Wilbraham Collection
The Wilbraham Public Library Local History Collection includes materials related to the Town of Wilbraham or the South Parish (present-day Hampden) through 1878. We collect and preserve books, pamphlets, Town reports, maps, local authors' works, photographs, and unpublished diaries & manuscripts.Detailed research help is not available at this time. If you have any questions about our collections, please contact Mary Bell at mbell@wilbrahamlibrary.org.
Wilbraham Charter
A copy of the Wilbraham Charter is on permanent display in the Wilbraham Public Library and was digitized in 2013 by State Senator Gale Candaras (D-Wilbraham) and State Representative Angelo Puppolo (D-Springfield) to celebrate the 250th anniversary of establishment of the Town of Wilbraham. The original is preserved in the Massachusetts State Archives in Boston. Click on the thumbnail above for a larger image.
Collections
PhotographsWilbraham Public Library's photographic collections in the public domain available online through the Digital Commonwealth. We will be adding more collections as we are able.
Minnechaug yearbooks
Yearbooks from 1961-2018 on archive.org, digitized through the Digital Commonwealth in partnership with the Boston Public Library.
A Journal Kept on the Bark Drummond
The 1849 journal of H. Adams, entitled "A journal kept on the Bark Drummond during her passage from Boston to California via Cape Horn." The Drummond left Boston on February 1, 1849, arrived San Francisco on September 1, 1849 on a trip for the Suffolk Mining Company. Adams' account goes through July 20.
Historic walking tours
Use this website for a self-guided walking tour down Main Street or Maple Street and learn about the historic houses you walk by, their archictecture and the people who lived there. Based on tours given as part of the 250th Anniversary of Wilbraham in 2013 and in conjunction with the Wilbraham Historical Commission.
Maps
The Wilbraham Public Library has a collection of maps of Wilbraham and Hampden/Hampshire counties. These maps range in date from 1894 to 2005 and include street and zoning maps over the years. Originals can be viewed in the library by request.
Wilbraham Town Reports
Bound reports from the library collection from 1876 to 2015 on archive.org, digitized through the Digital Commonwealth in partnership with the Boston Public Library.
Wilbraham Dramatic Club
Playbills and minutes (1928)
Playbills and minutes (1927-1930)
Wilbraham Vital Records
Updated by Bruce Tingle in 2001. For original certified copies, please contact the Wilbraham Town Clerk.
Births (PDF)
Marriages (PDF)
Deaths (PDF)
Wilbraham-Hampden Times
Search or browse back issues of the local newspaper from August 2002-January 2023 (updated annually).
Historical building inventory (PDF)
The Wilbraham Historical Society's inventory of historic houses and other buildings in Wilbraham.
Cemetery Interments
The Wilbraham Cemetery Commissioners have provided copies of the burial lists for Wilbraham's public cemeteries. These listings are alphabetical by name and include location in the cemetery.
Adams Cemetery (PDF)
Adams Cemetery Inscriptions (historical section) (PDF)
East Wilbraham Cemetery (PDF)
Glendale Cemetery (PDF)
Wilbraham Library Materials
Wilbraham Library Assessions Books
A collection of 14 books with hand-written notations of items added to the library collection from 1892 to 1963.
Landscaping Plan
When the library was built in 1968, the Wilbraham Garden Club put together a landscaping plan. Their original plans are preserved here:
Original Plan (PDF)
Plan Copy - Left (PDF)
Plan Copy - Right (PDF)
Title Inventory (PDF)
Wilbraham Library History (PDF)
A presentation written by Mary Bell for the celebration of 50 years at Crane Park Drive and given on December 4, 2018.
Genealogy Resources
Ancestry Library EditionThis database can be searched in-library only. Please ask a librarian if you need any help getting started.
American Ancestors
The New England Historical and Genealogical Society (NEHGS) databases can be searched in-library only. Please ask a librarian if you need any help getting started.
Family Search
Free records and resources for genealogy made available through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Local Resources
Contact information for western Massachusetts historical and genealogical agencies.
