An 1890s photo of the intersection of High and Dwight Streets, looking south, shows a vibrant downtown area with electric streetcars and awning-draped retail spaces. Several aspects of the corner location piqued my curiosity. Who owned this parcel of land when this building was constructed? What type of business did Griffin operate at the corner and for how long? What other businesses, if any, occupied this space in the nineteenth century?
Most of these questions will be answered throughout this blog installment.
The story begins with George Morris Wolcott, who was born in Southampton, Mass., on December 12, 1925. He was educated in the town’s schools as well as in Easthampton. In 1847, he arrived in Holyoke and opened a grocery store near the Patch, where there were approximately 200 shanties. This assembly was approximately located on the far west side of today’s Pulaski Park.
He moved his grocery store to the Exchange Block, where he opened a shoe business. In 1851, his interest turned to gold mining in California, but this did not suit him. He soon sold his interest and returned to Holyoke. He went to work maintaining the books for the Holyoke Water Power Co. (HWPCo), and then returned to the shoe business.
In 1877, a news article noted the difficulties of developing the land parcels south of High and along Dwight Streets for commercial use. At the time, the business district in Holyoke centered on High Street, north of Dwight Street. Many opined that customers would never cross over Dwight Street to shop.
It was between 1874 and 1877 (see maps below) that George Wolcott, who believed in the growth of Holyoke, defied the naysayers and constructed a building on a 90-foot-deep lot with 24 feet of frontage on High Street at the corner of Dwight Street. The lot was originally acquired by Cyrenius B. Wolcott from the Hadley Falls Company on November 1, 1848, and subsequently transferred to George M. Wolcott on March 10, 1862.
When built, it became the only commercial building on the entire western length of High Street south of Dwight Street. It didn’t take long for others to follow, with a massive building surge that filled the entire west side of High Street between Dwight and Suffolk Streets by 1884.
The first newspaper sighting of commercial use was in September 1880, when a music school opened in the Wolcott building. George Wolcott’s shoe and boot store is shown in the 1882 City Directory. He had been in business at 209 High Street. Due to failing health, including hearing impairment, he gave up the shoe business. In 1883, E. F. Osborne, Jr. operated his shoe and boot store from the 229 High Street location.
H. H. Gridley, a gas-saving regulator retailer, moved into 229 High Street in December 1885.
The mystery of the store name “Griffin” appearing above the awning in the photo above was solved on April 5, 1892, when Michael J. Griffin applied to the city for a license to sell intoxicating liquors for medicinal, mechanical, or chemical purposes, given that August F. Glessman opened his drug store at 229 High Street on December 5, 1894; the photo likely was taken between these two dates. Mr. Glessman continued to conduct business here until the early 20th century, when he relocated to 329 High Street.
As an aside, in 1911, the McAuslan-Wakelin Department Store expanded to include this property location.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican; Berkshire County Eagle (Pittsfield, Massachusetts: publication dates and pages are shown.
Ancestry.com (paid subscription): Price & Lee Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directories
1870 Atlas of Hampden County, Massachusetts, Beers, Ellis & Soule, New York
1874 Map of the City of Holyoke, Published by Loomis & Kirtland, Holyoke, Massachusetts
1884 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, George H. Walker & Company
1911 Richards Atlas of Holyoke, Massachusetts, Richards Map Company, Springfield, Massachusetts
No comments:
Post a Comment