Chicopee dates to 1640, and 26% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 95% of U.S. towns · #83 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it
13 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Edward Bellamy House, a National Historic Landmark, and four historic districts with 282 buildings between them. Below: 9 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1850.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1823.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Chicopee’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Chicopee is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns, #83 of 283 in Massachusetts. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Chicopee’s overall grade.
Massachusetts towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Massachusetts town has 46.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Chicopee’s 55.7 sits near the middle of its state (52% of Massachusetts towns have fewer) while its 308 historic buildings outnumber those of 95% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1640.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. The pre-1940 share (±2.3 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Chicopee’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
"Chicopee" is derived from the Nipmuc language. It is likely derived from chekee ("violently") and -pe (root suffix used in water place names) or chikkupee ("of red cedar"), an adjectival form of chikkup ("red cedar").
In 1636, William Pynchon purchased land from the Agawam Indians on the east side of the Connecticut River. He moved from the Town of Roxbury to Springfield to found the first settlement in the area that comprises the territory of today's Chicopee Center (Cabotville). Both Cabotville and the Falls were developed as manufacturing centers (villages).
Originally the territory now comjirising the city of Chicopee formed a part of the town of Sprinirfield, and so continued under the names of Cabot or Cabotville. Chicopee Falls or Factory Village, and Chicopee Street, until created a separate town by act of the ]\Iass.nchusetts legislature in 1848. Settlements began on the Chicopee river, however, within a very few years after the ( 482 )
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
From the time of creating the Second parish to the incorporation of the town of AA^est Springfield, the territory west of the river comprised the three localities or districts known as Agawam, the Street and the Chicopee plains; and after the oi'ganization of the town the boundaries remained substantially unchanged until Holyoke was set off in 1850, followed by Agawam in 1855. During the years following the establishment of the Second parish, there was a steady increase in population on
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
notice in the future. The only prominent way constructed since 1848 has been the road from Eaton's Mills to Indian Orchard, including the iron bridge spanning the Chicopee River at that village, which were built by order of the county commissioners in 1866. The bridges at Collins' Depot also come within this period. The first, a pier bridge, dates before 1850, but was carried away by a flood. The present structure was erected in 1851. The
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
By decade
Chicopee, decade by decade
5 decades in the archive, from the 1840s to the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Chicopee. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1886Springfield sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Chicopee.
Every building
Chicopee, building by building, 1885–1915
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
In 1640, according to Wikidata. Chicopee’s post office opened in 1823, and the census of 1850 counted 8,291 people here.
How does Chicopee rank for history?
Chicopee is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns, #83 of 283 in Massachusetts. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Chicopee?
13 listings: 9 buildings, among them the Edward Bellamy House (a National Historic Landmark since 1971), and 4 historic districts with 282 contributing buildings. 308 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Chicopee?
26% of Chicopee’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.3 points), against a typical 21% for a Massachusetts town; the median home was built in 1958.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (7), the Library of Congress (2), Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (13), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
★ Landmark
![Originally the territory now comjirising the city of Chicopee formed a part of the town of Sprinirfield, and so continued under the names of Cabot or Cabotville. Chicopee Falls or Factory Village, and Chicopee Street, until created a separate town by act of the ]\Iass.nchusetts legislature in 1848.…](https://images.townratings.com/story/7542/bk-185c0d5585bcbc57-l.jpg)
c. 1906
1907–1915
c. 1907
c. 1908
