Holyoke, Mass

07 March 1961

The Nonotuck Hotel
Later the Roger Smith

Roger Smith Ownership to Change Hands for Fifth Time

Holyoke – “Going, Going, gone” and the crash of the hammer against the auctioneer’s dias will close another chapter in the history of Holyoke’s leading hotel which was started as a civic project back in 1915 and within the space of 46 years has passed through four different ownerships.

Upset Price $250,000

Thursday afternoon at 2 Roger Smith Hotel will be sold at public auction, the sale to take place in the large ballroom of the hotel. Joseph P. Daly Inc., New York City, nationally known real estate form, will conduct the sale and Stephen A. McDonald, vice-president of the corporation, will be the auctioneer. The upset price for the 134 room building and the nearby parking lot has been set at $250,000, according to the legal notice of the sale, with the stipulation that a certified check of $25,000 or cash in that amount be presented by the winning bidder. Immediate possession of the hostelry is included in the auction notice. Continue Reading →

07 March 1904

High Street Poker Game Interrupted – An interesting poker game was unpleasantly interrupted by the police department at 1:45 yesterday morning. There were nine men in the game, which was being played in a room in a block between Cabot and Essex streets, when officers Bligh and Mack entered. There was an awful hush for a few moments, and the colored member of the bunch is said to have turned as white as any of his fellow players. It is understood that the whose tenement was hired a few days ago, of the owner of the property, who was ignorant of the use that was to be made of it, and that the game has been running only a few days. The men will be arraigned this morning on the charge of gaming on the lord’s day. There were plenty of “chips” and cards secured by the police, and the nine men with the two detectives and two other officers sent down made a good-sized wagon load. Seven of the nine were bail out yesterday. The men gave their names as follows: John Allen, James Brewer, Joseph Marion, John Thompson, Charles Canto, Dennis Donovan, John Golden, Charles Ross and Andrew Somers.

Capt. Sunshine of the Salvation Army lost a pocket-book containing $37 in bills at the Army house last week.

Want Northampton Line to Run Down Main Street – Some of the Main Street merchants are about to agitate a change in the running of the street cars of the Springfield-Northampton line. The cars from this city to Northampton run up Dwight Street to High, to Hampden, to the Highlands. On their return they run down High, down Cabot to Main, to this city. Continue Reading →

05 March 1905

Map of Holyoke, 1870
Red lines indicate
Holyoke and Westfield Railroad Tracks
(Click through to see larger version)

The Much Discussed Lease of the Road

There has been much discussion over the leases and until that investigation was made it was supposed that the road was leased for 99 years instead of perpetually. The original lease itself is rather blindly written. it is said that Judge Buckland, who drew up the lease, said after he had finished “Gentlemen, here is the lease, if it is a lease.”

The first lease was drawn up December 3, 1870, before the actual building of the road, between the president of the Holyoke and Westfield railroad and the vice president of the New Haven and Northampton railroad company, Charles N. Yeamans being then vice-president of the New Haven Company and J. C. Pearsons president of the Westfield road. The lease provide that the Holyoke and Westfield Company “will and hereby does demise, lease and let all and singular the said railroad from its junction with the railroad of the New Haven and Northampton Company at Westfield to its termination on Front Street in Holyoke will all its branches, turnouts, rights of way, franchise station, grounds, lands, depot, buildings, engine-houses, water stations, etc. .. from the time of the completion and acceptances of the same thenceforth and forever.” The Holyoke and Westfield road also agrees to keep up its organization and to hold such meetings and pass such votes as will enable the leasing corporation to carry out all the objects of the agreement and enable it to enjoy the rights and privileges conveyed.

The New Haven and Northampton company further agreed after the road was opened to pay as rent for the same.

First. The interest of the $200,000 first mortgage bonds of said Holyoke and Westfield railroad company, dated April 1, 1871, at the rate of 7 per cent per annum, payable semiannually of the first days of October and April. Continue Reading →

07 March 2014

Today I’m pointing you to the 1886 publication 625 Choice Recipes from the Ladies of the Second Congregational Church of Holyoke. I’ve actually had this book online for 16 years, not necessarily representing a genealogical gem of data, but rather for fun with a dash of poignancy.

There is a lot to like about this cookbook: the differences between cooking standards 0f 1886 and 2014 — 128 years. Some of these recipes are easily adaptable to your kitchen today with similar measurements and familiar instructions, after all culinary chemistry offers the same basic principles most of us are familiar with. There is an index of recipes by name.

What I really love about this book is what has been a tradition for decades in local cookbook publishing: each recipe has the name of the person who donated the recipe — something presumably used in his or her life. I have a few genealogical connections in this book and I enjoy seeing the various recipes they must have been proud enough to submit for publication. There is a name index so you can easily find submitters. Maybe you will find an ancestor who liked to cook.

Finally, a chapter offers a section called “Food for the Sick” and most of the recipes are attributed to local physicians of that time. The recipes are worth looking at, though not necessarily appealing. But hey, a cure is a cure I guess — so please pass Dr. Grout’s Koumyss (Sparkling Milk Champagne).

Have a great weekend everyone!

05 March 1905

Old Train Station on Main Street
Holyoke, Mass.

History of Road From the Records

A fairly good history of the road is to be made out from the records on file at the city hall. The very first beginnings are forgotten. it is certain that with the completion of the railroad to Northampton by way of Westfield from New Haven, the idea of a new line from Holyoke to tidewater began to assert itself. Holyoke was young, its leading men were young and ambitious and took up eagerly the new idea. When the beginnings were thought out progress was rapid. At a special meeting of the town held August 22, 1870, the following article appeared in the town warrant –

Article 2: To see if the town will subscribe for share in the capital stock of the Holyoke and Westfield railroad company to an amount to be fixed by said town, not exceeding three per cent of the assessed valuation of the town and to see what course the town will take to provide for the payment of the same.

P. Underwood was elected moderator at this meeting, the selectmen that year being Allan Higgenbottom, C. A. Corser and W. A. Judd. The vote passed relative to this article was as follows:

Voted that the town of Holyoke subscribe for 1665 shares in the capital stock of the Holyoke and Westfield railroad company and pay therefor subscription being an amount not exceeding three per cent of the assessed valuation of the town for the current year, and that the treasurer of the town be authorized and directed to subscribe for said stock in the name of the inhabitants of the town of Holyoke and to raise money to pay for the same by loan and bonds of the town to the aforesaid amount, said bonds to be of a form approved by the selectmen and to be issued of the several denominations of $100, $500 and $1000 in such proportions as the selectmen may direct the same to be signed by the treasurer of the town and countersigned by the chairman of the selectmen, and made payable in current funds, to bearer, on the first day of October, 1890, at the office of the town or city of Holyoke, with interest semiannually at the rate of seven per cent per annum. Continue Reading →