USA > Massachusetts > Hampshire County > Northampton > The Northampton book; chapters from 300 years in the life of a New England town, 1654-1954 > Part 27
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Chapter Thirty-Five
The Trolley-Car Era: 1901-1918
By PERSIS PUTNAM
T HE Hatfield car (electric trolley) of the Northampton and Amherst Company ... jumped the track at the corner of Main and King Streets this morning and blocked traf- fic." ... "It is hoped that the arrest of Fred B. Crafts for trotting his horse on the Hadley Bridge Sunday will prove a lesson to all who are accustomed to breaking the statute in that way." Smith College opened after vacation on January 3rd and the girls came "flocking back on every incoming train. The baggage men will have to work overtime and will have lame backs for a week han- dling hundreds of their trunks" (average weight 200 pounds). Newly fallen snow afforded an occasion for an outing: "Sunday was a great day for the livery men. Every available team in the city was engaged before nine o'clock in the morning. . . . As it was the first sleighing of the winter, everyone wanted to be out." Bare roads in the winter were deplored: "People cannot move about as comfortably on rough frozen ground as on snow, horses cannot draw as heavy loads nor draw over as rough woodlots."
And so the stage is set for a review of Northampton as it was at the beginning of the 20th century, a horse-and-buggy era with the electric trolley establishing interurban routes. Electricity was available for lighting purposes as well as for the street railway. Most of the houses were connected with the public water supply and sewer system. Except for the thoroughfares many streets were unpaved and dust in dry weather was a nuisance as well as a health hazard. Telephones were coming into use. In December of 1901, 83 were installed for a 4-months' free trial, 70 of which were retained by the recipients. At the beginning of 1901 there was no free delivery of mail nor parcel post system, but both services were established during the period of this review.
Although there were no movie theatres, moving pictures were being exhibited as something quite new. There were no radios
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until after World War I, but Marconi announced his wireless telegraph in 1901. Gramophones were in existence and it was dur- ing the years of this survey that Enrico Caruso made the beautiful recordings we still cherish.
Events of national and international importance occurred in 1901. Queen Victoria died in January and President L. Clark Seelye conducted a memorial service at Smith College. In Sep- tember President William McKinley was shot and died and me- morial services attended by 3000 persons were held in the Acad- emy of Music with President Seelye as speaker. American troops were in the Philippines, some of them from Northampton, and the question was being debated as to whether or not America should acquire possessions outside the territorial limits of the United States. Northampton people always responded generously to appeals for aid, and when the missionary, Ellen Stone, was kid- napped by Bulgarian brigands, collections were taken in the local churches toward the payment of the ransom demanded. Oil in Texas and gold in Alaska created minor excitement.
Northampton people enjoyed many cultural advantages with the concerts, lectures, and dramatic events sponsored by Smith College and the Academy of Music. Leading theatrical produc- tions still traveled the road in those days and a veritable galaxy of star performances was scheduled by the Academy. The program of the 1901-02 season included Ethel Barrymore in "Captain Jinks of the Horse Marines," Richard Mansfield in "Monsieur Beaucaire," Mary Mannering in "Janice Meredith," John Drew in "Second in Command," and "Florodora." Burton Holmes was giving a series of lectures in January 1901 and Chautauqua sessions were held each summer in Laurel Park.
Socal life was gay. The ball given at the dedication of the new Armory surpassed all previous events. Hosts were the officers and men of Northampton's Company I of the 3d Battalion, 2d Regiment of the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia. One hundred and seventy-five couples entered the grand march and the gowns worn by many of the ladies were described in the Gazette's report of the event. Band concerts in the Bridge and Main Street parks were regular events in the summer as were the concerts at parties given by Mr. Richard Rahar ("Uncle Dick") in the garden of his hotel. A group of friends met frequently at the home of Mr. Ed-
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mund Niquette on Center Street to play checkers. Roque (a form of croquet) was a popular outdoor game in the summer.
"The horsemen of this city and Hatfield have planned for a trotting match on the river at Hatfield on Saturday." Northamp- ton had its cycle club although cycling was no longer the sport it had been a few years earlier. In winter there was skating, sleigh- ing, tobogganing, and snowshoeing. Trolley riding in open cars to neighboring towns furnished pleasant diversions on hot sum- mer evenings.
In 1901 Arthur Watson was Mayor of Northampton and Cal- vin Coolidge city solicitor. There were seven wards, as now, each represented by an alderman and three councilmen, who with the mayor were elected every year. Many of the city departments now in operation were functioning then: water, sewer, public health, police, fire, etc., even to the fence viewers and field drivers. City employees with the highest salaries in 1901 were the Forbes librarian and the superintendent of schools, each receiving $1800 a year. The mayor received $800. The population of Northamp- ton was 18,643 and the tax rate $16.20 per $1000 property valua- tion.
The chief problems confronting the city in 1901 were the con- struction of the West Whately and Mountain Street reservoirs by the Water Commissioners, which was nearing completion by the end of the year, and the controversy between the city gov- ernment and the State Board of Health regarding the disposal of sewage. The Mill River, which at that time ran through the city, bisecting Old South Street, had become badly polluted. An order of the State Board of Health some years previously had set a dead- line of January 1, 1901, for diverting house sewage into the Con- necticut River or constructing a disposal plant. An extension of time to December 31, 1905 and eventually to December 19, 1910 was obtained to enable the Sewer Commission to construct more catch basins and storm sewers thus diverting rain water from the main system.
Prior to America's entry into World War I "the people of Northampton pursued the even tenor of their way, industrious, possessed of many of the good things of this world that go to make prosperity and happiness." Fortunes had been and were being made as evidenced by the many gifts to the city. Industrial pro- duction flourished with the Florence Manufacturing (Brush)
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Company, the International Silver Company, and the McCallum Hosiery Company in operation then as now. In addition there were the Belding Brothers and the Nonotuck Silk Companies in Florence, Leeds and Haydenville. A "Corticelli Field Day" was held on September 16, 1902 for the 878 employees of the Nono- tuck Mills. Trolley cars were chartered and all went to Mt. Tom for the day.
Work among the immigrants was a special pursuit of the Peo- ple's Institute, which in 1896 had been incorporated as the Home Culture Clubs. George Washington Cable, the author, was the moving spirit of this charitable venture which was largely sup- ported by his friend Mr. Andrew Carnegie. The clubs were de- signed to improve living and home-making conditions among the poorer families of the city. In 1905 Mr. and Mrs. Carnegie came to Northampton to dedicate a new building for which Mr. Carne- gie gave $70,000. In 1909 the name was changed to the People's Institute.
At the Institute night classes in English and citizenship were offered for a nominal fee and were taught largely by Smith Col- lege students. Another project of the Home Culture Clubs, backed by Mr. Carnegie, was the annual flower garden prize com- petition. In 1901 there were 102 contestants, in 1914, 1000 gardens were entered in the annual event.
Tobacco farming on the Connecticut River meadows goes back many years, but 1901 was the first year in which tobacco was grown under cheesecloth. The assumption was that the rise in temperature and the increase in humidity and in soil moisture under the canopy would speed growth so that the leaves would be larger and thinner, more like those of Sumatra tobacco so much in demand for wrapping cigars. The experiment was successful and this method is now in general use.
Lumbering was another industry of the valley still carried on at this time. On June 10, 1901 it was reported that "the first logs in the annual drive of spruce down the Connecticut River have reached Turner's Falls." Their destination was the sawmill at Mt. Tom Junction and on the 22nd of July it was reported that a record drive had been completed. One of the largest during this period was that of 1912 when 60 million feet of lumber were brought down. The drives arrived later in the season as the years passed and lumbermen had to go farther from streams and rivers
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to cut wood. By 1914 the drive reached Mt. Tom so late that it was difficult to get the logs out of the water and dry before frost set. in.
In his inaugural address in January of 1904, Mayor Henry C. Hallet said: "For 250 years Northampton has been a community of sturdy, industrious, God-fearing, sane, and patriotic men and women; a splendid example of the rural New England communi- ties whose people have preserved and developed the Common- wealth and the Nation and whose children have peopled the West." This encomium was echoed many times during the 2 50th Anniversary Celebration later in the year.
The city appropriation for this event was $8500 but actually $9785 had to be raised to pay the expenses. Easthampton, West- hampton and Southampton accepted the invitation to participate in the festivities, and the celebration was set for June 5-7, 1904.
Samuel S. Campion, alderman of Northampton, England was the honor guest. Others were Governor John L. Bates, former Governor John D. Long and Lieutenant Governor Curtis Guild, Jr. Members of the Governor's Council, mayors from 32 cities and chairmen of selectmen from 20 towns also attended the cele- bration. A delightful prelude was provided by the Ben Greet players on June 4 with the outdoor performances of Shakespeare's "Much Ado about Nothing" and "Midsummer Night's Dream" in Warner Meadow golf grounds.
On Sunday, June 5, Northampton churches honored the occa- sion with special services. That evening the Northampton Vocal Club and choirs with 200 voices, directed by Ralph L. Baldwin, and an orchestra of local musicians gave a concert. On Monday the exercises at the Academy of Music were opened by President Seelye and the Hon. John D. Long gave the oration. Tuesday brought the great parade-"a pageant which, for charm and beauty of conception and arrangement, and for intelligent illus- tration and typification of the city's past and present, could not have been bettered with the means and materials furnished." The parade was followed by a luncheon at which Governor Bates, Alderman Campion, and others spoke. The final event that eve- ning was a reception at the City Hall sponsored by members of the Betty Allen Chapter of the D.A.R. in colonial dress. Miss Clara P. Bodman, Regent, was chairman of entertainment.
Following the celebration Northampton returned to the "even
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tenor of her way." Calvin Coolidge was mayor in 1910 and again in 1911. The keynote of his administration was expressed in his second inaugural: "Let us make this another year of conservation of the resources of the city." The $45,000 received for the sale of the Smith's Ferry area to Holyoke was invested to earn money for future use. When asked when the finance committee would con- sider the purchase of a fire automobile, Mayor Coolidge said: "I guess we will have to wait to see what is done with the bar and bottle bill before we know about our finances. If that passes we may have to sell the chief's horses and have him walk to fires." The bar and bottle bill did pass, but no mention is made of a sale of the chief's horses.
Calvin Coolidge was news sometime before he came into state or national prominence. In September, 1902, the Gazette reports: "Calvin Coolidge has returned from his annual woodchuck hunt in his native state. He broke the record, capturing 1 1 fine-looking, healthy chucks." He came to Northampton to read law in 1895. In 1900 and 1901 he was city solicitor. He was married in Oc- tober, 1905 to Miss Grace Goodhue who had been teaching in the Clarke School. They lived at 2 1 Massasoit Street which con- tinued to be their home until after they returned from Washing- ton in 1929. Coolidge represented Northampton in the lower house of the General Court in 1907-1908. Following his second term as mayor he was returned to the Court as Senator for four terms. He was Lieutenant Governor for four years and Governor for two before he went to Washington in 192 1 as Vice President of the United States. He became President at Harding's death in 1923 and served as Chief Executive in the White House until 1929. Without question he was Northampton's most illustrious citizen.
The question of whether or not a new city hall should be built was discussed in the city reports each year from 1906-16. The old building needed repair, it was greatly overcrowded, and records were not adequately protected from fire. Various proposals were made and the Crafts property behind the old building was ac- tually purchased for a new building. In 1916 architects' plans were submitted by the City Planning Board. The people voted "no," however, and then the War came. Pressure for space at the old city hall was relieved in 1917 by the removal of the Water Commissioners to their new building on Prospect Street and of
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The Trolley-Car Era: 1901-1918
the Police Department with lock-up to the old school building on Center Street. In 1916 the Clarke Library was merged with the Forbes and the space vacated in Memorial Hall became available. We are still using the city hall which is now over 100 years old.
Smith's Agricultural School was opened to students in 1908. Oliver Smith's will in 1844 left $30,000 for this project with the proviso that the money should not be used for 60 years. By 1905 the fund had increased to $3 10,663. Also during this period a con- tagious disease pavilion was opened at the Dickinson Hospital, and the Hampshire County Tuberculosis Sanatorium was built in 1914.
William H. Feiker had become mayor in 1912 and served for 5 successive terms. If Coolidge's city administration was one of conservation of resources, Feiker's was one of expansion. The Fire Department was given some of the motorized equipment it had requested. Salaries were raised throughout the city govern- ment. There might have been a new city hall if the high school had not been gutted by fire in February, 1914, which necessitated its rebuilding. The tax rate in 1915 rose to $20.20 per $1000 valua- tion, the highest attained during the period of this review.
Christopher Clarke, the grand old man of Northampton, died November 20, 1915, in his 89th year. He was a nephew of John Clarke who endowed the School for the Deaf and the Clarke Li- brary. Christopher Clarke had been on the Library Committee since 1860 when the library was founded. He helped raise the money for the building of Memorial Hall where the library was housed. During the period of this survey he was chairman of both the City Improvement Committee and the City Park Commis- sion. To quote from the City Report of 1915: "The life of Christopher Clarke was unique in municipal annals. By a happy dispensation of fate he had the leisure to do the things of his choice and his choice was to promote the public welfare by bring- ing the best things to all people." Forester Clarke, as he was affec- tionately called by the Gazette, worked to establish the Bridge Street Park and was responsible for securing the donors for the purchase of land for the park on Main Street. He finally secured the preservation of Mt. Tom and Mt. Holyoke as a state reserva- tion. The welfare of the city's trees was always a special concern of his. Through his efforts the ancient Jonathan Edwards elm was resuscitated in 1901, so that its life was prolonged until 1913 when
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it suddenly fell with a crash when approximately 180 years old. Christopher Clarke's voice was heard whenever the question of beautifying the city or of bringing pleasure to its citizens was raised.
In the fall of 1912 the Northampton Players opened in the Academy of Music in "Old Heidelberg." It was a gala occasion and after the performance President Marion LeRoy Burton of Smith College and Frank Lyman both addressed the audience. Ironically, Miss Ludella L. Peck, former professor of elocution at Smith College who had worked for the creation of a municipal theatre in Northampton for many years, died in January 1913 without seeing the fruits of her labors. Bertram Harrison and Jessie Bonstelle directed the players for the first five years. In 1917 Melville Burke took over their direction and remained with the players through 1918.
Although America did not enter the World War until April 1917, Northampton citizens were thoroughly aware of what was happening in Europe. Tourists hurried home at the outbreak of hostilities in 1914. In October of that year the Gazette opened a drive for Belgian relief in which $56,000 was raised. That same month a union peace meeting was held in the Methodist Church at which George Washington Cable and Calvin Coolidge spoke. Early in 1916 a preparedness meeting was held in John M. Greene Hall.
Once war was declared, Northampton's Company I of the 2nd Regiment, M.V.M. which had been on the Mexican Border in 1916, went into training and by November was with the 104th Infantry of the A.E.F. in France. The American Red Cross and the Draft Exemption Board set up offices in Memorial Hall. The Smith College Relief Unit prepared to go to France. Drives for war funds were held in noon meetings at manufacturing plants, in movie theatres, and other available places. On the 23rd of June 1918 some 6,000 people attended a community sing. Volunteers were sought to work on local farms that summer to increase agri- cultural production. School boys and girls were assigned hogs to raise.
That fall the influenza epidemic arrived with some 1100 cases recorded. It did not dim the ardor aroused by the armistice decla- ration in November, however. Wild jubilation followed the pre- mature announcement on the 9th, subdued momentarily by such
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interludes as the little service of thanksgiving followed by the playing of the "Ninth Symphony," at his mother's house, by Roger Sessions, who was at that time on the College faculty. On the 1 1th a large assembly in John M. Greene Hall was addressed by President William Allan Neilson of the College.
Northampton officially celebrated Armistice Day on Novem- ber 12 with a big parade. The college girls marched 10 deep close together, making a line about 600 feet long, "a mighty fine sight." A service banner in memory of Lieutenant Benjamin L. Curtis, who fell at Chateau Thierry, was carried by a soldier who had himself been wounded in that battle. A mile of automobiles, all decorated, took part. After the parade a community sing on campus was led by Mr. William J. Short, supervisor of school music, in which 10,000 persons participated.
The end of the War brings the period of this review to a close. Notwithstanding its apparent uneventfulness these 18 years brought a profound change in the outlook on life of the North- ampton citizen through the advent of the automobile, motion pic- tures, the telephone, and later the radio. It is possible that the con- sequent widening horizon may have loosened the bond of good fellowship and lessened the sense of community responsibility, with its joy and pride of achievement, that had made Northamp- ton a happy, self-contained community and had induced the many civic benefactions of her citizens in earlier years.
Chapter Thirty-Six
The Home Front: Ups and Downs 1919-1936
By JOSEPHINE S. STARR
I HE years 1919 through 1936 were full of dramatic changes and experiences for Northampton. Those years seem to fall naturally into certain periods-the first years after World War I, developments during the 1920's, and North- ampton in the Great Depression.
There are many strands that run throughout. This narrative will touch on the activity of a steady, capable, and responsible citizenry, as reflected in the newspapers of the period and in talks with people who lived through it. Without some mention of the strands of politics and business changes, town events would have little meaning. How best to help people in trouble became of the greatest importance during the depression period. There were also many occasions during these years of gaiety as well. Finally the story of the benefactions that Northampton has received from its sons and daughters makes heartwarming reading.
In the opening months of 1919, families everywhere in the United States waited for the arrival of their boys from overseas. Industry and business were in high gear. Woman's suffrage had recently been won. Volstead was to press for legislation to make the country "bone dry" and that little exemption of 2.75 beer caused acute distress to the heart of every Anti-Saloon Leaguer. Deaths from drinking wood alcohol occurred all over the coun- try, but Northampton had none. The influenza epidemic had swept the world and in 1918 the United States.
Who lived in our town and what did it look like during these years? There were about 21,500 inhabitants as the first World War ended, and very gradually we added another 3000 during the next 18 years. Mostly we have been people born and bred
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here and nearby. The census tells us that never after 1870 were we less than 75 per cent native white, and by 1930 this had increased to 80 per cent. There was consequently a steady increase in these years in the houses we built, 3900-odd in the city at the beginning of this period and 5000-odd at the end.
One delightful item relates to the number of women voters. In 1918 there were close to 3700 men who registered but only 137 stalwart women. The next year a few more women, 465, tried the new experience. In 1922, after the 19th Amendment, there was a rush of interest and by 1929 more women registered than men. The proportion remained that way to the end of our period.
Here are some of the characteristics that mark our town as somewhat individual in comparison with nearby industrial towns whose population rose rapidly and which made a come-back after the 192 1 depression. Our town had spread gradually out into Bay State, Leeds, and Florence, and in 1934, 32 streets, some of which had been in use 50 years, were accepted by the city. Mt. Tom and Mt. Holyoke continued to preside over us and our meadows, but there were changes there too, as the Mt. Holyoke House shrank and the Mt. Tom House burned.
Incomparably the greatest event as 1919 opened was the end of the war and the return of our own soldiers. Northampton had oversubscribed all five Liberty Loans. On January 25th, Major Thomas J. Hammond was welcomed home. During his absence in France he had been re-elected City Attorney as a mark of com- munity esteem. Shortly thereafter Governor Coolidge gave a dinner for him in Boston. Then on the 28th of April, Co. I of the 26th Division was welcomed by a great crowd. Bells rang, whistles blew as the automobiles from Camp Devens arrived. The proces- sion was headed by Chief Gilbert and Captain Lyons of the Po- lice Department. Next came 15 cars with members of the City Government, Mayor Morse in the first. Then the boys themselves in 26 cars led by Major Hammond, First Sergeant Packard, and Sergeant Emery. There was a grand "feed" at Boyden's the next night.
But, as the Gazette said editorially on January 31, 1919, "War is a great unsettler. Now we are finding out just what it means." There were calls for "jobs, not words, for returning soldiers." There were plenty of jobs through 1920 when Northampton manufacturers employed an all-time high of over 4000 workers.
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As we all know, our industries had expanded to meet war orders. As these terminated, the 192 1 depression set in. Gradually some readjustments took place, but the 1920's with their acute compe- tition, labor unrest, and amalgamations of long-established con- cerns were trying times for business leaders and employees alike. The measures taken by a responsible business community in which considerable local control and leadership still existed were many, inventive, and courageous. "Shop Row" and our wide va- riety of small businesses played their indispensable part. As a bank official who went through both depression periods said recently, "We are rather a stable community and we hung on."
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