George Washington never slept in Agawam, but he did travel along its Main Street, twice.
In June 1775, General Washington passed through town in a "coach and four" under escort en route to Boston to assume command of the Continental Army.
In the fall of 1789, as part of his month-long presidential visit to New England, Washington followed the same route on his way to Boston. His diary mentions crossing the Agawam River on a bridge and that at Springfield “the river is crossed by scows sent over with poles and is about 80 rods wide.”
To mark the bicentennial of Washington’s birth, his route through the Commonwealth was dedicated as the Massachusetts George Washington Memorial Highway in 1932. Bronze markers were placed in 22 towns visited by Washington. The photo seen here is the dedication of the Agawam marker, located at the corner of Main and Federal streets.
