Elmwood, Holyoke, Massachusetts

Elmwood
Neighborhood of Holyoke
Top to bottom: Elmwood's commercial center streetscape featuring blocks by George P. B. Alderman; neighborhood homes across from Laurel Park
Elmwood
Elmwood
Elmwood
Coordinates: 42°11′45.33″N 72°37′28.32″W / 42.1959250°N 72.6245333°W / 42.1959250; -72.6245333Coordinates: 42°11′45.33″N 72°37′28.32″W / 42.1959250°N 72.6245333°W / 42.1959250; -72.6245333
Country United States
State Massachusetts
City Holyoke
Wards 3
Precincts 3A, 3B
Area[1]
 • Total 0.798 sq mi (2.07 km2)
Elevation[2] 253 ft (77 m)
ZIP code 01040
Area code(s) 413
GNIS feature ID 609000[2]

Elmwood is a neighborhood in Holyoke, Massachusetts located to the south of the city center, approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) from downtown. Elmwood is historically Holyoke's oldest village; predating the construction of the Hadley Falls Dam, it originated as part of the 3rd parish ("Ireland Parish") of West Springfield, and originally was known as Baptist Village as Holyoke's first and oldest congregation is the First Baptist Church, established in 1792.[3] Today the neighborhood contains many historic Victorian houses and about 510 acres (210 ha) of mixed residential and commercial zoning, as well as Holyoke High School, William R. Peck Middle School, Fitzpatrick Ice Skating Rink, and Mackenzie Stadium.[1][3]

History

Baptist Village's origins as a village can be traced to 1725, when the first 5 people were baptized by the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Boston in the Connecticut River directly east of the Elmwood Cemetery, between what is now Ingleside and Springdale.[4]:13

In the years following 1887, the neighborhood was developed further when William S. Loomis purchased a large tract of land to the southeast of Northampton and South Street. With plans to develop this plot into residential tracts, he approached the board of the Holyoke Street Railway, at that time operating a small system of horsecars, who promptly rejected his calls for extending their lines to Elmwood. Through the cooperation of allies and purchase of company stock, Loomis purchased a controlling interest in the company, and immediately moved forward with plans for this construction. The neighborhood would see considerable growth in the following years when these lines were electrified, offering accessible mass transit between the area and many of the factories in which its residents worked.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 Spatial analysis of "Holyoke Neighborhoods" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 August 2017. Retrieved 3 Jun 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Elmwood, Holyoke, Massachusetts". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 3 Jun 2016.
  3. 1 2 "MACRIS inventory record for Elmwood, Holyoke". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2014-06-18.
  4. ↑ Clark, Rusty (2006). Stories Carved in Stone: Holyoke, Massachusetts. West Springfield, Mass.: Dog Pond Press.
  5. ↑ Cutter, William Richard; Crane, Ellery Bicknell; Gardner, Eugene C.; Read, Charles French; Ballard, Harland Hoge; Rantoul, Robert Samuel; Lockwood, John H.; Dyer, E. Alden (1916). Encyclopedia of Massachusetts, Biographical–Genealogical. 6. Boston: The American Historical Society, Inc. pp. 7–9.


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