About

Step inside the Southwick Time Machine — where forgotten stories rise from the dust, and the past of small-town New England comes alive again.

This site is dedicated to telling true, strange, and remarkable stories from Southwick, Massachusetts and the surrounding towns of Granville, Suffield, Westfield, and throughout the Pioneer Valley. The Southwick Time Machine digs into dusty newspaper archives, public records, and forgotten headlines to uncover the people, places, and moments that time almost erased.

Whether it's uncovering remarkable true crime cases, exploring local legends, or sharing snapshots of everyday life from generations past, these nonfiction stories and historical curiosities reveal the real human experience that shaped this region. Some are shocking, some are funny, and many have been forgotten—but they're all true.

Why These Stories Matter

Small towns often get left out of the bigger historical narratives.

History didn’t just happen in cities or capitals — it happened here, too. On quiet Southwick streets, in long-gone train depots, and behind the doors of homes still standing today. Small towns like ours rarely make the history books, but they hold the stories that shaped real lives.

The Southwick Time Machine exists to bring those stories back — so they’re remembered, shared, and never lost again.

What You'll Find Here

True crime cases from early New England
Railroad lore, stations, and heists
Local legends and strange-but-true headlines
Profiles of ordinary people who made history in unexpected ways

How We Do It

Every story here is the result of painstaking, often costly research — hours spent digging through old archives, public records, and forgotten newspapers.

Accuracy Matters. At the Southwick Time Machine, historical accuracy is not merely a goal—it is a standard we uphold with rigor and care. Every story is the result of thorough research and meticulous fact-checking. Each detail is drawn from original primary sources—period newspapers, historical documents, archives, and official public records, including census data, land deeds, death certificates, and court files.

These stories are living records of our past. When new evidence emerges, or when conflicts between sources are resolved, the accounts are updated to reflect the most complete and faithful representation of local history. Stories shared on social media may not be revised and should not be considered the definitive record.

Readability First. You'll notice stories here don't include traditional citations or footnotes. Rather than interrupt the narrative with academic apparatus, we prioritize storytelling while maintaining rigorous research standards. The goal is to make history accessible and engaging, not to replicate an academic journal.

A Human Touch. Some stories may be edited by AI and some promotional material may be AI-generated. However, stories are never researched or fully written using AI.

Have information that might enhance or correct a story? We'd love to hear from you.

Who's Behind This

Hi, I’m Ross — a writer, researcher, and lifelong history lover. I moved to Southwick when I was two, and this town has always been home.

I started the Southwick Time Machine after stumbling across incredible local stories in old archives — tales that no one else seemed to be telling. I wanted to share them before they faded for good.

This is a one-person project, powered by curiosity, late nights, and the belief that local history matters. Every story you read here represents hours of digging, verifying, and writing at my own expense.

My Connection to Southwick

These stories aren’t just history to me — they’re family. My grandparents bought one of the first houses on modern-day Fred Jackson Road in 1955 and lived there until 2021. My parents both worked at Pioneer Dairy; my dad started there at 17 and stayed his whole life — until the Dairy closed the same year he passed.

I grew up in North Longyard and spent summers working for Feg Arnold tobacco. Southwick runs in my blood.

When I dig through old newspapers, I’m uncovering the world my family lived in — the places they worked, the people they knew, and the stories that shaped us. That’s why I do this work, and why getting the details right matters so much to me.

If you'd like to learn more about my family's connection to Southwick, read A Southwick Memory: Part One.

Help Keep It Going

The Southwick Time Machine exists because of readers like you. Without support, these stories don't get told.

Researching and writing each story takes weeks of work—digging through archives, cross-referencing old newspapers, tracking down public records, fact-checking every detail. The server costs are real. The hours are countless. But the stories are worth it.

If you've enjoyed what you've read here, please consider supporting this work:

Donate — Every dollar helps keep the history alive. Your contribution directly funds research trips, archive access, and hosting costs. Even $10 makes a real difference. $20 helps me spend hours hunting through dusty records for the next story. $30 keeps this site running for another month.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel — Help us reach more people and grow this project.
Share a story — Tell a friend about a post that moved you. Word of mouth keeps independent projects alive.

This is a reader-supported project run by one person who loves this town. Every single contribution—whether it's $10 or $100—helps uncover the next forgotten chapter of Southwick's history and keeps these stories from being lost forever.

Start Exploring

New here? Begin with one of our most read true stories:

Submerged: The '1800 House' Tragedy - Designer’s summer home, unimaginable loss.
The Lake House - Congamond's scandalous country hotel.
Double Date: The Celia Censki Story Deadly double date.

Thanks for visiting. Let's go back in time together.

Primary Areas of Interest

Southwick, Massachusetts History

Westfield, Massachusetts History

Granville, Massachusetts History (includes West Granville History and Granville Corners History)

Tolland, Massachusetts History

Suffield, Connecticut History (includes West Suffield History)

Congamond Lake History (Also see Southwick Ponds)

True Crime

Southwick, Massachusetts True Crime

Granville, Massachusetts True Crime

Tolland, Massachusetts True Crime

Suffield, Connecticut True Crime

Westfield, Massachusetts True Crime

Otis, Massachusetts True Crime

Windsor, Connecticut True Crime (includes Windsor Locks True Crime)