Detroit Publishing Company Archives - Page 83 of 113

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.

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.

Springfield Armory Entrance, Springfield Mass

July 21, 2015April 22, 2015 by Derek Strahan

The entrance to the Springfield Armory at the corner of State Street and Byers Street, around 1907. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.

The entrance in 2015:

This gate at the southwestern corner of the Armory grounds was opened in the 1870s, when the grade of State Street was lowered and the previous main entrance became unusable. This became the main entrance for many years, but the advent of automobiles and trucks made the narrow gate and fairly steep grade impractical. So, around 10 years after the first photo was taken, a new main entrance was opened on Federal Street; this continues to function as the main entrance for Springfield Technical Community College, which now uses the Armory grounds. In the distance of both photos is the Arsenal, which was completed in 1851 and is discussed further in this post.

Main Arsenal, Springfield Mass

June 17, 2017April 22, 2015 by Derek Strahan

The Main Arsenal at the Springfield Armory, seen around 1910-1920. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.

The Arsenal in 2015:

Springfield had long been a center of production for US military firearms, beginning in 1777, during the American Revolution. The need arose for a suitable location to manufacture and store arms and ammunition, and several sites in New England were considered, including Brookfield Mass. and Hartford. However, in the end General Henry Knox recommended Springfield, and George Washington agreed. Perhaps Knox had recalled passing through Springfield in early 1776 while bringing cannon from Ticonderoga to Boston, but either way he determined that it was the best location.

The location of Springfield was particularly valuable, as it was along several major roads, leading to Boston, Albany, Hartford, and other points south. The Connecticut River and several major tributaries were also an advantage, although unlike at Hartford the river was not navigable by ocean-going vessels at this point. This had been one of the strongest arguments in favor of Hartford, but it was also one of the main weaknesses of the Hartford plan – British ships could easily sail up the river and attack. Springfield’s location, some 20 miles north of the head of navigation, meant that the town was secure from British naval attacks. Another important feature in Springfield is the hill that the Armory is located on. Situated on a broad plateau above the downtown area, the Armory is only three quarters of a mile from the river, but is about 150 feet higher in elevation. In the unlikely event that Springfield was attacked, this would have been an easy position to defend.

However, while the Armory itself dates back to the 1700s, most of the buildings on the site date to the mid 1800s, including the main arsenal seen in these photos. This building was built between 1847 and 1851, and it served as a storehouse for the weapons produced at the Armory. It was built during the Mexican-American War, and it played a vital role in the Civil War just a decade later. Springfield had been one of two federal arsenals prior to the war, with the other being at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. Since this facility was lost early in the war, Springfield became the primary manufacturing center for Union firearms. It continued in this role throughout World War I, World War II, and even into the Vietnam War before its closure in 1968. Today, the Armory is National Historic Site, and is also home to Springfield Technical Community College. The arsenal today hasn’t changed much since its completion in 1851, although today it serves as a museum run by the National Park Service.

Springfield Municipal Group, Springfield, Mass

January 23, 2016February 28, 2015 by Derek Strahan

The Springfield Municipal Group from across Court Square, probably around 1913. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.

The Municipal Group in 2014:

The first photo was taken shortly before the Springfield Municipal Group was completed, perhaps even on the same day as the first photo in this post. In this photo, the buildings are still surrounded by a fence, and a sign for A.E. Stephens Co, the contractors, can be seen on a temporary shed on the right-hand side of the photo. In the ensuing 100 or so years in between the two photos, not much has changed in this scene. City Hall, Symphony Hall, and Campanile tower are all still there, as is the Civil War monument and the Miles Morgan statue, which is barely visible in the distance in front of the bell tower. One thing that has changed, though, is the way people get to City Hall. In the first photo, a trolley can be seen on the far left, and no automobiles are visible anywhere in the scene. Today, there are no trolleys to be found in Springfield, and instead Court Square is surrounded by cars, as seen in the 2014 photo.