People, Places, Events

This is a mini-encyclopedia of people, places and events that are useful to know about when exploring the history of New England.

  • Albany, New York

    Place Located on the Hudson River near the confluence with the Mohawk River, Albany is one of the oldest cities in the United States…More
  • American Civil War, 1861–1865

    Event 1861–1865 The Civil War in the United States, a result of Southern slavery and other vastly different ways of life between the North and South, lasted four bloody years…More
  • American Revolution (1775–1783)

    Event 1775–1783 Many new Americans resented being ruled from a distance by Great Britain, and the colonies went to war to attain their independence…More
  • Amherst, Massachusetts

    Place 1786 Originally part of Hadley, Amherst was incorporated in 1786 and throughout its history has housed many industries and institutions…More
  • Arthur Wellesley Hoyt

    People 1811–1899 Arthur Wellesley Hoyt was a civil engineer in 19th century Deerfield, Massachusetts…More
  • Asher Benjamin

    People 1773–1845 Asher Benjamin, the first American-born and American-trained architect, designed some of the buildings in Deerfield and Greenfield, Massachusetts, including a house that became Greenfield’s library…More
  • Ashfield, Massachusetts

    Place Initially settled as Huntstown in 1745, Ashfield was incorporated and given its current name ca. 1765…More
  • Augustus Vincent Tack

    People 1870–1949 Augustus Vincent Tack was a nationally acclaimed portrait and mural painter who lived in rural Deerfield, Massachusetts, and New York City…More
  • Battle of Bunker Hill. Jun 17, 1775

    Event 1775 After the battles at Lexington and Concord, militiamen like Joseph Stebbins of Deerfield, Massachusetts, hurried to Boston and were at the Battle of Bunker Hill…More
  • Battles of Saratoga. Oct 17, 1777

    Event 1777 The Battles of Saratoga renewed hopes of American independence for colonists like John Fellows (1751-1831) of Shelburne, Massachusetts, who picked up this English musket after British General Burgoyne’s defeat…More
  • Bernardston, Massachusetts

    Place Established as Fall Town Plantation in 1735, Bernardston was incorporated in 1762 and named for Massachusetts Royal Governor Fra..More
  • Blizzard of 1888. March 11–14, 1888

    Event 1888 During the Blizzard of ’88, Elsie Putnam of South Deerfield, Massachusetts, wrote in her diary (p. 25) that “it is the worst storm ever known in this vicinity.”..More
  • Bloody Brook

    Event 1675-09-18 Bloody Brook is perhaps the best known local event of King Philip’s War (1675-1676). Early in the war, Indian attacks forced colonial governments to abandon many outlying towns. Deerfield was one of these settlements, but Massachusetts Bay authorities were loath to abandon the town’s excellent harvest…More
  • Buckland, Massachusetts

    Place In 1779, a group of English settlers in Charlemont, Massachusetts, were granted their petition to make the town of Buckland…More
  • C. Alice Baker

    People 1833–1909 C. Alice Baker, educator and historian, is the author of “True Stories of New England Captives Carried to Canada During the Old French and Indian Wars” (1897)…More
  • Caroline Sheldon

    People 1789–1865 Caroline Stebbins was born in Deerfield, Massachusetts, attended Deerfield Academy, and married local farmer Seth Sheldon (1787-1860)…More
  • Charlemont, Massachusetts

    Place In 1735, Boston Township No. 1 was created, and its southern half became Charlemont in 1765…More
  • Charles Bulfinch

    People 1763–1844 Charles Bulfinch (1763-1844) was educated at Harvard then traveled throughout Europe between 1785-1787. Returning to the United States, he decided to become a professional architect. Bulfinch was involved in the planning of much of Boston, and from 1817 to 1830 he was in charge of the design of the Capitol in Washington…More
  • Chauncey Thomas

    People 1876–1950 Chauncey Thomas worked as a potter in Deerfield, Massachusetts, from 1908 to 1911, when many of the town’s residents were active in the Arts and Crafts Movement…More
  • Colrain, Massachusetts

    Place Colrain started out as Boston Township No. 2 and was named Coleraine when it was incorporated in 1761…More