The toll gatherers house
| number | name of toll gatherer | start | end |
| 1 | John Bennett | ||
| 2 | Lyman Kendall | ||
| 3 | Josiah Bardwell | ||
| 4 | D Strong Damon | ||
| 5 | Sylvester Moody | ||
| 6 | Quartus Judd | ||
| 7 | S A Wolcott | ||
| 8 | E C White |
Category: Uncategorized
Ball Block and Building
Ball Block and Building was started by Charles Ball. The block is located at 223 – 227 High Street in 1898 and the building at 211-215 High Street in 1870. The block is done in the Italian Palazzo style.
From at least 1882 to 1885 the smaller one is called the Mecham Block.
See the James Meacham watch maker ad.
Horrigan Brothers are also there.
In 1935 there was a fire there at the lower block. LINK – Block would be changed from 4 floors to 2 floors and a facade change too.
Sanborn map analysis:
Sanborn 1884 map
Sanborn 1915 map shows the connection to the adjacent blocks – name is Holyoke National Bank
Sanborn 1949 map shows these two blocks as separate but the Ball Block connected to the lower building to its north.
Steiger Building
The Steiger Building is from 1899. It is located at 259-271 High Street. It was started by Albert Steiger the department store magnate. The building was made in the Beaux Arts style as was the Childs and the Woolworth’s Building.
In 1896 Steiger’s is at 215 High Street. They moved to the new location and started to grow fast. There they have 50 feet of frontage and 12 thousand sq ft. In 1901 they buy Fay and Shumway Shoes at 269 High Street. This block is easy to see since the Beaux Arts style changes as you look from right to left across the facade of the building. (They have at that point 73 feet of frontage.)
In 1920 Steiger buys the Howard Apartment Block behind the store and changes it into a parking lot. In 1922 (or perhaps earlier) Steiger has a lease on the three upper floors at Childs. In 1923 he buys the Taber Block. Both they last two locations have break throughs into the blocks on every upper floor. In 1954 the Steiger firm buys the former Woolworths Block. This now gives them 127 feet of frontage and 75 thousand sq ft. In 1984 due to lack of sales Steigers closes the High Street store.
Steigers grow throughout southern New England. There were Steigers in Holyoke, Springfield, and Hartford. Steiger-Schick was in Port Chester New York. Steiger-Dudgeon was in New Bedford. Steiger-Cox was in Fall River. Poole Dry Goods was in Springfield.
Albert Steiger also had a home on Mountain View Drive that had its landscape designed by the Olmsted Brothers from 1924 to 1926.
The Grand Army of the Republic Hall was here at 271 High Street in 1900.
Also the Daughter of St George met here in 1900.
In 1922, Holyoke Post Office Substation number 4 was inside Steiger’s.
Sanborn map analysis:
Sanborn 1889 map shows a 1 story and a 4 story called the Preston Block
Sanborn 1895 map shows a 1 story building where Steiger’s would be with a 4 story building to its left. Perhaps they added 3 floors to the smaller one and put a new facade on all. It is still called the Preston Block.
Sanborn 1915 map shows that he had already bought out the Childs building and connected it on the 2nd to the 4th floors.
Sanborn 1949 map shows that Steiger’s Department Store now had grown over to the Frank Taber with connection on the upper floors
Sanborn 1956 map show that they took over the Woolworth’s Building during the 1950s and connected all three upper floors
Luther Taber
Luther Taber was a jeweler that moved to Holyoke in the early 1840s. His building was at 181-183 High Street. His son started another jeweler business at 281-283-285 High Street. Luther’s grandson Donald Taber was president of Ampad for 40 years.
His ads are always colorful. This next is his 1900 ad.
For a while in the early 1900s there was a George England there.
By 1900 and lasting to at least 1915 the Smith Brothers jewelers had taken over and it was being called the Smith’s Block.
Sanborn map analysis:
Sanborn 1884 map – Taber has jewelry store on first floor and a dress maker is on the 2nd floor
Sanborn 1889 map – Taber has jewelry store on first floor and a dress maker is on the 2nd floor
Sanborn 1895 map – has store on 1st and office on 2nd
Sanborn 1915 map – has store on 1st floor
Sanborn 1949 map – has store on 1st floor
Sanborn 1956 map – has store on 1st floor
Beebe – Webber Woolen Mill
The Beebe – Webber Woolen Mill was in the wool alley at the juncture of the second and the third level canals. It was also called the Ridgewood Mills. It was at 639 Main Street. Jared Beebe (FINDAGRAVE) would sell in 1872 half the company to his son Frank (FINDAGRAVE) and half to his partner – Webber.
Sanborn map analysis:
Sanborn 1915 map – vacant and owned by Farr Alpaca
Sanborn 1949 map – Sheldon’s Transfer and Staging Company is the owner – Holyoke Wire Cloth Co is also there – portion is vacant
Sanborn 1956 map – Sheldon’s Transfer and Staging Company is the owner – Holyoke Wire Cloth Co is also there – portion is vacant
Syms and Dudley (Mount Tom)
The Syms and Dudley or Mount Tom Paper Mill was built in 1880 along the Second Level Canal near the river. George Dudley and William Syms started the mill together. In 1893 they sold it and moved to Watervliet Michigan. The Nonotuck Paper Mill took it over and renamed it the Mount Tom Mill. The Syms and Dudley manufactured book and envelope paper. Also engine sized flat and ruled writings. In 1890 William Whiting is the president, George Dudley the treasurer, and William Syms the manager.
Sanborn map analysis
Sanborn 1884 map – not shown since it is mutual risk
Sanborn 1889 map – not shown since it is mutual risk
Sanborn 1895 map – called the Nonotuck mill 1
Holyoke Warp
The Holyoke Warp Company was formed in 1869 as a weaving mill. Warp and weave are the terms to denote the waving of fabric by machine. The warp is the holding of the fabric strains apart and the weaving is the drawing of the fabric though.
Sanborn map analysis:
Sanborn 1884 map shows that the mill exists but the Sanborn does not detail it
Sanborn 1889 map shows that the mill exists but the Sanborn does not detail it
Sanborn 1915 map called the Highland
Sanborn 1949 map it is called the Highland Mill (paper)
Sanborn 1956 map it is called the Highland
Buchanan and Bolt
The Buchanan and Bolt Company started in Holyoke in 1878 as started by Robert Buchanan and John Bolt.
One product that they made was dandy rolls. Read about the many watermarks of the USA HERE.
Sanborn map analysis:
Sanborn 1884 map – above the first level canal near Essex Street – in the Holyoke Water Power Co buildings that run parallel to the first level canal
Sanborn 1889 map – above the first level canal near Essex Street – in the Holyoke Water Power Co buildings that run parallel to the first level canal
Sanborn 1895 map they are hard to find since they are not on the map but on the 1894 Richards map they are on Winter Street.
Sanborn 1915 map at the corner of Appleton and Winter Streets
Sanborn 1949 map they are at the same location and now called the Sinclair Co
Sanborn 1956 map as the Sinclair
Holyoke Envelope Company
The Holyoke Envelope Company was started in 1880. It made millions of envelopes a year. It was also called the US Envelope Co. It was located at 642 Main Street.
It started near the Skinner Mill.
Sanborn map analysis:
Sanborn 1884 map – shows a vacant lot
Sanborn 1915 map is now called the US Envelope Co
Sanborn 1949 map now has the Crocker-McElwain and the Chemical Paper Co there
Sanborn 1956 map now has the Crocker-McElwain and the Chemical Paper Co there
Whitmore Paper Mill
The Whitmore Mill is from 1880. It was at the Holyoke Water Power Company’s Cabot Street Mill for a long time.
Sanborn map analysis
Sanborn 1915 map – at juncture of Appleton and Canal near end of 3rd canal
Sanborn 1947 map – Marvellum is there now