What is Springfield Massachusetts famous for?

the birthplace of basketball
It has been known as the “City of Firsts” – a moniker earned through a history of innovation, including America’s first Armory and military arsenal and the first American made automobile. Springfield may be best known for two other innovations – the birthplace of basketball and of Theodor Geisel, better known as “Dr.

What is the history of Springfield Massachusetts?

The history of Springfield, Massachusetts dates back to the colonial period, when it was founded in 1636 as Agawam Plantation, named after a nearby village of Algonkian-speaking Native Americans. It was the northernmost settlement of the Connecticut Colony.

Was the capital of Massachusetts ever Springfield?

Hartford, the capital of Connecticut, lies 24 miles (39 km) south of Springfield, on the western bank of the Connecticut River….

Who settled Springfield Massachusetts?

William Pynchon
William Pynchon and a company of six men from Roxbury, a town near Boston, established Springfield in 1636 at the junction of the Agawam and Connecticut Rivers.

When did Native Americans arrive in Massachusetts?

Indigenous people have lived in Massachusetts for 12,000 years. The first known inhabitants of Massachusetts were Paleoindians who moved into New England just as the glaciers were retreating at the end of the last ice age.

What was the first Springfield?

History. Historically, the first American place named Springfield was Springfield, Massachusetts, founded in 1636 by William Pynchon. An early American colonist, Pynchon named Springfield after his hometown in England, Springfield, Essex.

What Indian tribe was in Massachusetts?

There are two federallyrecognized tribes within Massachusetts: the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribes. The Massachusett tribe are the descendants of the original people that the English invaders first encountered in what is now the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Why is it called Springfield?

An early American colonist, Pynchon named Springfield after his hometown in England, Springfield, Essex. Springfield, Massachusetts, became nationally important in 1777, when George Washington founded the United States’ National Armory at Springfield.

Where is the real Springfield?

Oregon
Ay Caramba! Simpsons creator Matt Groening has revealed the location of the real Springfield: It’s in Oregon. In an interview with Smithsonian magazine, posted online Tuesday, Groening credits the name to the hit TV show Father Knows Best.

Is Springfield the Queen City?

“American Nicknames” [published 1955] by George E. Shankle quotes from “Seeing the Middle West,” by John T. Faris [published 1923] “Springfield, standing in all of the splendor of a queen amidst its spacious orchards of stately fruit trees, has been fittingly designated the Queen City.”

Is The Simpsons based in Springfield Massachusetts?

Springfield In ‘Simpsons’ Was Based On Town In Oregon All Along : The Two-Way Matt Groening tells Smithsonian magazine that the show’s location is based on Springfield, Ore. He credits the idea of naming it Springfield to the hit TV show Father Knows Best.