Benjamin W. Dunham Papers

Background on Benjamin W. Dunham

Benjamin West Dunham was born in Greenwich, Massachusetts, the son of Thomas H. and Helen M. Dunham. Dunham entered the military as an engineer during the Spanish-American War in 1898 and remained in the service as a Navy machinist for several years afterwards, including a berth aboard the Wilkes (1903-1905), when he was based at the Reserve Torpedo Flotilla in Norfolk, Virginia. He remained on duty in Norfolk until December 1906, when he returned to Holyoke and finally, to his hometown in Greenwich in Nov. 1907.

The Dunham family farm produced fresh vegetables, poultry, and milk, and was operated by the entire family, including at various points all four of Benjamin's brothers -- Herbert, Otis, Larkin, and Asa -- although like Benjamin, the brothers left the Quabbin region for a variety of reasons as they grew into adulthood. Otis relocated to Boston in 1898 to become an attorney, and two years later, Herbert moved to Texas, where he was married and worked on a farm owned by his father-in-law. Larkin Dunham began his career as a carpenter, working in various cities in eastern Massachusetts. The youngest son, Asa, worked on the farm and at the Inn as a youngster, however while still in his teens, he attempted suicide. While his mother speculated that Asa's emotional breakdown was triggered by a breakup with a girlfriend, Florence, the condition was both serious and long-lasting. Asa spent the remainder of his life as a patient in state asylums at Northampton and Gardner before dying in 1943.

Otis Dunham, the most financially successful member of the family, purchased the Quabbin Inn in Greenwich on June 22, 1903, and soon built it into one of the area's premier tourist destinations. Perched on a hillside overlooking Quabbin Lake, the Inn flourished. After Thomas and Helen moved to Needham, Mass., in Nov. 1906, to assist Otis in his new law firm, and bought a farm there and small hotel, Otis began to hire outside the family to staff his hotel, able to afford the expense having seen his salary increased between $1200-1500 per year.

The Inn remained in Dunham family hands through at least 1907, but was later sold off, probably before 1910. It was operated by Robert L. Flanders for several years through at least 1920, and was later said to have been used as a YMCA summer camp.