260. East Longmeadow: Watchaug Meadow

There's a story in East Longmeadow that I'd like to chase down, once I get over the trauma of the mosquito bites. And it all has to do with the long history of the town.

It started in the early eighteenth century for East Longmeadow, settled in 1720. Obviously, being an "east" there's a tale of political separation, and that happened in the late 1800s. Now there's a study for you - this town was the 347th of the current 351 to form, older only than Westwood, Plainvillle, Millville, and Massachusetts' youngest community, East Brookfield, formed in 1920. Wouldn't it be fun to randomly pick a year and figure out how many towns there were? This project, for instance, would have been much easier in 1639. Half an Hour a Day on Foot: 23 Towns in 365 Days. Of course, back then, I would probably have had to walk to all of the towns themselves before walking in them. And I'll bet there was a lot more open space back then, too.

But East Longmeadow, with its sandstone quarries, supposedly supplied the raw materials for the construction of the Smithsonian Institution. I ask you, good gentlepeople: how cool is that?

So, someday I'll dive in. Like I did to the trails on this day. And someday I'll truly learn about the proper way to protect oneself from the damaging advances of the insect world. Meadow + humidity + summer = one chewed up wanderer.