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 1847-1851 John Brown Before leading his ill-fated raid on Harpers Ferry Virginia, the fiery abolitionist called Springfield, MA his home. Here, Brown worked extensively with abolitionists in both the African American and white communities and aided them in their fight to resist the institution of slavery  King Philip's War Indigenous resistance to European domination erupted into warfare across New England in 1675-1676, and several key battles in what became known as King Philip's War took place in the Connecticut River Valley
 Pre-contact Cultures of the First Peoples Although sharing a cultural and linguistic heritage, the First Peoples of what is now the area around Springfield displayed significant diversity 1636
Springfield founded  1636-1654 William Pynchon Founder of the city of Springfield, Pynchon and his family helped build Springfield from a trading post on the outskirts of the Massachusetts Bay Colony to a thriving commercial city  Conflict and Cooperation among the First Peoples and European Settlers Despite a clash of cultures that made integration and cooperation between native groups and European colonists difficult, instances of mutual exchange reveal the complex relations between the two societies  1640s Indentured Servitude in Colonial Springfield Over half of all immigrants during the colonial period came as bonded or indentured servants, contracted to provide labor to a particular master for a fixed period of time in exchange for passage overseas  1652-1702 John Pynchon After his father returned to England, John Pynchon expanded the fur trade in the valley and secured land claims from Native American groups  1817-1894 Thomas Thomas A former slave, Thomas Thomas would befriend John Brown as well as become a successful small business owner in Springfield  Abolitionism & the Underground Railroad in the Connecticut River Valley Local activists involved in the resistance movement against slavery included church leaders, businesspeople, and committees of concerned citizens, both black and white  Springfield and the Civil War When the first shots rang out at Fort Sumter in April of 1861, Springfield was a city of 15,000 residents supported by several local industries. By the war's end, Springfield had sent 2,625 of its men to fight for the Union cause  1840s-Present St. John's Congregational Church One of the oldest African American churches in Springfield, St. John's has undergone numerous name changes but has remained a center of African American community life  1840s-1850s Irish Immigrants in Holyoke Irish immigrants arrived in large numbers early in the Industrial Era of the Connecticut River Valley, and built by hand the canals that would power the mills of Holyoke  1850-1880 French-Canadian Immigrants in Holyoke The availability of work in the mills of Holyoke attracted overland migrants from French-speaking Canada  1891 The World of Basketball In Springfield, Canadian immigrant James Naismith invented the sport of basketball, which grew into a worldwide sport  1900-1940 The Springfield Armory Founded by George Washington, the Springfield Armory provided a means of social mobility for a diverse array of ethnic groups in the twentieth century  1960s-Present Puerto Rican Communities in the Valley Puerto Rican migrants have increasingly been attracted to the smaller industrial cities and farm lands of New England. The cities of Springfield and Holyoke continue to be a destination for migrant communities  1960s The Civil Rights Movement in Springfield The vibrant African-American community in Springfield was instrumental in the fight against segregation and racial discrimination and in favor of justice and equality for all Americans
 1991-Present Immigration from Russia and the Soviet Union: After the End of the Cold War After the fall of the Soviet Union, large numbers of Russians immigrants settled in the area around Springfield  |
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