With the growing population of Holyoke in the late 19th and early 20th centuries came a need for cemetery monuments. One of the notable granite and marble monument businesses was H. M. Cook, located on Railroad Street near Dwight Street. Railroad Street was later renamed Heritage Street.
Horace M. Cook was born in Portland, Maine, in 1854. At an early age, he lived in Westbrook, Maine, and by 1871, his family moved to Springfield, Massachusetts.
In 1874, Horace M. Cook (H. M.) was working for his father, John H. Cook, who was conducting business as J. H. Cook & Company. The monument works produced tablets, monuments, and curbing. Its advertisement showed it specialized in Scotch Granite and Brown Stone Monuments. The business was located at 375 1/2 Main Street in Springfield.
The first indication of his relocation to Holyoke appeared in the 1885 Price & Lee, Holyoke City Directory, showing his residence as the Windsor Hotel, and his business, Holyoke Monument Works, across the street in the railroad yard near the corner of Railroad and Dwight Streets.
On October 8, 1888, Horace M. Cook purchased the William E. Syms home at 190 Pine Street. Mr. Syms was associated with the Dudley & Syms Paper Company as its mill manager and superintendent.
The Holyoke Transcript wrote glowingly about Mr. Cook's creativity and artistry in his stonework. In an account on Memorial Day 1892, the Transcript noted:
Thomas F. Kegan monument: "...the general style is graceful and is in keeping with the idea that a cemetery is something besides a stone yard, and to obtain the best landscape effects, the monuments should all stand low."
J. W. Prouty monument: "...a monument of granite, cottage style, granite and dome-shaped top. On the cap is the letter P in old English type.
Thomas Anderson monument: "...white marble is of the cottage style with traced work for ornamentation. One of the neatest stones bears the name Daisy, on its top in polished letters, and the name carries pleasant memories to the many who knew and loved this young girl whose life it commemorates."
For much of his time spent living in Holyoke, he resided at 190 Pine Street. The business was advertised for sale on October 1, 1918. On October 15, 1919, Horace M. Cook sold his residence and moved to Hartford, Connecticut, where he resided closer to his two daughters, who lived in Windsor and Hartford.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican; publication dates and pages are shown.
Registry of Deeds, Hampden County, Springfield, Massachusetts
Price & Lee, City of Holyoke (Massachusetts) City Directories
Assessors' Office, City of Holyoke, Massachusetts
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