cemetery tours
Chicopee Street Burying Ground
Holy Mother of the Rosary Cemetery
Burial Grounds of Chicopee throughout its History (presentation)
South Hadley Cemeteries
Cemeteries in Holyoke
cemetery
Smith’s Ferry Cemetery and Neighborhood tour
Calvary Cemetery of the Sisters of Providence Tour
Burial Grounds of Holyoke throughout its History (presentation)
Holyoke Gas and Electric
Holyoke Water Power generated most of the electricity in the city pre-1902. See the chart below for use in lights. Thus in this tiny comparison, there is a very obvious shift from gas over to electric. The age of electricity was upon us.
| lights | electric lights | gas lights | naphtha lights (oil) | |
| 1875 | 85 | 0 | 60 | 25 |
| 1876 | 101 | 0 | 67 | 34 |
| 1878 | 113 | 0 | 78 | 35 |
| 1879 | 125 | 0 | 85 | 38 |
| 1880 | 136 | 0 | 99 | 37 |
| 1882-1883 | 163 | 44 | ||
| 1890 | 309 | 159 | 88 | 50 |
| 1891 | 333 | 183 | 49 | 39 |
Holyoke Gas and Electric was created in 1902 as a public city department from the electrical division of the private Holyoke Water Power Company.
In 1952 HWP starts Springdale Industrial Park.
Also in that year the Mount Tom Power Plant is started at 136 MW. That gives Holyoke a total of 207 MW.
Riverside Station makes 44 MW from a high pressure steam station. The power is piped to mills on lower Appleton Street.
A Jet Gas Turbine was purchased in December of 1963 and dedicated October 14 1964.
A 6,250 KVa number 9 generator was installed in 1941.
At 5:16 PM of November 9 1965 the Northeast Blackout hit the USA. This was the largest electrical blackout in American history.
In 1967, a new 13 kV aerial cable and 2000 KVA transformer are installed at the Mt Tom Ski area. In that same year on Dec 15th a Holyoke Substation was put in place.
There were other companies in Holyoke that made energy. Look at the coal plant in northern Holyoke.
Laurel Park
Laurel Park is a nice feature along a former trolley route. Read the Elmwood Circuit route at this LINK.
It was purchased by the city and decorated to make a park. In 1912 the cobble fountain was built. The fountain is functional. Laurel Park was called Elmwood Triangle for its first few years.
Sanborn 1915 map – the 1895 shows a sliver of the land
McNulty Park
McNulty Park was gifted to the city by Stop and Shop in 1964.
It is also called Lincoln Street Park (1962).
The park was dedicated October 23 1965.
Veteran’s Park booklet
The Veteran’s Park walking tour booklet is available from me. They cost $5 for a black-and-white stapled copy. Each additional copy after that is $3 more when shipped together. For a color copy, the cost is $8 and each additional copy in color is $6.
Email me from my contact page for details. The booklets that you order will be mailed to you via USPS so I need a physical address. Other booklets are available at the BOOKLET page. You can follow this tour at LINK.
Tragedies in the Canal
Kennedy Park
The Highlands have many beautiful mansions and structures. There was great growth in the Highlands when a trolley route was made up Appleton Street and up Lincoln Street. The neighborhood grew so quickly that it needed a school – The Highland Grammar School. The Highland Grammar School was built in 1905. It was a large three floor building.
stop 1 – Highlands Methodist Episcopal Church
read stop 9 at this LINK
stop 2 – Lincoln Street
A one block walk up Lincoln Street from the park in a westerly direction is a fine way to view some nice homes. (LOCATION)
At 98 Lincoln Street is the Azro Coburn house from 1908.
At 104 Lincoln Street is the James Ramage house from 1895.
At 110 Lincoln Street.
At 118 Lincoln Street is the John Williams house from 1893. This is a Queen Ann Victorian home. John was a carpenter and painter with Doane in a Holyoke store.
stop 3 – corner of Waldo and Allyn Streets
This corner has many beautiful Victorian homes. (LOCATION)
stop 4 – Nonotuck Street and Allyn Street
While there are some nice homes along Nonotuck Street, this corner of the park is best to use as a grand entrance into the park’s many sections. The playground area of Kennedy Park comes first. (LOCATION) Then some memorial stones honoring Kennedy and the former Highland School. The school was positioned in the middle of the park. Beyond the park’s center is a modern baseball diamond.
stop 5 – Kennedy Park
The Edward Kennedy Park is now located in place of the school. He was a student at the school and then at Sacred Heart High School. He won the Silver Medal, the Bronze Medal, and the Purple Heart. He was killed in action in Germany on October 31 1944.
stop 6 – Highland Grammar School
The Highland Grammar School opened in 1900 and closed in the 1980s. LINK
[STORY about reproductions of artwork at the Highland Grammar School. Where is this art now?]
Sanborn map analysis:
Sanborn 1889 map – not covered
Doyle residences
In 1928 the family lived at 130 Waldo Street for that year only. It signifies their move from an apartment (at Thorpe) to a home but they did not own that house. In 1929 they had moved again to Clinton Street. The grid below is the residences of the Doyle family from their youth to their deaths.
| residence | years | |
| he at 173 Elm Street and she at 191 Dwight Street | 1905 | |
| 104 Beech Street | 1906 | |
| 783 Dwight Street | 1910 | |
| 354 Hampden Street | 1915 to 1916 | |
| 7 Thorpe | 1918 to 1927 | |
| 130 Waldo Street | 1928 | |
| 9 Clinton | 1929 to 1930 | rent |
| 18 Lynwood Avenue | 1935 | |
Sanborn map analysis of 132 Waldo Street:
Sanborn 1915 map