McClellan St. / Beston St. / Paige St.

Moses Goodwin Home- 43 McClellan St. 

        Moses and Anna “Ma” Goodwin were known and loved throughout the community, and it was in no small part due to their commitment to the A.M.E Zion Church. The Goodwin family made the church an extension of their lives; Moses was a trustee, Ma was a captain of the auxiliary, and their daughter Amy was the organist.. Moses was first linked to Amherst in the 1870 census apprenticing under the white machinist Porter Dickinson (Smith p.77). Moses would continue work as a mechanic in town throughout his life while Ma ran an accomplished boarding house on North Pleasant St. 

        The family consisted of Moses, Ma, and their three daughters Olive, Amy, and Ruth. When Moses died in 1923, the house was left to Ma who lived there for another 20 years. The house stayed in the family after Ma's passing, and it remained property of the Ruth Goodwin up until she passed away in 1993. Ruth left behind her a handsome amount of historical documentation including written accounts of her life in Amherst, as well as several interviews with historians (African American Historical).

        In honor of the Goodwin family and their service through faith, the A.M.E Zion Church officially changed it's name in 1967 to become what is known today as the Goodwin Memorial A.M.E Zion Church.

Erwin & Helen Pettijohn- 44 Beston St.

        The Pettijohn family has roots tied to the area as far back as the early 1700's, with a large number of Pettijohn's buried in the Old Hadley Cemetery. Erwin and Helen lived at 44 Beston St. in Amherst throughout the majority of the 20^th century. Helen was born in 1915 and worked in the Amherst Book Store until it was sold. She later worked at the Shawmut Bank in town until her death in 1986. Erwin was trained in construction by his father Samuel, whose connections included the 30^th president of the United States, Calvin Coolidge. Erwin owned the Pettijohn Roofing and Construction Co. which operated out of Amherst.

        The Pettijohn's contribution to the African American heritage of the area was their generosity and practice of equality. Erwin Pettijohn hired both black and white men in his company, and helped give his employees the tools to start their own companies. The Hadley, Springfield, and Amherst areas all have business's started by former employees of Erwin. Outside of business life, the Pettijohn's were known for extending financial assistance to people, black and white, who looked to become homeowners.

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