Westward Ho!

Posted on June 26, 2024

Western Massachusetts that is. Mr. Ken and I spent a marvelous few days in Northampton, MA. Northampton is part of the Pioneer Valley and the home of Smith College. Back in the 1800’s, it was home to abolitionists and educators. Like many cities, it has undergone many changes over the years. It was thriving until 1940 when it started to decline, due to the closing of Springfield MA manufacturing plants and Holyoke MA paper mills. It continued to decline until the 70’s. Luckily, it has undergone a renaissance and is now a thriving cultural and artistic area.

The original thought was to have a canal that would connect Northampton directly to the seaport of New Haven, thus avoiding the falls and rapids of the Connecticut River. Delays plagued its construction and it was never profitable, even though it was in service until 1847. It could not compete with the technological revolution of the railroad, which came to Northampton in 1845. On a side note, one of the many things I love about Northampton is the attention to history. There are plaques like this all over the city. I learned a lot just reading these plaques.

Northampton has had its share of flooding too. On May 16, 1874, the Williamsburg dam broke and 600 million gallons of water laid waste to the Mill River area. This sign commemorates that event.

Flooding again happened in 1936. For two weeks, beginning in mid-March, 1936, snowmelt and heavy rain inundated the Connecticut River Valley, causing the worst floods in regional history. The winter of 1935–36 had been especially hard, with large snowfalls and extended periods of cold weather. There are many buildings showing the high water levels. This picture below shows just how high the water went! It is hard to tell from the picture, but this level is well over 6 feet!

Of course, we had to bring our “gang” with us. Here they are, all buckled in and ready to go! In case you are wondering (from left to right), there’s Barley, Toby, Bernard, Sir Angus and Sir Oliver.