St. George Parish History
THE
The history of the settlement of the Greater Springfield area with its social, economic, ethnic and religious overtones is fascinating. It explains the immigration of the early settlers to this area; it demonstrates the courage and great faith of these pioneers who worked arduously to survive, who constantly faced danger, and who trusted in Almighty God. Only by understanding the social and religious atmosphere that permeated these early times can we explain the growth of churches of all denominations in the Springfield and Chicopee areas.
It
is a known fact that the Indians were in the New World long before its discovery
by the White Man. Several relatively peaceful tribes lived along is banks the
Connecticut and Chicopee Rivers. The Nipmucks, the Woronoco, the Algonquins and
the Agawams were hunters, fishermen and farmers. Their peaceful lives were
certainly disturbed by the The coming of the white settlers.
In 1631, John Winthrop, a Puritan merchant, settled in Salem, Massachusetts,
with his family and several followers. They were beaver hunters and fishermen.
One of the Winthrop party, William Pynchon, from Springfield, England, settled
in Roxbury, Massachusetts. In 1639,
the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony granted permission to the
Puritans to settle in the Connecticut Valley. William Pynchon received a grant
to the "Lands of the Great River" and settled in the Springfield area.
On
March 9, 1659, William Pynchon's son, John, administered the first recorded deed
of "Chickuppy" lands to Henry Chapin. Henry and his brother, Japhet,
left Springfield to settle with their wives and children in the Chicopee Street
area. They built homes and farmed the rich land near the Chicopee River. And so
the Chapins became the first settlers in Chicopee. Shortly after this original
settlement, a fort was built at Bircham Bend in Skipmuck (Chicopee Falls). The
fort was attacked by Indians and burned to the ground in 1675. It was never
rebuilt.
Eventually, the entire area was called "Chickuppy". It is an Algonquin
word that has two interpretations: "Birchbark Place" because of the
many birch trees in the area (the Indians used the bark of the birch trees to
fabricate their canoes) - or "Raging Water" because of the
fast-flowing river. When
there were enough "voters" in the Chicopee area, the settlers decided
to form their own "Parish" separate from Springfield. The First
Congregational Church was founded in 1749. A church was erected on Chicopee
Street to serve as a place of worship and a meeting house. Chicopee was then
called the Fifth Parish of Springfield.
Chicopee
remained an extension of Springfield until 1848, when it was incorporated as a
town. In 1890, with a population of 14,050, Chicopee was incorporated as a city.
next The Industrial Revolution
This history reprinted from the St. George Parish Centennial Album .
acknowledgments
Stephen Jendrysik whose knowledge of Chicopee History was invaluable. Father Ronald Lussier, and Joyce Morissette who spent nearly a year finding information, compiling, and typing to put this history together. Also to all that sent articles, pictures and information that help put this amazing history in print.
Photo credits to Keneth Kostek for centennial photos