WMHC

The John Payson Williston Observatory is an astronomical observatory located at the highest point on the Mount Holyoke College campus. Constructed in 1881, the observatory is a modest building with a 24-inch Ritchey-Chretien reflector optical telescope. It is maintained and operated by the Mount Holyoke College Astronomy Department.

Mount Holyoke College is a private liberal arts historically women's college in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It is the oldest member of the historic Seven Sisters colleges, a group of elite historically women's colleges in the Northeastern United States.The college was founded in 1837 as the Mount Holyoke Female Seminary by Mary Lyon, a pioneer in education for women. A model upon which many other women's colleges were patterned, it is the oldest institution within the Seven Sisters schools, an alliance of East Coast liberal arts colleges that was originally created to provide women with education equivalent to that provided in the then men-only Ivy League. Mount Holyoke is part of the region's Five College Consortium, along with Amherst College, Smith College, Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst: through this membership, students are allowed to take courses at any other member institution. Undergraduate admissions are restricted to female, transgender, and nonbinary students. In 2014, it became the first member of the Seven Sisters to introduce an admissions policy that was inclusive to transgender students. However, all graduate programs are open to applicants regardless of gender. Unlike the open curriculums of the other liberal arts schools in the Five College Consortium, Mount Holyoke undergraduates are required to take at least one class each in the humanities, science or mathematics, social sciences, and foreign language, as well as a physical education requirement. The college's 800-acre (3.2 km2) campus includes the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum, the John Payson Williston Observatory, and a botanic garden, and awards the Glascock Prize annually. Alumni and affiliates include notable poets, authors, feminists, academics, entertainers, scientists, politicians, and civil rights activists, as well as recipients of the Nobel Prize, Pulitzer Prize, Olympic Gold Medal, Rhodes Scholarship, Emmy Award, Golden Globe, and Academy Award.

South Hadley ( (listen), HAD-lee) is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 18,150 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. South Hadley is home to Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley High School, Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School, and the Berkshire Hills Music Academy.

The First Congregational Church of South Hadley (also known locally as the Center Church) is a historic church building at 1 Church Street in the center of South Hadley, Massachusetts. Completed in 1895, it is a prominent local example of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture, designed by Henry J. Preston. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020. The congregation, founded in 1733, is affiliated with the United Church of Christ.

The Odyssey Bookshop is an independent bookstore in South Hadley, Massachusetts. In addition to an extensive trade book selection, The Odyssey is the exclusive provider of textbooks for Mount Holyoke College and hosts author readings and book club events.

The Mount Holyoke College Art Museum (established 1876) in South Hadley, Massachusetts, is located on the Mount Holyoke College campus and is a member of Museums10. It is one of the oldest teaching museums in the country, dedicated to providing firsthand experience with works of significant aesthetic and cultural value. The works in the museum's collection can be searched on the database maintained by the Five College Museums/Historic Deerfield.Working in conjunction with the Five College museums, its collection includes contemporary works from Asia, Europe, and the United States, as well as classical Egyptian, Greek, and Roman works. Other periods include medieval and Renaissance art. The collection was inaugurated by the purchase of Albert Bierstadt's Hetch Hetchy Canyon (oil, 1875) by Mrs. A. L. Williston and Mrs. E. H. Sawyer in 1876.In addition to the permanent collection, the museum offers multiple rotating exhibitions each year.In March 2016, the museum was named one of the "35 Best College Art Museums" in the nation by Best College Reviews.

The Mount Holyoke College Botanic Garden, in South Hadley, Massachusetts, United States, encompasses the Mount Holyoke College campus, an arboretum, numerous gardens, and the Talcott Greenhouse. It was first designated a botanical garden in 1878, with guidance from Lydia Shattuck, professor of botany. The construction of the Talcott Greenhouse complex, which houses the Botanic Garden's collection of non-hardy plants, began in 1896, after the original greenhouse was destroyed by fire, and was completed in 1899.The Botanic Garden serves as an outdoor teaching laboratory as well as a place to arrange and display plants on campus. The Talcott Greenhouse maintains a permanent collection in addition to space for research and teaching purposes.

The US Post Office—South Hadley Main is a historic post office at 1 Hadley Street in South Hadley, Massachusetts. Built in 1940 as part of a federal government jobs program, it is a prominent local example of simplified Classical Revival architecture. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.

The Woodbridge Street Historic District is a predominantly residential historic district in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It extends from the junction of Woodbridge Street and Silver Street north roughly to Woodbridge Terrace. This area was one of the first to be settled in South Hadley, and includes its oldest buildings, which date to the 1720s. It also has the community's highest concentration of high-quality 18th-century residential architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.The area that is now South Hadley was originally common land held by the citizens of Hadley. This status ended with a division of land among the taxpayers in 1720, with settlement following soon afterward. Woodbridge Street was then the principal road between Hadley and Amherst, and was where a number of new homes were erected in the following years. One of the district's oldest surviving structures, now the rear ell of 82 Woodbridge Street, was built by Joseph White in 1727. The area remained agricultural into the 20th century, and benefited from the early preservation efforts of philanthropist Joseph Allen Skinner, who funded the restoration of a number of its houses in the early 20th century.The district includes properties from 25 through 82 Woodbridge Street, and at 3 and 7 Silver Street. The majority of buildings in the district are houses that were built in the 18th and 19th centuries. One of the more notable properties is the Skinner Museum of nearby Mount Holyoke College, which is located in the former Prescott, Massachusetts congregational church. The 19th century Greek Revival church was relocated here Joseph Skinner in the 1930s when the construction of the Quabbin Reservoir necessitated the unincorporation of the small town.

The 2004 U.S. Women's Open was the 59th U.S. Women's Open, held July 1–4 at the Orchards Golf Club in South Hadley, Massachusetts, a suburb north of Springfield. The event was televised by ESPN and NBC Sports. Meg Mallon won her second U.S. Women's Open title, two strokes ahead of runner-up Annika Sörenstam. The 54-hole leader was Jennifer Rosales at 206 (−7), with Mallon, Sörenstam, and Kelly Robbins three strokes back at 209 (−4).In the final round, Mallon shot 65 (−6) to Sorenstam's 67 (−4), and Rosales fell down to fourth with a 75 (+4). It was Mallon's fourth and final major title; her first was thirteen years earlier in 1991, also at the U.S. Open.

Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School (PVPA) is a public charter school in South Hadley, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1996 as part of the Massachusetts Educational Reform. It was originally located in Hadley, Massachusetts, but relocated to South Hadley for its tenth year in 2005.

South Hadley High School is a secondary school in South Hadley, Massachusetts, United States, for students in grades 9–12. The school has a student population of just over 700. The school's name is frequently referred to as "SHHS".