As Massachusetts celebrated the 300th anniversary of its settlement by Puritan refugees in 1930, state officials embarked on a project to recognize important historic sites throughout the commonwealth, including many in the Pioneer Valley.
For the past 89 years, those Massachusetts Bay Colony tercentenary cast-iron markers, with black lettering and the Massachusetts coat of arms in blue and gold at the top, have continued to inform passers-by, with two in Hadley, on Route 9 at the Coolidge Bridge and near the Amherst town line, and two in Hatfield, on Elm Street and near the Whately town line.
For the past few months, these aging and sometimes rusting signs have been missing, as the state’s Department of Transportation begins the first phase of a project to refurbish the four in Hadley and Hatfield, and 17 additional tercentenary markers located in Deerfield, Greenfield, Northfield, Bernardston, Brimfield, New Braintree, West Brookfield and Worcester.
“MassDOT is proud to be carrying out this project to restore these historic markers, which highlight the rich heritage of Massachusetts and local communities,” Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver said in a statement.
Daedalus Inc. of Watertown and Cassidy Brothers of Rowley are handling the work on the signs, which Gulliver said help inform residents and commuters of notable events and facts about communities and “enhance roadside landscapes throughout Massachusetts.”
In Hatfield, the text on the signs is brief, noting the town’s place in the last efforts by Native Americans to drive English settlers from the region in the 1670s: “Before 1670 part of Hadley. Thrice attacked by Indians during King Philip’s War.”
Hadley’s signs have more words, that reflect both on the native peoples who once lived there, and the sanctuary provided two men who played a role in the execution of King Charles I: “Indian land called Norwottock. Settled in 1650 by families from Hartford, the regicide generals Goffe and Whalley were concealed for fifteen years in the pastor’s house.”
The Massachusetts Bay Colony Tercentenary Commission, chaired by Harvard University historian Samuel Eliot Morrison, designed the markers and edited the text, which is placed on both sides of each sign. The markers are all 36 inches wide and between 35 and 45 inches high, not including the post, and weigh between 165 and 200 pounds. They were fabricated by Carlisle Foundry in Pennsylvania.
State officials notified both Hatfield and Hadley’s select boards in advance of removing the signs, and also consulted with their historical commissions about where the signs should go once the restoration is complete.
Hadley Historical Commission member Diana West told the Select Board in April that commissioners asked that the sign at the Coolidge Bridge be moved to the Town Common so that it can be enjoyed by people walking or riding on the Norwottuck Rail Trail, rather than only by those stuck in traffic on the evening commute.
“We suggested it get moved to the Town Common near the bike path so that people traveling on the bike path would have the opportunity to stop and read it,” West said.
Hatfield Historical Commission Co-Chairman George Ashley said after the Elm Street sign is rehabbed, it will be re-installed on the small grassy island at the intersection of Elm Street and Elm Court, while the one on Main Street, which had a large piece broken off and has been held at the Hatfield Farm Museum, will be reconstructed and then re-installed on Main Street just north of Bradstreet.
MassDOT has located 174 of the original 275 markers that were put in place primarily in the northeast and central parts of the commonwealth, but also the Connecticut River Valley and in Plymouth County.
The work so far has included cleaning and repainting 21 markers, with conservators also restoring or replacing the original hexagonal posts. The work is supposed to be done by winter.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
