests who have mobility issues as well as visual and hearing impairments, can be found here.
The Springfield History Library and Archives
Located just a short, 6-minute walk from the Mass Mutual Center, The Springfield History Library and Archives is found on the Springfield Museums campus, which offers access to four world-class museums and the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden all under a single admission. Of particular interest to genealogists is the Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History, which contains the Springfield History Library and Archives. This History Library and Archives is open to conference attendees from Wednesday through Friday from 11 am until 4 pm (closed Saturday). The library is known for its large collection of French Canadian records, and holds over 1.3 million archival documents as well as photos, books, microforms, diaries, land transfer records, as well as a special collection pertaining to the 31st Massachusetts Volunteers regiment that served in the Civil War.
The Irish Cultural Center of Western New England has recently moved to a new facility in West Springfield, just a short 5-mile drive from the Mass Mutual Center. Their website can be found here.
The Springfield Armory National Historic Site is just a 13-minute walk from the Mass Mutual Center. The Armory offers a world-renowned collection of historic firearms and will offer guided tours on Wednesday through Saturday during the conference, from 9 am until 5 pm. Additionally, they maintain a reference library which catalogs their collection of military small arms. Information about the Springfield Armory’s accessibility can be found here.
The Springfield Cemetery and Crematory was dedicated and consecrated on 5 September 1841, but contains stones and tablets dating back to 1664 that were moved from Springfield’s old First Church. The cemetery is considered to be one of the most beautiful in New England, and is located within walking distance (less than a mile) from Mass Mutual Center. Most of the burials for this cemetery have been indexed on Find-A-Grave. The cemetery office will be open during the conference on Wednesday through Friday from 9 am until 1:45 pm, closed on Saturday.
Another great local research repository is the WEB DuBois Library Special Collections:
The Department of Special Collections and University Archives (SPUA) at UMass Amherst collects historical and cultural materials in four major thematic areas:
• Social change in America
• New England, with an emphasis on Massachusetts
• Innovation and entrepreneurship
• University of Massachusetts Amherst broad community.
The collections are highly integrated and span all formats, including personal papers and organizational records, books and periodicals, maps, photographs, audio and video recordings, and digital materials of all kinds. With substantial holdings documenting African American history and culture, organized labor, movements for peace and social justice, and the history of agriculture, SCUA houses over 35,000 rare books, hundreds of thousands of photographs, and approximately 45,000 linear feet of archives. Beyond the major areas of collecting interest, SCUA includes materials touching on topics as diverse as Revolutionary-era France and Belgium (1789-1848), Scottish literature, the history of protistology, the American study of Japan, East Germany and Cold War-era Poland, and the literature of American Socialism.
For more information, contact Robert Cox, Head of Special Collections, at 413.545.2780 or [email protected]