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SPRINGFIELD, MASS.

HER PICTURESQUE BEAUTY

AND

COMMERCIAL ENTERPRISE.

COMPLIMENTS OF

THE MASSASOIT HOUSE

W. H. CHAPIN, PROPRIETOR.

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PRESS OF SPRINGFIELD PRINTING AND BINDING CO.

Copyright, 18S9, By W. H. CHAPIN.

I.

INTRODUCTORY AND HISTORICAL

Springfield, with its eventful history of 253 years, its exceptionally picturesque and central location upon the banks of the Connecticut river in Western Massachusetts, and the assured pros- pect of still greater growth and commercial im- portance, has much to invite the attention of the tourist. There have been few towns in the com- monwealth of Massachusetts which have borne their part in moulding its fortunes with greater integrity, and still fewer have retained so much of the staid quality of the New England town, com- bined with that modern enterprise which places America at the head of the commercial world.

The men destined to become the founders of Springfield were drawn to the Connecticut valley by glowing tales of its fertility only five years after the founding of Boston. William Pynchon, an emi- grant from Springfield, Essexshire, England, and a magistrate vested with official power under the Massachusetts colonial charter, came to this region, with a few families from Roxbury, in the spring of

1636, There is an indefinite record that a band of explorers a year before had given good assurance of the promise of the place, and the settlers had no apprehension of failure. They located themselves on the west side of the river and named the little village Agawam, the Indian expression for meadow and the name of a tribe of Indians occupying the region. The freshets of the early season soon con- vinced them that the east side was better suited for a village site. Hither they came, each new arrival receiving an allotment of the land which now com- poses the business portion of the city ; the rude and scarcely defined street which these early pio- neers opened is now the Main street of Springfield. At first the new village was under the jurisdic- tion of Connecticut, but the inhabitants soon with- drew from the "Hartford government" and the place was recognized as a Massachusetts town. In 1641 the inhabitants, in town meeting assembled, complimented Mr. Pynchon by giving the town the name of his English home, Springfield. The name of Agawam is still preserved in a little country vil- lage across the Connecticut. The same year, " the Great and General Court" recognized the town by its new name of Springfield. A minister, Rev. George Moxon, was also settled on a salary of 14 pounds sterling and the work of making the little

plantation a shiretown and finally the capital of Western Massachusetts was begun.

Houses had been built, children born, and outly- ing villages established, before the Indians forsook their friendly tactics for war ; but in 1675, Philip, the chief of the Pokanokets, incited 200 of the Agawam Indians to join 300 of his braves in an attack upon the little hamlet. They selected the time of attack when the English soldiers, who were commanded by Major John Pynchon, were at Had- ley. The inhabitants took refuge in three fortified houses. The main part of the town was burned. The slaughter only included three men and one woman. This was the first local war. For the next seventy-five years there were occasional frays with the savages, but comparatively few inhabitants were killed.

After the Revolution the village had another taste of war. Daniel Shays and many discontented fol- lowers, who were oppressed with heavy debts, pre- vented the judges in several counties from holding court and in 1787 they attempted to seize the United States arsenal at Springfield. Col. Shepard of Westfield with a small company of soldiers resisted the attack, and after a few shots the mob was scat- tered, thus bringing to a close what is known as the Shays Rebellion.

The United States arsenal has given Springfield reputation. It had its origin just before the Revo- lution, received the sanction of Congress in 1794 and a gift of 640 acres of land in 1798. At the pres- ent time it is the principal federal station for the manufacture of arms, has received many liberal appropriations from Congress for the building of new stocking shops and other structures, and under the management of able army officers and mechanics has attained a very high rank of usefulness.

In all the national struggles, from the Revolution down, Springfield soldiery was prompt at the front and a liberal quota of lives was sacrificed in the de- fense of the nation. Interest was heightened early in the abolition cause by the presence of the hero of Harper's Ferry, John Brown, who formed clubs of colored men and made the agitation here more in- tense than in most places.

The incorporation of the city took place in 1852, when the population was about 12,000. The great- est growth in commercial importance has taken place since that time, and at present the inhabitants number about 43,000. The city's career has fur- nished an absorbing theme for the historian, and in May, 1886, — the 250th anniversary of the founding of the town, — its story was creditably rehearsed during a two-days' celebration.

II.

PICTURESQUE SPRINGFIELD.

Summer tourists who enter New England from the west, going to the Canadian resorts, the White Mountains, or the numerous watering places along the coast, often find the natural beauties of Spring- field and its environment of sufficient interest to warrant them in lingering here for two or three days. Such visitors find Springfield an accessible center of many places of historical and natural interest. It is doubtful if there is another city in the Union, where the country and the city are com- bined more pleasantly. A rapid walker can start from Main street, and, going in the direction of Agawam, will in a few minutes reach a point where the rural element is found so complete and genuine that, unless he raises his eyes to the spires and towers of the city across the Connecticut, he is apt to forget that he has just left a city.

Here he can gain the best impression of the city's fine location, arising from the east bank of the Con- necticut river. The city rises on terraces, formed as

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geologists assert by the river, and is crowned by the broad plateau where the Armory buildings com- mand a view of the newest portion of the city, recently called " The Highlands." The absence of the rough and vulgar element in the people the traveler meets, will soon suggest to him the purity of the city. The moral quality of the place is of an unusually high grade, compared with the aver- age city in New England. This is the spirit of the early Puritan pioneers, which has descended with the generations, and has been sustained by the churches, of which there are an unusual number. This strengthens the appropriateness of the name, ''City of Homes," in which Springfield has de- lighted.

The United States Armory, near State street, established in the Revolutionary epoch, attracts all visitors to Springfield, for the interesting work of the shops, the museum of curious and historical arms, and, above all, for the magnificent panorama of nature to be seen from the Armory tower. The city, in the time of foliage, is almost hidden by the trees, from which emerge the church spires and the towers of handsome residences, while the business streets appear prominent in the clear space by con- trast. Looking beyond the immediate surrounding, there is a charming view of the broad valley ; the

prospect is world-famous, and has been aptly described by a well-known writer, as follows : —

Toward the north, midst the interval of wooded hills and spreading meadows, with the Chicopee river flowing through and framed by the graceful outline of Mt. Tom and the Holyoke range, are the manufacturing chimneys, towers and spires of Chicopee, Chicopee Falls, and Holyoke, the fertile bottom lands of old Chicopee street, and the higher plains of Ludlow. Toward the east is the wide expanse of champaign country through which the old Bay Path highway and the Boston and Albany railroad thread their course towards Palmer, with the Wilbraham road diverging to the " Springfield mountains " on the right. Toward the south, the lovely Pecousic vale, and Pecousic hill merging into the long stretches of the Longmeadow forest, with East Longmeadow on its left, and on its right the old village of the " long-medowe " itself, its spacious street and elevated plateau looking down upon the fair expanse of level acres whence it derives its name, and along which glides and winds and gleams the bordering river. The westward view beyond the silver stream includes the green expanse of the farther meadows belonging to West Springfield and Agawam ; the towering elms and leafy maples under which nestle the village mansions and the scattered farm-houses ; the old sentinel white meeting-house on West Springfield hill : the fresher beauty of Mittineague as it creeps up the terraces of the fitful Agawam; and the magnificent stretch of broken interval that vanishes in the distant horizon of the Berkshire hills.

Springfield is well supplied with pleasure grounds for the health and enjoyment of its people, and with monuments and statues. The grounds and other surroundings of the United States Armory are always kept in fine order. The cannon and senti- nels about the place and the broad stretches of greensward invite a stroll, while beyond are the

shops, to the interior of which visitors are admitted on application for pass. The museum is the prize exhibit here, however. It has a complete display of weapons, both offensive and defensive, and of armor covering well-nigh the whole history of the world's warfare. The evolution of the gun down from the awkward and aimless blunderbuss, to the perfected and certain rifle of to-day is shown. Beside these things, there are individual pieces " with a history," specimens of Gatling guns and many other curiosities of absorbing interest.

Only a few years ago the city received through the generosity of Mr. O. H. Greenleaf a tract of land at the southern end of the city, remarkably well adapted by nature for the forming of a hand- some public pleasure ground. The tract contains 95 acres and is accessible by a horse car at some cen- tral location of the city, requiring a short walk from the terminus to bring the sight-seer to it. This gift under the hands of a skilled landscape artist has been transformed into a beautiful retreat with slop- ing lands, places for picnics, glades and glens, lakes and streams, and a labyrinthine driveway, which offers a constantly changing scene as one ambles leisurely through its mazes. This has been done without the destruction of the natural attractive- ness of the place, and it is rather by "bringing

out " nature in her own splendor, than by attempt- ing artificial beautification, that the charm of this place has been wrought. The city government is constantly adding to the park,— Forest Park, as it is known, — and it will be several years before the entire acreage has received its permanent perfect- ing.

Court Square, another pleasure ground, just aside from Main street, has been recently relaid in new turf, curbing, and walks, under the direction and expense of the city. This land was made over to the city in 182 1, by a syndicate of liberal and far- sighted men. The spot is not only in the business heart of the city but is on the land first given out to the settlers and is located among the choicest his- torical associations of the city. The shade trees and elms about the square are very ancient, and one at the southeast corner of the square casts a shadow on the site of the old tavern on Court street, where General George Washington tasted liquid refresh- ments of a strong flavor while on his way between Cambridge and New York.

The soldiers' monument located on Court Square, given by Mr. Gurdon Bill, was a proper recognition of the city's appreciation for the heroism of her citi- zens in war. The statue of Miles Morgan, erected by one of his descendants of the fifth generation, is

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the typical figure of the Puritan, bearing a bell- mouthed blunderbuss over his shoulder. It was given by the late Henry T. Morgan of New York city, and executed by J. S. Hartley. Its fidelity to the costume and manners of the time, and its beauty of workmanship, have been pronounced upon by art critics and it is reckoned as one of the finest works of a skillful sculptor. The Wesson fountain, just in front of the Square, is another adornment worthy of notice, given by Daniel B. Wesson, in 1884.

Stearns park, a tract of land extending from Worthington to Bridge street, was given to the city by the late Charles Stearns thirty years ago and un- til recently was chiefly notable as a barrier to the spread of flames in the great fire of 1875, when the loss was upwards of $400,000. This park has been favored with rich gifts of late, and its surroundings, it is believed, with the assured growth of the city, will be worth}^ of its handsome adornments. Here the statue of the Puritan, Deacon Samuel Chapin, an early settler, attracts all lovers of fine art. It was the work of the well-known sculptor, Augustus St. Gaudens, and was procured at great expense by the late Chester W. Chapin. It is considered by many as the handsomest statue in the city and makes a striking feature of the park, as it represents

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the Puritan on his way to church, speeding along so rapidly that his cloak is spread out to the breeze.

There are many other parks in the city of less importance, but not so closely distributed as to make them the less useful as grateful resting-places. Hampden park is well known in the sporting world; Springfield has the good fortune to belong to the Eastern Trotting Circuit, and " racing week " is one of the exciting features of the year on this park. Beside these there are the following parks : City Hall park, in the rear of City Hall ; Winchester park, at the head of State street, named for the late ex-Mayor Charles N. Winchester ; Kibbe park, at junction of Federal and Armory streets, given by Horace Kibbe ; Buckingham park, bounded by Buckingham place and Buckingham and Bay streets, adorned with fountains and given to the city by John D. and W. H. McKnight ; Gladwood park, at the junction of Armory road with North Main street ; Hanover-street park, at the corner of Elmwood and Hanover streets ; Calhoun park, on Jefferson avenue, between Sheldon and Montmo- renci streets ; North Main street parks ; Edge- wood, a forest tract of loo acres bordering on the east side of the old Bay road, and made accessible to the public ; and Benton park, near the United States Armory, named in honor of the late Col. J. S.

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Benton, who was commandant at the Armory for fifteen years and died in service.

Springfield, so centrally located in Western Mas- sachusetts, invites excursions which can be com- passed in a day. The historic town of Deerfield, the scene of the famous Indian massacre, is a tempt- ing jaunt to the lover of nature and history alike. The old Newgate prison at Simsbury, Ct., has been the Mecca of many a tally-ho ride. Indeed, border- ing so closely upon Connecticut it is a w^onder that Springfield w^as so fortunate as to be a part of the grand old Commonw^ealth of Massachusetts. Lenox, the fashionable Berkshire watering-place, is easily reached, and the Berkshire hills, and Will- iams College, at Williamstown, are within a few hours' ride by rail, while Amherst College is nearer yet. Smith College, at Northampton, is only i6 miles away.

The drives within a radius of 20 miles of Spring- field offer a variety of calm rural scenery. Down the Connecticut, into the "Nutmeg state,'^ the land is level, rich in vegetation, and affords a constant panorama of charming vignettes of river scenes. Mounts Tom and Holyoke, up the river, offer an entirely different sort of picturesqueness. Another jaunt that tempts the students of human destiny, as well as the lovers of a genuine old-fashioned

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spread, is a visit to the Shaker families at Enfield, Ct. They always receive their guests with open- handed hospitality — for a consideration.

Indeed, one can hardly exhaust the attractions of Picturesque Springfield in a brief sketch. There are many picnic groves, fine vantage points for an expansive view, opportunities for boating on United States Watershops pond, and for sailing and canoe- ing on the Connecticut.

III.

PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS AND STRUCTURES.

Springfield's quota of public buildings, for county and municipal government, her churches, educational and charitable institutions, and hand- some business houses have been greatly admired. The makers of her architecture have been masters of their art, and especially famous is the late H. H. Richardson, who when a poor youth, struggling against great odds for a livelihood, achieved some of his earliest and best work in this city. The buildings he constructed trace the development of his individual genius.

Some of the best specimens of Mr. Richardson's work will be the first to attract the notice of the stranger. The Hampden County Court-house, a granite building, located on Elm street, — an unfort- unate spot indeed for so fine an edifice, — was built in 1874, at a cost of $300,000. This is one of the latest of the great architect's work in Springfield, and is constructed after the modern Italian style,

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from granite quarried at Monson, a neighboring village. It is of a massive and compact appearance, in full sympathy with its use, — the administration of justice, — and " Lex " is the motto graved on the entablature beneath its eaves. It is surmounted by a heavy square tower, 150 feet high, modeled after that of the Palazzo Vecchio at Florence, Italy.

Three churches were built by Richardson. The church of the Unity on State street was one of his earliest productions. This is a Gothic structure, true to that type in the minutest details and counted as one of the architectural gems of the common- wealth. It was erected before Mr. Richardson's independent ideas had asserted themselves in his work. The South Congregational church on Maple street bears more of his own individuality. It stands as a rare specimen of church architecture, and its original details have been closely studied by many of Mr. Richardson's followers. This edifice, mainly Romanesque in type, followed the North Congregational church, which was of Norman style. It is of freestone, built in the shape of a cross, with a massive tower which resembles Trinity church of Boston, Richardson's greatest work. A handsome dwelling, one of the gems of the city, corner of School and Union streets, deserves notice, as de- signed by this artist.

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Beside these churches built by Mr. Richardson, there are many others equally as costly and very handsome. Among these are Christ (Protestant Episcopal) church, on Chestnut street. The fine building with the Episcopal parish house and resi- dence adjoining has recently gained a most effective setting by the sloping Merrick park, the latest addi- tion to the city's free resorts, corner State and Chestnut streets. Memorial church, at the "North End," is one of the most liberal in thought and unique in its founding of all religious societies in the city. It reflects the character of the late J. G. Holland, who was one of the founders. There are many others, Methodist, Baptist and orthodox churches. Hope church is one of the newest of the orthodox creed and is located near the end of State street on the hill.

Under the guidance of Hope church has grown the School for Christian Workers, where a singular course of instruction is pursued. Its object is to train men for an evangelical career, and the stu- dents are instructed to lead meetings, trained in the elements of science and above all in physical cult- ure. The gymnasium is well equipped, and its compulsory use is one of the paramount features of the education gained there. The school has only been open a few years, but already the demands

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on its space are more than it can fill. It has gained a wide reputation in the United States, and its graduates are at once established in useful posi- tions, with good salaries.

One of the most useful of recent enterprises of philanthropy has been the building of the new city hospital from legacies, and private and muni- cipal benefactions. Mrs. Dorcas Chapin, widow of Chester W. Chapin, started the enterprise, with a bequest of $25,000, which was followed by one of $100,000 from the late William Merrick ; and with $28,402 from the citizens of Springfield, and $5,000 from the city, and what has been gained from enter- tainments, the sum has reached $158,567. The hos- pital has cost $90,000, which leaves a comfortable endowment. The edifice was dedicated in May of 1889 and was a memorable social event. The wards and general equipment are of the best style and the walls are adorned by 100 fine pictures given by James D. Gill.

Springfield has several fine school buildings and a well conducted system of public schools. There are also several private institutions, including Miss Catherine Howard's family boarding school ; " The Elms," Miss Porter's school for young ladies ; and the French Protestant college, recently moved from Lowell, Mass., and installed in a new building this

June. The parochial schools are under the direct supervision of the Springfield Roman Catholic dio- cese, which has its seat of government in this city. The residence of the bishop and the Roman Catho- lic cathedral and St. Joseph's convent adjoin the parochial school, corner of State and Elliott streets.

There are many institutions of amusement, and the assurance of a new theater to be built on Elm street within a few months will remedy one of the few weak points in the city's completeness. The principal clubs are the Springfield Club, an institu- tion of long standing, and the Winthrop Club, a younger but no less thriving social organization. Beside there is a well equipped tennis club, where some of the most expert players generally appear annually, and a branch of the American Canoe Association, with a house and excellent water course at Calla Shasta, on the Connecticut river, a few miles below the city.

The charitable institutions number over a score, and possess endowments that reflect the character of generous citizens who have passed away. Nota- ble among these are the Springfield Home for Friendless Women and Children ; the Union Relief Association ; the new almshouse, costing over $60,000 ; and many masonic, military, and fraternal relief associations, and similar organizations.

Springfield owes no small part of her fame abroad to her newspapers and periodicals, which have always thrived in her midst. Many have been estab- lished for years, have outrun their usefulness, and died, but at the present time the city is well supplied with a readable and complete record of local and foreign events by the competing daily newspapers. The Springfield Republican stands first in length of service, and, moulded into a leading and popular journal by the second Samuel Bowles and still continued by his son, has been a creditable institu- tion to the city, in its influence for good abroad. The Evening Union, the leading evening journal, was started in more recent years and has estab- lished itself in the homes of the people. The Daily News is an evening penny paper, edited by Charles J. Bellamy, author of "The Fall of the Breton Mills " and other novels. Among the other publications are the Springfield Homestead, a weekly journal of local gossip ; The Farm and Home, published by the Homestead Company, and the Paper World and Good Housekeeping, con- ducted by Clark W. Bryan.

Springfield prides herself in her city library, which as a building and institution justifies the sentiment. It stands on one of the finest sites in the city on State street, is built of brick and cost

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$100,000. Its library of upwards of 60,000 vol- umes is patronized in a way that is creditable to the people, and there are beside a free reading room, museum, and portrait gallery of the citizens who have made their mark on Springfield's record.

Ground was broken for a handsome federal build- ing for the post-office and the use of government officials, in 1888. It is Romanesque in style and will be numbered as one of the handsomest in the city. Its location is only a few minutes' walk from the new depot, another recent addition to the col- lection of fine structures. Within a few years a new jail, modeled after the most approved style of the day, has been completed at a cost of $100,000.

The Armory buildings are of a plain colonial type, and the many that have been built recently cling to the style of the early days of the century. The Watershops buildings, where the forging for the product of the United States Armory is done, are located some distance from the Armory grounds, on Mill river, and are an interesting place to the traveler.

IV. SPRINGFIELD AS A BUSINESS CENTER.

It has often been remarked by persons who have made a study of Springfield's career, that her greatest pride has been her industrial success. In her earliest days she had an exceptional opportu- nity to build up trade and manufacturing ; there was the Connecticut river to furnish means of transportation — the best in those days — and Mill river to turn the wheels. From this germ the city has grown to be one of the most thriving manufact- uring towns in New England.

Her location among a cluster of busy and grow- ing towns and cities made her the industrial capital of Western Massachusetts. The immense popula- tion gathered so near the city, readily transported by horse and steam cars, has supported extensive establishments for mercantile trade, retail and wholesale.

When railroads were introduced to take the place of the steamer traffic on the Connecticut, Springfield at once had another advantage, for she became the chief point of this region along the

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line of the new Western railroad. This distinction she has retained up to the present time. Beside these roads there are centering at Springfield the New York and New England, and the New York, , New Haven and Hartford roads. The prospective extension of the Connecticut Western road from Connecticut to the Poughkeepsie (N. Y.) bridge offers an outlet to a rich manufacturing and agri- cultural section in Northern Connecticut. New York is only a distance of 136 miles, and Boston 98 miles, while Albany is 102 miles away.

Some of Springfield's manufacturing concerns are worthy of note. The Wason Car Manufactur- ing Company are car-builders of world-wide fame. Their plant at Brightwood, in the northern part of the city, is the largest of the kind in New England. Costly passenger coaches have been made by this firm during its career of over twenty years.

The Smith & AVesson revolver works have grown and prospered with the city for over a quarter of a century. The firm was founded by Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson in 1857. Mr. Smith retired many years ago and the business has since been con- ducted by the Wessons. The firm is now the larg- est one making revolvers in the world and the finished product is of the most superior make. About five hundred men are employed.

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Other local industries with a capital of over $ioo,- ooo each are as follows : Papeterie and envelopes, capital $1,070,000, annual production of $3,000,000 ; cigars, capital $250,000, product $600,000 ; bicycles, capital $100,000, product $250,000 ; boilers, capital $225,500, product $650,000 ; boots and shoes, capital $150,000, product $250,000 ; brass foundries, capital $500,000, product $550,000 ; breweries, capital $100,- 000, product $1 10,000 ; bricks, capital $200,000, prod- uct $250,000 ; buttons, capital $140,000, product, $350,000 ; calendars, capital $200,000, product $150,- 000 ; cars, capital $500,000, product $700,000 ; car axles, capital $100,000, product $75,000 ; confection- ery, capital $200,000, product $100,000 ; cotton waste, capital $250,000, product $750,000 ; bakeries, capital $150,000, product $125,000 ; doors, sashes, and blinds, capital $125,000, product $175,000; electric light, capital $150,000, product $60,000 ; firearms, capital $450,000, product $540,000 ; gas, capital $500,000, product $125,000; gas machines, capital $150,000, product $100,000 ; iron founders, capital $300,000, product $800,000 ; knit goods, capital $280,000, product $450,000 ; needles, capital $100,- 000, product $110,000 ; paint, capital $100,000, prod- uct $200,000 ; patent car boxes, capital $300,000, product $250,000 ; publishing firms, capital $250,- 000, product $500,000 ; skates, capital $100,000,

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product $250,000 ; stone workers, capital $200,000, product $250,000; textile fabrics, capital $115,000, product $200,000; wood workers, capital $125,000, product $250,000.

The Morgan Envelope Company has gained much national repute for its government contracts. There are important button works, iron works, and lithographing establishments. The Milton Bradley Company, by its many games, has gained a name. In recent years this firm has taken up the kinder- garten goods and has manufactured them with great success. Its production is one of the largest on this side of the ocean.

The publication of Webster's unabridged diction- ary, by the firm of G. & C. Merriam, is another industry that has been for years an established distinction to the city. The same house publishes "Webster's spelling book," that up to the present time has a strong demand.

Springfield's banks are numerous and prosperous, and the clearing house record has excelled that of Worcester and New Haven, cities of twice the population. There are nine national banks and three successful savings banks. Several insurance companies, reckoned among the most reliable and sound in the Commonwealth, have their home in Springfield.

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A brief look beyond the town to the communities close at hand reveals one cause of Springfield's commercial prosperity. Three towns, the smallest having over ii,ooo inhabitants, are closely con- nected to the city by the frequent trains.

Holyoke, eight miles from Springfield, with a population of over 30,000, has gained the name of the "Paper City" from the fact that she manu- factures, doubtless, the bulk of the writing paper used in the United States. The tremendous water power at Holyoke was not measured till 1847, when it was found to be equal to 30,000 horse power. Capitalists willingly invested in the enter- prise of building a dam, and the first company started in with a capital of $4,000,000. Before much was done the leaders in this company with- drew, and there was a reorganization, virtually forming a new company, with the same capital. The present Holyoke Water Power Company gained possession of the property in 1859, and began with the comparatively mt)dest capital of $350,000. The building of the canals, through which the power is distributed, is an ingenious piece of engineering. The fall of each level is not of course the same ; all are of sufficient force to move heavy mills, and to make a busy city, and one of unusual appearance with its many canals

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and bridges. The paper mills are the principal industry and a list is given below : Albion Paper Company, Beebe & Holbrook Company, Chemical Paper Company, Connecticut River Paper Com- pany, Crocker Manufacturing Company, Dickinson & Clark Paper Company, Excelsior Paper Com- pany, Franklin Paper Company, George R. Dickin- son Paper Company, Hampden Glazed Paper and Card Company, Holyoke Paper Company, Massa- soit Paper Manufacturing Company, Newton Paper Company, Nonotuck Paper Company, Parsons Paper Company, Parsons Paper Company No. 2, Riverside Paper Company, Syms & Dudley Paper Company, Valley Paper Company, Wauregan Paper Company, Whiting Paper Company, Winona Paper Company, and Whitmore Paper Company. There are many other important manufacturing indus- tries, notably the Lyman cotton mills.

Chicopee, situated between Holyoke and Spring- field, has a population of 11,528, and is chiefly given up to manufacturing, also. Northampton completes the list of cities. She has 12,896 and differs from the other two in many respects. She has less com- mercial activity and more of the intellectual life. The place abounds in places of historical interest, like Springfield, and is the home of many cultured and literary people. It is the seat of Smith College

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for women, which was chartered in 187 1. Among the other manufacturing communities in the vicin- ity are Thompsonville (Ct.), Ludlow, Pittsfield, Westfield, and Palmer.

Springfield's future is bound to be as progressive as her past. The number of new blocks that have been erected on Main street within two years ex- hibits an unusual impetus, and the demand for houses and business quarters is growing louder every year. The opening of the proposed Connec- ticut Western railway will be the promise of greater business for the city and will give greater facility to local manufacturers and shippers.

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