The Sons and Daughters of Hawley (SDH) was established in 1900 to nurture connections among all those with ties to the town and to preserve Hawley’s history, including its historic buildings and sites. For well over a century the Sons and Daughters of Hawley has provided a common meeting ground for the people of Hawley, collected historical artifacts and materials, educated the public about Hawley’s history, and maintained the community’s memory. After acquiring the 1848 East Hawley Meetinghouse in 1981, SDH replaced its missing steeple. It continues to maintain the building and has begun to restore the interior. SDH also acquired and restored the Grove Building on the other side of East Hawley Road, which serves as a venue for community meals and houses the organization’s archives. SDH functions as an entirely volunteer organization. Its board members bring a variety of skills, a deep commitment, and abundant energy to the projects the organization undertakes. From 2008 to 2010, with the help of funding from MassHumanities, SDH created a historic site on what was, for a short period, Hawley’s town common. Hawley’s Old Town Common consists of a kiosk and nine interpretive signs with trails linking the foundations of buildings that once stood on or near the common. The project won an Award of Merit for Leadership in History from the American Association for State and Local History. SDH’s archival collection consists of photographs, letters, town records and other documents related to the history of Hawley. The collection includes a small number of artifacts, including a collection unearthed during two seasons of archaeology excavation at the site of the Sanford Tavern on the edge of the town common. Documents and photographs have recently been organized and placed in acid-free containers. Members of SDH have now begun cataloguing the material.
327 and 332 East Hawley Road
Hawley, MA 01339