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History of Northampton, Massachusetts, USA
Journey back in time to Northampton, Massachusetts, USA
Explore the history, people, photographs, newspapers, postcards, and genealogy connected to Northampton, Massachusetts, USA.
About Northampton
Northampton is also known as Norwottuck, or Nonotuck, meaning "the midst of the river", named by its original Pocumtuc inhabitants. According to various accounts, Northampton was named by John A. King (1629–1703), one of its original settlers, or possibly in King's honor, since it is supposed that he came to Massachusetts from Northampton, England, as he was born there.
kids.kiddle.co
Northampton includes: Mount Tom, North Farms, West Farms, Bay State, Florence, Laurel Park, and Leeds. netronline.com
Florence, or Broughton’s Meadow as it was originally called, was one of America’s early manufacturing centers. 1n 1837, Samuel Whitmarsh established the area’s first silk mill along the Mill River. historic-northampton.org
Northampton Nostalgia: Vintage Photos, Ads, and Postcards

Source: Print Collection portrait file. / B / Jos. Bowers
Location: Stephen A. Schwarzman Building / Print Collection, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs
NYPL Digital Gallery

Crown Sewing Machines and Florence Oil Stoves
The Florence Machine Co.
Florence, Mass.
Just prior to the Civil War, Leander Langdon invented and patented a sewing machine. Just five years later, the Florence Sewing Machine Company produced 20,000 sewing machines a year. By the 1870s, it was also producing stoves, becoming the Florence Machine Company... historic-northampton.org

The Academy of Music Theatre is located in and owned by the City of Northampton, Massachusetts, which received the deed in 1892 from former owner and builder Edward H. R. Lyman. It opened in 1891 and was the first municipally owned theater in the United States. wikipedia

Florence Manufacturing Company
110 Pine Street, Florence, Mass.
The Ladies' Home Journal
January 1898
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"Northampton is unusually well-equiped, for a city of its size, with high-class hotels and restaurants. The Draper, the most prominent hotel in Northampton, is favorably known throughout the country as a result of its entertaining well the people from almost everywhere who are drawn to Northampton by college exercises and by business affairs. The Draper compares favorably in quality with hotels in large cities. The rathskeller is particularly well known among men who have occasion to visit Northampton. The hotel aims to provide its patrons with whatever they wish and to its excellent dining room and rathskeller has recently been added a “self-service” restaurant and lunch room where one may get a wholesome meal in a short time and at small cost. The Draper offers both American and European rates."
"Industrial Northampton", Western New England (Vol. I, No. 11, October, 1911)

Mt. Holyoke in distance
"The Hockanum Ferry ran from Hadley, Massachusetts, on the East to Northampton on the West, providing a vital connection for farmers and merchants needing to sell their wares and for travelers going to Northampton to visit friends, family or to shop. There was a long rope stretched from bank to bank. The ferryman would load up his barge with goods, people, and wagons, and pull it across using this rope. The word "Hockanum" means hook or hook-shaped in the Algonquian language group. The river "hooks" at the point where the ferry ran." americancenturies.ma.edu

"Built in 1909, Talbot House was originally part of the Capen School, a private school run by Miss Bessie Capen in the early 1900s. The house became a Smith College residence when Smith acquired the Capen School property in 1921..." smith.edu

Dedicated October 12, 1939

"Look Memorial Park, consisting of over one hundred and fifty acres, was a gift from Mrs. Fannie Burr Look in memory of her late husband. She provided the land, funds for its development, and a trust fund to help with upkeep. Mr. Look was the chief executive of the Prophylactic Brush Company in Florence from 1877 to 1911. The park was first opened to the public in 1930..." lookpark.org
Genealogy gifts & optional resources
Genealogy Gifts & Resources Related to NORTHAMPTON

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Discover Northampton: History, News, Travel, and Stories
Explore the events, newspaper stories, people, and moments that shaped Northampton through the years.
Chief town of Hampshire county. This is a very beautiful town, delightfully situated on the west bank of Connecticut river, and united to Hadley by a bridge. Since the first settlement on the Connecticut basin, this town has been an important point of attraction. This was the third town settled on Connecticut river in this state. Its Indian name was Nonatuck. The soil of the town is alluvial and its products exuberant. Both before and since the division of the old county into three, this place has been the seat of justice. The buildings are handsome and the most important county offices are fire proof. A fine stream passes through the centre of the town, possessing a good water power, on which are manufactories and mills of various kinds.
The manufactures of Northampton consist of woolen and silk goods, boots, shoes, leather, paper, brooms, chairs, iron, tin, and cabinet wares, &c.; total value the year ending April 1, 1837, about $350,000. The...
The chief village is about a mile from Connecticut River, on the banks of which are some of the richest meadows in New England.
The foot-prints of immense birds in the rocks of this town and the towns south of it are exceedingly curious, as no such birds are now known to exist.
The scenery is beautiful, and the public and private buildings ornamental.
The Farmington Canal connects New Haven, on Long Island Sound, with Northampton, on the Connecticut.
Mill River, which runs through the town, affords excellent sites for factories of woollen cloth, silk, paper, &c, before it joins the Connecticut-Northampton, though long in the wilderness, was not disturbed by the Indians until Philip's War, when a few houses were burned. In the subsequent French and Indian wars, the whole town was fortified with a...
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It is bounded on the north by Williamsburg and Hatfield, east by the latter and Hadley, south by Easthampton, and west by Westhampton. The assessed area is 21,634 acres. This includes a long mountainous tract lying on the west bank of the Connecticut southeast of Easthampton. In the southern extremity of this tract rises Mount Tom, to the height of 1,214 feet, forming the grandest feature of the...
www.almanac.com
J. F. Barry of the firm of J. S. Barry & Son, proprietors of the Hampton hotel at Northampton, fell down an elevator shaft at the hotel at 10 o’clock last evening, sustaining injuries so severe that his condition was critical at an early hour this morning. Mr. Barry stepped into the shaft from the first floor and fell about 15 feet. His head came in contact with a beam at the edge of the pit, in the bottom of the shaft. The concussion of the brain which resulted was very severe, and there are grave fears that he may not recover. The door opposite the second floor. Mr. Osborne, the night clerk, also approached the shaft at the same time, with the intention of taking Mr. and Mrs. Caleb L. Thyaer to their rooms. Mr. Barry reached the door first, and unlocking it, slid it back. Without looking to see whether the elevator was opposite the first floor, he took a step forward and fell into the basement. Drs. Hoadley and...
The horses were owned by S. J. Hobbs of Holyoke, who had driven from that city with F. C. Richards of Williamsburg. The horses became frightened by an electric car, and both men were thrown out on Pleasant street. Mr. Hobbs received a severe injury to one of his arms, but no bones were broken. The horses separated themselves from the carriage before reaching the station. They took to the station platform on the side next to the tracks of the New Haven road, and then ran up the track. The railroad bridges, fortunately, ...
By Associated Press.
Washington, July 8. - Tentative plans for the funeral of Calvin Coolidge, Jr., who died at the Walter Reed Hospital last night of blood poisoning, are understood today to include a simple service at the White House at three tomorrow afternoon.
The body will then be taken to Northampton, Massachusetts, the Coolidge home, where another service will be held with burial Thursday at Plymouth, Vermont, where the President was born...
Downtown Northampton: Stroll through the lively downtown area, which is filled with boutiques, art galleries, restaurants, and cafes. It's a great place for shopping and people-watching.
Academy of Music Theatre: Catch a live performance at this historic venue. It hosts a variety of events, from concerts to theater productions.
Pulaski Park: Relax in this scenic park with green lawns, benches, and a playground. It's a perfect spot for a picnic or a leisurely afternoon.
The Calvin Theatre: Another great spot for live entertainment, The Calvin Theatre features concerts, comedy shows, and other performances.
Smith College Museum of Art: Art enthusiasts will appreciate the impressive collection of artworks, including pieces by renowned artists like Monet and Picasso.
Historic Northampton: Learn about the city's...
Discover YOUR Roots: Northampton Ancestry
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Ancestors Who Were Born or Died in Northampton, Massachusetts, USA
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