Ludlow Before 1774
By: Nick G., Anthony B., Troy N., and Ryan L.
How were Springfield and Ludlow founded?
Who was William Pynchon?
Who went with Pynchon when he established a settlement on the Connecticut River?
Sign entering Springfield from Ludlow
It is hard to believe that a hunter was also the founder of a big city and a big town. William Pynchon was a hunter of beavers so he could get the fur. Beaver hats were very valuable and would bring money from Europe. So William Pynchon, followed by Henry Smith, Jehu Burr, William Blake, Matthew Mitchell, Thomas Ufford, and Edmund Wood, journeyed from Roxbury to western Massachusetts and created a settlement on the Connecticut River known as Springfield. Springfield was a great place to hunt for beaver and was founded on May 14, 1636. Back then Springfield was much bigger than it is today. Ludlow was once the section of Springfield called East Outward Commons. This land was used for hunting, wood gathering, and herb growing. Pynchon sold many big lots to people in his settlement. Later, that section of Springfield (also called Stony Hill), broke off and became Ludlow. It just goes goes to show that Ludlow was interesting before 1774.