Springfield, Massachusetts, USA (Indian Orchard)
1895 - Springfield

Springfield, a city and seat of justice of Hampden co., Mass., is situated on the left bank of the Connecticut River, at the intersection of the New York, New Haven & Hartford, New York & New England, and Connecticut River Railroads with the Boston & Albany Railroad, 98 miles W. by S. of Boston, 58 miles S. of Brattleborough, Vt., 102 miles E.S.E. of Albany, and 138 miles N.N.E. of New York. Lat. 42°6’ 4" N.; Lon. 72° 35' 45" W. This is one of the handsomest and most flourishing inland towns in the state. The various railways centring here bring to it an immense amount of travel; its natural advantages also render it one of the most important commercial depots on the Connecticut. The city is pleasantly situated in the midst of varied and delightful scenery. The site comprises the level along the river-bank, and the W. £ of an elevated plain extending several miles E. Main street, the principal thoroughfare and seat of business, is a broad, handsome avenue, over 3 miles in length. This and other streets, parallel or nearly parallel to it and to the river, are intersected by those extending from the Connecticut to the plain above mentioned. In the centre is a beautiful enclosure, adorned with walks and shade-trees. The buildings are generally constructed of brick. Among the public buildings may be mentioned the city hall, a court-house of granite, city library, high-school house, and the churches, of which there are 36 of the various denominations. The city contains 15 banks, with an aggregate capital of $3,600,000, 4 savings-banks, and 4 insurance companies. There are a large number of hotels in Spring field, affording excellent accommodation to the traveller. The means of education are liberally provided, and the public schools generally are in a very flourishing condition. our daily and 5 weekly newspapers and 2 monthly magazines are published here. The United States Armory, established at Springfield in 1795, is the most extensive in the Union, and is chiefly situated on an eminence called Armory Hill, about 3 mile E. of Main street. The buildings are of brick, and are arranged around a fine square of over 30 acres. The arsenal tower commands a beautiful view of the city and surrounding country. The machine shops occupy a site on Mill River, about a mile S. of the armory proper. During the civil war the armory furnished employment to about 2800 hands, making nearly 1000 muskets per day, but generally about 450 men are employed in it. About 275,000 stand of arms are constantly stored in the arsenal. The water-power of Mill River is also employed for various mills and mechanical works, Spring field has manufactures of cotton goods, woollen goods, rail road-cars, engines, machinery, buttons, pistols, spectacles, carriages, paper, furniture, trunks, cards, picture-frames, bricks, locks, and jewelry. The capital of its industries, as given in the census of 1890, was $10,524,457, and the product $16,191,456. The city is lighted with gas and electricity, and supplied with pure water from Ludlow, 10 miles distant, by works costing $1,646,000. The capacity of the main storage reservoir is 2,132,817,000 gallons. Four bridges, one for the Boston & Albany Railroad, the others for ordinary travel, here cross the Connecticut and connect the city with West Springfield and Agawam. Three of these bridges, including the double-tracked railroad bridge, are of iron; the other is the old wooden bridge, 1324 feet long. The electric street-railway has 9 branches and about 25 miles of tracks. Forest Park, with over 350 acres, part wooded and part highly cultivated, was recently given to the city, and is being improved yearly. This place was settled in 1635, under its Indian name, Agawam. In 1640 it received the name of Springfield. It was incorporated as a city in 1852. Pop. in 1840, 10,958; in 1850, 11,766; in 1860, 15,199; in 1870, 26,703; in 1880, 33,340; in 1890, 44,179.

Lippincott's Gazetteer of the World: A Complete Pronouncing Gazetteer Or Geographical Dictionary of the World Containing Notices of Over One Hundred and Twenty-five Thousand Places ... Joseph Thomas January 1, 1895 J.B. Lippincott

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