The construction of tenements and factories in the 1800s required many hands, including skilled labor from several trades. Today, we begin a four-part series detailing the lasting achievements of David McCormick and, later, his son, John J. McCormick. For over 50 years, the name McCormick was synonymous with expert-quality marble and granite stonework for a variety of building and personal uses.
David McCormick was born in Ireland on February 4, 1854. When he was 10 years old, his parents moved to Holyoke, where he attended the North Chestnut Street School. At an early age, he worked as an apprentice for the well-known Holyoke stone-cutting contractor John Marra, who operated his business at 34-36 Crescent Street.
In 1884, he formed a partnership with Jerome A. Jackson of Waterbury, Connecticut, to perform stonework. The business location selected for their granite, marble, freestone, and monument works was 318 Main Street, between Cabot and Spring Streets. Mr. Jackson moved from Waterbury and resided at 275 Main Street, while Mr. McCormick lived at 89 Race Street.
The company was named Jackson & McCormick, and the business was one of four stone cutters and dealers in Holyoke in 1885. In 1886, Mr. Jackson went to Springfield to manage the branch office there. The company employed stonecutters at the Longmeadow quarry.
The business soon had many project contracts. Listed below are many jobs performed over the partnership's 5 years.
1884- St. Jerome Temperance Society- curbing at St. Jerome Cemetery, using Fitzwilliam granite
1884- P. Green-curbing at St. Jerome Cemetery, using Fitzwilliam granite for a cemetery plot
1884- Patrick Greeley- cemetery lot ornamental coping and posts
1884- Waterbury, Connecticut, granite trimmings for a newly constructed building
1885- Holyoke Water Power Co.- stonework for 10 new houses on Walnut, near Cabot Street
1885- F. F. O'Neill for A. T. Tuttle- stonework for a new building at High & Essex Streets
1885- Mass. Agricultural College, Amherst- 2 carloads of granite and brownstone for the base of a 70' chapel tower ($6,000)
1885- Chase & Coolidge, Main Street- stonework for new building
1885- Phelps & Tower, Main Street- stonework for new building
1885- J. F. Coughlin, High Street- stonework for new building
1886- Farlow Brothers, Boston, brownstone trimmings for a new 7-story building ($25,000)
1886- Smith College, Northampton, stonework for new experimental station
1886- South Hadley French Catholic Cemetery- several Quincy granite monuments
1886- New Ward 3 Schoolhouse, Holyoke, stonework
1886- Sacred Heart School, Holyoke, stonework
1886- D. F. Donoghue- stonework, new Maple Street building
1886- M. E. Cummings- stonework, new Maple Street building
1886- J. S. Preston- Longmeadow stone frontage
1886- Danbury Bank, Connecticut- stonework
1886- Sheehan and O'Donnell family, St. Jerome Cemetery, granite sarcophagus (20 tons)
1887- Hamilton St. School, Holyoke- stonework for new building
1887- Casper Ranger- Quincy granite Gothic monument for his wife
1887- Talcott Library, Moody School, Northfield, Mass.- stonework
1887- 14 buildings, Holyoke and vicinity, stonework
1887- Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Church, Holyoke, stonecutting
1887- Blackington Building, North Adams- stonework (15 carloads)
1887- St. Jerome Temperance Society building- completion of stonework remodeling
1888- J. K. Morrill building, Appleton & Chestnut Streets- stonework
1888- J. S. Comins building, Appleton & High Streets- stonework
1888- A. O. H. building, Turners Falls- stonework
1888- P. Y. Barnum, Wademere, Bridgeport, CT- stonework ($6,000)
In October 1888, the partnership was dissolved when Jerome Jackson relocated to New York City and operated his own stone works business. Notable projects undertaken by Mr. Jackson were providing the stone for the Empire State Building and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.
In the next chapter, Mr. McCormick teams up with a new partner and continues the stonework trade.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican; publication dates and pages are shown.
Ancestry.com (paid subscription): Genealogy Records and Price & Lee, Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directories
No comments:
Post a Comment