Belchertown Historical Association

History of the Belchertown Historical Association: The first members set April 28th as the date for the annual meeting of the association, this being the date of the first legal town meeting in 1740. The association very soon secured the use of a room in the basement of the Clapp Memorial Library for exhibition of its rapidly growing collection. There was a great deal of interest in preserving the early records and historical artifacts of the town. Mrs. Harriette Dwight Longley, one of the first Trustees, on her death in 1908 left her estate to furnish and maintain a permanent home for the Historical Association. This was used to purchase the Stone House which was occupied for that purpose in 1922. This home was originally built in 1827 by Jonathan Dwight as a wedding gift for his daughter Julia Diantha. Until it was acquired by the Association, it remained in related branches of the Dwight family for nearly a century. The Ford Annex, which houses carriages and other horse drawn vehicles, was built through the generosity of Henry Ford and dedicated in 1924. The printing office and equipment of Lewis Blackmer, editor and publisher of the Belchertown Sentinel was added later to the grounds. The Stone House Museum contains superb examples of furniture, china and decorative accessories made in the 1700’s and 1800’s. Its textile collection contains samplers, early crewel work, linens, quilts and an extensive selection of period clothing. The archives contains a collection of early town and church documents, diaries, manuscripts, ledgers, genealogical records, military records, records of town organizations, early business establishments and a large collection of photographs. History lives in the records of the past. The Association still continues to pursue its original mission in collecting and preserving the history of Belchertown.