Days 55-61: Heading to Westfield, Massachusetts

This week I practiced 11 hours, so that takes me through Springfield to a town just west of the city, appropriately named Westfield, where I'll stop at a Family Dollar there at 51 Franklin Street.

Springfield to Westfield

I had to jump back on I-291 to get out of Springfield, but as I was traveling through the heart of the city, I thought I'd make note of some of the places that were not too far off that path. One place that caught my eye is Franklin Supermarket, at 412 Franklin Street in Springfield. I thought that was an interesting name for a grocery store, and thought it must be a neighborhood store. I was right on that score, but soon learned that Franklin Supermarket is central to its Puerto Rican neighborhood, catering to its customers' needs. It gets very good reviews on Google, and is no doubt even more important to its neighborhood now, with the pandemic making life difficult for its customers.

Franklin Supermarket outside

Franklin Supermarket inside

Doing some additional research, I soon learned that Springfield has a large and growing Latino-American community, comprised mainly of migrants from Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and other island nations. A local community college, Springfield Technical Community College, has an interesting website that discusses this population and the diversity of residents in Springfield: Our Plural History.

Another interesting-looking place that can be seen from the interstate is Sacred Heart Catholic Church.
It's an imposing structure, with a beautiful interior--but it gives the impression of humility as well. Below are photos of the outside and inside.

As I travel along, I leave Interstate 291, splitting off onto US-20, where I cross a major US waterway, the Connecticut River, the longest river in New England, flowing 410 miles from the Quebec-New Hampshire border to Long Island Sound. It's named after the Pequot word, quinetucket, or long tidal river, anglicized to Connecticut.

Connecticut River
by Cathy Mumford

There are many interesting facts about the river which can be found at the Connecticut River Conservancy website. One interesting historical fact: it was the site of an attack in 1676. Here is a brief summary of that event:

[The river] witnessed the tragic engagement known as the Turners Falls Fight, or Turners Falls Massacre, in May of 1676, where several hundred Nipmuck, Pocumtuck, Wampanoag and Narragansett Indians (mainly women, children, and old men) were set upon in wigwams and slain by 150 colonial militiamen near the roaring falls, then known as Peskeomscutt, the “great falls.”

I am now in West Springfield, home of the Big E, or the Eastern States Exhibition, a major fair that happens every year; it has been ongoing since 1916. It is a regional event, encompassing six New England states. You can read about its history here: Big E History.

From BigE website

Also in West Springfield is the Josiah Day House Museum, which I pass just after crossing the Connecticut River, on US-20, at 70 Park Street. The house is reputedly the oldest brick saltbox house in the United States. It was built in 1746 and was owned and lived in by successive generations of Days until 1902, when the last descendant died and it was sold to the Ramapogue Historical Society. They preserved it as is and now it's a museum you can visit. You can read about the house here: Josiah Day House. As you can see from the below photo, it's right on US-20, and down the street from a pizzeria.

Traveling a few more miles, US-20 takes me to the next little town on my route, Westfield, down Main Street, right through the heart of an attractive downtown. Then it takes a left, goes north a couple of streets and turns left onto Franklin Street, where the Family Dollar is and where I'm stopping for now. See you next time!

51 Franklin St, West Springfield, MA