By Mary Serreze

Agawam traces its history of European settlement back to 1636, and hosts many historic buildings, cemeteries, and landscapes. For instance, the Josiah Johnson House in Feeding Hills was once the Mad Bull Tavern, and served 18th-century travelers.

However, the town's inventory of historic assets is out-of-date and incomplete.

Now the Agawam Historical Commission and the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission aim to update the existing inventory with more robust information and research. 

Shannon Walsh, a historic preservationist with the Springfield-based planning commission, has been working on the project. She has been taking photographs and updating more than 300 records.

Walsh, who started over the summer, plans to work through August of 2022. Her updated records will be listed with the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System, an online resource known as MACRIS.

The existing historical inventory was done in 1985. The old records contained minimal information, and some historic properties have since been torn down.

Read the full Springfield Republican story here