About the Connecticut Valley Historical Museum

Exterior photo of The Connecticut Valley Historical Museum

Museum History

The Connecticut Valley Historical Society was originally a separate organization which held its meetings and kept its collections of “natural, civil, military, literary, ecclesiastical and genealogical materials” in the City Library building.

In 1927, a new museum building was constructed. The granite building incorporates some of the finest architectural features of a Colonial home.

The museum celebrates many of the area's famous people, including Springfield native Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel.

Museum Exhibits

The history and traditions of Springfield and the Connecticut River Valley since 1636 are told in exhibits of handcrafted furniture and silver by local craftsmen, motorcycles and antique autos made in Springfield, industrial objects from the region's factories, and historical firearms from the area's gun industry, including selected revolvers from a premier Smith & Wesson collection. The museum celebrates many of the area's famous people, including Springfield native Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel.

Suess on the Loose Exhibit

Genealogy & Local History Library

To delve into your personal history, join researchers and family historians from everywhere who use the museum's Genealogy and Local History Library and Archives. The library has an extensive collection of French Canadian church records and a very good collection of Massachusetts vital records (to 1905) as well as many town and county histories for Massachusetts and its sister New England states. Census records are available online and on microfilm, along with access to city directories for Springfield and the surrounding area, maps and atlases, over 20,000 print family histories, local databases for naturalizations and cemetery records, local newspapers on microfilm up to 1900, a large collection of Springfield area photographs, and 1.3 million archival documents, including letters, diaries, deeds, and account books. Springfield area organizations and individuals are documented in the local history collections. There are currently no online indexes to the archival collections. Please contact the library at 413-263-6800, ext. 230, or by email at cvhmgen@springfieldmuseums.org.