Agawam begins work to update inventory of historic structures

Dec. 5, 2018 | Jordan Houston
jordan@thereminder.com

AGAWAM – Work is underway to update Agawam’s Inventory of Historic Structures in order to better understand the town’s historic buildings and properties scattered across the community.

The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC) is partnering with the Agawam Historical Commission to utilize a $72,000 grant to bring the town’s recordkeeping in compliance with 21st century Massachusetts Historical Commission requirements. The town council and Community Preservation Act Committee approved of the grant last spring.

PVPC Historic Preservation Planner Shannon Walsh will be working with local officials, historians and property owners to revise and add more than 300 inventory forms that document historic areas, buildings, burial grounds, objects and structures throughout Agawam and Feeding Hills.

“I think it’s important for an area to have documentation of their history – it’s more than architecture, it’s also about the people who built these houses and lived around here,” Walsh told Reminder Publishing. “I also feel like historic preservation fits with sustainable design, which is more and more crucial as we understand what’s going on with the environment. I think it’s important to save the resources for the community; and it’s just environmentally responsible. The more I do it, the more important I feel it is.”

Because Agawam’s Inventory of Historic Structures originated in 1985, a majority of its inventory forms contain minimal information. Several of its inventoried properties were also demolished before the town’s Demolition Delay Ordinance was enacted in 2000.

Walsh is seeking to add contemporary photographs of historic properties, while revising and adding information such as location, historic name, construction date, style, builder and condition. The documentation will also include a locus map, detailed architectural description, and a historical narrative that explains the structure’s associations with local history and the role of its owners in the community.

David Cecchi, chairman of the Agawam Historical Commission, told Reminder Publishing he’s looking forward to uncovering more about Agawam’s history.

“I’m just really excited about this project. It’s been something the Commission has talked about for a long time,” said Cecchi. “I really am so passionate about the history of this town, and the amount of information that we’ll have available to us in a very easy way is going to be amazing.”

Walsh has already completed a form for the Josiah Johnson House, which dates back to around 1750 – 1790.

On top of updating the inventory, Walsh is planning on preparing up to two property nominations for the National Register of Historic Places, which is the “official” list of the nation’s historic places “worthy” of preservation, according to its website. The properties will be identified by the Agawam Historical Commission and the PVPC, and submitted for approval by the Massachusetts Historical Commission.

All completed inventory forms for Agawam will be listed on the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System (MACRIS), explained Walsh, along with current and previous forms for any given property.

The MACRIS is a database that enables site visitors to search the Massachusetts Historical Commission database for information on the historic properties and areas in the Commonwealth.

For more information on MACRIS, or for Agawam’s inventory forms, head over to http://mhc-macris.net/.

The town’s update of its Inventory of Historic Structures is expected to be completed in August 2020.

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