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East Longmeadow, MA Town HallPhoto: C0shea94 · CC BY-SA 4.0
BHistory
History · East Longmeadow

East Longmeadow dates to 1720, and 3 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 65% of U.S. towns · #262 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it

Most of East Longmeadow was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1966. Its Register listings are the Elijah Burt House, the First Congregational Church of East Longmeadow and the Swetland-Pease House. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1886 on, and the census since 1900.

1720founded
3on the National Register
8%homes built before 1940
4old photos & papers
6famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From East Longmeadow’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How East Longmeadow began

When was East Longmeadow founded?

1720

East Longmeadow dates its founding to 1720 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1900.

First census: 1,187 in 19002020 census: 16,430306 years

How historic is East Longmeadow?

B

More historic than 65% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1831.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives East Longmeadow’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, East Longmeadow is more historic than 65% of U.S. towns, #262 of 283 in Massachusetts. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of East Longmeadow’s overall grade.
Founding era1720, from Wikidata: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA+Homes built before 19408.2% of homes (±3.2) · typical MA town 21.1% · U.S. 8.4%C+National Register3 listings, 1.8 per 10,000 residents · typical MA town 46.0 · U.S. 2.4C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 65%
NewerOlder
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 7%

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 East Longmeadow’s 1.8 sits below most of its state (12% of Massachusetts towns have fewer) while its 3 listings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1720.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.2 points).

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 East Longmeadow’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 4 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18867 editions of the USGS map, 1886 to 1970. Watch East Longmeadow change.Older than the countryEstablished in 1720, 56 years before the Declaration of Independence.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start East Longmeadow’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how East Longmeadow’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewSpringfield Road: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

East Longmeadow on the map, 1886 to 1970

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of East Longmeadow. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

East Longmeadow on the 1886 USGS mapEast Longmeadow on the 1893 USGS mapEast Longmeadow on the 1920 USGS mapEast Longmeadow on the 1933 USGS mapEast Longmeadow on the 1944 USGS mapEast Longmeadow on the 1958 USGS mapEast Longmeadow on the 1970 USGS map1886Springfield 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 East Longmeadow.

Timeline

East Longmeadow, 1720 to 1990

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 18th century
  2. 1720
    FoundingEast Longmeadow is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1831Post officeThe East Long Meadow post office opens
  5. 1886On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 20th century
  7. 1900In the archiveSpringfield Road
  8. 1938In the archiveLand Utilization Town of East Longmeadow - DPLA - d8303495853d8e548d508c5894829ba8
  9. 1966Born hereKyle Smith is born here
  10. 1985Born hereJames Thorpe is born here
  11. 1990Born hereVictoria Aveyard is born here
  12. 1990Born hereNick Ahmed is born here
The story

How East Longmeadow came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of East Longmeadow.

Read it all →

The town of Longmeadow, Massachusetts was first settled in the 17th century. In the 1750s houses started appearing in the eastern part of the town known as "East Village". In 1894, East Village separated from Longmeadow, and became officially incorporated as East Longmeadow in the same year. The town became well known for its brownstone quarries, even when it was still a part of Longmeadow.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

East Longmeadow, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1900s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1900s–1930s4 items
Springfield Road1900Springfield RoadSpringfield Road1900Springfield RoadCongregational church and streetcar, East Longmeadow - postcard1901–1907Congregational church and streetcar, East Longmeadow …PostcardLand Utilization Town of East Longmeadow - DPLA - d8303495853d8e548d508c5894829ba81938Land Utilization Town of East Longmeadow - DPLA - d83…
1940s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
Today9 recent
Parking lot at 330 Chestnut2024Parking lot at 330 ChestnutFirst Baptist Church2024First Baptist ChurchCompetitive Edge Ski and Bike2024Competitive Edge Ski and Bike330 Chestnut2024330 ChestnutEastLongmeadowMA SwetlandPeaseHouse2014EastLongmeadowMA SwetlandPeaseHouseEastLongmeadowMA ElijahBurtHouse2014EastLongmeadowMA ElijahBurtHouseEast Longmeadow Public Library2012East Longmeadow Public LibraryEast Longmeadow 4th of July Volunteers2012East Longmeadow 4th of July VolunteersFirst Congregational Church2011First Congregational Church
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Springfield Road
Retake this viewSpringfield Road, 1900

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on East Longmeadow’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

3 historic places in East Longmeadow

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
3
each building in a district counts
first listed
1976
Elijah Burt House
Elijah Burt HouseFirst Congregational Church of East LongmeadowSwetland-Pease House
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Classical Revival1
Vernacular Federal1
Elijah Burt HouseBuilding
First Congregational Church of East LongmeadowClassical Revival
Swetland-Pease HouseVernacular Federal

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

East Longmeadow, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,00014,00016,00018,000190019201940196019802000202016,430

Grew from 1,187 people in 1900 to 16,430 in 2020, more than tenfold.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on East Longmeadow’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

6 famous people were born in East Longmeadow

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Victoria AveyardAmerican writer of young adult and fantasy fict… · b. 1990
Nick AhmedAmerican baseball player · b. 1990
James ThorpeAmerican soccer player · b. 1985
K
Kyle SmithUS journalist, author · b. 1966
J
Joseph GrigelyAmerican visual artist and scholar · b. 1956
S
Sue NicholsAmerican artist · b. 1965
Places that used to be

Old corners and places now gone

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Baptist Village
Gone or out of use
Sunny Knoll Airportairport

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Springfield92 historic placesA+Longmeadow2 historic placesA+

Questions about East Longmeadow’s history

What year was East Longmeadow founded?

In 1720, according to Wikidata. East Longmeadow’s post office opened in 1831, and the census of 1900 counted 1,187 people here.

How does East Longmeadow rank for history?

East Longmeadow is more historic than 65% of U.S. towns, #262 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 East Longmeadow?

Three places: the Elijah Burt House (listed 1976), the First Congregational Church of East Longmeadow (1978) and the Swetland-Pease House (1980).

How old are the homes in East Longmeadow?

8% of East Longmeadow’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.2 points), against a typical 21% for a Massachusetts town; the median home was built in 1966.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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 (11), the Library of Congress (2), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.