This tour consists of a walk through downtown Greenfield, providing information on various historic locations. Information for each site is divided into two sections, with pictures of the location in between the sections. If you simply scroll down, you can view the first section of information, pictures, the second section of information, and all sources utilized in the creation of this tour. Listening options are available, and a link to Google Maps if you need help finding the next stop. Now, hit the next button to view the first stop! Have fun, and enjoy learning more about Greenfield!
If you look up eastward toward the nearby mountain, you'll see Poet's Seat Tower perched towards the top.This tower was influenced by the local poet Frederick Tuckermann, and possibly other local writers, who frequently used the location that the Tower now stands upon while writing, thus inspiring the name Poet’s Seat. Tuckermann called this site “Poet’s Rock” in a poem of his titled, “The Stranger” published in 1860. Throughout his time writing, Tuckermann was drawn to the transcendentalist beliefs of people such as Ralph Waldo Emerson. He studied many of these transcendentalist beliefs alongside his own. Transcendentalism was a belief that societal institutions corrupted people and as a result, it favored ideas of personal independence.
The Weldon Hotel was built by F.O. Wells in 1905 using a similar design to his Greenfield Tap and Die Corporation. The hotel was originally used as company suites and residential apartments and later became a hotel serving the public in 1914. The structure is believed to be the first all-concrete hotel in the United States, with a metal frame surrounded by concrete to make the building fire resistant in an era where apartment and hotel fires claimed many lives. The Weldon Hotel closed as a hotel in 1977 when the interstate bypass reduced the number of travelers to the city center. The building now serves as a senior living facility composed of apartments.
This is Grennel's second house, of which he made in 1846 at 500 Main St, where we are now.In 1808, George Grennell graduated from Dartmouth College with high honors. Grennell studied law at Dartmouth and became a prominent lawyer and president of the Greenfield-Troy Railroad. Grennell was a Massachusetts state senator from 1824-1827 and a member of Congress from 1832-1838. He was also a Register of Probate from 1849-1853 and a Clerk of Courts from 1854-1861.
The Cold Spring Baptist Church was built in 1842 in the town of Barre MA, now on the banks of the Quabbin Reservoir. This meeting house served as the location of many anti-slavery speeches, including lectures by the prominent abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison. In 1936 when faced with possible destruction owing to the creation of the reservoir in its original location, this New England church was saved by members of the community. The historic building was disassembled and then reassembled board by board on Main Street by the Christian Science church.
The Leavitt-Hovey house was built in 1797 for Jonathan Leavitt who was one of the first two lawyers in town. Jonathan Leavitt was a 1786 Yale graduate. Leavitt married Emelia Stiles, the daughter of the president of Yale at that time. The building was designed by Asher Benjamin, a prominent early 19th-century American architect. Leavitt’s law office was housed in the left wing of the building and his dining room and kitchen were in the right wing. In August 2023, ownership of the building was transferred to the Greenfield Savings Bank.
The Mansion House was built in the late 1820s and stood here on the site of the town’s first tavern, Calvin Munns Tavern. Munns was a Revolutionary War soldier who purchased the house in 1792, and he was the owner and landlord until 1815 when he sold the property. The building and land surrounding it were later purchased and developed by Isaac Newton Jr. He built a 3-story 64’x49’ building, which became the Mansion House in April 1825. The tavern and building to the east, which both ended up becoming the Mansion House, were used in 1795 as a printing office for the Greenfield Gazette, the post office, a bookstore, and as a town meeting spot in the early 1800s. On January 8, 1959, flames were discovered by a former reporter who wrote the history of the hotel for the bicentennial edition of the Recorder Gazette. The fire was discovered in a bathroom on the third floor of the Mansion House hotel. Fourteen towns sent firefighters to fight the fire and ensure that it did not spread to the Public Library and other nearby buildings. However, the Mansion House itself burned down. The empty lot which was the site of the Mansion House remained vacant until 1963 when Greenfield Savings Bank was constructed.
John Putnam lived from 1817 to 1895. He was an African American who operated out of many various locations along Main St. According to the Historical Society of Greenfield John Putnam was known to cut the hair of Civil War soldiers, pass military secrets, and was a popular fiddle player, being hired at many events. He was also rumored to be involved in the Underground Railroad. Although we can't fully prove this due to being a federal crime, we have strong reason to believe he helped enslaved people in their journey to freedom.
Washington Hall was built in 1854 at a high cost and the building was to become Greenfield’s 2nd town hall. However, it wasn't just a town hall, it was also a meeting space and an auditorium that hosted many performances, lectures, and meetings. It stood in the location of the current Veteran’s Mall before being demolished.In 1935, Greenfield’s police station was added to the back of Washington Hall. It stood there until 1999 when the station moved to High St.Washington Hall was razed in 1964.
This is simply a marker to ensure the correct path is taken.
Threadwell Tool Co. was formed in 1925 through the consolidation of Walter Nichols’s America Tap & Die and the Williamsburg Manufacturing Co. It went under in 1930, but, leased some of their patents to the Mechanics Tool and Wrench Co. These included thread taps (thread cutting tools), Stillson wrenches, miter boxes, and hacksaw frames. In 1934, Threadwell reappeared as Threadwell Tap and Die Co.In 1946, the Threadwell Tap and Die Co was sold to Sheffield Corp. of Ohio. Later in 1972, it was sold to the Bendix Corp.
The Pierce family burial plot is located in the Federal Street Cemetery. Theodore Judah was born on March 4, 1826, and died on November 2, 1863, at the age of 37. As a boy, he studied civil engineering and became a railroad surveyor by age 18. While in Greenfield building bridges and receiving metal supplies through John Pierce, Theodore met Anna Pierce, John’s daughter. At the age of 21, Judah married Anna Pierce, who was born June 30, 1828, in Greenfield and died September 2, 1895, at age 67.
In April 1912, the two largest tap and die companies in town, Wiley & Russell and Wells Bro Co., merged creating Greenfield Tap and Die Corp (GTD). GTD manufactured thread cutting tools (taps and dies), and between the years of 1912 and 1921, GTD purchased many local companies to guard against competition and to help diversify their current product lines/offerings.While GTD went through many mergers through the years, the factory still exists and operates in Greenfield as a small division of Kennametal, Inc
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This Tour is a Walking Tour.
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An Eagle Scout Project that takes you on a walk throughout downtown Greenfield, highlighting important parts of Greenfield's history. This highlights houses of people who made an impact on the town, important locations where fighting against slavery occurred, factories that fueled the town through WWII, and many more!
