Welcome to Lambert Square

flax harvest

In 1835 the manufacturing of paper was revolutionized by the addition of wood pulp to the raw materials. Josiah Lambert of Maplewick Plantation on the Chicopee River heard this news with great displeasure. He resolved to save the paper industry from its own folly, and in 1840 he opened the region's first printing plant and paper mill. Josiah and his sons used the cotton and flax grown at Maplewick to develop a distinctive line of fine papers and stationery that bore the Lambert watermark.

foundry worker, circa 1950

Josiah's subsidiary printing interests have made him a favorite topic of local historians, who note his "entrepreneurial approach to the privatization of banknote printing." You can learn more at the Josiah Lambert Memorial Currency Museum in the Old Foundry.

Maplewick Plantation shortly before it burned to the ground.

Lambert Printing & Paper was the area's primary employer from 1840 until 1990. Shortly after its doors closed, a group of local citizens began meeting to discuss the possible refitting and renovation of the plant into a complex of retail, community and park space. Architects were engaged and plans were drawn up which integrated the old with the new.

The main office of Lambert Printing, 1950. T.J. Lambert and James B. Markham in the foreground.

The renovation required almost ten years to complete. Recovered doors, shelving and hardware, hand molds, reclaimed brick and pressed-tin ceiling tiles are evident through Lambert Square. The vat house, warehouses and some parts of the mill works were taken down and replaced by a park with dedicated rest, play and picnic areas. The pool in the center of the garden is fed by the same underground spring that provided clean water necessary to fine papermaking.

Retail spaces were offered first to independently owned and operated local merchants and artists. The zoning laws specifically forbid chain or franchise retailers of any size or kind in Lambert Square. The Rose Theater, located on the ground floor of the Old Foundry, is the home of the Lamb's Corner Dramatic Society, which produces two plays every year.

When you shop at Lambert Square, you support the independent, one-of-a-kind businesses that are the heart's blood of small town life. Buying local keeps resources in the community and builds a strong and vibrant economy.