Derek Strahan

Aside from running the Lost New England blog, Derek Strahan is the author of two books: Lost Springfield, Massachusetts and New England Then and Now, along with being the host of the Western Mass History podcast. Derek is a graduate of Westfield State University, with degrees in English and Regional Planning, and he currently works as a land use and environment planner in Western Massachusetts. Derek also serves on the board of directors of the Springfield Preservation Trust, and he lives in Western Massachusetts with his wife Melissa and their two sons.

Indian Motocycle Factory, Springfield Mass

January 31, 2018April 29, 2015 by Derek Strahan

The factory on Wilbraham Road in Springfield, which would later house the Indian Motocycle Manufacturing Company. Seen here around 1892 and published in Picturesque Hampden (1892).

The building in 2015:

This building is best known as having been part of the Indian Motocycle Company factory, but it has had a variety of uses over the years. The original section of the building, as seen in the 1892 photo, was built in 1883 for the Bullard Repeating Arms Company, a rifle company that was not as successful as another firearms company founded in Springfield during the 19th century. Bullard didn’t last too long, and the building was then used by the Springfield Industrial Institute, a private trade school. In 1895, the school moved to the building across the courtyard, and the Elektron Company occupied this building. It was at this point that the wing was built to the east, beyond the tower.

Early in the 20th century, George Hendee moved his motorcycle company to this site, which was originally named Hendee Manufacturing Company, but was later renamed Indian Motocycle Manufacturing Company (the “r” was intentionally omitted from “motorcycle” for trademark purposes). The two story addition was put on the building in 1911, which by then had nearly quadrupled in size from the 1892 photo. This triangle between State Street and Wilbraham Road was the home of the company until they closed in 1953, at which point the buildings were used for various other businesses. Since then, several of the buildings have been demolished, although the original 1883 Bullard building survives, and it has been renovated and turned into apartments.

Elm Street, Holyoke Mass

April 27, 2015 by Derek Strahan

Looking north on Elm Street toward Appleton Street in Holyoke, around 1908:

Elm Street in 2015:

The contrast in these two scenes illustrates what has happened in Holyoke over the past century. When the first photo was taken, the city was rapidly growing in population; by the 1910 census, it had over 57,000 residents, and the city was one of the world’s leading paper manufacturing centers. However, by the middle of the 20th century the factories began closing, and the population dropped. The 2010 census showed fewer than 40,000 residents, and Holyoke currently has the second lowest median household income level out of all 351 Massachusetts cities and towns. The house and the apartment building on the left-hand side of Elm Street are still there from the 1908 photo, but otherwise it is a very different scene today.

Civil War Monument, Holyoke Mass

April 27, 2015April 27, 2015 by Derek Strahan

The Civil War Monument in Veterans’ Memorial Park in Holyoke, around 1900-1910. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.

The statue in 2015:

Civil War monuments are a common feature in communities across the country, and Holyoke is no exception with their monument to the city’s 55 residents who died in the war. What is rather unusual about this one, though, is the sculptor: former Confederate soldier Henry Jackson Ellicott. It is also unusual in that most Civil War monuments feature the figure of a soldier, while Ellicott’s creation has Liberty holding a wreath atop the monument. It was dedicated on America’s centennial, July 4, 1876, and today it remains at the center of Veterans Park, which now includes monuments for veterans of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.

Not much of the surrounding neighborhood is visible in the first photo, but St. Jerome’s Church is clearly visible in the 2015 view. Although mostly obscured by leaves, the church is there in the first photo; in fact, not only is it older than the monument, but it is older than the war itself. The church was completed in 1860 to serve the growing population of mill workers, and was the first of many Catholic churches in Holyoke. The statue includes a list of the 55 Holyoke men killed in the war, and among these are Irish names like Sullivan, McDonald, Cronan, and Donahue, so they very well could have been parishioners across the street at St. Jerome’s Church before they enlisted.

City Hall, Holyoke Mass

April 27, 2015April 27, 2015 by Derek Strahan

City Hall in Holyoke, seen looking up Dwight Street in 1892. Image courtesy of the New York Public Library.

City Hall in 2015:

It almost resembles a Medieval cathedral, and in fact the original caption of the 1892 photo misidentified it as a church, but this building is actually Holyoke City Hall. Opened in 1876, it bears some resemblance to the Hampden County Courthouse. Both were made out of the same material, granite from Monson, Massachusetts, and with similar neo-Gothic and Romanesque style architecture, which was common in late 19th century public buildings. Curiously, it had two architects: Charles B. Atwood, who designed most of the exterior, and Henry F. Kilburn, who took over after Atwood failed to produce his work in a timely manner. Kilburn ended up designing the interior and the 220 foot tower. Today, the exterior is well-preserved; it continues to be used as City Hall, and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

High Street, Holyoke Mass (2)

April 27, 2015April 27, 2015 by Derek Strahan

Looking north on High Street from Suffolk Street in Holyoke, around 1903-1907. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.

High Street in 2015:

These photos show a scene similar to the ones in this post, just a half a block further south, at the corner of High and Suffolk Streets. This area is also part of the North High Street Historic District, and all of the buildings on the left-hand side date to between 1880 and 1920. The first photo was taken at a good time to show some of the changes that happened in the early 19th century. Had this photo been taken less than 10 years later, we would see almost no change today; all of the present-day buildings in the foreground were built by about 1912. Starting on the far left side and heading down High Street, the first five buildings in the present-day photo are:

An unnamed commercial block, which was built in 1910 and replaced two earlier buildings, including the ornate Naumkeag Clothiers building in the first photo.
Bishop Block, which was built around 1890 and has had a few alterations over the years, especially the facade on the second floor.
Taber Block, which was built around 1884 and is architecturally very similar to the Russell-Osborne Building further down the street
Childs Building, which was built around 1912
Steiger’s Building, which was built around 1900 and was home to one of Albert Steiger’s department stores

Overall, the changes in the two photos reflect the prosperity of Holyoke at the turn of the last century; its paper mills were bringing jobs and wealth to the city, and this was seen on High Street, where relatively new buildings from the 1880s and 1890s were being taken down and replaced by larger commercial buildings. However, just as new construction on this part of High Street seemed to stagnate by the mid 20th century, Holyoke’s economy also stagnated with the closing of the paper mills. Today, parts of Holyoke are filled with historic buildings, but sadly this is not necessarily because of careful attention to historic preservation, but rather from a lack of new economic development in the city.

High Street, Holyoke Mass (1)

April 27, 2015April 27, 2015 by Derek Strahan

Looking north on High Street between Suffolk and Dwight Streets, around 1908. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.

High Street in 2015:

Holyoke has a number of buildings that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, but these photos show the only Historic District located within the city. The two photos show a number of changes in the past 100 years, but even the most of the “new” buildings seen in the 2015 photo date to the 1920s or earlier. Several notable buildings from the first photo have survived, though. On the left-hand side, starting closest to the foreground, they are:

Mayberry Building (narrow red brick building) – Built in 1881, although it had a fourth story added at some point after the 1908 photo.
Russell-Osborne Building (the next red brick building) – Built in 1885, this building’s ornate facade contrasts with most of the other more reserved architectural styles, but it has lost some of its decoration over the years, including the gargoyle-like carvings that can be seen in the 1908 photo.
Ball Block (yellow brick, in center of the photos) – Built in 1898 and located at the corner of High and Dwight Streets, this was an office building but was later converted into a bank. However, most of the modifications were made to the interior, so from the outside it hasn’t changed much in appearance since the first photo was taken.
Caledonia Building (in the distance, flying an American flag) – Built in 1874, its Second Empire architectural style with a mansard roof is very different from most of the other buildings along this part of High Street, but its exterior hasn’t changed much since it was built.