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.

North End Bridge, West Springfield Mass

November 25, 2016July 6, 2014 by Derek Strahan

The view looking east over the North End Bridge from the West Springfield side of the river, around 1900-1910. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.

The bridge in 2014:

The North End Bridge was the second road bridge to be built across the Connecticut River in Springfield, and opened in 1877. Both views show the bridge looking east from West Springfield toward Springfield. This bridge was particularly significant to West Springfield residents, as it directly connected downtown West Springfield to the north end of Springfield and, more importantly at the time, Springfield’s railroad station.

The old bridge was described by King’s Handbook of Springfield in 1884 as being “one of the handsomest highway bridges in the United States.” In 1923, though, it caught fire and was completely destroyed. Two years later a new bridge was completed, and it remains in use today, carrying US Route 20, the longest road in America, over the Connecticut River. The road on the far left-hand side just before the bridge in the first photo is Riverdale Street; it didn’t look like much at the turn of the last century, but today it is part of Route 5, and is a major north-south route through the Springfield area. It does not actually pass through this intersection anymore, though. The 2014 photo was taken from the center of a rotary, which was built atop a tunnel for Route 5.

As an incidental historical note, there is a sign on the bridge in the first photo, which is barely legible. In higher-resolution copies of the photo, it reads: “No person shall ride or drive a horse or mule on any part of this bridge at a rate faster than a walk under a penalty of two dollars for each offence.” Today, the bridge traffic usually travels at a significantly higher rate of speed than a walk, except during rush hour.

Springfield & Connecticut River from Forest Park

November 25, 2016July 2, 2014 by Derek Strahan

The view looking toward Springfield from atop Laurel Hill in Forest Park, around 1905. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.

The same view in 2014:

While driving along Interstate 91 through the Longmeadow curve, there is a semicircular retaining wall built into the side of the hill, with a flagpole on top. I had never paid much attention to it, but when I came across the first photo above, I wondered if that is where it was taken from. As it turns out, this overlook is part of what is called Laurel Hill, and is the section of Forest Park where the Barney Mausoleum is built. From the Mausoleum, it is just a short path to this overlook, which once offered views of the city of Springfield and the Connecticut River. Today, neither the city nor the river is visible from this spot, and the small dirt road barely visible in the 1905 photo is now Interstate 91.

From a traffic perspective, this is a major bottleneck in the Springfield area. Route 5 and I-91, which are combined in this short section, serve as the primary north-south transportation corridor in western New England, and link Springfield to Hartford and points south. However, because of the tight fit in trying to squeeze an interstate highway between the hills on the right and the railroad tracks on the left, I-91 is reduced to just two lanes, and that, combined with the many on/off ramps and curves, makes this a common site of traffic jams and accidents. It all looks so much more peaceful 100 years ago.

Sumner Avenue, Springfield Mass

November 12, 2017July 2, 2014 by Derek Strahan

Looking east on Sumner Avenue, Springfield Massachusetts, from near the intersection with present-day Washington Road, around 1900-1910. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.

The same view in 2014:

Sumner Avenue is the primary thoroughfare across the southern part of Springfield, passing through the Forest Park neighborhood. At the time that the first photo was taken, this was a prominent, expensive neighborhood with large, ornate houses, similar to the ones seen on Maple Street and other parts of the city. However, like many of these other areas, the neighborhood has declined, with most of the wealthy residents moving to Longmeadow or somewhere else outside the city. Today, most of the houses are still there, though, including the Smith Platt House on the extreme left, and the Lathrop House next to it.

Maple Street Homes, Springfield Mass

November 25, 2016June 4, 2014 by Derek Strahan

Several homes on Maple Street in Springfield, around 1905. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.

The same view in 2014:

Around the turn of the last century, Maple Street was one of the best places in Springfield to live. This side of the street was particularly desirable, because of the view looking toward downtown Springfield and across the Connecticut River. Today, that isn’t the case. Although the view is still there, it is no longer one of the city’s premier residential areas, and the two mansions in the first photo no longer exist.

Located directly across the street from the former MacDuffie School campus, this area was right in the path of the June 1, 2011 tornado that tore across western Massachusetts. These houses, however, were gone long before then. The one on the right was at the time the home of businessman and city library president Nathan D. Bill, and was built in the 1880s as the Andrew Fennessy House. It was destroyed in a suspicious fire in 1969, after having been vacant for several years. Today, only the concrete driveway is still there, and can be seen better on Google Maps. The house just beyond it was built in 1882 and belonged to Walter H. Wesson, the son of Daniel Wesson, co-founder of Smith & Wesson. In 1982, this historic house was also heavily damaged in a fire, and was subsequently demolished.

Church of the Unity, Springfield Mass

February 9, 2018June 4, 2014 by Derek Strahan

The Church of the Unity, photographed in 1959. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey collection.

The same view in 2014:

The Church of the Unity is also featured in this post, although the photo in that one is close to 100 years older than this “before” one is. As mentioned there, this church was significant as the first commission of architect Henry Hobson Richardson, and was built between 1866 and 1869. However, it was demolished only two years after this photo was taken, and was replaced with a parking lot for the Springfield Public Library.

Game Day in Springfield, Mass

July 18, 2018June 4, 2014 by Derek Strahan

A banner in downtown Springfield advertising the Brown-Dartmouth football game at Hampden Park on November 25, 1905. Photo from Springfield: Present and Prospective, published in 1905.

The same view in 2018:

In terms of sports, Springfield may be best known as the birthplace of basketball, but it was also once the site of several significant college football games. Hampden Park, located near the North End Bridge, was once used for Ivy League games such as Harvard-Yale and, as is the case here, Brown-Dartmouth. The history of Hampden Park is discussed further in this post, and the game pictured in the first photo on that post is likely the game referenced here on this banner, which Dartmouth ultimately won 24-6.

Not much else has stayed the same in this scene; all of the buildings are gone, although parts of the Massassoit House (far left) were incorporated into the Paramount Theatre. However, the 1890 railroad bridge still exists, although the road grade has had to be lowered to accommodate larger vehicles. I have re-created a few other photos of this general area, which can be seen here and here.