Report of the Historical Commission 2009
The role of preservation commissions is to promote the preservation and appropriate development of heritage resources in their community. In this respect, the Southwick Historical Commission was certainly busy in 2009 advocating for Southwick’s heritage resources, protecting their integrity, and in turn, protecting Southwick’s unique character. The Historical Commission recognizes that their responsibilities interrelate with many other Town Boards and Commissions, and to that end the Commission worked with these boards to arrive at decisions that respected the historic character and fabric that defines Southwick.
One preservation program the Commission began in the fall of 2008 and completed in 2009 was the Southwick Heritage Landscape Inventory. Heritage Landscapes are special places created by human interaction with the natural environment that help define the character of a community and reflect its past. These landscapes reflect the history of a community and provide a sense of place. For this reason, the Historical Commission took the first step toward their preservation by identifying those landscapes that are particularly valued by the community. The Commission applied to the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and was chosen to be one of twelve communities in the Connecticut River Valley Region of Massachusetts to have its Heritage Landscapes inventoried by DCR at no cost to the Town.
The Heritage Landscape Inventory began with a public meeting in November of 2008 where a master list of forty-three heritage landscapes that fell within ten landscape categories was created by audience members who then selected among those landscapes their priorities taking into account integrity, level of threat, public support, and accessibility. The six priority landscapes chosen were the Town Center, theMoore House in the Jog, the Slab Brook Plain area (the former Chuck’s Steak House area), Gillett Corner, a view of Sodom Mountain from Coes Hill Road Vistas, and the Railroad Line at Congamond Lakes. The Commission with the assistance of the Department of Conservation and Recreation and the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission assessed the landscapes chosen. The public meeting was followed by fieldwork led by the project coordinator accompanied by interested community members. By June of 2009, the final report was issued which outlined Southwick’s landscape history, described priority heritage landscapes along with notations as to associated opportunities, issues, and recommendations for each, and concluded with implementation strategies for preservation.
The Commission relates to the Southwick Community in this annual report the highlights of the six priority landscapes Southwick residents identified. The entire report is available at the Town Library and at the Historical Commission in Town Hall.
Town Center: Southwick’s Town Center is about a half-mile section of College Highway between 526 and 435 College Highway, and Depot Street from the intersection with College Highway and 36 Depot Street. This is the second Center in Southwick’s history, the first being south on College Highway at the intersection with Klaus Anderson Road where the first meeting house was erected in 1793. When this meeting house burned, and the new meeting house built at the present location of the Congregational Church there was a shift of the Center to the north. The Center has preserved buildings from the mid-18th century through the first half of the 20thcentury that represent the Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, and Art Deco architecture. The Center’s four corner intersection of College Highway, Granville Road, and Depot Street has its four original buildings intact. The 1824 meeting house that is now the Congregational Church is an outstanding example of Greek Revival Style, the work of early American architect Isaac Damon. The Federal style house at 20 Depot Street is listed on the National Register of Historic Sites. It is recommended that a preservation plan be developed for the Center.
The Moore House and the Southwick Jog: The Moore house is located in the southern third of the town on College Highway. Built in 1751, on land that was part of Massachusetts, but in 1774, a boundary dispute with Connecticut arose and the area became a part of CT. In 1786, it was put within the town boundaries of Granby, CT when that town was created out of Simsbury, CT. By 1804, The Jog returned to Massachusetts jurisdiction as it has remained, but not without an occasional dispute. It is recommended that a preservation strategy be developed to preserve the agricultural heritage landscape associated with the Southwick Jog.
Slab Brook Plain: The landscape identified in the public meeting as the Chuck’s Steak House Area might better have been identified as the tobacco fields, barns and open space in Slab Brook Plain. This section of town was originally the outer commons belonging to Westfield Settlers. The open fields at each side of College Highway populated with well-preserved tobacco barns are the most scenic and vivid features of the Town’s agricultural past and part of its on-going, though diminished, farming life. The Town should consider adopting a Scenic Overlay District for this heritage landscape that could work in tandem with the existing Open Space Residential Development Bylaw.
Gillett Corner: The heritage landscape defined as Gillett Corner consists of the northwest lot at the intersection of College Highway and Vining Hill Road and the Methodist Episcopal Church at 222 College Highway. At the public meeting, members expressed concern for the complex of buildings on the Gillett Lot which represented the only remaining tobacco processing site in the Connecticut Valley. The buildings consisted of the Greek Revival house of Socrates Gillett, a cigar factory, two tobacco barns, and a stripping shed/warehouse. Preservation of this complex of tobacco barns and processing facilities representing a facet of the town’s agriculture that is historically very important is no longer an option. However preservation of one of the buildings is an option. It is recommended that the town through its Community Preservation Fund assist in the preservation of the Gillett Cigar Factory. At this time, to prevent its demolition, the Southwick Historical Society, Inc. has stepped up and agreed to move the Gillett Cigar Factory to the site of the Moore House.
Sodom Mountain/Coes Hill Road Vistas: This Heritage Landscape consists of Agricultural fields, farmhouses and barns of 19th and early 20th Century Southwick. These are the rolling hills of the town, cultivated not for tobacco but for dairy and livestock farms for generations; there is a westward vista of hillsides and fields which at the highest point provides a view of Sodom Mountain, considered a heritage landscape by Southwick residents. It is recommended that a Scenic Vista Protection Bylaw be enacted to protect the vistas in both directions on the road by reviewing any new construction for an adverse affect on the vistas. Also, to be considered is an Agricultural Overlay District Bylaw that would require any new subdivisions be clustered on the land that is least suitable for agriculture, screened by vegetative buffers, and that existing views of open agricultural land be preserved.
Rail Trail/Congamond Lakes Area: The rail trail that passes on the west side of the Congamond Lakes extends six miles across Southwick in a north-south direction from Connecticut. It follows, for a large part, the path of the New Haven and Northampton Railroad, which in turn, had followed a portion of the path of the Hampshire/Hampden Canal. The story of this transportation corridor started in 1826 when the Farmington and the Hampshire and Hampden Canals were built to carry goods up and down between Northampton, Massachusetts and the Long Island Sound at New Haven Connecticut. Natural history features of note include a popular bird watching area within a migratory flyway at the southern end of the trail, a turtle breeding habitat, and a Quaking Bog. Although the Congamond Lakes shores have been developed with private housing, the Commonwealth-owned lakes themselves are an important natural part of this heritage landscape and provide a view shed from many vantage points. Conserving this large water resource is part of the larger picture. The architecture that grew up around the Congamond Lakes is a contributing feature of this landscape for the social and architectural history of second homes and amusement places such as roller skating rinks. It is recommended that a Design Review Board be created that would review all new construction and alterations on lakeside lots. This would be an advisory board only, but would work with owners to maintain the character of the cottages and homes at Congamond Lakes. The Board would make recommendations to the Planning Board after its review. Also consider rehabilitating the section of the canal that remains so that it can be interpreted for visitors with wayside signs or kiosks. In addition, continue the work being done in this heritage area to conserve the wetlands, wildlife habitats, and the Congamond Lakes.
Throughout 2009 the Commission continued to work diligently to preserve the Gillett Cigar Factory and Warehouse. Working with the Southwick Historical Society, Inc., which has agreed to take on stewardship of this landmark building, a plan was devised whereby the Gillett Cigar Factory would be moved to the Society property at 88 College Highway (site of the Moore House) where it would serve the community as a museum. To this end, Southwick residents at the March Special Town Meeting granted the Society $300,000 of their Community Preservation Funds to move the Gillett Cigar Factory off its original site before the construction of a CVS drug store began. Thank you Southwick residents for listing this historic resource as a priority in the Landscape Inventory and committing a portion of your preservation funds toward its preservation. The Society was able to move the Gillett Cigar Factory by dismantling in November after the developers legally turned the factory over to the Society. The move or the permitting process for the move could not take place until the Society became the legal owners of the building; however, once this occurred the Society was given only 35 days to get the factory off the property. Now begins the process of reconstructing the Gillett Factory at its new home north of the Moore House. The Historical Commission wishes to thank the Southwick Historical Society, Inc. for taking on the gargantuan task of providing for Southwick a museum complex which will preserve and feature Southwick’s history as well as the area’s agricultural history.
The Laflin/Phelps Homestead listed on the National Register of Historic Sites in the Nation was in danger of encroachment and possible demolition by a condo development. During 2009, The Commission worked with the developer as well as other Southwick Boards and Commissions to arrive at a compromise whereby both the homestead and the condo development can co-exist. The homestead is significant not only because it is a fine architectural example of a Federal style building but also for its association with both the Laflin and the Phelps families. The Laflins were the town’s first industry-owning family for the Laflins produced gunpowder used in the Revolutionary War, in the construction of the Erie Canal, and through the mid 19th century westward expansion from Chicago. The house passed from the Laflin family to the Phelps family. Phelps family members also contributed to Southwick’s history with one member contributing a major footnote to our nation’s history. During World War II Reginald Phelps and his wife Julia joined the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). Reginald worked decoding documents with a cryptologist that the British had ferreted out of Nazi territory. In 1945, Reginald was given the assignment of interrogating the man who had fallen heir to Hitler’s intelligence, Hans Kattenbuhne. This interrogation led to Allies obtaining the code numbers for German operations in South America which enabled the Allies to identify German operatives.
Throughout the year the Commission attended workshops and seminars presented by the Massachusetts Historical Commission, Preserve Massachusetts, Preserve Mass Barns and Northford Timber Framers. In addition, the Commission answered many research requests. The Commission extends a thank you to volunteers Rebecca MacEwan and Robin Wichroski, who conducted the research for these requests as well as for their work logging items into the Commission’s Past Perfect program. Todd Shiveley has been diligently photo recording Southwick’s landscape for the future, for landscapes are vulnerable and ever changing.
The Historical Commission also maintains representation on the Community Preservation Committee. Barbara MacEwan was designated by the SHC to represent historic preservation on the CPC. Ten percent of the monies raised is dedicated to historic preservation.
The Historical Commission meets on the first and third Monday of the month at 1pm in Conference Room 101 at the Town Hall.
Respectfully submitted,
Barbara MacEwan, Chair
Karen Brzezinski
Todd Shiveley
Rebecca MacEwan, Associate
Robin Wichroski, Associate