1900s Archives - Page 104 of 134

East Street, Ludlow Mass

April 17, 2015 by Derek Strahan

Looking west on East Street from the corner of State Street in Ludlow in 1904. Photo courtesy of the Hubbard Memorial Library.

East Street in 2015:

This part of East Street in Ludlow hasn’t changed much in the past 111 years, aside from the obvious changes in transportation. The road has gone from a dirt road to a paved, four lane route through town, and a row of parallel-parked cars contrasts with the horse-drawn carriage that is hitched up along the curb in the 1904 view. The old Post Office Block on the right is still there, as is Library Park beyond it. However, just out of view, the left-hand side of the street has changed a lot. The area between the road and the Chicopee River is now a modern commercial development, but in 1904 it was part of the massive Ludlow Manufacturing facility, some of which survives to this day, directly behind where these photos were taken.

Gebo’s Blacksmith Shop, Wilbraham Mass

April 11, 2015 by Derek Strahan

Blacksmith shop of Theodore Gebo on Main Street in Wilbraham, in 1905. Photo courtesy of the Wilbraham Public Library.

The scene in 2015:

The scene in the first photo recalls images of Joe Gargery in Great Expectations, but instead of Victorian England, it’s Main Street in Wilbraham, where Theodore Gebo (far right in the photo, wearing an apron) ran his blacksmith shop. This shop was originally opened by Chauncey Peck in 1871. Aside from being a blacksmith, Peck was also a Civil War veteran, a local historian, and the author of The History of Wilbraham, Massachusetts, a book that I have used several photos from on this blog. Peck sold the business to Gebo in the early 1900s; Gebo had been working out of a shop at the corner of Tinkham and Stony Hill Roads in Wilbraham, but Peck’s shop was closer to the center of town.

The sale was probably a good move for Peck, considering blacksmiths would soon become obsolete. However, as was the case with many other blacksmith shops, it became Gebo’s Garage, an auto repair shop. By then, the original blacksmith shop was gone, but the property remains in commercial use, and as of 2015 was the home of FloDesign, an engineering firm. A more detailed account of Theodore Gebo and his family can be found on the Wilbraham Public Library website.

Soldiers’ Monument, Wilbraham Mass

April 10, 2015 by Derek Strahan

The Soldiers’ Monument in Wilbraham, on Main Street opposite Springfield Street, in an undated photograph probably taken in the early 20th century. Photo courtesy of the Wilbraham Public Library.

The monument in 2015:

As mentioned in this post, the Soldiers’ Monument in Wilbraham was dedicated in 1894, in honor of the 228 men from Wilbraham who served in the Civil War. According to the inscription on the monument, it is dedicated “To the men of Wilbraham who served their country in the war which preserved the Union and destroyed slavery. This monument is erected to perpetuate the memory of their patriotic service.” According to the records in the town clerk’s office, 29 Wilbraham men died in the war. However, of those 29, only six were killed on the battlefield, a statistic that is not at all unusual for the Civil War, given that around two thirds of all deaths were a result of disease rather than battle. One particularly notable Wilbraham veteran was Watson W. Bridge, who was the captain of Company F in the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, an African-American unit that was depicted in the 1989 film Glory.

The monument was built on the site of the birthplace of Lucinda Brewer, the wife of paper manufacturer Zenas Crane, founder of Crane & Co. in Dalton, Massachusetts. Their grandson, Winthrop M. Crane, attended the dedication ceremony in 1894. Several decades earlier, he had secured a contract to produce the paper for US currency, something that the company continues to do today. He would later go on to serve as Governor from 1900 to 1903, and represented Massachusetts in the US Senate from 1904 to 1913.

In the years since the first photo was taken, the land behind the monument has been developed, as seen in the 2015 view. To the left is the former Wilbraham Post Office building, and directly behind the monument is the Wilbraham Public Library. To the right, just outside of the view of the photo, is a commercial development.

Memorial Chapel, Wilbraham Mass

April 3, 2015 by Derek Strahan

The Methodist Church in Wilbraham, around 1903. Photo courtesy of the Wilbraham Public Library.

The building in 2015:

The Memorial Chapel at the corner of Main Street and Mountain Road in Wilbraham is right next to the Wilbraham & Monson Academy campus, but it wasn’t always a part of the school. It was completed in 1870, and was the third meeting house for Wilbraham’s Methodist Society. The society was established in 1793, and their first meeting house was used until 1835, when it was converted into a private home. It is still standing, directly across Mountain Road; I took this photo from right in front of it. The church in this photo was used by the Methodists from 1870 until the 1920s, when they merged with the Congregational Church to form the Wilbraham United Church. The Academy acquired the church in the 1930s, and now uses it as a library and as a venue for concerts and all-school gatherings.

F.A. Gurney Delivery Wagon, Wilbraham Mass

April 1, 2015 by Derek Strahan

The delivery wagon for F.A. Gurney’s Store, seen on Main Street in Wilbraham around 1903. Photo courtesy of the Wilbraham Public Library.

The same scene in 2015:

The town of Wilbraham was originally part of Springfield, located on the far eastern end of Springfield’s original 1636 boundaries, where the relatively flat Connecticut River valley comes to an abrupt end at the hills seen in the distance. When first settled in 1730, it was known as the “Outward Commons,” and even earlier a part of present-day Wilbraham was given the rather hyperbolic name of “World’s End,” which seems to give a rather dramatic idea of how remote this area was to Springfield’s Puritan settlers.

These two photos are taken in the town center, just across from Crane Park and the Soldiers’ Monument. According to the information provided by the Wilbraham Public Library, the 1903 scene shows Frank Blodgett driving the delivery wagon for the F.A. Gurney Store, a general store that was located just behind the photographer. The destination of his goods is Sixteen Acres, just across the city line into Springfield. Today, Sixteen Acres is a suburban neighborhood in Springfield, but at the turn of the last century it was a rural farming community, and the photo appears to have been taken sometime in late winter as the snow was melting, so the goods on the wagon were probably headed for farmers who were preparing for the coming spring.

The only obvious landmark in both photos is the Soldiers’ Monument, which was dedicated in 1894. One of the guests at the dedication was future Governor and Senator Winthrop M. Crane, whose grandmother Lucinda Brewer once lived in a house on this spot. Lucinda Brewer married paper manufacturer Zenas Crane, the founder of Crane & Co. in Dalton, Massachusetts. Winthrop himself was the company president, and in 1879 he obtained a contract to produce the paper for United States paper money. The company has been producing paper for American currency ever since, and Wilbraham’s Crane Park is named for the family.

White Church, West Springfield, Mass

January 23, 2016March 19, 2015 by Derek Strahan

The old White Church in West Springfield, around 1905. Photo from Springfield: Present and Prospective (1905).

The church in 2014:

The old church at the corner of Elm Street and Kings Highway in West Springfield is one of the oldest surviving church buildings in the Pioneer Valley. It was built in 1802, making it 17 years older than Springfield’s Old First Church. It’s in a rather odd location, though; it’s on the outskirts of downtown West Springfield, on a hill overlooking the Connecticut River. This was due to an agreement that the town made with John Ashley, who paid for the construction under the conditions that: 1) he choose the location, and 2) that it remain in use as a church for 100 years. He got his wish, but almost as soon as the 100 years was up the congregation merged with Park Street Congregational Church, moving to the center of West Springfield in 1909 and vacating the building. The building was later used as a Masonic lodge, and today it is privately owned. One curious historical item is the cost of the church; the contract called for $1,400 plus “ten gallons of St. Croix rum.” Based on the fact that the church is still standing over 200 years later, I think one can assume the rum was not delivered until after it was completed.