Founded in 1770 in the northwest corner of Northampton along the toll road connecting Boston and Albany (now the corner of Kennedy, Sylvester and Chesterfield roads), the small village of Roberts Meadow was a distinct community of homes, farms, a one-room schoolhouse and several small businesses, including two taverns, a blacksmith shop, a sawmill and factories powered by the Roberts Meadow Brook. One of only two structures that remain from the 1770-1900 time span of the village’s existence is the home of the family of John Irving Clapp, who has written a history titled “Roberts Meadow: Northampton’s Forgotten Settlement.”
On Sunday, Clapp will be at Historic Northampton to read selected parts from his book and discuss some of the characters that inhabited the community, including Colonel William Edwards, grandson of Jonathan Edwards and owner of a large tannery that helped put Northampton on the map by trading finished leather with Boston.
2 p.m. Historic Northampton is at 46 Bridge Street.