Springfield 1636-1886, History of Town and City, by Mason A. Green ...

262 ."SPRINGFIELD., 1636-18S6.
Governor Pownal in 1757 to mass a large force of cavalry and infantry
at Springfield to check his advance from Lake George. But the move
was unnecessary, and in 1760 Canada became a British province.
There are a multitude of smaller matters that one might linger over
with curious but time-consuming interest. We find the town direct-
ing (1739) William Pynchon to oppose the Brookfield petition before
the General Court for liberty to make a "Passageway through
severall Barrs in Chiccuppi River for Shad to Pass ; " we find orders
for three or more " good Handsome Hew'd stones to be placed
before the front door of the town-house ;
" for the selectmen to
lease out (1737) all town lands " together with the Land and Bury-
ing yard at the Middle of the Town for the term of five years to the
best advantage ;
" for a workhouse (1742) on the prison lot, and for
the payment of all appropriations in " old Tener bills."
Agawam was granted its desire to be set off as a separate district
in 1754. The Governor of Massachusetts had been warned by the
king in 1753 against the multiplication of towns with representatives
in General Court, and so the expedient of setting up districts unrep-
resented was resorted to. These districts became towns by an act
passed in 1777. During the year 1753 a proposition to bridge the
Agawam river by a lottery scheme had been voted down. The total
town expenses in 1746 were £600, which showed how Springfield was
growing, as the church expenses were not included in the general
tax. In 1741 rewards were offered for the destruction of the fol-
lowing pests : Woodchucks or ground raccoons, 9d. ; old blackbirds,
M. ; young blackbirds, Irf. ; crows, 6f?. ; blackbirds' eggs, per
doz., 4d.
The selectmen of 1737 were William Pynchon, Capt. John Day,
John Burt, Luke Hitchcock, Jr., and Thomas Colton. Ten years
later the officers were : Moderator, Capt. Thomas Stebbins ; clerk and
treasurer, Edward Pynchon; selectmen, James Warriner, Francis
Ball, William Stebbins, Joseph Pynchon, Luke Hitchcock, Jr.,
Ebenezer Hitchcock, Jonathan Church. At the end of still another
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