Stations of the Cross in the Saint Jerome Cemetery in Holyoke
In 1939, the Olmsted Brothers drew up designed for this St Jerome Cemetery. These plans were never followed. See one of the planned stations above.
Patrick Harkins of Holyoke
Patrick Harkins was the pastor at Saint Jerome’s Church from 1866 to 1910. He was the third pastor at that church. He started many institutions around Holyoke including the orphanage, the Providence Hospital, and the Saint Jerome Total Abstinence, Mutual, Benevolent, and Literary Society.
Priest Section at the Saint Jerome Cemetery in Holyoke
Saint Jerome Cemetery was only accessible via a lane from the side roads to the north and south. It was not until Saint Jerome Avenue was put in place in 1893 that it had a road to its gates. The cemetery was started in 1866 with the name Roman Catholic Cemetery of Holyoke. In 1911 the name was finally changed to St Jerome Cemetery.
John Fagan was the 5th pastor at Saint Jerome’s Church. He stayed for 20 years. He had built the large crucifix in front of you. On the back of it there is a message to all the parish. The crucifix has two altars one on each side – east and west. The altars measure 2 by 8 feet. The west side has on its vertical panel three sections. First the coat of arms of Pope Pius XI. Second the coat of arms of Bishop O’Leary. Then a statement:
In loving memory of all – at any time – parishioners of St. Jerome’s – no matter where their ashes lies – this monument, a Diamond Jubilee Souvenir, was erected by Rt. Reverend Monsignor J. F. Fagan, P.R, Pastor of St. Jerome 1922 – 1942.
The altars have between them statues of Mother Mary, Mary Magdalen, and Saint John the Beloved. The cross is made of Carrara marble in one piece. It is 18 feet high. Carrara is in Tuscany of Italy.
Andrew Martin was the 6th pastor and he stayed for 26 years. Daniel Foley was the 9th pastor. Jeremiah O’Callaghan was the first and he is buried alongside the church. James Sullivan was the 2nd pastor and he started this cemetery. He is not buried here. Holy Cross Church also uses this cemetery. Its first two pastors served for 65 years combined. They are buried here – John Ivers and James Hanrahan.
Korean War and Vietnam War Memorials in Holyoke Massachusetts
In Honored Memory of Our Beloved Holyoke Military Personnel
Korean War
Korean Veterans Memorial Plaza – dedicated to the memory and honor of those men from Holyoke who gave their lives in the Korean Conflict 1950 – 1955
Vietnam War
With Sincere Appreciation to the Men of Holyoke who gave their lives in the Republic of Vietnam – To the Men and Women called Upon to Serve during an Era of Discord
Medal of Honor Veterans
City of Holyoke, MA Medal of Honor Veterans
John MacKenzie, Raymond Beaudoin, and Joseph Muller are the three Medal of Honor men from Holyoke.
Raymond Beaudoin is buried in South Hadley at the Notre Dame Cemetery. (FINDAGRAVE)
Joseph Muller is buried in Honolulu Hawaii at the Cemetery of the Pacific. (FINDAGRAVE)
John MacKenzie is the only one buried in Holyoke since he is at the Forestdale Cemetery. (FINDAGRAVE)
Saint Jerome Total Abstinence, Mutual, Benevolent, and Literary Society (Holyoke)
The Saint Jerome Total Abstinence, Mutual, Benevolent, and Literary Society was near this corner. (236 Maple Street) It still stands but with facade greatly changed. It was a society for men from the Saint Jerome Church.
Also at this corner was the James O’Connor medical homes. He had constructed home for the ill that he was taking care of. SANBORN There now is the Holyoke Medical Center downtown campus. This is the former McAuslan-Waklin Store.
Holyoke Main United States Post Office
The Holyoke Post Office (650 Dwight Street) has been here since 1936. It was made as a WPA project. This is the 6th location of the central post office of Holyoke. The first was at Craft Tavern, the 2nd at the railroad station, the 3rd and the 4th at the Hotel Hamilton, and 5th at a building behind that hotel. Before the post office was put here, the Park Hotel was here.
Sanborn map analysis:
World War 2 Memorial in Holyoke Massachusetts
World War II 1941-1945 Dedicated in Honor of the 212 people from Holyoke who paid the supreme sacrifice and all others who served.
This memorial honors the 212 men that died in WW2 that lived in Holyoke. Ignatius Maternowski was a chaplain from Holyoke that died on D-Day. He was buried on the beaches of Normandy but three years later was reinterred in South Hadley at the Mater Dolorosa Cemetery. Across Dwight Street from this memorial was the Roswell Crafts house. It was a beautiful and unique home.
In a nearby tree, an electric outlet was added by the city in 1948 so that a radio could broadcast World Series games to older men who used the park.
The Phoenix is across the street from this WW2 memorial.
Civil War Memorial in Holyoke Massachusetts
This statue was made by Henry Jackson Ellicott in 1876. It was dedicated on July 4th of that year. It symbolizes Columbia in the traditional classical attire but with the implements of Nike the Greek Goddess of Victory. Columbia holds her shield at her side and her laurel wreath only half high. She also faces to the south. These characteristics imply that the defeat of the South was hard fought and tiring. But she wants the South to rejoin the North and will not gloat over a victory. Her garments and her star-rimmed cap are those of Columbia – the symbol of America. Columbia here has a belt bucket with US printed on it. Liberty never had these symbols. Columbia was the female symbol of America from the 1730s to the early 1920s. Thus this statue is Columbia with Nike symbols and not Lady Liberty.
This statue was restored in 2022. LINK to news – LINK to repairs report. In 1959 and in 1962 chemical cleaning of the copper was attempted.
The Civil War Memorial honors those that died in that war that lived in Holyoke. Officially, it is called the Soldiers Monument of Hampden Square. Thomas Holman the second one down on the eastern side and James Burr the 5th one down are the only ones buried in Holyoke. The rest are buried at the war sites.
In Memory of Our Volunteers Who Died for the Union 1861-1865
Names of the Civil War deaths of Holyoke with death dates and locations.
| statue in Veterans’ Park | Columbia |
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Saint Jerome Rectory in Holyoke
The Saint Jerome Rectory was finished in 1880. It is built in the Second Empire style. The first rectory of Saint Jerome’s was at a home on the northeast corner of Dwight and Elm Streets (108 Elm Street). Father Harkins did not like it there so he had the new rectory built. James Sullivan had purchased the first rectory in October of 1859.
Priests who worked at the schools and the church lived there and so did the house staff. Grace and Catherine Harkins lived there as staff for many years.
| pastor | name | start | end | burial | |
| 1st | Jeremiah O’Callaghan | 1854 | May 1858 | Saint Jerome Churchyard (Holyoke) | |
| 2nd | James Sullivan |  | May 1858 | 1866 | Holyhood Cemetery (Brookline) |
| 3rd | Patrick Harkins |  | 1866 | 1910 | Saint Jerome Cemetery (Holyoke) |
| 4th | James T Madden |  | Jan 1 1911 | 1922 | Saint Jerome Cemetery (Holyoke) |
| 5th | John F Fagan |  | 1923 | 1942 | Saint Jerome Cemetery (Holyoke) |
| 6th | Andrew Martin | 1944 | 1969 | Saint Jerome Cemetery (Holyoke) | |
| 7th | Maurice Martin | 1970 | 1975 | unknown | |
| 8th | Francis Xavier Boyle | 1975 | 1986 | Saint John’s Cemetery (Worcester) | |
| 9th | Daniel Foley | 1987 | 2005 | Saint Jerome Cemetery (Holyoke) | |
| 10th | Wiliam Lunney | 2006 | 2018 | ||
