The long, hot days of summer called upon local residents to find cooling waters and some relaxing times. One story has already been told, that of Depression Beach, located just north of the current-day Joseph E. Muller Bridge. Today’s story entails a Holyoke baseball legend of the late 19th and early 20th centuries who had an idea for a beach on the Connecticut River.
James Bertram Collopy was born in Watervliet, New York, on August 15, 1869. During the 1870s, his family moved to Holyoke, where they resided at 75 Elm Street. On March 1, 1880, his father, John Collopy, died.
In 1890, James was identified in the City Directory as a carpenter residing at 124 Beech Street. His true passion was baseball, where he was an outstanding infielder. He played for various professional teams in New York State, Pennsylvania, and New England, and later coached professional teams and at the University of Vermont.
In 1915, James Collopy opened a bathhouse with lockers on the shore of the Connecticut River in Smith’s Ferry. The entrance leading to the beach was opposite the Holyoke Country Club. As will be seen in future chapters, the B & M Railroad owned the land and leased it to the beach operators at will.
The site selected at Rocky Point was one of the best sandy beach locations on the river. It was considered exceptional when compared to many seaside resorts. Adult bathers at this location could walk to almost the middle of the river before the water level reached their necks.
His plan was to build a resort-type facility, which would accommodate about 50 people. Once opened, the Holyoke Street Railway made additional runs to the beach area.
In June 1920, it was announced that Collopy Beach was operating under new management. Mr. Collopy moved to Winooski, Vermont, where he was a baseball infield coach at the University of Vermont.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican; publication dates and pages are shown.
Ancestry.com (paid subscription): including Price & Lee Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directories
No comments:
Post a Comment