History & Research


Resources available on this site to help you with your history and genealogy research. Please read our terms regarding use of this material elsewhere.

Holyoke Cemeteries

Tombstone

Holyoke School Yearbooks

Yearbooks

Photographic Images

C. Robert Wilhelm Photographs of
C. Robert Wilhelm

An amateur photographer, Wilhelm captured many images of Holyoke using glass plate negatives, popularly used from the 1880s through the 1920s.
Holyoke Postcards Vintage Holyoke Postcard Collection
See Holyoke over a range of years through picture postcards.



Various Histories

History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, 1879

History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts. Louis H. Everts, 1879. Section on Holyoke excerpted here offering brief history, bios, manufacturing.
The City of Holyoke, 1876

The City of Holyoke—Its Water Power and Its Industries
Holyoke, Massachusetts, U.S.A., 1876. Image heavy, these excerpts from a folio sized edition depict the the industrial pride of the city.
The City of Holyoke

The City of Holyoke, 1898 by Edwin L. Kirtland. Article adapted from New England Magazine outlining the early history of Holyoke.
Picturesque Hampden
Picturesque Hampden, by Clifton Johnson, 1892. This lengthy section focusing upon Holyoke has been adapted from the larger publication. Subjective travelogue, image heavy, with lots of stories and information on manufacturing businesses.
Holyoke Transcript 30th Anniversary Publication

Adapted excerpts from the Holyoke Daily Transcript 30th Anniversary Issue, 1998 - 1912. People, Places, Organizations.

Precious Blood Church Fire

Precious Blood Church Fire
A compilation of various sources relating to the Precious Blood Church Fire of 1875 — an event that made national headlines and contributed to changes in building code. Names of the deceased, vintage articles and more. The fast reactions of John J. Lynch during this event propelled him to hero status.

Community

Mount Tom Lodge
Fraternal organizations were a large part of early life in Holyoke—the Masonic organizations were huge during this era and Mount Tom Lodge was one of three Masonic organizations that shared the same building on Chestnut Street. Lots of membership names and other useful information here.
Mount Tom Railroad

Beautiful 1912 edition of Views On and About Mt. Tom and Mt. Tom Railroad, Georgeous guidebook promoting the virtues of Mt. Tom, a popular recreation destination.
Cookbook-- 625 Choice Recipes

Cookbook: 625 Choice Recipes from The Ladies of the Second Congregational Church of Holyoke, Mass., 1886. Contributer name index included!

Education


School Committee Rules and Regulations

The Rules and Regulations of the School Committee, 1927. When corporal punishment was still permitted.


Business & industry


How Paper is Made

How Paper is Made: A 1923 publication of the Whiting Paper Company describing the papermaking process.

Miscellanea


An eclectic collection of Holyoke-related topics, each presented on a single page -- formerly organized under the heading of "Quick Clicks."

Sponsors

Suggested Holyoke Books


Mountain Park -- The destination we all loved in Holyoke.

Holyoke -- The Skinner Family and Wistariahurst
Holyoke—The Skinner Family and Wistariahurst by Kate Navarra Thibodeau

Holyoke, MA, Postcard History

Holyoke, MA, Postcard History Series by Devon Dawson

In the Shadow of the Dam

In the Shadow of the Dam, by Elizabeth M. Sharpe


The Parish and the HillThe Parish and the Hill

The Parish and the Hill, by Mary Doyle Curran. Novel said to be based on recognizable well-known Holyoke family. Nice depiction of that era in Holyoke.


Working People of Holyoke

Working People of Holyoke, Class and Ethnicity in a Massachusetts Mill Town, 1850-1960. By William F. Hartford.


Holyoke Massachusetts: a Case History of the Industrial Revolution in America

Holyoke Massachusetts, Holyoke Massachusetts: a Case History of the Industrial Revolution in America. By Constance M. Green. 1939 Classic, generally out of print but worth checking for used editions. (Image from imprint page of my own copy.)


Mount Holyoke College

Mount Holyoke College, Postcard History by Donnal Albino. Many Holyoke women have attended Mount Holyoke. Author also maintains an amazing MHC website based upon her personal collection.