Holyoke Heritage State Park - Holyoke, MA
Posted by: 
nomadwillie
N 42° 12.281 W 072° 36.471
18T E 697481 N 4675272
Located at 221 Appleton St., Holyoke MA 01040
Waymark Code: WM8HZD
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 04/07/2010
Views: 5
The park's Visitors' Center features exhibits about paper manufacturing and Holyoke's industrial history. A slide show celebrates the city's rich blend of cultures and people. Special programs are offered year-round. The Children's Museum, the restored antique Holyoke Merry-Go-Round and the Volleyball Hall of Fame are also located within the park.
Outside the Visitors' Center, relax and have a picnic in the beautifully landscaped park overlooking Holyoke's three water power canals and several of the mill buildings. The historic railroad is not running at present, but when in operation it takes passengers on a 10 mile route through Holyoke and the surrounding countryside.
History
When Boston industrialists saw the water pouring over Hadley Falls, they were immediately impressed with its tremendous power and economic potential. 50 cotton mills and 4-1/2 miles of canals were soon constructed, making Holyoke an industrial giant in the middle of the 19th century. Immigrant workers flocked to the new city. Paper mills quickly overshadowed the original cotton mills, and soon Holyoke was manufacturing much of the world's fine writing paper. Water powered turbines, and the steam and electric machinery that replaced them pushed Holyoke to its peak around 1920. Today, the city offers a glimpse of another age in reclaimed mills, canals, workers' housing, and Victorian homes.
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