Wilbraham

History

The area today known as the Town of Wilbraham first became of interest in 1636 when a young man named William Pynchon (founder of Springfield) purchased the area from the Nipmuc starting at the Connecticut River in Springfield and extending to the foot of the Wilbraham Mountain Range by 1674. Wilbraham was first settled in 1730 by Nathaniel Hitchcock along with what is now Hampden, Massachusetts, as the Fourth District of Springfield. It was also known as the Outward Commons, Mountains or Springfield Mountain. Hitchcock built a log hut along what is now Main Street. Hunting and logging took place in the late 17th century. Many town residents took part in both the French and Indian War and Revolutionary War, and at one time Wilbraham even had its own militia unit, which at one point was a field artillery battery and often supported the Hampshire Regiment. Wilbraham residents have also served in numerous wars since the French and Indian War. The first three selectmen were Lieutenant Thomas Mirick, Deacon Nathaniel Warriner and Stephen Stebbins. Stebbins was the first person to settle in the southern part of the precinct in modern-day Hampden when he built a house on the north side of the Scantic River in 1741. On August 7, 1761, on Wilbraham Mountain, a young man named Timothy Merrick was bitten by a rattlesnake and died soon afterward. Folklore and legend have made its way over the years about this incident including a song titled "On Springfield Mountain". The incident probably took place within what is now the adjoining town of Hampden, but at the time was still part of South Wilbraham—though some have claimed it was as far south as Connecticut. This song was one of the earliest of the American ballads. The hurricane of 1938 did considerable damage to the town and…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 22.4 square miles (58.1 km), of which 22.2 square miles (57.5 km) is land and 0.2 square mile (0.5 km) (0.89%) is water. Wilbraham is bordered by Springfield on the west, Ludlow on the north, Palmer on the northeast, Monson on the east, Hampden on the south, and East Longmeadow on the southwest. Wilbraham is situated in such a way that its area lies within two broad physiographic provinces that cross Massachusetts from north to south. The Wilbraham Mountains which dominate the geography of the town are part of the Central Upland of Massachusetts, while the portion of town west of the mountains lies within the Connecticut Valley Lowland. Millions of years ago, the flat area of Wilbraham west of the mountains were once part of a shallow inland sea. Wilbraham also has the Wilbraham Mountains range, which starts at the north end of town and extends into Hampden. The highest point in town is Mt. Chapin at 937 feet above sea level. Other high peaks are Mount Vision (formerly Rattlesnake Peak) and Wigwam Hill.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  28,772
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  28,172
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  26,135
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  26,006
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  23,233
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  22,929
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  21,074
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  20,341

Largest nearby schools

• Springfield Central High
  High · Springfield · 2,095 students · 13.1:1 ratio
• Springfield International Charter School
  Other · Springfield · 1,520 students · 22.7:1 ratio
• Roger L. Putnam Vocational Technical Academy
  High · Springfield · 1,360 students · 11.1:1 ratio
• Chicopee Comprehensive High School
  High · Chicopee · 1,206 students · 11.4:1 ratio
• High School Of Commerce
  High · Springfield · 1,103 students · 7.9:1 ratio
• Springfield High School of Science and Technology
  High · Springfield · 1,087 students · 12.2:1 ratio
• Minnechaug Regional High
  High · Wilbraham · 984 students · 13.9:1 ratio
• Chicopee High
  High · Chicopee · 914 students · 11:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.6 — 2015-01-13
  2 km E of Wauregan, Connecticut
• M 3.3 — 2015-01-12
  0 km NE of Wauregan, Connecticut
• M 2.66 — 2014-08-14
  6 km SW of Deep River Center, Connecticut
• M 2.5 — 2007-10-19
  2 km WSW of Littleton Common, Massachusetts
• M 2.5 — 2002-06-07
  3 km NNW of Hopedale, Massachusetts