Holyoke, MA - People-Named Places on Waymarking.com

The present day City of Springfield once included the land on both sides of the Connecticut River. In 1774 the land west of the Connecticut River was separated from Springfield and became the independent town of West Springfield. The northernmost parish of West Springfield was called the Third Parish, North Parish or most commonly the Irish Parish. In 1850 the Irish Parish separated from West Springfield and incorporated as an independent town. They adopted the name Holyoke, in honor of the early settler and explorer Elizur Holyoke.

The City of Holyoke is located in Hampden County, MA, on the west side of the Connecticut River and north of West Springfield. In the 2010 census, the City of Holyoke had a population of 39,880. It is considered part of the Springfield Metropolitan Area. Holyoke is one of the first planned industrial communities in America. It's known as the Paper City because of the many paper mills that sprung up along the canal system built by Irish immigarants on the east side of the city.

The Person:

Twenty year old Elizur Holyoke emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony from Tamworth in Staffordshire, England in 1637 or 1638. In 1640 he traveled to Springfield, Massachusetts and married Mary Pynchon, who was the daughter of William Pynchon, the founder of Springfield. He explored the area around Springfield in the 1650's when he was assigned the mission to survey a the exact boundaries of the Springfield settlement. During the King Phillips War he rose to the rank of Captain and was instrumental in the successfully defense of Springfield. Elizur Holyoke died in Springfield, MA on February 6, 1676

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