USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > Holyoke > Holyoke daily transcript > Part 9
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Anyone desiring a thrilling account of Roosevelt's gal- lantry at Los Gnasimas should call on the captain, who will feclingly depict it, possibly punetnating it with nbat one of onr genial ohl-time llolroker- used to call "scattering remarks."
In 1000 the Water Power Compam built the splendid new dam, which seems about the finest piece of masonry in the world. The company dil themselves prond on this. though for a period of abont fifteen years they were shame- inlly negligent (in the writer's opinion at least) in allowing their canal fences to be so neglected that from six to ten children were mathematically certain to fall to their death each year. This con- dition has heen remedied under the present management, but many heart- rending deaths could have been aroided In a few dollars amit a little care.
The fine West street school building came in 1806.
One of the prettiest churches in our city, the St. Paul's Episenpal, on Apple- son street, was Imilt in 1004, succeeding the modest gray stone building built at the corner of Maple and Suffolk streets in 1869.
During the last half century the part of Northampton enmprising a long marrow neck of land running from the hills to the river, and from upper North- ampton street to Mt. Tom Junction shf- fered peculiarly.
When the boundary between West Springhehl and Northampton was fixeil there was no Holyoke, and this narrow stretch was somewhat nearer to North- ampton than Springheld. The building of the Paper City changed the complex- inn of affairs and left it right in elose tanch with Holyuke, and ahout seren miles from Northampton. Northamp- tom's jurisdiction was merely municipal. She owned no land or buildings save the listle Smiths Ferry schoolhouse. and when it became patent that Flol- yoke could conveniently accommodate the section, while the Meadow City conhIn't without great inconvenience, the desire for annexation was inevit- able. But instead of petitioning directly a quarter of a century ago, the matter m'as not taken np till 1495, and ummer- bus attempts were defeated hy North- ampton on shrewd technicalities, and others were discontinued by cause of alire branches temporarily held om in the fall and quickly withdrinn when i becante too late in the year to act.
Northampton's position was simply anıl sprilul. She wanted the fat sum of money received each year in taxes, larıl to increase yearly. She paid ont uniy a tithe of this, and didn't propose to. Had she bound herself before the Legislature to furnish water, schooling, sewerage, etc., it is dumbtính whether, under the leadership of President of the Senate Treachrar, if she wouldn't have still retained the control. But the idea of a city that frankly said she would make un improrrments, retaning thus fertile section, mais too much for the solons, and annexation hecame a fact m 1909, accompanied by an mrard of $55,000 for ilamages. rhich was m the nature nf a ransom paid to au Arah rhicf holding a prisoner in captivity.
lolyoke, though a little dilatory, will keep her prom- ises to ilns beautiful section, and has already kept one of them, under Mayor White, who has shown Springheld that ne do not continue to "sleep at the switch."
During the last twelve years am apartment craze has sprang up that we cannot believe is for the best interest of Holyoke, We had to be largely a city nf factories, Imt ne might hare heen also a city of homes. We aspire to yet. but hundreds and hundreds of prospective home owners hare become Hat dwellers heranse of the large number of fine steam-heated apartments. Apartment dwelling con-
duces to sloth and softness of one's there A town of home- owners is harder muscleil, harder-headed. and more imbnad with civic prule than one of fat ilwillis While the struc- tures are hamispme, they hive up ilo enric wealth of the 10111.
In Holyoke's early days the "Yankres" worked in the mulls, and as laborers. Then eme the Irish; they became anhitions ;mnd yielded to the French. Then came the Po- linders, one of the hardest working and thriftiest pf all.
One concern that in continons business career under the sante family management nearly equalled the J. Russell hardware store, is the Win. B. Whiting Coal Company, which sneceeded W. L. Martin in the late 60's.
About 1887 P. J. Kennedy came to Holyoke and estah- lished the Daily Democrat, afterwards merged into the Evening Telegram, non a lirely and militant journal. Mir. Kennedy mas a man of ability aml a spellbinder, but Mr Loomis will always remain the editor par excellence of the
WINDSOR DIHIFI, DESTROYED BY FIRE FEBRUARY 28, 1899.
old-timers. In a with essay read in the Congregationa! Church restry, back m the late 70's, Mrs. C. H. Richards said that the Lord showed trie scriptural enre over Wil- firm, "for the rery hairs of his head are numbered."
Prestou W. Search, who iras superintendent of schools here in 1898-1!um1, had a powrrint intinence on the ennca- tional morale, and wouhl hare heen an ideal hend. but for the danger that his extravagance might bankrupt the city.
The genial M. F. Walsh perpetrated # partienlarly fiendish joke on Committeeman T. J. Carmody, which cer- tainly didn't lengthen Mr. Search's official carerr, but the erstwhile committeeina, non water commissioner, would recall the laying of the Smiths Ferry mater mains if we divalged it. 'T'is said that when the wily M. F. rerenled the facts to Carmody in after years the remorseful com- mitteeman said contritely: "Holy sailor, and I fired poor Search for that."
The Free Press and the Democrat are also with us in a journalistic sense.
Tivo important events in 1898 were the outbreak of the
Spamsh war ,and the formation of the Williams & Mont- gomery Real Estate Agency. The writer has often facenonsly claimed that the latter event carried with it the most danger to Holyokr property, as the senior member limlrd origmally from Jericha. Vi,, up near the Canadian line, and the junior from the From River New York sec- ton, and 'us sant his grandfather in Revolutionary times persu.nled a Hessian gnard to desert from the British, using the familiar real estate logic.
But seriously the firm has earned its designation as "the reliable firm," and until the advent of John H. Woods, wh. considered the most rmerprising of brokers. Slanderers now claim that the three agricirs ( Allen, W. & M,, and Woods ) have reduced the city reahy hargains to ahout the condition of the ancient proriner of which Caesar wrote: "All Gaul is divided into three paris, une of which, etc." The writer considers it necessary to demonstrate the falsity of this.
The burning of the Windsor Hotel and hluck in 1809 temporarily paraly zed the Imsiness current in that section, and gare a tremendims impetus to High street ralnies. Firms like McAnsla & Wakelin and Besse-Mills seeking loen- tions naturally maile a big stir.
To illustrate the increase in ralnes thr lot where the Goodall drug store now stands was sold by the Allyn Agen- er m 1889 to John O'Shea and Levi M. Pierce for $6,550, considered a good round sum. James J. Curran paid $35,- 000 for the same lot in 1007. R. F. Kel- ton bought the property now occupied hy Hatch & Co. for abont $36,0010 about 1899 or 1900. For our friend Rackliffe's sake we forbear to tell the public and the assessors what it is worth now.
The McAuslan & Wakelin fre. in 1907, Was another disturber of traffic, but our fire department (we believe the finest for its size in the world) has min- imized fires that might hare razed the business portion of the eity. The Marble Blick hire, in December, 1902, was hamlled like a strategie battle.
We might mention the fine progress Hobroke's evening schools have made. Int we fear the principal's brain. al- readly weakened by the Republican serihe's flattery, might be turned for fair.
This recalls to ns the great differ- ence in working, living, and schooling which has obtained in the writer's mem- ory since 1850. At that date many peo- pie worked from 6 a. m. to 6 p. m. in the mills. Thr oll sawmill used to hare them come to work as early as 5 o'clock. Few houses had sanitary plumbing, gas, nr eren Int water. There were no tele- phones, electric cars, phonographs, or tomiohiles Hard-working young men would go orer to the island in the Con- necticut to play ball Smiday, the only moment they had for relaxation, and the pohre would raid them. The roads were 11 a ileplorable state. The lockup wasn't 1 ilecent place for a ilog. Modes of re- creation were few and rypensire. The schools, romparrd with ilmse of today, mrere like hencoops.
The writer recalls lard selling fur tirent) cents per ponnd, sugar seren pomm- for a dollar, kerosenr tirenty. tire cents per gallon, and tea one ilnllar per pomal "and fire cents extra for the caddy," a miserable tin can that we'll throw into the garbage can. No hiereles, no electric lights, nothing that we hare today. Let us he thankful.
The Halyoke Business Men's Association iras organ- weil in the late 90's, but despite the conscientious murk of men like finnes J Curran, M. H. Whitcomh, M. P. Con- way, and others, failed to make good. In our judgment their aims were tuo narrow anil picaymish. The Holyoke Board of Trale was organized in 1909, and despite several false starts and internal dissensions, for most of which the wrner was ferrently cursed, hids fair to make good. It is striving tu better the city. not by "swiping" industries from nther places, but by healthy and legitimate development.
E. A. Buckland notes that there was a socialistic or- gamzation here clear baek in the late 70's, and that at the time of the Haymarket tragenly in Chicago there was fear Di an armed revolution, and the club used to drill at Sinth Holyoke.
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SKETCH OF HOLYOKE
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GEORGE H. ALLYN
F. TIRIT WITH
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AN OLD VIEW OF HIGH STREET, NORTH OF DIVISION STREET.
Several attempts have been made during the last twelve years to dispose of the Holyoke and Westheld Rail- road stock, but the sentiment of the community has been against it. If our pioneer citizens in a town of less than 10,000 could plan and build this rond with prescient vision, wo that it has become a splendid asset, surely we ought to worry along and retain it.
In 1898 the new Fomer reservoir was completed, Inter on a high pressure station established, and now another dam and reservoir will round out the finest water system in New Engl ud. J. L. Tighe's name should be recalled in this matter.
Surely onr town fathers builded well.
Most of them are gone now. The last two years reaped them like grain before a keen-edged sickle. They sleep in Forestdale, Calvary, and St. Jerome's, In our parks and playgrounds no municipal tablet or monument commemorates them. But three memorials are grander, more majestic and enduring than polished marble, or carved granite, The noble simple City hall building, the great water system, and the prosperous Holyoke and West- field Railroad are our pioneers' real civic memorials, and we trust that our city will no more readily consider the sale of one of them than the others.
A few years ago a franchise was granted the Water Power Company to furnish electric light and power to manufacturers, which would supplement the exhaustion of the water power, aud Smiths Ferry should afford cheap manufacturing sites.
Since the advent of 1010 William Whiting, H. B. Law- reuce, William G. Twing, Charles E. Ball, James J. Curran, James E. Delaney, Michael J. Griffin, John Tilley, C. B. Prescott, Lemuel Sears, William A. Chase, Moses Newton, and other strong-hearted citizens have left us. Only a few of the original file-leaders now remain, and the younger generation must take up the burden and gain the reward.
In a crude sketch like the present junumerable events and persons of note have necessarily passed unnoticed, for a dozen volumes would be needed to cover the subject. But the writer has failed in his theme if he has not made it evident that Holyoke in its inception and its early and recent carcer was animated and strengthened by two basic elements : One, that of hard work, hustle, and sacrifice; the other, that of a pure democracy of citizenship.
Holyoke, growing from a desert place, had no inherited wealth, and she had to create it. She had no ancestors, but she has given some to her posterity that they may proudly recall. She has had no aristocracy save that of ability, in- dustry and merit.
The most admirable trait of the late Willian Whit- ing's character, to our mind, was not his great business ability or acumen, but the fact that he honored and es- teemed the humblest Holyoker who had settled here in early years, worked hard, and been a faithful citizen, far above get-rich-quick financiers or disciples of snobocracy.
A friend of ours lamented on_ day that in Springfield one would meet bankers, commercial men, attorneys, peo-
ple of wealth and culture while mu Holyoke, said he, "walk down High street and by the time you pass the fountain someone will sing out, 'Hello, aren't you workin'?'" I felt it was the most unconsci us yet finest, most spontaneous tribute ever paid a city -- a place where the well-to-do and the poor, the laborer and the financier alike must work.
During the last twenty years, though this basic prin- ciple has continued to obtain, the spirit of our citizenship has not been so confident, high, and gallant as formerly. Though we have attained a population of 60,000 our pro- portionate growth has been slower, the Water Power Com- pany has been conservative, and Springfield has had a phenomenal increase.
Sa there has been considerable funere.il prophesying. But there are signs of a new buoyancy; there is a dawning comprehension that we have natural beauties and advan- tages which Springfield cannot approach. We are coming to know ourselves, and our reserve strength and fine resources,
So, with grand old Mt. Tom guarding our flank, and the winding Connecticut our line of battle, with the hum of hundreds of mills our industrial battle music, with the new blood of strong races flushing the veins of our citizen- ship we can look toward an even more hustling, militant Holyoke than that of the 70's and 80's.
"Vision shall star once again the sweet brows of her, Song be reborn on the beautiful lips."
HOLYOKE DAM AT LOW WATER, FROM SOUTH HADLEY FALLS.
J. & W. JOLLY MACHINISTS MILLWRIGHTS
J. & W. JOLLY, INC., PLANT AT HOLYOKE, MASS.
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McCORMICK HOLYOKE TURBINES, JORDAN ENGINES, WHITE'S OSCILLATING SCREENS AND PAPER MILL MACHINERY OF ALL KINDS
GENERAL MACHINE WORK OF EVERY DESCRIPTION
TWO 1100 H. P. McCORMICK HOLYOKE TURBINES IN HOLYOKE WATER POWER CO. POWER PLANT
THE STORY OF THE
FARR ALPACA COMPANY
1874 - 1912
HOLYOKE
MASSACHUSETTS
FIRST FARR ALPACA MILLS.
-
Like many other large industries the Farr Alpaca Company, the giant textile company of this part of the state, started in a modest way with the factory pictured above and with about four hundred employes.
The promoters of the new company held their meeting for organization in the old Hol- yoke House, now the Hotel Hamilton, on November 3, 1873. These officers were elected:
President, Jared Beebe.
Treasurer, H. M. Farr.
Directors, Jared Beebe, J. C. Parsons, H. M. Farr, Anderson Allyn, Joseph Metcalf, George Randall and Timothy Merrick.
It is an open secret that stock in the new company did not meet at first with a ready sale. The times were hard; there were some who looked at the matter as at the best a speculative venture, and no one dreamed of the exceptional growth that the coming years were to bring to this young industry.
HOLYOKE'S EMINENT ORGANIST
. .. "y " mein young lads of
fluence, outside its own membership.
111-
organ mastership. Mr. and Mrs. Hammond have had two interesting sons, William Churchill, Jr., and Lansing.
11111
FFF
E
THE FARR ALPACA COMPANY 1874 - 1912
HOLYOKE'S LARGEST TEXTILE INDUSTRY EMPLOYING OVER THREE THOUSAND PEOPLE
HOLYOKE'S EMINENT ORGANIST
WILLIAM CHURCHILL HAMMOND
The name of William Churchill Hammond stands 6 4111 in the annal, ni Holyoke for a full generation.
It is nearly twenty-eight years since he came to Hol- yoke, the same day, by the way, that Chief John Lynch took up his work as head of Holyoke's fire department. Mr. Hammond came to Holyoke fram Rockville, Conn. where he was born, fifty-two years ago. He was the son of Joseph and Katherine Burr Hammond. His father and moth- er were thoroughly in sympathy with his early desire to give his life to music, and from the first he was well taught.
With the beginning of the church year in 1885, Mr. Hammond came to fill the position of organist at the Sec- ond Congregational Church. He was young, joyous, full of enthusiasm, and running through and standing as a background to the conception he had of music as an art, was a strain of the practical, a gift from his New England forbears. This practical quality has en- abled Mr. Hammond to do the important things in his work where other gifted men have yearned for like fulfillment. And there is another angle to Mr. Hammond's many-sidedness that has been of great bless- ing to Holyoke in his day-his generous, inclusive love of mankind. As a youth he had a vision of bringing music to every- body, opening wide the ways to it, so that every man, woman and child could share it. He wanted it to be a part of his life work that music, in Holyoke, could be had for the asking. So it has been, with the Second Congregational Church a center from which has gone a far spreading influence in music. The free organ recital in a small New England city was a new thing when Mr. Hammond started in to work out his life plan.
When he had closed the recital season of the spring of 1912 he had given five hundred and fifty free public recitals in the Second Congregational Church. It would probably be putting it too mildly to say that the total attendance at all of these recitals had come up to 250,000.
This record of free organ recitais goes ahead of anything ever done by any one man in one center in the United States. Nor does this work, given for the pleasure and cultural influence upon the people of Holyoke, mean the whole of Mr. Ham- mond's freely-given program. While he was connected with the Smith College school of music he gave fifty free public recitals on the college organ. During the twelve years since he has been head of the music de- partment at Mount Holyoke College, Mr. Ilamond has given one hundred and twenty-five free public recitals on the Whit- ing organ there, the while he has been de- veloping a great school of music in con- nection with the college, even to a large part in raising the money for the College Hall of Music. Nor is that the total. In the towns around he has given fifty recitals. to dedicate new organs, often as events when music and charity were combined, Mr. Hammond giving of his time and talent.
The full meaning of all this for a city like Holyoke can hardly be estimated. To scores, perhaps it might be better to say, to hundreds of these recitals, Mr, Hammond has brought soloists of note, and to Holyoke musicians has heen given freely and, indeed, enthusiastically, the chance to take part in them,
One of the annual events for many years now has been the concert given by Professor Cartier's violin pupils, when a great violin class, very many of them young lads of
French Can.klin fannhes, gives an excellent program, and never fails to crowd the Second Church to the doors. Besides, for a dozen years, a great annual event has been the Christmas concert by the joint choirs of the Sec- ond Church and Mount Holyoke College. The reputation of this annual concert is nation wide, the programs of it having been distributed from coast to coast and used as models in great musical centers.
More recent years Mr. Hammond with his choirs has arranged notable services in his series of the Guild of American Organists, of which organization he is a Fellow.
All this great work has been arranged and put through
WILLIAM CHURCHILL 11AMMONP.
by Mr. Hammond in connection with his regular duties as church organist and head of a college music department, playing often twice in the Holyoke church and at the Mount Holyoke vesper service on Sunday, besides the routine of teaching, and college and choir administration.
For all the years that he has been in Holyoke Mr Ilannmond has conducted a great chorus choir that has set the pace for other churches in the Connecticut Valley. It must be said that in order to accomplish all of this Mr. 1Iammond has had to have the backing of the Second Con- gregational Church. He had to educate the church up to its opportunities to serve the Holyoke public, as an in- Auence, outside its own membership.
It was a new program for a New England Congreg. vonal church, and there were some in the early days who did not wish the public admitted to the pews for which they paid. They even said it would wear ont the elmirch, dirty carpets and pew cushions. But there were big, liberal men m the church ready to share in Mr. Hammond's vision, and now no man or woman in it but is prond to throw his or her influence to further Mr. Hammond's work.
In his early days Mr. Hammond paid the expenses of unt-oi-town musicians who eame to assist in the recitals. He paid for the programs, that he knew had their large value because people who were not trained as musicians got more if they knew the composer and the name of the composition. But that time has passed. Now the Second Church pays these ex- penses connected with the recitals and supports any program Mr. Hammond may suggest.
The organ, that was good of its kind when Mr. Hammond came to the Second Church, has since been rehnilt twice. Then to fitly honor the quarter of a century of music that Mr. Ham- mond had given the church, a double or- gan was built, the echo organ placed in the rear of the church making superh music possible.
With the completion of the Skinner Memorial Chapel, in the early winter of 1912, the music of the Second Church rose to higher levels than could possibly have been foreseen when Mr. Hammond came to Holyoke in 1885,
The feature that especially makes the beautiful chapel a blessing to Holyoke is the organ, which not only is placed in a setting that adds to the beauty of the music, but which can be played in con- nection with the bg double organ in the church, It was almost by chance that in the first week of the chapel's service to the city a Saturday afternoon organ re- cital was given. The audience, that could have twice filled the chapel, showed to Mr. Hammond that here was an- other opportunity to serve Holyoke. Sat- urday afternoon means an afternoon of leisure to the workers in the great mills of the city, and a free afternoon gener- ally. There followed a series of Satur- day afternoon recitals, Mr. Hammond giving his services and Joseph Skinner bearing the incidental expenses. These are to go on with the seasons to come. since Mr. Skinner shares Mr, Hammond's great desire to give to Holyoke the bless- ing of music.
Mr. Hammond conld not have done These things if he was a musician only. It is the many-sided man, large-hearted, and far-visioned, working towards an ideal which includes his city and his fellow citizens, who has done so much for Ho !- yoke.
Mr. Hammond's love of his fellowmen reaches beyond urgan lofts and church choirs. Among men he is a force ior broad friendliness and large charity, using the term in its big sense. Personally one of the happiest and sunniest of men, in church and college he radiates a cheer and force that has made his choirs notable for more than twenty-five years. So in the city he stands in the first rank of Hol- yokers. Mr. Hammond's hugh service was clinched for Holyoke when he married Miss Fanny Bliss Reed, only daughter of Rev, Dr. E. A. Reed, whose pastorate of the Second Church has been almost as long as Mr. Hammond's organ mastership. Mr. and Mrs. Hammond have had two interesting sons, William Churchill, Jr., and Lansing.
THE CENTENNIAL AWARD
IN 1876
The new concern had been running but about two years when the Centennial Exposition was held at Philadelphia in 1876. Its Exhibit received a Medal of Award, the Judge of the Exhibit being Henry Mitchell, of Bradford, England, an acknowl- edged expert. In his report Mr. Mitchell said:
The undersigned having examined the products herein described, respectfully recommends the same to the United States Centennial Commission for award for the following reasons:
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