Quick History Stops: Brimfield, MA
In early September 2025, I visited Brimfield, MA for the annual Brimfield Flea Market, a tradition that began back in 1959. Before a day of walking among vendors to find vintage bargains, I made a few quick history stops around the center of town, called Brimfield Center Historic District and on the National Register of Historic Places since 2006. Like many other small New England towns, its center included a picturesque white church, town hall, war memorials, and a historic school.
The Town Hall at 21 Main Street was constructed in 1878 by Eugene Clarence Gardner of Springfield, MA, where he constructed many of his buildings. This building follows the Stick Style of design, as Gardner was an inventor of this style. Other stick style houses that I have previously visited include the Cary House in Cambridge, Highfield Hall in Falmouth, and a stick style shed in Washington Square in Philadelphia, PA. In front of the Town Hall is a monument dedicated to soldiers who served in World War I.
Across the street is First Congregational Church of Brimfield. Established in 1721, the current church building appears to be the third and dates from 1847. This building was designed by Captain Edward Lamb of Worcester to reflect the previous church built by Elias Carter in 1805, which had burned down earlier that year. That had been the very first church Carter had designed, leading to a full career as a local architect in central Massachusetts. As for Lamb, he continued to build houses, organize the militia, and serve as Overseer of the House of Corrections in Worcester until his sudden death in 1868.
Down the road is Hitchcock Free Academy, founded by Samuel Austin Hitchcock and built in 1855 by Carter as a free high school for local teenagers. The school system became regionalized in 1954, and the building was turned into Hitchcock Academy Community Center. Instead of math and reading, modern classes include music and art lessons for people of all ages, plus fitness classes like fencing and judo/ju-jitsu. In front of the school is a memorial to graduates who had served in The Great War, now known as World War I.
Many memorials stand at the center of town. Besides the memorials for World War I, a rectangular memorial commemorates soldiers in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. A small slab decorated with a circle of thirteen five-pointed stars and the year 1776 honors soldiers from the American Revolutionary War. An obelisk and four cannons behind a metal fence commemorate soldiers in the American Civil War. A pair of Massachusetts Bay Colony Tercentenary Commission signs are located nearby. One marks the site of “Indian Hill”, once the Native American settlement of Ashquoach and the location of Quaboag Old Fort, a garrison house much like Gilman Garrison House in Exeter, NH. The other sign commemorated Steerage Rock, which served as a landmark for Native Americans and colonists moving to the Connecticut Valley along the Bay Path. A stone well was dedicated to Marquis Converse in 1895, as Converse took on any job in town that needed to be done and was beloved by the townspeople. The final stop before heading to the flea market was the “Welcome to Brimfield” sign. This colorful, informational signage succinctly described the history of the town from early colonization, incorporation in 1731, service during wars, and its inclusion in The Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor (just like Bigelow Hollow State Park in Union, CT and Clara Barton Birthplace in Oxford, MA). With so much history in one place, this was a great way to start the day!