Day, Josiah, House

The West Springfield Common Historic District is comprised of the West Springfield Common and the properties numbered 70 through 200 on Park Street. The Common is bounded on the north by Park Street and on the south by Park Avenue, on the east by Route 5 and on the west by Western Avenue. The properties that flank it on the north are (east to west): the Day House, an early 20th c. Tudor house, the First Congregational Church, the Park Street Cemetery, the William A.Cowing School, and the West Springfield Library. The Common had its beginning more than three hundred years ago. Records indicate that roads were planned in 1657, one of which was to lead from the "Hay Place" to the Agawam River.

The "Hay Place", located on the east side of the Common, was used to store and transport hay across the Connecticut River to Springfield residents who owned farmland on the west side of the river. Undoubtedly, construction of roads soon followed after the olans for them were recorded. For over 200 years, the whole area now occupied by, Park Street, Park Avenue, and the Common, was a single broad thoroughfare called Broadway. In 1866 Colonel Edward Parsons, who lived on the south side of the Common, was instrumental in laying out the green in a park-like manner. It is now divided into four green areas of miscellaneous sizes, stretching approximately 5 blocks.

It is planted with a multitude of large shade trees, shrubs and flowers, and paved walkways run throughout.There are no structures on the Common, but there are five markers in different locations. The Josiah Day House, 1754, is a 2 story brick salt box. It is 2 bays wide and 1 bay deep with a 1 story ridge roof ell attached to the back.

The West Springfield Common Historic District is significant for 2 reasons: 1) the area has been the focal point in the historic develooment of the town, and 2) it provides an attractive and enjoyable open space in an otherwise dense commercial-residential area. The Common itself has served the town in many different capacities. During 1775 it was used as a training ground for the militia, and 53 men mustered there on April 20, 1775 to march to Boston, after word came of the Battle of Lexington. The Common also served as a drilling ground in 1787, when Iuke Day gathered his fellow townsmen to take part in Shay's Rebellion. In the first part of the 19th c., the Common hosted a bandstand, and summer evening concerts were a regular enjoyment for the townspeople.

Now the Common is used primarily as a leisure area for town visitors and residents. Its green lawns and shade trees provide a welcome refuge from the dense and heavily trafficed urban area that surrounds it. It is also the focal point of Christmas celebrations, a huge community Christmas tree being placed in its center every year. Also appearing regularly on the Common are thermometers or other suitable indications of the progress of various community charity drives. The Common and its markers and the properties flanking the Common on Park Street are all examples of significant eras in the town's development, from the 17th c. founding up to the early 20th c.

The five markers ackowledge: the location of the first school, the location of the first meetinghouse, the passing of General Henry Knox and his army in 1775, the Hessian encamp- ment of 1777, and the W.w.II dead. On Park Street, the Day House, in particular, is noteworthy.