For the time being, this page is more or less a collecting area for items that are not really photographs. Included here will be images of paper materials, booklets, personal accounts of town history, and anythign else that does nto fit well into the photo pages.
On Saturday, January 28, 1978, a (fully loaded) logging truck lost its brakes while coming down Monson Road! The truck flew across Main Street and blasted through a utility pole, jumped a brook, and "launched" its load of logs, several of which hit and penetrated a nearby house. Almost unbelievably no one was seriously hurt in this crash! The driver received minor injuries, despite the potential for extreme disaster. The driver estimated a speed of 80 mph when coming to the Main Street intersection (by chance, no cars were present). The driver also admits he thought he would not make the turn at the bottom of the steep part of Monson Road. I personally checked out the accident site (as did hundreds of other people)... the truck was totally demolished. The road was completely blocked off (due to the hanging power lines). What would have been a typical Saturday turned out to be quite a day...
Below are scans of a booklet that I found on Ebay a few years ago (finally had a chance to scan and post it). I suspect that this may be fairly rare and it almost certainly contains info that does not exist anywhere else. It was written by George P. West (apparently in 1929) and talks about Wilbraham and Hampden "55 years ago" (so that would be about 1874). The individual pages of the booklet are shown below; click in the small images to bring up the full size page (in a new window).
Cover Page Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image.
Forward Page Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image.
Page 1 Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image.
Page 2 Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image.
Page 3 Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image.
Page 4 Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image.
Page 5 Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image.
Page 6 Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image.
Page 7 Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image.
Page 8 Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image.
Page 9 Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image.
Page 10 Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image.
Page 11 Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image.
Page 12 Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image.
Page 13 Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image.
Page 14 Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image.
Page 15 Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image.
Page 16 Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image.
Page 17 Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image.
This section contains images of things that are not really photographs. A variety of items appears below, everything from match book covers to old sketches, building plans, etc. Click on the small images below to bring up the full size image (comes up in a new window).
Gottas Trailers The front cover of an old catalog from Gotta's trailers (this business used to be on Boston Road down near Stony Hill Rd).
Old Matchbook overs from businesses in town Match book covers from some old establishments in Wilbraham. I am guessing that these are from the 1950s based on the style of phone numbers used.
More Old Matchbook overs from businesses in town A few more match book covers from some old establishments in Wilbraham.
Vintage State Line Potato Chips Bag (front) Remember State Line Potato Chips? How many Minnechaug kids got their first work experience here?
Vintage State Line Potato Chips Bag (back) Some other great products from State Line Potato Chips...
A visitor to this site generously donated a number of civil defense related items. They are found on this page: Wilbraham Civil Defense Info.
A visitor to this site generously donated the following items associated with the Newton Lodge. Click on the small images below to bring up the full size image (comes up in a new window).
Newton Lodge Fundraising Pamplet, Page 1 The front page of the pamphlet.
Newton Lodge Fundraising Pamplet, Page 2 The inner page of the pamphlet. $70,000 to build and furnish a 5000+ square foot brick buidling... today it would probably be $1 million plus for a similar structure!
Newton Lodge Fundraising Pamplet, Page 3 The floor plan for the proposed buidling.
A visitor to this site generously donated the following items associated with the Memorial School PTA. Click on the small images below to bring up the full size image (comes up in a new window).
Memorial School PTA Yearbook, 1954-55, Cover The front cover.
Memorial School PTA Yearbook, 1954-55, Page 1 First page.
Memorial School PTA Yearbook, 1954-55, Page 2 Second page.
Memorial School PTA Yearbook, 1954-55, Back page Last page.
A visitor to this site generously donated the following floro plan of the proposed Memorial School. Click on the small image below to bring up the full size image (comes up in a new window).
Memorial School Floor Plan, 1950 The floor plan of the original Memorial School.
Advertisement from "Fire Engineering" Magazine featuring a Wilbraham Event This is a page from a magazine that describes how a piece of fire equipment saved a Wilbraham resident's home on 1946.
Below are scans of the Town Report for the year ending March 24, 1892. This report provides very interesting reading and offers a glance at what life was like in Wilbraham some 100+ years ago. Click on the individual pages below to bring up a full size image of the page.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Cover page.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image A list of jurors.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Articles in Town Warrant.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Articles in Town Warrant.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Articles in Town Warrant.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Report of the Selectman and Overseers of the Poor.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Report of the Selectman and Overseers of the Poor.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Report of the Selectman and Overseers of the Poor.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Report of the Selectman and Overseers of the Poor.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Report of the Selectman and Overseers of the Poor.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Report of the Selectman and Overseers of the Poor.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Report of the Selectman and Overseers of the Poor.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Report of the Selectman and Overseers of the Poor.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Treasurer's Report.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Treasurer's Report.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Assessors' Report.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Assessors' Report.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Certificate of Auditor.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Report of School Committee.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Report of School Committee.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Report of School Committee.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Report of School Committee.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Report of School Committee.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Report of School Committee.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image First Year Course of Studies.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Second Year Course of Studies.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Third Year Course of Studies.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Fourth Year Course of Studies.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Fifth Year Course of Studies.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Sixth Year Course of Studies.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Seventh Year Course of Studies.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Eighth Year Course of Studies.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Ninth Year Course of Studies.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Financial Statement.
Below are scans of a booklet I obtained that covers the First Church in Wilbraham. This booklet is dated 1916. In modern times the church is now called the United Church of Wilbraham (however the buildings in the book below are today long gone). Click on the individual pages below to bring up a full size image of the page.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Cover page.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Inside Cover page.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Photo page.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Page 5 (pages 1-4 blank).
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Photo Page.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Page 6.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Page 7.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Page 8.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Page 9.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Page 10.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Page 11.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Page 12.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Page 13.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Page 14.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Page 15.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Page 16.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Page 17.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Page 18.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Page 19.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Page 20.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Page 21.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Page 22.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Page 23.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Page 24.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Page 25.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Page 26.
This map was put out in 1976 as part of the Bi-centenial celebration. It shows all of the houses that were built in 1800 or earlier and still visible in 1976.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Cover page.
Click on the image at left to bring up the full size image Cover page.