McKenney Electrical Company is the last commercial building in Holyoke, located on Route 5 near the Easthampton town line.
The subject of this post relates to the prior business and ownership of this property, remotely located away from Holyoke's core industrial area. The look of the building's exterior had an early 20th-century feel, so my interest in learning more about this was heightened.
On August 7, 1928, William A. Underwood sold a tract of land to Wilbur A. Parsons, an electrical contractor who lived nearby at 115 East St. in Easthampton. The property is on the east side of the state road leading from Holyoke to Northampton and just south of Mt. Tom Junction.
On August 16, 1928, Mr. Parsons received a permit from the city of Holyoke to construct an 88'x41' one-story mill building at an estimated cost of $8,000. He planned to move his Bartlett Box Company business from Northampton because of the advantages of the exceptionally low cost of electricity and a low tax rate. It employed 12-15 workers, and its principal business activity was building wooden boxes and selling kindling wood and sawdust.
In 1929, Mr. Parsons was approved to build an addition for $2,000. Frank A. Bartlett, who lived in Easthampton, managed the company. After 1931, only Wilbur Parsons was identified as related to this business.
Beginning in 1936, the business name was changed to the Mt. Tom Box Shop, which it carried until it ceased operations in the mid-1960s. This is not to be confused with Mt. Tom Box Company, an entirely unrelated business.
Little information about this business was discovered besides the Holyoke City Directories continuum. Wilbur A. Parsons died on June 2, 1963.
On May 8, 1968, the descendants of Wilbur Parsons sold the property to Donald C. and Elizabeth B. McKenney. McKenney Electrical Company moved its business from 110 Appleton Street. Established in 1959, family members continue to operate this corporation in 2025.
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