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Southwick, Massachusetts

Border irregularities of the United StatesSouthwick, MassachusettsSpringfield metropolitan area, MassachusettsTowns in Hampden County, MassachusettsTowns in Massachusetts
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Southwick Congregational Church, Southwick MA
Southwick Congregational Church, Southwick MA

Southwick is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 9,232 at the 2020 census, down from 9,502 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Southwick, Massachusetts (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Southwick, Massachusetts
College Highway,

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N 42.054722222222 ° E -72.770833333333 °
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College Highway 473
01077
Massachusetts, United States
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Southwick Congregational Church, Southwick MA
Southwick Congregational Church, Southwick MA
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Hampshire and Hampden Canal
Hampshire and Hampden Canal

The Hampshire and Hampden Canal was the Massachusetts segment of an 86-mile (138 km) canal that once connected New Haven, Connecticut, to the Connecticut River north of Northampton, Massachusetts. Its Connecticut segment was called the Farmington Canal. The canal dates to 1821 when New Haven businessmen began to raise capital and investigate a possible canal route from their harbor to central Massachusetts, and on to Barnet, Vermont, and Canada beyond. In this original vision, the canal would pass through Farmington, Connecticut, to the border at Southwick, Massachusetts, then join the Connecticut River near Northampton, and from there continue to the St. Lawrence River through Lake Memphremagog and the valley of the St. Francis River. Two side canals were also envisioned: one running from Farmington through Unionville, Connecticut, to Colebrook, Connecticut; the other linking to the Erie Canal via the Hudson River or the proposed (but never built) Boston and Albany Canal. Benjamin Wright, the Erie Canal's chief engineer, was hired to conduct a preliminary survey from New Haven to Southwick, Massachusetts. In 1822 he gave a positive report: "The terrain is favorably formed for a great work of this kind and a canal may be formed for considerable less expense per mile, than the cost of canals now in the making in the state of New York." That same year, the Connecticut legislature granted a charter to the Farmington Canal Company, and on February 4, 1823, Massachusetts granted its corresponding charter to the Hampshire & Hampden Canal Company. After this second charter was granted, work began. Ground-breaking ceremonies took place on July 4, 1825, at the Massachusetts–Connecticut border. However, when Connecticut Governor Oliver Wolcott Jr. employed the ceremonial shovel, it broke in his hands, and this was perhaps emblematic of the canal companies' subsequent fate, as both were substantially under-capitalized and severe financial difficulties plagued their project throughout its existence. Despite these woes, however, construction proceeded with pick and shovel, and by 1828 the canal was open for business from New Haven to Farmington, including its major aqueduct over the Farmington River. By 1835 the complete route to Northampton was finished and operating. When completed, the canal was 86 miles (138 km) long, of which 56 miles (90 km) were in Connecticut and 30 miles (48 km) in Massachusetts. It measured 36 feet (11 m) across on the water's surface, 20 feet (6.1 m) across at the bottom, and 4 feet (1.2 m) deep. Twenty-eight locks were constructed to navigate the 292-foot (89 m) rise in elevation between New Haven and Granby. A further 3.5 miles (5.6 km) of branch canal were constructed to Unionville, later turned into a feeder for the main canal. Financial strains continued, however, and the two canal companies merged to form the New Haven & Northampton Canal Company. A major threat to the canal came in 1838 with the opening of the New Haven Railroad between New Haven and Meriden, Connecticut. Although the canal company took out further loans in the 1840s to improve its efficiency, its stockholders finally petitioned the General Assembly for authority to build a railroad on their canal bed. A charter was granted, and construction commenced in January 1847. The canal closed later that year, and by 1848 trains were running from New Haven to Plainville along the canal's right of way. The company's name remained unchanged, and it kept many of the same investors. It eventually merged with the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad in 1887.

Westfield Municipal Building
Westfield Municipal Building

Westfield Municipal Building is a historic building at 59 Court Street in Westfield, Massachusetts. It presently houses the Westfield city offices and the local district court. It was built in 1889 to house the state normal school (now Westfield State University), serving in that role until its acquisition by the city in 1959. The building was designed by the architectural firm of Hartwell and Richardson. The second partner was William Cummings Richardson, not H. H. Richardson, but the design of this building, only a few years after the latter's death, was strongly influenced by his distinctive style.The building has an L shape, with a front facade of 140 feet (43 m). The main block is 65 feet (20 m) deep, and the ell extending off the east side is 55 feet (17 m) deep. It rests on a granite foundation, and is made of red brick with brownstone trim. There are two entrances on the front facade, each under classic Richardsonian arches, with additional entrances on the east side and the rear. In its first use as a training school, the first floor included a reception area, science classrooms, and training classrooms for elementary grades. The second floor housed a study hall and assembly hall capable of holding the whole student population (about 175), as well as the principal's office, science laboratories, other classrooms, and studio space for artistic disciplines. There was a gymnasium in the basement.The exterior of the building received only modest modifications when the city took over the building in 1959, although it was extensively remodeled inside. Two brick additions were added, one on the east side as vault space, and the other on the north side for storage. The entrance formerly used by the school now serves as the district court entrance, providing access to the clerk's office, a courtroom, and probation offices. The remainder of the building has been converted for the use of a number of city departments.The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, and as part of an expanded Westfield Center Historic District in 2013.