Holyoke is an incredible city that over the years has given me great joy and many challenges. I’ve enjoyed many seasons in the beautiful Ashley reservoir area.  My family home abutted these massive reservoirs, which are surrounded by a sprawling forest.  It was a special place in which to grow up because we were allowed to romp around those lush forests unhindered by the outside world. We felt assured and protected by the gentle swaying of the oak, maple and pine trees.

          In the winter, the iced over reservoirs would take your breath as they glistened in the sun and in the fall, I used to sit on my favorite rock to study for an up-coming test. It was so tranquil and beautiful, especially the stunning colors of the fall foliage. Peering into the pristine water you could see the bottom of the lake, with its throng of abundant fish.  The only thing you could hear was the wind or a flock of soaring Canadian geese as they called out to each other. If the wilderness is not your cup of tea - Holyoke has many other treasures to explore. The Holyoke Dam is a stunning feat in itself, and home of a fish lift that will fascinate and amuse children as well as adults.

           While you’re in the downtown area, visit Heritage State Park to see the Visitors’ Center which features exhibits about paper manufacturing and Holyoke’s industrial history. A slide show celebrates the city’s rich blend of cultures and people.  Then take the kids to the Holyoke Children’s museum where they will not only learn from interactive exhibits, but exercise on a play structure that looks somewhat like a puzzle.

            As you enter the parking lot across from the Holyoke Police Station to ride the Holyoke Merry-Go-Round, you will see a a monument dedicated to slain officer John A. DiNapoli, reading to children. He was a beloved police officer who was tragically killed in the line of duty just three days before Christmas in 1999. I remember seeing him at different functions around the city. He was always kind and pleasant. It is a senseless loss for the entire city.  

            It is an appropriate place to erect such a touching tribute to this great man because his love of children. The Merry Go-Round has some of the most beautiful carousel horses in the country.  The horses were repainted by hand by the talented John Hickey when it was brought to downtown Holyoke from the now defunct Mountain Park. The Merry-Go-Round has an Auchy patented drive system which is still considered to be the best of its kind ever devised.  There are only three left in the United States that are still in service.  The band organ music sounds wonderful as you view the whimsical art work that adorns the inner walls of the Merry-Go-Round. It brings back happy childhood memories.  My children love this park!

             One must also visit the beautiful and always interesting, Wistariahurst Museum. They are currently renovating this beautiful historic building that once housed the extraordinary Skinner family. The museum promotes an appreciation of history and culture through educational programs, exhibits and special events. 

Go to www.holyoke.org and click on www.passportholyoke.org to find out more about Holyoke’s finest attractions.  

             Holyoke is also home to the Holyoke Mall at Ingleside which attracts people from all over New England. I love the Barnes and Noble that is located at the entrance of the mall in the Holyoke Crossing section. 

            While there are so many interesting places to visit, Holyoke from the 1960s to the 90s, suffered a great deal. Through fires, gang violence and poverty, it struggled to survive. Today there is still poverty, but the situation is nowhere near how bad it was in the past. The burning of the old apartment blocks was very hard for the city residents. I can still remember when I was a city lifeguard in one of the poorest sections of downtown and the blocks were burning. The poor Spanish children would come to the pool and hope their building wasn’t going to be next as smoke and ash permeated the air. They were so sweet and kind.  I used to pray that they would survive those harsh times. 

             In 2005, I decided to write about the city of Holyoke for The Republican.  Being a “Holyoker,” I felt it was important to tell the story of the city I was privileged to be raised in. What does it mean to be a Holyoker? You must have a great sense of humor and be a rascal, of course.  

             As I delve deeper into the history of Holyoke, which can now be found at Holyoke Community College and the Holyoke Public Library, I am constantly amazed by what I find. I wish they had taught a class in high school about the city’s fascinating history. It’s so inspiring. The many men and women who worked so hard and never gave up should be highlighted, as well as the historical buildings and places that still exist. Today, the city is now home to a new and emerging force, promising to once again make Holyoke shine.  I hope that these articles amuse as well as enlighten you on Holyoke’s interesting and extraordinary past.

River valley settled by English pilgrims

“so he hath none to live on as well as myself.”

         Enraged Weguogan Indians burned houses to the ground as they whooped and yelled throughout the settlement. Three fortified houses remained, 33 homes and 20 barns were burned to the ground.  One man escaped to warn Pynchon. When 200 hundred men finally entered the town, they saw only smoking ruins. The Indians escaped through Indian Orchard with their booty. Miles Morgan’s house was gone. So was the Holyoke house and Tom Cooper’s.  John Pynchon, wrote about the horrendous attack, noting that John Hitchcock’s house and barns had burned with all his corn, “so he hath none to live on as well as myself. My grist mill and corn mill burned and 40 families are utterly destitute.”  

            How did these men and women survive in such a volatile environment?  One must first understand the history of New England to fully appreciate these brave and tenacious pioneers, the forefathers of the proud city of Holyoke. The founders, who came from Old England, were convinced that a new life in America would give them the freedom of their thoughts, purpose and morality, which had been denied to them in their English homes under a domineering monarch, according to John J. Zwisler, a longtime resident of Holyoke and author of the book “Ireland Parish.”  (You can find this 1999 well-researched version of the early history of Holyoke at the Holyoke Public Library.) 

            Under the recommendation of Paul Graves, Holyoke’s leading historian and a one-time employee of the Holyoke Public Library, I spoke with Mr. Zwisler, who astutely tells the story of the Western Massachusetts Pilgrims. He charts the story of this adventuresome group of Protestants, who decided to separate from the Church of England to set up congregations of their own.    

            In England, William Pynchon’s home had been in the parish of Springfield in the county of Essex.  In 1629, King James gave a grant that included land from the Merrimac River on the north, to the Charles River on the south to 27 persons, of whom Pynchon was one. This was John Winthrop and company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England.  In exchange for the land grant, the King laid claim to one-fifth of all the gold and silver ores that might be found in this domain. 

            This was largely a commercial enterprise that included London capitalists who were called “the adventurers.” Those actually going to New England were called “the planters,” hence the settlements came to be known as plantations.

             Organizing and arranging for transportation and settlement took almost a year. On April 8, 1630, the Arbella, the Talbot and the Jewel weighed anchor and sailed out of the harbor of Cowles for the far distant New England.  On June 12, they arrived in Salem, where Endicott was governor. Winthrop and his company soon settled in and around the vicinity of Boston, where Winthrop was to become Governor. John Pynchon made his home in Roxbury.   

            In 1629, they were given home rule and began settling their own concerns without interference from England. Springfield was the first town in Massachusetts to be settled west of Boston.  In 1636, Pynchon’s party made a difficult journey through the wilderness to the Agawam meadows from the Hartford area. There were eight men who signed an agreement to settle in Springfield. They were William Pynchon, Henry Smith, Mathew Mitchell, Jehu Burr, William Blake, Edmond Wood, Thomas Ufford and John Cable.     

            Of the eight men who started the settlement in Springfield, William Pynchon, Henry Smith and Jehu Burr made an agreement with the Indians for the purchase of the lands on both sides of the Connecticut River.  The price was 18 fathoms of wampum (beads formed of shells strung on threads), 18 coats, 18 hatchets, 18 hoes, and 18 knives.  This payment would later be assessed on the lands that would be granted to the settlers. It was signed on July 15, 1636.  

            In 1651 William Pynchon went back to England. The younger men in the colony were then tasked with day-to-day operations.

It was an important moment in time for the young planters, who would be instrumental in distributing rights of land ownership, fairly governing the people and initiating further negations with the Indians. 

 Next month, you’ll read where Elizur Holyoke really lived and how John Pynchon shaped the young colony.

© 2006 The Republican. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

Holyoke’s history rich in so many ways

“As the water receded, it left a double legacy”  

            Holyoke was built on the bottom portion of a 157-mile long body of water known as Lake Hitchcock. As the water receded, it left a double legacy, such as rich alluvial soil that allowed farmers to support an agriculture and lumber trade. The Connecticut River supplied ample fish at certain times of the year and was used to transport animal pelts.  The river also provided waterpower for gristmills.

            In 1658, early settler John Pynchon took full advantage of his surroundings. According to John J. Zwisler’s book, “Ireland Parish,” Pynchon became “judge, recorder, honest dealer, able manager with the Indians and the Godly teacher in a pulpit that sometimes had no minister.”  A respected member of early pioneer society-particularly after remaining behind when his father, William Pynchon,  returned to England- he became known to the setters as a “protector and a leader.”

            Referred to in later records as, “Major” Pynchon or “the worshipful Colonel,” John Pynchon understood the American Indians because he had grown up alongside tribal boys on Long Hill and on the Agawam Meadows side. An avid trader, he utilized the Connecticut River to peddle furs and merchandise, bringing back such things as “bushels of white or blue shells that the Indians had gathered along the seashore and shaped.”

             The planters began to appreciate and utilize their new found riches and finally, to govern themselves, distributing land for homestead, collecting taxes and registering titles. Clearly, the people were ecstatic that they could achieve some form of self-government.

            Problems, however, did continue to plague the new settlements-one of the most endemic being the Indian problem.  In the early 1600s, Massachusetts had thousands of tribal members living in 20 villages. By 1617 that number had been drastically reduced by warfare and pestilence.

            Indians came down from the higher hills on both sides of the valley to fish in the Connecticut River, which they called the Quinni-tudq-up or “long river.”  It served as a dividing line for the Algonquians to the east and the Iroquois or Mohawks to the west. The tribes had their designated territories and respected each others’ lands. The only time they would cross the river is when there were disagreements or outright wars.  

            Speaking of Indians, have you ever wondered how the name Massachusetts came about?  Indian names ending in –it,-et,-sit, or –set, simply meant “at the place of.”  “Massa” means “big, huge” and “manna” means “small.”  So “Manna-hattan” meant “small hills.” “Chu” means mountains and Massachu-setts means “at the place of the big mountains,” specifically referring to Mount Greylock, which is 3,491 feet high and Maine’s Mount. Katahdin, measuring 5,258 feet (considered part of Massachusetts at the time.)

            “In the place of big mountains,” 22- year-old Elizur Holyoke, son of Edward Holyoke of Rumney March or Chelsea, arrived in the settlement. Holyoke’s original home of Holyoke was in Tamworth, Warwickshire, England. Edward Holyoke was an old friend of none other than William Pynchon. 

            On Nov. 20, 1640, his son Elizur married Mary Pynchon, William Pynchon’s daughter. Holyoke received the John Burr lot, when Burr and his kinsman John Cable became discouraged over the very rough conditions and moved out of the area. Holyoke’s father-in-law gave him other desirable lots as well.

            Elizur Holyoke did his civic duty, serving as a Foreman of a jury, a member on the Commission of Magistrates, and a county judge and recorder of the Hampshire County court. In 1662, he with Pynchon and Chapin, Holyoke was appointed to lay out a new plantation at Nonotuck (which later became Northampton).  It is believed that Mount Tom and Mount Holyoke were given their names at this time.

            Mount Tom was first Mount Thomas after Rowland Thomas, as a chopper. Mount Holyoke was named for Elizur Holyoke.  Holyoke also served his townsmen as a lieutenant and finally as captain of militia.

            Surprisingly, Elizur Holyoke never saw his name on a town sign and, in fact, never lived in Holyoke. All of his holdings were in Springfield. Sadly, he died February 5, 1676, while fighting the Indians in King Philip’s war.

            Had he been able to see well into the future, I’m sure he would have been proud to see his family name representing such a remarkable city, a city that is in a constant flow of transition and renewal. Today, modern day pioneers thrive and prosper as Holyoke experiences an economic resurgence.

In the next issue, she will travel through a moment in time with a courageous and determined man who helped to lay the groundwork for Holyoke’s future.

© 2006 The Republican. All rights reserved. Used with permission

Area’s early settlers energetic, adventurous                         

By the late 1700’s small industries were established, such as a tannery, a sawmill clock making, cider mill, straw paper mill, hydraulic cement mill, gristmill, blacksmith iron smelting, lime kiln, sandstone quarry and a distiller.

Withstanding all odds, the colonies grew as they moved into perilous territories. Being robust and adventurous, they wanted to own land.  In 1720, Attorney William Pynchon wrote an important document on laid paper that would give the settlers that right.

“We the subscribers being appointed by the Proprietors of the land called the Outward Commons on the west side of the Great River in Springfield, a committee to let out to each subscriber his one share and proportion in this land, have measured the northern division of said land and find it from Northampton bounds southward four miles in length,” according to research John Zwisler of South Hadley found in Springfield records.

 Though the document was missing some parts, it did mention John Riley who in 1684 received land in “Chickuppi Plain,” the old name for the southern part of Holyoke. John Riley, in fact, is credited with being one of the area’s first landholders.  He purchased land from Henry Chapin, whose father was Samuel, of whom there is a statue in Springfield. It was an important moment in time for the young colony. 

Many of the new residents hailed from Ireland. Riley was on of them, who along with his wife Grace O’Dea, settled in Hartford and later moved up the river to West Springfield in the 1600s.  His total holdings were vast -28 acres- in land north of West Springfield and along the Holyoke border near what is today Brightside and the Providence Hospital on Riverdale Road.  The southern line on his land ran along a brook that emptied into the Connecticut River. The brook became know as Riley’s Brook. At one point, a Humeston built a tannery at the beginning of the brook. The name was changed to Tannery Brook. Riley lived beside William McCranny and Samuel Terry, whose deed read at Ireland. Though John Riley was Irish, he was of Protestant faith.  In 1786 Ireland was officially made a separate parish of West Springfield, properly called the Third or North Parish, but generally still called Ireland Parish, according to Yale Historical Publications, 1939 at the Holyoke Library.

We must give credit to these early settlers for their determination and persistence. John Riley and his wife Grace worked exceptionally hard to establish Ireland Parish. Together with other settlers, they prospered even though it was “difficult laying out a road running east and west, such as the Westfield Road, because of the “ranges of the hills and steep precipices.”

The first Ireland Parish church, which was a Baptist Church, was established. “In 1725, five people were baptized in the Connecticut river directly east from the present Elmwood Cemetery. These first six families are thought to be the ancestors of modern day Holyoke residents, as early as 1729 in this section know as Baptist Village according to John Zwisler.

“Later the Congregationalists tired of crossing the river to the Chicopee (Cabotville) side for Sunday worship, shared a meeting house with the Baptists. This section was known as the Lord’s Barn as it was crudely built,” Zwisler wrote.

It wasn’t until 1763 that the residents of Ireland Parish could plow their fields without danger.  The men farmed the land and raised livestock. The women spun and dyed wool, knit, and sewed. They cooked, milked cows, cleaned the house, washed laundry and fed the animals.  It was a time of plenty, with fields of hay, corn, potatoes, oats, rye, turnips and beans.

 By the late 1700s small industries were established, such as a tannery, a sawmill, clock making, cider mill, straw paper mill, hydraulic cement mill, gristmill, blacksmith iron smelting, lime kiln, sandstone quarry and a distillery according to John Zwisler of South Hadley.

            In addition to establishing industries, the people of Ireland Parish were conscious of the importance of educating their young. The first school was built in 1772 in the vicinity of Ashley Ponds area. (off Route 202 near Dead Man’s Bend).  “All children from ages five to 10 were to be taught to “read and learn catechism,” according to records in the Holyoke history room.

            They were also patriotic.  In 1775, Ireland Parish residents fought in the Revolutionary War. In1786, the residents watched troops from Shay’s Rebellion pass through Ireland Parish. 

             Ireland Parish in the 1800’s was quickly changing from a farming community to an industrial village. “In 1827 the Hadley Falls Company was formed, manufacturing cotton cloth using waterpower for the machinery supplied by a wing dam out into the river.

            By 1831 there were 130 houses in Ireland Parish. In 1842 Five Northampton men formed the Connecticut River Railroad, joining the Boston Worcester line from the east, and New York, New Haven & Hartford from the south.

            This line crossed Willimanset and went through Ireland Parish, making it a good location for bringing in materials and shipping manufactured goods” according to Holyoke History room of the Holyoke Public Library.  “No longer would the people have to rely on the river for transportation or business,”

 Or so they thought.

Next month, you can read how one man traveling through the Ireland Depot had his own vision of a prosperous and fluid future for the farmers of Ireland Parish.

© 2006 The Republican. All rights reserved. Used with permission

     George C. Ewing’s goal was to harness a great river

“He imagined a great dam across the river to harness this water power in order to create a new industrial city”

            George C. Ewing was indeed a visionary with exceptional negotiating skills and an astute imagination that would forever change the landscape of the Ireland Parish. He was born in Hudson, NY in April of 1810. His mother, Mirriam was born in Ireland while his father, Noble Ewing, was born in New Jersey.

            The Ewing family moved to New York City in the 1830’s. Ewing married his first wife, Lydia Ann Stillwater of Taunton, Massachusetts then moved to Littleton, New Hampshire for a short time where Ewing had a carriage manufacturing business.  They also lived in Walpole, Massachusetts where two of his eight children were born.

             Unfortunately, in 1854, Ewing’s wife, Lydia, died and they lost three of their children in infancy. Ewing remarried in 1858 to Laura W. Farwell of Augusta, Maine, according to Holyoke History room records at the Holyoke Library.

            As a salesman for the Fairbanks Scale Company of St. Johnsbury, Vt., Ewing traveled extensively by stage coach and train. On trips here, he noticed the rapids in the river cause by a traprock bed between two mountain ranges where the river could cut down no deeper, and envisioned a great dam across the river to harness this water power in order to create a new industrial city.

            He marveled at the small wing dam that deflected water as it turned the wheels of a small cotton mill. It seemed small and insignificant compared to the dams in Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Lowell, Massachusetts. He knew that an improved device called a turbine had just been introduced that would make this venture very profitable. A group of Boston Investors, or Boston Associates, had already figured out a way to harness water power in Lowell, by utilizing a dam system.

            In 1846, Ewing finally persuaded businessmen from Boston and Hartford that a dam would be a profitable adventure. In early 1846, the Hadley Falls Co. appointed Ewing to be the land Agent responsible for buying land from the Yankee farmers along the river and inwards so a city could be laid out. He was also able to secure all water rights needed to bring the project forward.

            He successfully acquired 1,200 acres of land and surveying was started for a dam, canals and streets in1847.    As he was purchasing farms and pastureland for the “New City,” of the Hadley Falls Co., he was also buying land under the Fairbanks Company. 

            Being the shrewd businessman that he was, he also purchased many acres for his own family. The land in the upper Dwight Street section was to be eventually called Ewingville.

            In 1857 and 1858 he traveled through Europe including Russia on a business trip for the Fairbanks Scale Co. and then returned to the United States to manage their Philadelphia office for several years.  He would spend summers in the upper Dwight Street section and winters in Philadelphia according to records.

Ewing, on his first arrival to Ireland Parish, resided in the “Flats” in a dwelling house owned by the Parsons Paper Co. Later he occupied what was to become the old First Congregational parsonage on Northampton Street near Beacon Avenue.

 He built his own spacious brick house on the most prominent point of Dwight Street. Through the 1860’s and 70’s Ewing retained his interest with the Fairbanks Co. and was active in town dealings. 

When Ireland Parish became the Town of Holyoke in 1850, Ewing was first a Republican, then an Independent and finally a staunch Prohibitionist. He was out spoken about prohibition and was put up for lieutenant governor on the Prohibition ticket with a Dr. Miner in 1878.

His son Henry ran that year on the Democratic ticket for secretary of state. There are no records indicating that either candidate was successful. Mr. Ewing also served as a town assessor, on the Board of Selectmen and a superintendent of Schools for 20 years. He served on many corporate boards such as the Holyoke National Bank. 

Ewing was a very religious man and a member of the Congregational Church and a Director of the State Ministerial Society. It was said that he gave good sermons and raised his voice at neighborhood prayer meetings.    

George C. Ewing died at his Dwight Street home on July 16, 1888 at the age of 78. He is buried in the Forestdale Cemetery. Mr. Ewing will be remembered for his capacity to inspire and lead people to great heights. Through his vision and perseverance Holyoke became one of the first planned cities in the United States. 

Next month, you can read how Ewing reached his goal to utilize the river and industrialize the great city of Holyoke.  

© 2006 The Republican. All rights reserved. Used with permission

In the year 1827, John Chapin, Stephen Chapin, Warren Chapin and Alfred Smith were authorized by the state Legislature to construct a wing dam extending diagonally up the river somewhat above the present Holyoke dam. They named the new company the, Hadley Falls Co.

 With their ingenuity and resources, these gentlemen constructed a wing dam that supplied water for a sawmill, gristmill and cotton mill. They even manufactured iron with this newfound water marvel.

 The wing dam was a device for channeling a portion of the river’s water upstream and bringing it down at the higher level to turn a wheel at the mill. These mills employed 70 people in 1837. Most of the women in the mills were local farmers who with machines twirled $30.000 a year of products, which would ultimately double in six years according to the book, “The Story of Holyoke” by Wyatt E. Harper, which can be found at the Holyoke Public Library.

 In 1838, 4000 spindles were twirled by the force of the water swinging down over the old overshot wheel in one of Holyoke’s first industrial mills. These entrepreneurs, who did not live in Holyoke, manufactured thousands of dollars worth of products daily. They also provided clean lodging, good food to their employees and were alert to see that all the mid-century proprieties were taken care of.

 The manager of the mill wrote, “In 1836, I left a farm an aged father at 30 years of age, with about $8,000, to take charge of a small cotton mill at Hadley Falls.  In 1847 when I sold to the new company my $8, 000 had grown to about $40,000, every dollar of which was put into the new concern,” Harper wrote in his “The Story of Holyoke.”.

In 1846, Mr. George W. Ewing, of Fairbanks Scale Co. and Boston Financiers finally succeeded in purchasing not only the property of the first Hadley Falls Co., but was able to negotiate with a determined farmer, Samuel Ely. Ely said at the time, “he was damned if he wanted to see the corporations control everything.”

Another representative of the Fairbanks Scale Co. had tried to persuade Ely to sell, to no avail. After Ewing, a man of principle and compassion, spoke to him, Ely changed his mind. He illustrated this compassion when the Boston financiers ordered employee’s wages be cut in the mills. Ewing had promised them 85 cents a day, the financiers wanted to only pay 75 cents a day. Ewing made up the difference out of his own pocket. Also, when the management insisted on another day’s work, he said no because the laws of God state that no man should work on Sunday, according to Harper’s book.

Finally, Ewing’s dream was unfolding before his very eyes. Surveying work was done in the summer of 1846, which gave the engineers an estimate of how they would construct a new dam. The total watershed of the valley was 8,000 square miles and the minimum flow of the river past a given point was about 7,000 feet per second. They estimated that a 30–foot dam would give enough industrial power for a city of 2,000 people. They went on to further speculate, that 30 cubic feet of water to fall of 25 feet each second and a 30-foot dam across the river would be cheap power for hundreds of mills.

They started building the canals and dam in 1848. There was not a shortage of labor due to the influx of Irish immigrants. These immigrants had all ready been constructing roads and buildings. The dam was over a thousand feet long, with stone abutments at the ends as anchor piers. It was framed of wooden timbers and covered with wooden planks, mostly hemlock and spruce. Over two million board feet went into the work.

The sides were made up of large timbers, some of them 40 feet long.  The face of the dam was straight up and down and the crest of it was armored with a boilerplate. The timbers were joined together with one-inch iron bolts. Across the full length ran a footbridge three feet wide to be traversed for purposes of inspection. It was a typical design using standard building methods according to Harper’s work.  

In the next issue, you can read how trouble started to brew even before the 40-foot long timbers had a chance to settle.

© 2006 The Republican. All rights reserved. Used with permission

1840 dam calamity a magnificent effort  

  “The scene was both magnificent and frightful,” wrote The Springfield Republican.  

            In 1847, George C. Ewing, a prominent Holyoke businessman, was ecstatic. Everything was moving along smoothly. Section by section, the massive wooden planks were being stretched across the Connecticut River, slowly becoming the much sought after dam he had worked so hard to build.

             As the work progressed, he gave daily reports to the investors, who were Boston financiers and industrialists including George Lyman, Edmund Dwight, William Appleton, Samuel Cabot and Ignatius Sergeant (all of whom have their names memorialized on Holyoke street signs today).

In 1845, these stockholders voted to name their consortium the Hadley Falls Co. and to authorize a subscribed capitalization of $2.5 million to the dam project. “Most of them were on the Board of Directors of 22 cotton manufacturing corporations, situated all over New England- from Dover, N.H. to Taunton, Mass. Together they controlled four mills in Chicopee, eight in Lowell and three in Taunton,” according to “The Story of Holyoke” by Wyatt E. Harper, a history of the city which can be found at the Holyoke Public Library. 

As the work progressed, conditions worsened for the laborers.  They were especially upset about their wages being lowered and went on strike. Ewing tried to settle the dispute but was unable to do so. After 10 days of the Hadley Falls Company not restoring the original hourly wage, employees grew desperate, especially men with families to feed. They tried to go back to work, but their fellow employees did not want them to return until their wages were restored.

 A fight ensued, severely injuring strikers, bystanders and policemen. By the evening, 29 Northampton artillerymen were called in equipped with arms and ammunition.  Rioters were rounded up and arrested. Unfortunately, the men were forced to accept the lower wages.  The clash was labeled by local writers as the “Battle of the Day’s Hill.” Ewing resigned soon after this tumultuous time. 

Day after day, the men worked hard at the chore of building a huge dam. Eventually, additional men were hired to assure the workman would make their deadline.  On November 17, 1848, the last plank was in place. Workmen pulled their tools out of harm’s way, then walked up the banks to look back at all of their hard work. The engineers opened the water gates slowly to protect against having the water come up the walls of the dam too quickly. All of the bystanders were anxiously waiting to see how it would react to the full strength of the Connecticut River.

Years of planning and construction were now put to the test. The water began to rise, rapidly at first as it filled the smaller basin, then more slowly as it spread out over the wider areas. By 2 p.m., the dam basin was almost filled. Soon crowds of people gathered to witness this magnificent manmade wonder. The Connecticut River Railroad even brought up a trainload of curious sightseers from Springfield. The women and children looked on from higher ground, while the men choose to watch from the riverbanks.

Most of these men had worked on the dam. They joked with each other, while keeping a close eye on the water as it climbed up the massive wooden planks. Engineers John Chase and Philander Anderson looked at their timepieces. It was 3 p.m. and all was well. Feeling confident about their work, one of them even said, “The dam was going to stand and that was what they had built it to do.”

            At 3:10 p.m., the unexpected happened. Water began to spout through a pier on the western end. It was a small leak at first but rapidly gained force and shot out further and further with greater and greater force. The pier moved as the water pushed it over. A group of workmen picked up a length of railroad iron and banged down the stone. They brought another rail and another until the huge abutment was weighted down.

            At 3:20 p.m., the situation was a disaster. Even the old-timers couldn’t quite explain how it happened.

            “All at once a loud crackling noise was heard, as timbers started to split. The middle section of the dam began to bulge forward. Almost instantly it parted and folded over before a roaring rush of water. In a second the river was charging downstream in a raging, churning torrent, carrying the loosened timbers and planking along like match sticks,” according to Harper’s work.  

            A half an hour later when reality had sunk in, engineer John Chase sent by telegraph to Boston this famous message, “Dam gone to Hell by way of Willimansett.” 

            I can’t imagine the frustration and disappointment these businessmen must have felt as they tallied the wasted time, capital and human cost this huge endeavor involved.

            Because of their trials and tribulations, Holyoke is fortunate to have a modern-day dam that is strong and infallible, thanks to the many struggles of these courageous men.

In the next issue, she will travel through a moment in time to show how these determined and steadfast businessmen finally succeeded in securing their investment.

© 2006 The Republican. All rights reserved. Used with permission

Perseverance pays off like water over a dam

  The second dam, known as the “Old Dam,” was well built,” according to engineers.   

In 1849, the men of the Hadley Falls Co. would not be deterred.  George Lyman, Edmund Dwight, William Appleton, Samuel Cabot and Ignatius Sergeant called a meeting in Boston five days after their newly built dam collapsed. While the men were pleased that there weren’t any injuries or fatalities, they were dismayed to incur $30,000 in damages. They had originally spent more than $70,000 to construct the dam and $2 million purchasing the land.

 Now, they wanted to know why their dam had burst. Structural engineers John Chase and Philander Anderson, explained the “imperfections by which the destruction was occasioned.”

After extensive research, the Hadley Falls Co. released a report in 1853 for their stockholders, “It was first contemplated to throw across the river a temporary dam, which, while it would serve as a protection to the erection of one more substantial below it, would answer the purposes of the company until such a permanent (one) built with less regard to strength than the result proved would have been prudent.

It was not able to resist the force of the river and was carried away a few hours after the gates were closed. The shutting of the gates occurred earlier than had been designed, in consequence of a freshet in the river.”

The Hadley Falls Co. wanted to make sure they profited from their mistakes, so they rehired Chase and Anderson to construct a stronger dam with a better design.  Chase was eager to rectify the firm’s earlier debacle.

“My calculations and my reasoning are based upon the supposition that the Directors may as soon as the dam is completed, commence the construction of a stone dam.”  He believed that a wooden dam would hold for a year and that two dams constructed in this way would not be much greater than the construction of a single dam in the conventional way.

            An engineer of the water power company said, “The collapse of the dam was a good thing because the cofferdam upstream from the gatehouse was rapidly loosening and the head gates were not in their grooves; and the upper level canal was not yet completed.

             “If this cofferdam had given way the whole river would have been let loose on the site of the projected city causing incalculable damage,” according to Wyatt E. Harper, a History of the City which can be found at the Holyoke Public Library.     

The construction of the second dam took only seven months to build. It was started in April 1849 and completed in October of the same year. According to Edwin L. Kirtland’s article in the New England Magazine published in February of 1898, “Mr. Philander Anderson advised that the timbers and planks be bolted together and weighted with rocks and gravel. Facilitated by means of cofferdams extending at first two hundred feet into the river from either bank”  The work progressed throughout the calm summer waters.  Along the upper part of the permanent structure gates each 16 feet wide and 18 feet long, had been provided and left open for escape of the water during construction.

“When the work was complete, at a given sign at half-past twelve, all these gates were simultaneously closed, the pent-up waters rose against the new dam and the rocky bed of the rapid below once more became bare.”

Some 6,000 spectators visited the scene, more than on the former occasion; but the new work cost about $150,000, and was destined to prove its sufficiency against a lateral pressure of nearly 25 million pounds and a vertical pressure three times as great.

By 10 a.m., the water reached the crest of the dam, and by 11 a.m., it had acquired a full head and poured down the perpendicular face in one unbroken sheet, producing at first such heavy vibrations as to rattle window and doors in South Hadley Falls.

This wooden dam held up for a century and served as a buffer for when the stone dam was finally built.  After the dam was built and held, a large celebratory ball was held in the offices of the company.

The Hadley Falls men finally had their extraordinary moment in time. They had accomplished their goal:  a working dam to power the enormous industry of their paper mills.

In next month’s column, she will travel through a moment in time to show how the dam changed the landscape of the new city.

© 2006 The Republican. All rights reserved. Used with permission

Innovations marked Conn. River canal       

            In 1793, the proprietors of the Locks and Canals, a predecessor of the Hadley Falls Co., built a navigational canal system that allowed boats to move up and down the Connecticut River freely. The canal dam extended from Northampton to Springfield. It used the inclined plane method. It crossed the river in an oblique fashion as it extended southeasterly and paralleled the river for 2½ miles.

            A boat would enter the system through guard locks, which would keep the river at constant level. A car was built somewhat in the form of a wagon with three pairs of wheels that assisted the boat down the canal.

            Engineer Prescott solved the 50-foot descent problem with stone covered with plank in a structure called an inclined plane, which was used to raise and lower boats from the canal to the river. At the foot of the inclined plane was another canal extending about half a mile that emptied into the river.

            They were finally able to get around the intense rapids in the Hadley Falls area. It incorporated two unique features: an inclined plane to move boats above and below the rapids and an overshot water wheel, turned by the waters of the river to raise and lower the boats. No longer would their goods have to be transferred to wagons to be transported around the rapids of the river.  This was the first canal system established in the United States, according to “The Roots of Holyoke Water Power Company” by Robert E. Barrett.  

In 1791, the state Legislature was petitioned to incorporate this enterprise but opposition developed based on the argument that the project would facilitate communication between the upper Connecticut River and New York thus diverting trade from Boston. This opposition was overcome by 1792 and the proprietors became a legal entity that spring.

Gov. John Hancock approved the Act of Incorporation by the state Legislature on Feb. 23^rd in 1792, of the Proprietors of the Locks and Canals Co.  The act incorporated “The Honorable John Worthington Esquire, and others therein named, for the purpose of rendering Connecticut River passable, for Boats and other Things, from the Mouth of Chickapee River, northward throughout this Commonwealth, by the Name of the Proprietors of the Locks and Canals on Connecticut River,” according to Barrett’s work.

John Worthington, Caleb Strong, Justin Ely, Samuel Fowler, Theodore Sedgwick and Simeon Strong were all lawyers. John Worthington was the president of this very resourceful and capable group of men. He held that most prestigious position until his death in 1800. He served on the General Assembly for the town of Springfield before the Revolution and founded the town of Worthington.

Records show he was the only man in Springfield with the title “Honorable” in the first U.S. Census, taken in 1790.  As a lawyer, he was “nervous, brilliant and effective, an able speaker, polished and sociable.”  (I find it interesting to learn why the names of streets were named after citizens. You can understand why they named Worthington Street in Springfield after the impressive Colonel John Worthington.) 

The proprietors of the Locks and Canals were a prosperous group of men with many prestigious occupations. Jonathan Dwight was a merchant, Thomas Dwight was a lawyer, Levi Shepard was small business owner and Ebenezer Hunt was a prominent physician. Some of these men also served on the Governors Council.

In a March meeting, the proprietors were approached by men from Amsterdam, Holland, to purchase stock in the canal system. They were sold their shares by April 12, 1793. These four Dutch Houses were, “N&I Vanstaphorst and Hubbard, Stadnitski and Son, P&C Van Eeghen and Ten Cate and Vollenhoven. It is believed that the purchase by the Amsterdam investors made it possible for the canal to be built.

The proprietors of Locks and Canals charged a minimum fee for using their clever transportation canal system. This system worked splendidly until other forms of transportation were invented and the river was harnessed for its hydropower.  

In the next issue, she will travel through a moment in time to explain how the Holyoke Water Power Company built the dam we all know and love today.

© 2006 The Republican. All rights reserved. Used with permission

              In 1783, Titus Morgan was the first person on record to utilize the Connecticut River with a wing dam to power his mill.  Morgan owned a 200-acre farm between the Connecticut River and County Road, now knows as Northampton Street in Holyoke, and bounded northerly by the then Northampton town line, near the entrance to the now defunct Mountain Park.  His sons were Titus and Joseph II. Joseph was the father of Joseph Morgan III, whose son, Junius, born in what is now Holyoke, became an international financier and was known as the founder of the House of Morgan. He was the father of the great industrialist J. P. Moran, according to “The History of Holyoke Water Power Company” by Robert E. Barrett, a copy of which is available at the Holyoke Public Library.

            During the period from 1795 to 1806, the proprietors of locks and canals benefited from the innovative inclined-plane canal system in the South Hadley. The South Hadley canal system was unique because it used this ingenious system, until 1805 when five locks were constructed, eliminating the need for the device, according to Ted Belsky a member of the South Hadley Canal Park Committee.

             Belsky’s group “believes that the historic importance of the Connecticut River Valley to all of the communities in Western New England remains true even today.” He believes it is interesting to note that South Hadley became the home of our nation’s first successful navigational canal that would someday connect to the first planned city of America.

            John Stephen, Warren Chapin and Alfred Smith established in 1827, the first Hadley Falls Co.  The Chapin’s built a wing dam, “floom,” and grist mill for their card factory. It would later be converted into a cotton mill that became known as the “old Smith cotton mill.” 

Other wing dams were utilized by small companies before a wooden dam was built in 1847.

            In 1847, the second Hadley Falls Co. built the first dam that went from bank to bank on the Connecticut River.  On November 4, 1848, it burst three hours after it was filled. They built another wooden dam that held for 50 years, according to Barrett’s work. 

            On June 15, 1859, at a public auction, the Hadley Falls Co. was sold to Alfred Smith, an attorney, for $325,000. Smith named his new company the Holyoke Water Power Co. The Hadley Falls Co. failed due to lack of sufficient capital to borrow and spend funds, the panic of 1857 and the difficulty of managing the company from Boston. 

            The existing wooden dam was the first problem with which Smith had to deal. Being 10 years old, the water falling over the face of the dam had eroded the ledge at its base. The situation was so bad by 1885 after years of patching and filling holes, they constructed portable coffer dams that could be put in place on the dam and stop the flow of water in certain section of the dam while they repaired it.  The old planking was removed, the body of the dam filled with gravel, and new planking installed. When a section of the dam was complete, the coffer dams were moved to adjacent sections until the entire dam was repaired. It took about a year to finish.

            Clemens Herschel, a hydraulic engineer for the company, spoke about two divers who lost their lives repairing the dam.  One diver was stuck on the apron of the dam by his life line, though the air–hose coupling pulled out. He finally figured out a way to slide into the pool at the foot of the apron and was able to get ashore only to be drowned.

              The second diver was lowered down a rope directly into a hole in the dam, under 20 feet of water. As he was called up to see what happened to the first diver, he was taken by a current. He was never to be seen again. Herschel believed his body became wedged in the center of the dam between the timbers and gravel, according to Barrett’s work.

            The years from 1890 to 1910 were an exciting and prosperous time for the Holyoke Water Power Co. Major events happened in this time.

            A stone dam was finally built across the Connecticut River, a hydroelectric and steam electric plant was constructed on the first and second level canals to supply electricity in Holyoke and legislation permitted the return of Holyoke Water Power to the electric businesses in Holyoke and South Hadley under restricted conditions.

In the next issue you can read about the building of the stone dam and the mills it powered. 

© 2006 The Republican. All rights reserved. Used with permission

It all started with Holyoke dam  

            In 1887, the Holyoke Water Power Co. directors set up a fund to be used to build a stone dam. An initial payment of $100.000 was deposited into an account called “The Special Dam Fund.”  By 1895, these thrifty men had accumulated $600,000.

While the dam was still under construction, the company directors realized that more funds had been accrued than would be needed. They began to give out extra dividends to the stock holders. There were at that time, 12,000 shares outstanding and the regular annual dividend was $10, making the payment $120.000.                     Extra dividends were paid in 1899 at $10 a share, in the 1900’s $20 a share, and by 1901 they were worth $60 a share. The total of extra dividends amounted to $1,080,000, according to “The History of Holyoke Water Power Company” by Robert E. Barrett, a copy of which is available at the Holyoke Public Library. 

            The nine men who ran the Holyoke Water Power Co. asked their engineers, Francis, Herschel and Waters to submit plans on how to build a dam.  Edward S. Water’s unique design was chosen, although some of Herschel’s ideas were utilized.  J.M. Sickman, Robert Ranlet, and W.E. Sawin were also instrumental in designing the dam.

            In 1891, different ethnic groups who the built the dam clashed. The vast majority of the laborers used in the construction of both the dam and the canals were Irish. They demanded $1.75 for a nine hour day. They also marched to where the Dan O’Connell firm was building and persuaded 200 workers to join them. The strikers were all fired and replaced with French-Canadians. The fired workers then formed a union and marched on the sites.

The May 7, 1891, Transcript reported there were heated exchanges with the Irish shouting, “Get the Canucks out!”  But the French had problems too. Twenty-three workers earning $1.75 a day for the O’Connell Co. were replaced by Italians who were willing to work for only $1.35 a day, according to “Holyoke-Chicopee, A Perspective,” by Ella Merkel DiCarlo. 

             Surveying work for the new dam began in 1891. In February of 1895 twenty-seven contractors throughout the United States submitted bids to the Holyoke Water Power Co. The low bidder was Fruin-Bambrick of St. Louis, Mo. with a price of $529,621. The highest bid was $881,900.

            Broken stone came from the stone crusher in Westfield. The granite stones were quarried on Leadbetters Island near Vinal Haven, Maine. They arrived by rail and were stored in a field about a mile below the dam near the present Riverside Station.  They were cut to exact specifications. Each piece was given an identification mark so that it could be placed in its predetermined location. Each stone was measured, if it did not meet its specifications, it was corrected or rejected.  Out of the 1,600 stones, only 20 were rejected.

 Rubble for concrete for the interior of the dam was quarried from the bed of the river. The stones were lifted into place by the many stiff-leg derricks that were erected in the riverbed at the base of the new dam.

            These gentlemen developed an interesting cable system to transfer construction material from the shore to the worksite.  It was best described in the “Engineering News” of May 13, 1897, by Sanford E. Thompson.  The system basically used a 2-in cable that was strung from South Hadley to Holyoke which was connected to towers on each side. The Holyoke side being 120 ft high, and the South Hadley side, 100 ft. high.

 They created a slope in which the material would travel. The total distance between anchorages was 2,200 feet, and the span between towers was 1,615 feet. The cable, which was designed for a safe load of from 6 to 7 tons, was at the time the longest for its strength in the world.  A 50-horsepower engine in the Holyoke tower, with two drums, one of which moves the carriage along the cable and the other hoists and lowers, furnished the power. The carriage made a round trip in ten minutes, according to Barrett’s work.

            Construction began in the summer of 1895 and was expected to be completed in three years. However, work was delayed for several periods because of unusually high water. In 1897 Fruin-Bambrick gave up the job. It was then assigned to A.McMullen, one of the original bidders that successfully finished the dam on January 5, 1900. 

            “The names of the Holyoke Water Power Co., who brought this dam into being with tools and methods which modern engineers would call primitive, are fading into obscurity. However, the structure they built stands as a permanent memorial to them and undoubtedly will do so for centuries to come,” Barrett wrote.

Published Wednesday, April 26, 2006 in the Holyoke Plus section in The Republican. Go to www.masslive.com for more interesting stories.

A moment in time

   Holyoke’s first town meeting was held on March 22, 1850. There were about 3,700 residences at this time. Joseph Morrison, Alexander Day and Amos Allen were elected to be Holyoke’s first selectmen. These gentlemen had the pleasure of dealing with successful and positive individuals who created dynamic companies that hired thousands of people.

    The Hadley Falls Bank and the Holyoke Saving Bank were created at this time offering ample capital to build new mills. The Hadley Falls Co. sold 59 lots for mills or business sites. In the same year Exchange Hall was built, the Lyman Mills Co. was organized with a capitalization of $1.5 million and the Prentiss Wire Mills was established. They also erected one of the most prominent hotels in the state called the Holyoke House (Hamilton Hotel), which cost a $100,000.

    The population increased to 5,000 people by 1855. The Governor of Massachusetts went on record as predicting that with in a decade Holyoke would be a city of 50,000 people. Holyoke was flourishing with the opening of the Lyman Mills Co., which was the beginning of the textile industry. Joseph C. Parson founded the Parson Paper Co. that had eight massive "engines" and two Fourdrinier machines for precision construction. Two artisan wells were sunk in the rock to a depth of 150 feet to ensure a constant supply of pure water. The company manufactured writing papers, notes pads, blank books and ledgers. Hampden Mills were contracted by the Hadley Falls Co., and completely furnished with textile machinery made in the company’s shops for an interlocking group of which Patrick T. Jackson, a large stockholder in the power company, was the leading factor. The intent of this organization was to manufacture "fancy vesting, pantaloon cloth, and sundry."

    The mills were later known in Holyoke as the Mackintosh Mills. Jackson Street was named after the founder. The Holyoke Paper Co. was opened in 1857. It was the first mill to be built at the southern end of the canal system, which now houses the hydroelectric plant of the Holyoke Gas and Electric Department.

    Private individuals built many pretentious houses and stores during this period. Business ventures were organized on an ambitious scale. Professional men were coming into the city as early as mid-century. There were thirteen persons and corporations in the town paying taxes on property valued at more that $10,000 according to Wyatt Harper’s 1948 book, "The Story of Holyoke."

    By 1857, problems started to erupt in the mill section of town. The overworked and under-paid workers took to drinking in the streets disrupting the cities inhabitants. The police tried to quell their disruptive behavior, but were unable to do so without local citizens help. The town magistrate’s court was set up in a small wooden structure on John Street, that also housed a small brick building for locking up these unruly citizens.

    The same year the United States went through terrible financial times. It was call the "57 Panic." Funds had run dry to finance the construction of new railroad track across the country and many of the great New York banks failed. This set off a devastating depression in Holyoke. Large and small businesses went bankrupt due to the fact that people were laid off and had little funds to purchase their products. Cotton cloth couldn’t be sold in sufficient quantity at a sufficient price to pay the overhead in the massive mills throughout the city.

    The Hadley Falls Co. was sold to the Holyoke Water Power Co. around this time. Fortunately by 1873, the city of Holyoke had left behind these dreadful times to become one of the most prosperous cities in New England. There were 14 massive mills, producing 40 tons of paper a day, 30 tons of which was fine paper. By 1890 there was 25 paper mills, employing 3,000 people with a capital investment of $10 million dollars. It was because of these substantial numbers, Holyoke was deemed the Paper City, according to Harper’s work.

    All of these mills needed a steady feed of water to power their machines, which the Connecticut River provided via the canals. The Holyoke dam held the water back allowing the water to flow into these massive canals, which are 50 to 140 feet across and up to 25 feet deep. About 10 billion gallons of water move through the canals on days when there is enough river flow to run all the hydroelectric wheels. These turbines are scattered throughout the city. This is enough water to fill 500 million average size bathtubs. The original system produced enough power to drive a dozen diesel locomotives. It powered over 100 large mills in the 1800 and 1900’s. Today, the canal system produces enough energy to power 20,000 homes, according to a wonderful display at Heritage State Park behind the Holyoke City Hall.

In the next issue, she explains how the production of paper made Holyoke world-renowned.                                                                                                                     

In the next issue, she explains how the production of paper made Holyoke world-renowned.

© 2006 The Republican. All rights reserved. Used with permission

Published Wednesday, May 31, 2006 in the Holyoke Plus section in The Republican.Go to www.masslive.com for more interesting stories.

       Paper. Oh, that wonderful pliable commodity. Not the principle source of income for the citizens of Holyoke in the mid- to late 1800s, but certainly one of the most important. For centuries paper was handmade, which was a time consuming and cumbersome endeavor until clever industrialists capitalized on the ability to use paper-making machines and the ample waterpower supplied by a dam that fed multiple canals. They also benefited from having a massive labor force from Ireland, Canada, Italy and Poland to manufacture some of the most beautiful paper in the world. It was estimated that 90 percent of the country bought their paper from Holyoke at this time.

     They made the paper by separating fibres in wood or cotton, then rearranged them and compacted them into thin sheets. The technique was to suspend the fibres in water in a tank then dip out a little of the mixture with a shallow screen box. The water running out through the screen would leave the fibres deposited in a layer on the screen’s inner surface from which it could be lifted intact than pressed, dried, and perhaps coated.

     Henry Fourdrinier of Britain in the early 1860s designed a paper-making machine that used a wheel to make paper faster and easier. The process of felting was achieved by passing an endless fine mesh screen belt over two rolls and permitting the mixture to pass through the screen between them. The wet sheet thus formed was then picked up on a moving belt and carried to rollers where the water was removed. The paper came off the rolls in an endless belt. The Fourdrinier machine modernized papermaking worldwide, according to Wyatt Harper’s 1948 book, "The Story of Holyoke."

     By 1866, paper mills were a force with which to be reckoned. Its no wonder that Holyoke has been called the "The Paper City." By 1873, 14 mills would be producing 40 tons of paper a day. By 1890, there were 25 paper mills, employing 3,500 people. The mills were estimated to have earned $11 million dollars in that year alone.

    Currently, two paper companies in Holyoke are still flourishing. Aaron Bagg, George Fowler and Joseph Parsons founded the Hampden Glazed Paper and Card Co. in 1880. The same Joseph Parsons who founded Parsons Paper Co. 27 years earlier.

    In 1973, the company became known as Hamden Paper Co. The Fowler family bought out most of the stock over the years. Today it’s still going strong with sales of $30 million, employs 155 full time employees and it services over 80 distinct products globally.

    Another successful paper company that still resides in Holyoke is the Hazen Paper Co., established in 1925 by John N. Hazen and his wife Maria (weis).

    Today it specializes in paper-decorating techniques such as laminating holographic films to paper and paperboard as well as gravure printing and coating and decorative embossing. Hazens papers are used in packaging such as cosmetics, golf balls and DVD's. They also manufacture scratch lottery tickets.

    In 1853, Joseph C. Parsons, and Aaron Bagg founded Parsons Paper Co. Things did not go well at first when they tried to purchase waterpower from the Hadley Falls Co. They were told they did not care to fund an industry that could not succeed. Holyoke at the time was mostly textile mills. Parsons collaborated with a gristmill owner allowing his paper mill to be built and water supplied. Obviously, the Hadley Falls Co. miscalculated the importance of manufacturing paper at the time, according to Harper’s work.

    Parsons Paper closed its doors in 2004 after 153 years. Holyoke resident, Kathleen Mangan who worked at the Parsons Paper Co. in the finishing room for 38 years, remembers Dr. Baggs, a descendant of the original owners being exceptionally kind to the employees. She also remembers how dangerous the work could be on the floor of the factory. She says she witnessed a fellow employee almost losing his arm; luckily one of his fellow workers pulled his arm out of a massive paper-rolling machine before he was severely injured.

    The paper industry was an extraordinary force that changed not only the landscape of Holyoke but also the lives of so many famished immigrants. The mills allowed them to prosper and grow in a country they had only dreamed about. There lives were extremely hard at times, but their rewards were tangible as Holyoke assured these hardworking people that they would survive—survive and excel in the great city of Holyoke.

In the next issue, read about the many paper companies and their incredible founders that made Holyoke prosper.

© 2006 The Republican. All rights reserved. Used with permission

Published Wednesday, June 28, 2006 in the Holyoke Plus section in The Republican. Go to www.masslive.com for more interesting stories.