About Springfield

Local Issues

Affordable Housing

We need stronger protections for renters and incentives for local affordable development.

Public Safety

Support for violence prevention, mental health response, and community-based policing.

Youth Services

Funding after-school programs, youth jobs, and educational equity.

About Springfield, MA

Population: ~155,929 (2020 Census)
Median Household Income: $51,339
Racial/Ethnic Makeup: 47.4% Hispanic or Latino, 29% White (non-Hispanic), 17.7% Black or African American
Median Age: 33.7 years

Ward 4 History

Mason Square — History, Landmarks & Community

Where it is: Mason Square sits at the junction of State Street, Wilbraham Road, and Eastern Avenue—the commercial hub where McKnight, Bay, Old Hill and Upper Hill meet. Historically known as Winchester Square, this crossroads fostered industry, transit, and civic life.

Landmarks in and around the Square

Portrait of Primus P. Mason from the Springfield Graphic, 1892 — **Primus Parsons Mason (1817–1892)** — Black entrepreneur, landowner, and philanthropist whose gifts established a home for aged men (today Mason-Wright) and inspired the renaming of Winchester Square to Mason Square. *Image: public domain, The Graphic (Jan. 23, 1892).*

Brick industrial buildings of the former Indian Motocycle plant at Winchester Square — **Indian Motocycle Company** — The factory at State & Wilbraham anchored a cluster of 1875–1913 brick industrial buildings (NRHP: *Winchester Square Historic District*), once home to Indian, Knox Automobile, and more. *Photo: Magicpiano (CC BY-SA).*

Exterior of Mason Square Branch Library on State Street — **Mason Square Branch Library (1943–present)** — A community anchor for reading, programs, and local history at *765 State Street*. *Photo: John Phelan (CC BY 4.0).*

Historic postcard view of American International College campus — **American International College** — Founded in 1885 (in Springfield since 1888), AIC remains an enduring presence near the Square; historic postcard c. 1930–45. *Source: Boston Public Library Tichnor Brothers (public domain).*

People & Community

19th-century roots: Springfield’s east-side neighborhoods (Old Hill/McKnight) became early centers of Black life; by the 1900s, religious and civic institutions flourished here.
St. John’s Congregational Church: Founded 1844 by African-American abolitionists; later a nationally noted hub under Rev. William N. DeBerry, with youth and education programs.
Industrial → residential: Rail-served factories evolved into a mixed civic/commercial district; parts of the Indian complex are now the Mason Square Apartments at Indian Motorcycle.
Today’s anchors: The Mason Square Library, Dunbar Community Center, churches, and the Baystate Mason Square Neighborhood Health Center serve long-standing African-American and growing Latino (especially Puerto Rican) communities.