Pages 53-68

and Robert, bought them out. As their business expanded and
more space was needed, the Sawyers moved their business to a 4
½ acre industrial area at 620 New Ludlow Road.
In 1981, the Sawyers stopped manufacturing products and
negotiated a deal with the Hood Co. in which Hood would
manufacture All Star’s dairy products and turn over all its delivery
routes to All Star. Today All Star is the largest distributor of Hood
dairy products in Western Massachusetts. The product line includes
over 200 dairy products, frozen desserts, and bakery goods.
Marois Construction Co, started by Joe Marois in a small shed, has
grown into a large contracting and construction business using the latest
technology.
technology and computer assisted designs.
A great portion of the company’s recent projects has been
with colleges, medical facilities, banks, dining establishments,
courthouses, libraries and commercial facilities. Among the South
Hadley projects have been the South Hadley Medical Center,
Berkshire Hills Music Academy, and Canon-Talens, Inc. They have
built, maintained or renovated every asset on the Mount Holyoke
College campus including faculty housing, offices, dormitories
and academic buildings.
After twenty years experience in his family’s printing business,
Alan Desrosiers started the Elite Printing Co. in 1989 with only
one small press in rented space in the former Kleeberg Sheet Metal
building on Old Lyman Road. His company expanded every
year and outgrew the rented space, so in 1995, Desrosiers had
Associated Builders build the present 5,000 square foot facility on
Old Lyman Road. From a one-man operation, Elite Printing has
grown to five full-time and two part-time employees.
When Desrosiers started in the printing business, typesetting was
done on old Linotype machines or with hand set foundry type,
one letter at a time. Today Elite Printing has computerized, fully
automated multi-color printing presses, paper cutters and other
state-of-the art equipment. The company is known for its yearly
All Star Diary Foods is the result of merging of Sawyer’s Riverside Diary,
Beattie’s Dairy, and LaRose Dairy Co. It is the largest distributor of
Hood Dairy products in western Mass. ( JQS photo )
The establishment of an industrial area in 1973 on New Ludlow
Road, Old Lyman Road and Industrial Drive has led to the
establishment of a number of new companies. What they all have
in common is their emphasis on using the latest technologies and
concern for the environment.
In 1972, Joe Marois started his business in a small wooden shed
on his family’s property in South Hadley. The shed housed a table
saw and a few tools. He began his career doing quality cabinet
work and furniture restorations, but went on to develop a very
successful contracting and construction business. By 1978, the
Marois Construction Co. had seven employees and five trucks.
Today it has 21 vehicles and 56 employees. It uses the latest
1901 Dwight Art Memorial built at Mount Holyoke College
After 20 years in the printing business, Alan Desrosiers started Elite
Printing in 1989 with one small press. ( JQS photo)
1902 July 6 First trolley from South Hadley to Amherst
1901 Platt Amendment makes U. S. guarantor of Cuban independence.
1901 Anarchist assassinates President McKinley.
Page 53
calendar featuring reproductions of paintings by local artists.
site since the 1790s. The drugstore went through various owners
until Charles Dietel became the proprietor in 1923, although it
was listed as W. H. Wood Co. in the city directory until 1949.
After that, it was listed as Dietel’s drugstore until it closed. Dietel
retired in 1968, but the next owner, Robert F. Carter, kept the
Dietel name and in 1973 sold the business to Richard and Arthur
Benoit. In 1976, the Benoits sold the property to Michael Cotter
who ran it until it closed because of competition from chain
pharmacies and health care providers directing customers to use
mail order drugs.
One of the oldest businesses in South Hadley was the Street
Lumber Co. that was located at 48 Lamb Street until a few years
ago. According to a company brochure, it began operation in
1868, although Hobert Street actually purchased the property with
Charles White in 1871. It was probably rented before that. Street
ran the business with Charles White for a few years, but then ran
it alone. Street enlarged the property of the lumber company, and
over the years supplied the town of South Hadley with lumber
for many of its projects, including planking for the old County
Bridge and the schools.
Street died in 1904. His son, Dr. Philo Street, leased the company
to Frank A. Brainerd who had joined the company in 1888. Under
the terms of the ten-year lease, the company could be purchased
after five years. In 1909, Brainerd purchased the company which
over the years has gone through several owners and many changes.
In 1979 Louis Conti opened a restaurant called Buddha’s on Bridge St.
that became a neighorhood hangout; in 1999 the name was changed to
Crack of Dawn
Many South Hadley residents still remember Lane’s Market that
was a town fixture for almost 70 years. It was located in the brick
building on Main Street next to Dietel’s drugstore. Lane’s Market
was preceded by Joseph Suhanek and Harvey Carey’s meat market
in the brick building that was built in 1872. It still has their initials
– S & C – on the façade.
In 1904, Avel Lane began his grocery and meat market on the
ground floor, first leasing and then buying the building. He ran
it until 1925 when he sold it to Daniel J. O’Connell and Thomas
E. Granfield. They continued to operate the store under the name
Lane’s Market until 1947 when O’Connell died. His wife continued
to run the store with Granfield a few years, when they sold it to
George O’Connell, Daniel’s brother, and Aime Capistrant. They
operated the market until 1971 when it was bought by F.J.S., Inc.,
an Agawam company.
Shortly thereafter, the Amherst Savings Bank foreclosed on F.J.S.,
and the building was purchased at auction by Marvin Guy who
ran Guy’s Sporting Goods on the first floor for a couple of years. In
1976, Guy leased the ground floor and basement of the building
to Girard Typewriter, Inc. The name was changed to Girard Office
Supplies, but the company has since moved.
The Egg and I on Main Street, a neighborhood hangout since 1989,
is owned by Bruce and Diane Perron. ( JQS photo)
The company merged with the Ingham Lumber Co., opened
another location on Route 202 in Granby, established the Street
Modernizing Corp. and acquired a third yard in Ware. A few
years ago, the Lamb Street location was closed and operations
consolidated at the Granby location.
SH 1903 Town celebrated its sesquicentennial
US
1901 Teddy Roosevelt becomes president
The Egg and I on Main Street has been a neighborhood hangout
since 1989, a place where townspeople come in every day to
discuss events of the day. Bruce and Diane Perron purchased it
from James Hunter who had run a restaurant there for a few years.
Before that, it was the location of Caproni’s Luncheonette that
was run by Italiano and Enrico Caproni, and before that, it was
run by Gino Conti and Leo Vito. The Conti family has been active
in the restaurant business in the Falls since 1920.
Louis Conti’s father, Gino, and Leo Veto ran the combination fruit
and confectionery store and luncheonette from 1920 until they
both retired in 1947. Fred Conti, another son of Gino’s, operated
a lunch business on Bridge Street from 1950 to 1953. He and
his brother, Louis, opened Conti’s Restaurant on Main Street in
1960. Fred retired in 1963, and Louis continued the restaurant
until 1974 when he closed it and operated the Casa Conti on
Lyman Street, where Remillard’s Insurance is now, until 1978. In
1979 Lou Conti opened a new restaurant, called Buddha’s, on
Bridge Street. It became a neighborhood hangout, and in 1999 he
changed the name to Crack of Dawn,.
The Woodlawn area has developed many new businesses over the
years. Newton Street is lined with businesses that range from pizza
parlors to video stores, from professional offices to banks.
The Woodlawn Supply Co. was a town fixture of the area from
1925 until 1964. It was located at 505 Newton Street at the front
of what became the Food Mart plaza. Charles and Carl Tittemore
owned the store until 1936 when Daniel B. Ducharme bought
it. The store carried a little of everything. Groceries, meats and
hardware were sold at the front of the store and hay, grain and
building supplies at the back.
The K & M Market, a grocery and meat market, is still remembered
by many town residents. It was located at the southeastern corner of
Bridge Street (9 Bridge Street) from 1922- 1929, and then moved
across the street to the northeastern corner (11 Bridge Street). It
served residents for over 37 years when it was replaced by the K
& M Package Store. Ten years later, Gas Town, Inc. took over the
site and then the Getty station. The Globe Market occupied the 9
Bridge Street location from 1930 until about 1950.
The closing of Dietel’s drugstore in October 1995 marked the
end of a tradition going back almost 200 years. Records show a
pharmacy operating at the Main St. site since the 1820s although
there is some evidence that a drugstore had been operating at that
Woodlawn Supply Co., a town fixture from 1925 until about 1964,
was located at front of what became Food Mart Plaza.
The LaRose Dairy Co. was established in 1888 across the street
and two houses down from Woodlawn Supply. It was run by
the family until 1960 when it merged with Riverside Dairy and
Beatties Dairy to become All Star Dairy Foods.
Edgar Rheaume had a dairy in back of his house at 493 Newton
Street He ran the business from the early 1920s until he went to
work at Westover Field as a mechanic during World War II.
Carey’s Flowers has been located at 300 Newton Street since 1912.
The company was bought from the Beech Family by Reginald
S. Carey, Sr. and Florence Canney Carey. In 1946, their sons,
Reginald, Jr. and Warren, purchased the business and expanded
both the retail and growing operations. Presently, the business is
operated by Jim, Dick, and Tom Carey with fourth generation
family members’ assistance. Carey’s Flowers was privileged to
work at the inaugurals of President George H. W. Bush in 1988,
President William J. Clinton in 1992, and President George W.
Bush in 2001.
The Woodlawn Package Store was located near Carey’s at 314
Newton Street. It was run by Anatole Vanasse from 1941 until
1946 when Thomas F. Allery took over. The name was subsequently
changed to Allery’s Package Store.
Carey’s Flowers in 2003 ( JQS photo )
Carey’s Flowers, founded by Reginald S. Carey, Sr. has been located at 300
Newton St. since 1912. In 1946 Carey’s sons, Reginald, Jr., and Warren,
purchased the business and expanded the retail and growing operations.
Across the street from the Woodlawn Supply at the corner of
Newton and Lyman Streets, Elzear Quenneville and Henry
Fournier ran the Quality Grocery from about 1928 until 1950
when it was taken over by Mrs. Delia Vautrain and Orea M.
Patnaude and then by Carl L. Wolf who ran it until about 1960.
1903 Hadley Mills took over old Glasgow Co.
1902-4 Old Burial Ground graves transferred to Evergreen Cemetery 1904 Mary Brainard first women elected to town agency (School Commit-
1901 U.S. warships insure Panama independence from Columbia; U. S. will build Panama Canal
1901-3 U. S. builds Panama canal 1902 Philippine Islands become U. S. protectorate
Page 54
Page 55
1903 Wright brothers flight at Kitty Hawk
There have been other stores in the Center. Glesmann’s Pharmacy
was an institution for years and a college student hangout. There
were clothing stores, among them the Campus Shop and The
Peacock, a yarn shop, and Goodbodies. The Odyssey bookstore,
an outstanding bookstore, is still operating, and running many
programs.
Walbaum’s Food Mart Plaza opened in 1965 where Woodlawn Supply was located on Newton Street.
There was a First National store a few doors beyond Quality
Grocery at the corner of Newton and Dayton Streets. It was started
about 1930. J. K. Johnston became first, the manager, and then
in 1946, the owner, operating the grocery under his name until
about 1961 when it was replaced by an All Star Dairy store.
The White Wing Service Station was started by L.J.A. Gazaille in
1929 as a gas station under his name. He began to carry groceries
and changed the name to White Wing Service. Frank Strzempko
became the owner, and it now is also a package store.
A major change took place when the Interstate Development
Corp. of Hartford built the Food Mart Plaza in the area where
Woodlawn Supply was located. The formal opening took place
May 19, 1965. Waldbaum’s Food Mart, Friendly’s, General
Cleaners, and Woodlawn Pharmacy, which became Price Watch
Pharmacy, were the major stores at first. There were several smaller
businesses, such as Malone’s Appliances and Taylor Rental, that
lasted a short time but were replaced by others. Ace Hardware and
Movie Gallery have been recent additions. Recently Waldbaum’s
Food Mart was replaced by a Big Y supermarket.
The Plains Market was another neighborhood fixture. It was
located on the northwest corner of the Granby Road at Lyman
Street, and was built in 1947 by Joseph J. Koske, a South Hadley
resident. He operated the store until Jan. 20, 1964 when he
sold it to George P. and Barbara J. Vaughn of Springfield. They
renovated the store and ran a very successful business. They had
the latest equipment, and made home deliveries. In 1974 the State
Department of Public Works took by eminent domain property
on both sides of the Granby Road, Lyman Street, and Rte. 33 in
order to widen the highway. This included the land on which the
store was located.
Older town residents remember with affection the small A & P
grocery store where Charles Ball and Ed Bunyan served the people
in the Center for over 33 years. The store was opened about 1928,
and Ball managed it through 1961. On his 25th anniversary as
manager in 1953, Ball was honored with gifts and song by his
customers and friends, including many from the Mount Holyoke
Community.
Under pressure for bigger stores and new methods, the management
of the A & P chain announced in 1959 that the store would be
closed, but after receiving a deluge of letters requesting that the
store stay open, countermanded the order. But in 1961 the store
was closed.
Big Y supermarket plaza replaced Walbaum’s Food Mart Plaza in 2003.
SH 1904 May 18 Dedication of Gaylord Memorial Library
US
1906 Passage of Food and Drug Act
( JQS photo)
1906 Electric lighting first introduced
1906 Upton Sinclair publishes The Jungle, a lurid expose of Chicago’s meat processing plants.
Page 56
In December 1985, the College Inn, the Odyssey bookstore, and
other retail buildings near them were destroyed by fire requiring
rebuilding of a large section of the town center. Mount Holyoke
College, owner of the adjacent property, acquired the burnedout property, and established the Center Redevelopment Corp.,
a for-profit corporation, to develop the approximately six acres.
Graham Gund Associates, the prominent Boston architectural
firm, designed the Village Commons.
It was developed in two phases. Phase one consisted of a seven
building complex with a two-screen theater, 16 shops, Odyssey
bookstore, a bank, restaurants, offices and apartments. The
buildings are interconnected by a system of walkways, bridges
and landscaped courtyards. A grand opening was held in March,
1989. The second phase added four new buildings featuring 15
new shops, 11 townhouses and apartments and six offices. It was
completed in the summer of 1991. Owned by the college, the
Village Commons generates nearly ten million dollars in retail
activity, pays substantial property taxes and employs more than
300 people.
The Spirit of South Hadley, a 56-foot passenger cruise boat was
launched and dedicated June 21, 2003 at Brunelle’s Marina to
help celebrate the town’s 250th anniversary and to show people
sections of the Connecticut River they might not know. Brunelle’s
Marina is a family-owned business that was incorporated in 1959
by Alphonse, Beatrice, Luke and Dick Brunelle. The land was part
of the farmland owned by Alphonse and Beatrice. Back in the
days of Smith’s Ferry, the South Hadley station of the Connecticut
Plains Market, on the northwest corner of Granby Rd. at Lyman St.,
was a neighborhood fixture until taken by the State in widening the
highway.
River Railroad was located near here, and was its busiest station as
it was used by residents and seminary students and staff. Supplies
for Mount Holyoke Seminary were brought up by train and then
carted from the ferry to the seminary.
At first, the marina was operated out of a small portable building
selling marine accessories and Evinrude engines. Beatrice ran a
hotdog and hamburger stand out of a small trailer. After getting a
zone change in September, 1959, Luke and Dick built a 40-foot
by 70-foot building and held a grand opening in May, 1960. As
the business grew, new docks and launching ramps were built.
Additional buildings were built – a showroom in 1963, a service
shop in 1967. After obtaining a liquor license, the snack bar was
converted into the Dockside Restaurant & Lounge in 1977. A
120-foot by 24-foot building was built in 1982 to accommodate
the rowing program at Mount Holyoke College.
There are now over three hundred registered businesses in South
Hadley. They include a great variety of retail stores and professional
services, from attorneys, banks, beauty and barber shops to pizza
parlors, video stores, and child care centers. The town has grown
and developed into a community with many amenities for all.
Big Y Supermarket on Willimansett Street ( JQS photo )
1907 South Hadley Public Library opened in building erected with Carnegie Foundation Funds
1908 Socialist Party nominates Eugene Debs for president
1909 Fire District No. 2 established in Center
1908 Henry Ford initiates mass production line to manufacture his Model T Ford
Page 57
Buildings on west side of Town Common: Post Office, Gridley’s, apartment house owned by Federick Kirby, Glesmann’s Drugstore.
Pencil Sketch “On the Green” by Bernard Hamel shows stores on the west side of the Town Common during the decade or so before the 1985 fire.
The Village Commons was built by Center Redevelopment Corp., a Mount Holyoke College corporation, in two phases. Phase I
opened in March 1989 with a 7-building complex with a two-screen theater, Odyssey bookstore, bank, restaurants, offices and apartments. Phase 2 was completed in 1991 with four new buildings with more shops, offices and apartments. ( JQS photo )
The College Inn was popular town and student hangout until destroyed by fire December 1985. House built in 1783 by town for Rev. Joel Hayes. (Grenier photo)
SH 1913 Town Meeting voted purchase of South Hadley Falls Electric Light Co.
US
1914 Combined Town Hall and High School opened
1909 Robert Peary excites country with (probably false) claim to have reached the North Pole.
Page 58
1909 W.E.B. Dubois first president of NAACP.
1914-1918 World War I - 280 townspeople served
1910 Boy Scouts receive American charter
1914 March First Municipal Light Board elected
1913 Ford starts production of Model T
Page 59
1914 Start of World War I
Front Row From Left- George Langevin, Mike Boutlier, Paul Ruel, Dave Lewis, Peter Gazda, Steve Ciechomski, John O’Connor, Joe Landry, Greg Komer, Lou Conti
Second Row - Bob Gouin, Brud Higgins, Dick Benoit, Harry Nicodemus,Dave Nicodemus, Jim Kelly Third Row - Tom Baker, Bill Lawler, Dick Mongeau,Tom
Cary,Ray Miner, John Tomaszewski,Ray Mackenzie,Ron Gendrow Fourth Row - Paul Boudreau, Jed Boudreau, Roddy Adams, Bob Lynes, Warren Haradon, Ken
McKenna, Chris Whitcomb, Dick Oparowski,Russ Marion, Dick Carey Fifth Row - Ron Bullough,Norm Charette, Wally Monroe, Jim Nolen, Charlie Taugher, Peter
Bain, Ed Racicot,Joe Tropp (photo by Grenier 1986)
SPORTS
T
here were a number of town baseball teams over the years – in
the Falls, the Center and Moody Corner. Charles Spooner,
a colorful townsman, loved baseball and was instrumental in the
formation of some teams. When he could no longer play, he
helped finance uniforms and equipment for teams who played on
his property on Silver Street. The firemen’s baseball team of the
late 1950s was town champion three years in a row.
South Hadley not only had its amateur town baseball teams, but
also a semipro team on which many well-known town residents
played. The South Hadley Woodlawn A.C. semipro team was
active from 1948-1954. Henry Decker, later town police chief,
was instrumental in the organization of the Woodlawn A.C.,
a charter club formed by 40 residents of the Woodlawn area.
Decker served as manager and athletic director and at times as
catcher. The team played in the Pioneer Valley League and the
Chicopee league. The team racked up a good record of wins, and
in 1952 reached the finals in the Holyoke Knights of Columbus
semipro baseball tournament.
Town football teams were a favorite sport in the first decades of
the 20th century. One of the first South Hadley teams was the
Tanglefoots organized by Gene Clancy who served as coach. The
players changed over the years. Among their supporters were
police Chief John Sullivan and Dr. Ernest Noel. At first, the
team did not have uniforms and players had to supply their own
equipment. They played teams from surrounding towns. In 1908,
the Tanglefoots were Western Massachusetts champions. There
was a hiatus during World War I, but the Tanglefoots were active
again in the late 1920s and early 1930s.
The Iroquois, the South Hadley football team connected with the
K. of C., played the Tanglefoots once a year to see which was the
town team. The Iroquois died out for a while, tried to become
active again, but petered out.
1943 South Hadley High School football huddle: Joe O’Connell, Michael Puhopek, Budge Brainard, John Flanagan, Tiger Johnson, Henry
Hanson, Paul Blackmer, Earl L’Esperance, Jim Gaylord, Ray Viens,
Thomas O’Connor, Emmett Reardon .
SH 1920 April 8 Dedication of memorial tablets to those who served in war
US
Soccer Recreation League - Woodlawn School Field
conditions and more people owning cars, interest in the teams
waned, and they went out of existence.
Players from some of the baseball teams of the 1920s and 1930s
were still around in 1953 and played in the Old Timers Game at
the town’s bicentennial.
Gene Clancy organized the first high school baseball team in 1909
and served as volunteer coach. He had to borrow uniforms for his
first team from several of the town teams. He joined the Valley
Wheel and came in third playing Holyoke, Chicopee, Amherst,
West Springfield, Westfield and Northampton. His only complaint
was having to play in the “pit” – the beach grounds.
Tom Landers became a coach in the early forties and started his
dynasty. Here he is with one of his early teams. Teams win with
talent, but it takes a coach to weld the talent into a team. Tom
Landers was one of the most successful coaches and developed
winning teams in football, basketball, and baseball before
concentrating on basketball where he won several small school
tournaments at the University
of Massachusetts. Joe Dion
and Bob Dobias followed with
a winning tradition in football
that was continued by Wally
Desautel.
Another town team, The Traders, played in the late 1930s and
after World War II. The Traders started as a neighborhood team
on High Street organized by Owen Dunphy. They got uniforms
that were castoffs of college teams from the Holyoke Laundry on
Gaylord Street and borrowed equipment from the high school.
They played teams from surrounding towns. Their biggest game
was with the Westover Field Flyers in mid-October or November.
The Traders won most of their games in 1948. With changing
Coach Tom Landers with students
1920 St. Michael’s Byzantine Church established
1924 Woodlawn School opened on Dayton St.
1915 German submarines sink Lusitania Wilson gives Germany ultimatum
Page 60
1917 United States declares war on Germany
1918 Armistice
In basketball, Peter Bain, class of ’69, scored 1999 points to set
the highest scoring average in Massachusetts history. That record
stood until the late 90s. Two other students who scored over 1,000
points were Jessica Hambley, who scored 2,069 points, and Tiffany
Kirk who scored 1,152. Hambley led her basketball team to four
big championships in 1995, 1996, 1997, and 1998.
Rob Hagberg set many records in swimming at South Hadley
High School. He later won the state championship in butterfly,
and tied the national record held by Mark Spitz.
When there were four elementary schools with 7th and 8th
grades, the four schools competed in touch football, basketball,
and baseball. With the advent of the Intermediate School, there
were teams in baseball and basketball playing teams in West
Springfield, Holyoke, Amherst, Deerfield Academy (7th and 8th
graders), Hadley and Hatfield.
Kenny McKenna was a 30 year
volunteer coach of youth teams
in South Hadley. An alumni
game in his honor was held
in 1991. The South Hadley
football team was undefeated in
1932 and 1968.
1919 Senate refuses to join League of Nations
(photo-JQS)
Recreational League basketball at the Mosier School
( JQS photo)
1930 Center School on Ferry St. built and College Street School sold
1920 Women get right to vote
Page 61
1927 Lindberg makes first non-stop solo flight over Atlantic
outstanding history of sports that has had a positive influence on
the community.
The school teams have won championships in many sports: boys’
lacrosse in 1998-2002; boys’ basketball in 1989, 1997, 2002;
football in 1994; girls’ gymnastics in 1999; boys’ tennis in 1987,
1989, 1990; skiing in 1990, 1991; girls’ swimming in 1987 - 1990,
1995; girls’ track in 1990, 1993, 1995; ice hockey in 1988; girls’
tennis in 1989, 1991; golf three times between 1998 - 2003; boys’
soccer in 2001; softball in 1990, 1992. The boys’ cross country
team won its first Western Mass Division II championship and the
Pioneer League Northern Division for the first time in 2003.
Present Summit House on Mount Holyoke in Skinner State Park.
Joseph Skinner bought the mountain summit in 1916 and donated it in
1940 to the State - (photo - Doug MacBrien - 1995)
Girls’ teams started shortly after the men’s teams. In 1940, the
girls’ basketball team made history when it broke Ware’s fiveyear winning streak. In 1974, the girls’ basketball team won their
first championship. During that era, championships were won
in field hockey and softball. After passage of Title 9, there was
an explosion in girls’ teams. In 1994, for the first time, a South
Hadley soccer team won a division title – the girls’ team.
According to Mike Roy, South Hadley High School Athletic
Director, for a small school South Hadley has a very good athletic
program. A lot of the teams play at a Division 1 schedule. They
offer 28 levels of sports and do a lot of programs for the children.
About 34% of the school population plays a sport. According to
Bill Whigham, former Athletic Director, as of 2002 there were
42 teams offered to boys and girls at varsity, junior varsity and
freshman levels. These included baseball, football, field hockey,
soccer, gymnastics, cross country, golf, basketball, swimming, ice
hockey, wrestling, tennis, lacrosse and track. South Hadley has an
Seven students have achieved the status of high school allAmerican: Rob Hagberg in swimming; Chris Landry, Kevin
Ratkiewicz, Bruce Frady, Adam Howard and Kyle Cloutier in
lacrosse; and Kate Allery in diving. Natalie Landry also won the
state and New England championship in shot-put in 1992, and
Eric Scammons won the Western Massachusetts, the state and
New England championships in long jump and finished 6th at
the National Championship in that event in 1992.
A good deal of the success was possible due to consistency in
carrying on the programs by leaders who have served long terms:
Landers early 1940s – 1972, Joe Dion 1972 – 1989, Bill Whigham
1989 – 2002. The sports offered by the schools have grown from
a modest beginning of a few sports to the many mentioned above.
A Booster Club places banners for teams that win championships
on the gym wall that is becoming quite full.
Back in the early days, there was a lack of planning for community
recreation that has improved greatly with the creation of the
Recreation Department in 1988. It runs a great many programs
for adults and young people with the assistance of hundreds of
volunteers. With Proposition 2 ½, funding difficulties increased.
There was an increased demand for non-school related activities to
which the department tries to respond in order to meet community
needs.
The Brotherhood of the Congregational Church of South Hadley Falls presented the Mikado on April 21 and 22, 1932 at the Town hall. Among
well-known town residents who served in the cast and/or committees were Reginald Carey, James Allen, William Lamb, Evelyn Smith, Bessie
Brainerd, Lillian Webster, Bertha Cowan, Kathleen Brockway, Charles Scott, Alice M. Scott, Avel Lane, F. Herbert Webster,Fredrick Roberts, Fred
Bailey, Byron Hudson, June Warfel, and Marion Smith.
RECREATION
F
orms of recreation in colonial days were simpler and more
limited compared to the many available today. Settlers often
combined work with play. When they gathered together to
perform some task together, such as a house or barn-raising, they
would often include games and contests. It was an occasion for
boys and men to stage foot races or shooting or wrestling contests.
After the frame of Ruggles Woodbridge’s house was raised in
1788, a great wrestling match was held in which the champions of
neighboring towns competed.
Clubs were especially popular during the late 1800s and early
Fishing and hunting have always been popular, but in the early
days it was also a way to provide some food for the table. There
were competitions in plowing or corn husking. Women and
girls held Quilting Bees. Spelling Bees, and singing groups were
popular. Children played many games, some of which are still
popular today such as London Bridge, Ring-Around-a-Rosie,
Hide and Seek, Blind Man’s Buff, and Lotto. Most toys were
handmade – dolls, tops, kites, jump ropes.
With the development of the trolleys in the late 1890s and early
1900s, and then cars and buses, people could go to entertainments
in surrounding towns to enjoy motion pictures, concerts and other
entertainments. Mountain Park was popular in the 1930s and
1940s with its merry-go-round and other rides, dancing, and, for
a time, plays. During the depression and World War II people did
not travel far. Places like Hillside Bathing Beach and Aldrich Lake
were popular as well as local dance halls and movie theaters.
Ledges Golf Club, a public golf course, opened in 2000. ( JQS aerial photo )
SH
1930 Brick Plains School built, enlarged 1955, 1969
US
1928 Herbert Hoover elected president
1931-2 New Carew Street School built, School Street School razed
1929 Stock market collapse leads to U.S. worst depression.
Page 62
According to a study done by students in an economics and
sociology course at Mount Holyoke College in 1946-1947,
listening to the radio and reading headed the list of home
amusements of 9 out of 10 families. Nearly everyone had a hobby
of some sort. Movies rated highest with children. Playgrounds,
especially the beach grounds, were utilized for baseball, football
and volley ball.
1931 Town Meeting voted to build municipal annex
Since 1987 Musicorda brings together at Mount Holyoke talented
musicians for intensive study. A concert series is presented. Founders
of Musicorda are Jacqueline Melnick and Leopold Teraspulsky. Photo
Mary Woolley Hall (JQS photo)
1932 Representative town meeting adopted by referendum
1930 Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act raises import duties and restricts trade
1931 Star-Spangled Banner officially made U.S. national anthem
Page 63
Several other troops were established over the years, but went out
of existence. There are now three active troops – 301, 302, and
303. Cub Packs were not formed until 1944 when Pack 31 was
established in the Center, Pack 32 in the Falls in 1947, and later
Pack 33 in the Plains district. Thanks to the dedicated efforts of
many town volunteers, they have conducted active programs over
the years including camping and jamborees.
People today have more leisure time. A majority of families have
cars, and can participate in activities, not only locally and in the
surrounding area but throughout the country. The development
of radio, television, computers, video games and other electronic
devices have expanded further people’s choices of entertainment
and have also affected lifestyles and the economy. The Tower
Theater at the Village Commons is well attended.
In town, the state runs the swimming pool on Willlimansett
Street that has been popular and used a great deal. The future of
Buttery Brook Park on Willimansett Street is in doubt, but has
been used for picnics and other activities. The skate park there
has been popular. The 25-acre Margaret Bagg and Ada Pierce
Wildlife Sanctuary, that was part of the Bagg farm, is available
for passive recreation. The old town farm has been converted to
sports and recreational use. At present it is being used for lacrosse
and soccer.
Vespers Musical Performance at Abbey Chapel Mount Holyoke College
( JQS photo )
1900s. Among these were the F. M. Smith Veteran Firemen’s
Association, the Gymnastic and Singing Society, German Benefit
Society, Camp Comfort, Good Templars, Good Samaritans
Society, and others. The Redcliffe Canoe Club was organized in
1889, the Pocumtuck Club in 1905, The Order of Red Men in
1911, the Women’s Club in 1898, the 4-H Clubs in 1917. There
were church clubs, and church groups put on minstrel shows and
plays. Some of the clubs are still active, but others have gone out
of existence.
In South Hadley in the late 1970s, a group of South Hadley
young people formed The Sibley Players to honor the memory
of their friend John Sibley and raise funds for the John Sibley
Memorial Scholarship. John, a 1973 graduate of South Hadley
High School, was active in the theatre arts throughout his high
school and college years, and eventually hosted “Odyssey” for a
time on local television. The Sibley Players evolved into the South
Hadley Community Theatre in the mid 1980s when the Sibley
family felt the need both to formalize the structure and widen
the appeal of the organization. The theatre presents a full-scale
musical production each November at the high school auditorium
and offers an annual scholarship to a senior who plans to continue
his/her education in the arts. In 2002 it produced NUNSENSE.
Another popular summer program is Musicorda that has been
held at Mount Holyoke since 1987. It is an outstanding chamber
music institute for advanced students in violin, viola and cello
who come for intensive study. Part of the program is a festival
concert series featuring renowned resident and guest artists.
IMPORTANT EVENTS
IN SOUTH HADLEY HISTORY
A
Flood of 1936 on Main Street
Another local group is the South Hadley Chorale, founded in
1984 as the South Hadley Community Chorus by Dr. Barbara
Conant. The name was changed to the South Hadley Chorale in
1996 to reflect more accurately their repertoire that includes works
by Bach, Brahms, Dvorak, Mozart, Rossini, Rutter, Schubert and
by Verdi. The Chorale is made up of over 80 singers from South
Hadley and 16 surrounding communities. The present artistic
director/conductor is Michael R. Dulac who was appointed in
1997. People who enjoy singing choral music are invited to join
the group.
lthough there have been many bad storms and fires in South
Hadley that caused damage, among the worst were the fire in
1876, the 1936 flood and the 1938 hurricane. On Sunday, April 2,
1876 a fire suspected to be arson destroyed the hotel, stage office, post
office, stores and several buildings on the west side of College Street
opposite the Town Common. Mount Holyoke Seminary students
and staff joined the townspeople in forming a bucket brigade, and
finally brought it under control. The firefighting equipment was slow
in arriving and not very effective.
Another local group is the Choralites, a group of senior singers
who have performed at Senior Center events as well as many town
sponsored activities.
The flood of 1936 destroyed stores and buildings along Main Street,
Bridge Street and School Street. Enormous ice blocks driven by the
water battered the bridge and covered its floor. Water over the dam
crested at 16 feet. People had to be evacuated from their homes. The
townspeople rallied around to help, and the Civilian Conservation
Corps, Boy Scouts, Red Cross and other agencies worked heroically
to help those displaced.
From 1970 until 2001, the Mount Holyoke Summer Theater
Program provided a wide variety of plays for the enjoyment of
the surrounding communities. It featured Broadway plays and
guest actors as well as local talent, and was a popular summer
entertainment.
The 1938 hurricane did the greatest amount of damage on record,
demolishing or damaging trees all over town. The greatest loss was at
Mount Holyoke College where about 200 trees on campus and 1,000
on Prospect Hill were blown down. In the Falls area most of the trees
in Lamb’s Grove were uprooted, many of them over 100 years old.
In October 1917, Mrs. Asa Kinney, with Lucille Coaker, a Mount
Holyoke College student, organized the first Girl Scout troop in
South Hadley Center with 21 girls. Elsie Bean, an art instructor
in the South Hadley schools, and Helen Miller started the first
troop in the Falls in 1920, and Margaret Kennedy organized a
troop in Woodlawn in 1926. The first Brownie packs were started
that spring. Through the efforts of dedicated volunteers, their
programs have grown over the years, and include many activities,
including camping.
The first Boy Scout troop in South Hadley was established in 1920
by a charter granted to Troop 301 in the Center. Two years later
Troop 302 was started in the Falls, and in 1931 Troop 303 was
started in the Plains area, sponsored by the Plains School PTA.
Choralites perform at the Memorial Day Ceremony at the High School.
(JQS photo)
Photo of Civil War Veterans taken on Memorial Day May 30, 1887. They had organized the Charles C. Smith Post of the Grand Army of the Republic
(GAR) in 1886. Those pictured are: Front row, left to right, E. M. Kehl, Lew-it Hooker, Charles Church, Samuel Dickinson, Charles Davenport, Burritt Judd, V. I. Barnes. Second row, David Donaldson, Patrick O’Gara, Gottlieb Feustral, Peter Welcker, Charles Spooner, (missing) Walkley, Hev. V. S.
Hankes, Edward Pierce, H. Walters, Sewell Reed, John Kirkpatrick. Back row, Joseph Cutting, Levi Dickinson, (missing) A. Hayes, Robert A. Baldwin,
Carl Lippman, Charles Smith, Nathan Loveland, William Robinson, W. D. Barnes, Patrick Moria, (missing) Bernard Hoefner.
SH 1933 First Town Meeting members elected, 54 in all 1934 Nonpartisan town elections voted by referendum
1935 Hampshire Paper Co. closed
US
1933-6 Period of New Deal legislation including: Social Security Act, Tennessee Valley Authority, WPA, CCC.
1933 F.D. R. begins presidency
1933 President Roosevelt declares Bank Holiday
Page 64
1934 Unemployment reaches over 25%
1936 Worst flood in South Hadley history
Page 65
Revolutionary War
Like other towns in Massachusetts, South Hadley responded quickly
to the “shot heard round the world” on April 19, 1775. When
the messenger sent to Western Massachusetts to warn the people
reached Belchertown, he directed them to send a courier to Granby
and South Hadley while he went on to Amherst. The courier went
to the Woodbridge parsonage, and the news was quickly spread by
the beating of drums and firing of guns. The long, loud roll told the
Minutemen it was a call for volunteers. At a town meeting the previous
men from South Hadley, Belchertown and Granby, set out on their
march to Lexington. After two days marching, they received a message
that the British had retreated to Boston, and their services were not
needed. Most turned back but Woodbridge and Montague, together
with a few Minutemen, went on. Part of their regiment fought in the
battle of Bunker Hill.
Lt. Eleazer Nash was the first casualty from South Hadley to die in the
cause of the Revolution. Although he was 56, he enlisted and marched
with the group after the alarm of April 19, 1775. He returned with a
a regiment of Minutemen later commissioned in Washington’s army.
He played a prominent role in town affairs, served as selectman and as
representative to the state legislature.
In 1788, Woodbridge built the handsome Georgian mansion at 28
Woodbridge Street that is considered one of the finest 18th century
houses in this part of New England. It is being restored by the Sycamores
Committee of the South Hadley Historical Society. Restoration of the
exterior has been completed by means of a matching grant from the
Massachusetts Historical Commission, and the committee is raising
funds to restore the interior.
Noah Goodman, an important political leader in South Hadley, was a
Captain of Minutemen who led a company of fifteen men who set out
for Lexington with Col. Woodbridge. Goodman was the first justice of
the peace in South Hadley, served as selectman, and as representative
to the General Court. In 1779, he was a member of the convention
that drew up the state constitution.
As delegate from South Hadley to
the convention in Boston on Jan.
9, 1788, he voted for the adoption
of the proposed United States
Constitution, although the delegates
from Amherst and Granby did not.
stole and destroyed property all the way to Moody Corner as they fled
to Amherst.
War of 1812
There is very little information about the part South Hadley residents
played in the War of 1812. Neither R. O. Dwight nor Sophie Eastman
even mention the war in their histories.
There was a great deal of opposition in New England to American
involvement in the war because of the region’s trade with Great Britain,
and this was also true of South Hadley. At the town meeting of June
29, 1812, it was “Voted unanimously that the town disapprove of the
declaration of war against Great Britain.” It was also voted to choose
a Committee of Correspondence to communicate with other towns
regarding their opposition to the war. The committee consisted of
Ruggles Woodbridge, Dr. Elihu Dwight, Mark Doolittle, Peter Allen
and Bezaleel Alvord.
South Hadley sent its quota of beef,
pork and barrels of shad for the army
and filled requisitions for clothing,
blankets and provisions.
Shays Rebellion
South Hadley had its “night of
terror” during Shays’ Rebellion.
After Shays’ men tried to capture the
federal armory in Springfield on Jan.
25, 1787 to gain additional arms
and ammunition for their revolt,
they were driven off and fled through
South Hadley to Amherst. While
there are conflicting details in the
various accounts of what happened,
the basic events are clear.
Veterans Honor Roll Plaque at the Town Hall
year, South Hadley had voted “to raise and pay men for the army.”
They had ordered every man to keep weapons and ammunition in his
house. Col. Ruggles Woodbridge, a prominent resident, was colonel of
a Hampshire County regiment of Minutemen. Under his leadership,
provisions for three days were prepared.
On Thursday, April 20, he and Capt. Moses Montague, with over 100
bad cold that developed into pneumonia and died within a month.
Col. Ruggles Woodbridge, the second son of the Rev. John
Woodbridge, was a physician but gave up medicine to devote his time
to his considerable business interests. He became the wealthiest man in
town. He owned a gristmill, sawmill, potash works, factory and was one
of the few allowed to dispense liquors. He was commanding officer of
SH 1937 Roswell Ham appointed first male president of Mount Holyoke College
US
1936 Boulder (Hoover) dam completed
(JQS photo)
1938 Hurricane did greatest damage on record
1937 German dirigible explodes while landing in New Jersey
Page 66
1937 Amelia Earhart disappeared
This committee appointed Doolittle,
Allen and Alvord to attend a county
convention in Northampton on
July 14-15. The convention issued
a petition to be presented to the
President of the United States stating,
“The war is neither just, necessary
nor expedient and that measures
should be immediately taken to
bring the war … to an honorable
termination.” They concluded with
the resolution that, although they
did not consider themselves bound
to aid in the prosecution of the war,
they would fulfill the requisitions
of the constitution and would repel
all hostile attacks upon the United
States.
In 1814, British attacks on points
in the Maine area, New London,
Connecticut and Wareham and
blockades of New Bedford and Fair
Veterans Honor Plaque at Town Hall (JQS photo)
Haven united the people against
Britain. New England provided
The men broke into a tavern on the lower part of what is now College many of the volunteers for the regular army, but their names could not
Street, consumed two barrels of rum, smashed furniture and windows be found in material available locally. The book Records of Massachusetts
and stripped beds. They then went on to the house at what is now Volunteer Militia called out by the Governor of Massachusetts during the
103 College Street. The man of the house was away, but his wife and war of 1812-14 lists them by company and regiment but does not
children were at home. Their uncle rushed into the house and urged indicate where the men came from.
them to hide. The family hid in a small root cellar that could be reached
only through what looked like a cupboard in the southeast front room. Seven companies were raised in Northampton, Springfield or Hadley
R. O. Dwight in his historical essay states that Shays’ men “fastened and vicinity and undoubtedly included men from South Hadley for at
the occupants into the garret while they caroused below.”
the South Hadley town meeting of May 1, 1815 it was voted that the
men who had been detailed to go to Boston the previous fall should be
The raiders went on to attack and plunder the house of Noah Goodman paid $4 for each month served. They also received pay from the state.
that was the remodeled first meetinghouse then located north of the
Town Common. They then looted the Woodbridge parsonage and
1940 Center Post Office built by WPA
1947 Town ambulance service began
1947 April 22 Congregational Church of South Hadley Falls burned
1939 Hitler invades Poland; start World War II. 1941 Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor 1942 Price controls/ rationing. 1942 Fall of Philippines
Page 67
Civil War
South Hadley took an active part in the Civil War. Out of
a population of a little over 2200, 224 men served and 21
died. William Gaylord donated the monument on the Town
Common that was dedicated Sept. 23, 1897 in memory of
those who died in service to their country. Gerald Barsalou,
a veterans’ advocate from Chicopee, organized a project to
raise funds for a bronze plaque listing the names of the
men to be affixed to the monument. On Memorial Day,
May 29, 2000, a ceremony was held at the Town Common
dedicating the plaque.
Spanish American War
Fifteen men from South Hadley volunteered for service
in the Spanish-American War. Fortunately there were
no casualties, but there are no details about their
experiences.
World War I
More than 278 men and women from South Hadley
answered the call during World War I. Eight died in the
conflict. Brief biographies of them can be found in the
book South Hadley Massachusetts in the World War (pub.
1932) that can be found at the public libraries and the
library of the South Hadley Historical Society at the Old
Firehouse Museum.
World War II, Korean War, Vietnam, Gulf War
South Hadley was well represented during the four conflicts.
Nine hundred twenty-four men from South Hadley served
during World War II, 361 during the Korean War, 717
during the Vietnam conflict and 13 the Gulf War. At the
Veterans Day ceremony on Nov. 11, 1999 at the Town Hall,
a bronze plaque listing the names of the 48 South Hadley
men who died during World War II, the Korean War and
Vietnam was dedicated and placed next to the World War I
plaque in Town Hall. There were no casualties from South
Hadley during the Gulf War.
Gerald Barsalou, the veterans’ advocate from Chicopee,
who had organized the project to raise funds for the
plaque, researched the lives of those who died, and placed
the information in a loose leaf binder that is available for
research in the office of the Veterans’ Agent at Town Hall.
Woodbridges was built in 1732 and is the oldest building in South Hadley. It is now a private restaurant. It was the first Church in South Hadley
as well as the First Meeting House to conduct secular Town functions. Reverend Woodbridge, South Hadley’s second minister, preached here. He
was the seventh generation of Woodbridge ministers (from England). Residents of South Hadley have debated the issues of religion, the American
Revolution, the Civil War, slavery, World War I & II, civil rights and education at Woodbridge’s. ( JQS photo )
SH 1947 Know Your Town group established
US
1944 Allies invade Normandy
1948 First Candidates Night held
1945 Roosevelt dies; Truman president
1956 Newton Street High School opens
1945 Germany surrenders.
Page 68
1945 U.S. drops atom bombs on Japan.