Northampton’s Forbes Library, between 1900 and 1910. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.
The library in 2014:
Built in 1894, the Forbes Library is one of two public libraries in Northampton, and it is also home to the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library and Museum. Not much has changed in its exterior appearance since Calvin Coolidge visited here while studying law in the late 1890s.
The old Northampton High School building, at the corner of Main and New South Streets, between 1900 and 1906. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.
The building in 2014:
This building served as Northampton’s high school from 1895 until 1940, and while it looks the same in both photos, it was gutted in a 1914 fire, leaving only the exterior walls. The interior was rebuilt, and later served as an elementary school before being converted into condominiums.
The view looking west from the corner of Main & King Streets in Northampton, around 1907. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.
The view in 2018:
Taken around the same time as this photo, from the opposite end of Main Street, not a whole lot has changed with the buildings. However, just about everything else has – the busy intersection no longer has trolley tracks, but has plenty of cars, along with pedestrians and protesters outside the courthouse (left). As previously mentioned, these photos were taken around the time that Calvin Coolidge was beginning his political career; he would’ve seen this view daily as he walked the half a block from his law office to the courthouse.
Main Street in Northampton, looking east from in front of City Hall, around 1907. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.
The same view in 2014:
From this angle, downtown Northampton appears virtually unchanged in over a century. The first photo is the view that then-state representative Calvin Coolidge would’ve seen as he walked out of City Hall and headed towards his law office. Within a few years, he would become mayor of Northampton, and from there he quickly moved up the political ranks.
Memorial Square and Memorial Congregational Church in Springfield, Mass., around 1908. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.
The scene in 2014:
Built in 1869, the former Memorial Congregational Church has been home to St. George Greek Orthodox Church (now Cathedral) since 1940. In the foreground is a monument to Massachusetts veterans from the Spanish-American War. Neither the church nor the statue have changed much in appearance, although the quiet elm-lined streets have changed; Memorial Square is now the intersection of Routes 20 (left) and 116 (right), and the on-ramp for Interstate 91 is visible just beyond the church, on Route 20.
Union Station in Springfield, Mass, around 1905. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.
The scene in 2014:
Prior to 1890, trains passing through Springfield on the Boston & Albany Railroad had to cross Main Street at street level; this resulted in significant traffic issues as the city grew, so in 1890 a stone arch was built over Main Street, and an elevated stone viaduct carried the railroad through downtown. As part of this, the old Union Station was opened in 1889. Designed by Shelby, Rutan and Coolidge in the style of Henry Hobson Richardson, the station consisted of buildings on both the north and south sides of the tracks (as seen in this photo, taken around the same time). The 1905 photo shown above shows the south side, looking east along Lyman Street. This station was demolished in 1925 and replaced with the present-day Union Station. This station, located on the other side of the tracks, has been closed since 1974, but is in the process of being renovated. In the meantime, rail travelers today use the Lyman Street entrance to access the modern Amtrak station, which is a far cry from Richardson’s original design.
