Longmeadow

>L.M.; Long Meddow

42.0500° N, 72.5833°

http://www.longmeadow.org/history/. Fea, John. "Wheelock's World: Letters and the Communication of Revival in Great Awakening New England." Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society. Worcester, MA: American Antiquarian Society, 2001. Web.

Longmeadow is a town in southern Massachusetts at the Connecticut border. The town was inhabited by Agawam Indians when William Pynchon and other Puritans arrived in 1636. Pynchon purchased the land, which was rich in beaver. The name Longmeadow is derived from the Agawam name Magacksic, which literally means long meadow. In 1645, the long meadow of the town was divided into lots, and around the same time settlers finished building a road from Springfield, MA to the meadows in order to transport beaver pelts. Longmeadow was considered a part of Springfield until 1703 when settlers began to establish their own community in the area. In 1714, a former captive of the 1704 battle at Deerfield, Reverend Stephen Williams (the brother-in-law of Wheelock’s first wife Sarah) was hired to serve as the minister for the first church, which he did until his death in 1782. As homes continued to be built, the population grew, and shops and businesses supplemented the farming economy of the town. As the town increased in size, residents of Longmeadow pushed for incorporation, but their plans were impeded by the outbreak of the American Revolution. Many residents of Longmeadow fought as both Tories and Patriots during the Revolutionary War. In 1783, the new Commonwealth of Massachusetts incorporated Longmeadow. In 1894, the East Village of Longmeadow split from the town and formed East Longmeadow.