Local History

 

For Local History questions please call the Reference Desk at 413-789-1550 x2.

Local History Online Resources

AGAWAM LOCAL HISTORY LINKS:

— Agawam High School: The First 100 Years:

Agawam High School Graduates. Alphabetical List. 1924-2022.

Agawam High School Graduates. Chronological List. 1924 – 2022.

AHS Gold Star Graduates: Those Who Died In Military Service.

The Case For The Class of 1924.

“Sent to the Office!” Agawam High School. The First 100 Years: Principals/ Assistant Principals & Superintendents / Assistant Superintendents

 

— Agawam High School Yearbooks
To view the complete scanned editions for 1927 to 2022 please click on the above link.

— Agawam Newspapers

For Agawam Advertiser from 1971 to 2018 click here

For Agawam Citizen from 1974 to 1975 click here

For Agawam Independent from 1961 to 1972 click here

For Agawam News from 1967 to 1970 click here

For Southwick/Suffield Advertiser/News from 1981-1983 click here

— Agawam Town Reports
To view the complete scanned editions of the Agawam Town Reports from 1891 to 1984 please visit the online archive.

How to Research Your Home’s History

HOW TO BEGIN RESEARCHING A HOME’S HISTORY:

  1. write down as much information as possible. Using a template to begin recording your research is a good idea & some can be found at: https://www.americanancestors.org/tools/research-templates .
  2. Visit https://maps.mhc-macris.net/ — enter address. see what information there is about the property. Write down when property was built & any names associated with it. 
  3. https://www.hampdendeeds.com/  — enter address. Record names of owners of the property. 
  4. https://www.historicmapworks.com/ — enter town name. There may be some names of property owners on these maps not recorded elsewhere. 
  5. https://masslive.newsbank.com/ — search in quotes for home’s address. Full text articles are not available but summaries are. If full-text is required please call Springfield Library Reference Desk (413-263-6828 ext. 213) & they may be able to get the article for you.
  6. Visit ancestry.com:  Enter names discovered in your search into: https://login.ezag.ez.cwmars.org:27443/login?url=https://ancestrylibrary.proquest.com   — please note: ancestry.com is only available to Agawam patrons.
  7. Worth remembering: Venturing into the past can be tricky. Your current address may not be the address of the house when it was built. Remember to record address changes throughout a home’s history. Also remember that venturing into the past can be complicated & potentially frustrating. Do not get easily discouraged & remember to enjoy the journey!