Highlands, Holyoke, Massachusetts Explained

The Highlands is a neighborhood in Holyoke, Massachusetts located northwest of the city center, adjacent to the downtown. Originally a series of farms and estates, it was first known as Manchester Grounds, as the area's land was reportedly purchased by a company of landowners from Manchester, New Hampshire soon after Holyoke was first chartered, in 1852. However while this name persisted for much of the 19th century, these holders would default on their estates by 1856.^[3] The area was further divided into new building lots in the 1870s and saw considerable development as a streetcar suburb when the Holyoke Street Railway completed an extension to the area in 1886.^{[4] [5] [6]} Another early name for the section between Lincoln and Hampden streets was Money Hole Hill, a name also used by Mary Doyle Curran in her portrayal of the neighborhood in her novel The Parish and the Hill.^{[7] [8]} By 1897 the neighborhood had been christened its present name for its higher elevation at the foot of the Mount Tom Range.^[9] Today the neighborhood contains many historic Victorian houses and about 400acres of predominantly residential zoning with some commercial development, as well as the Kennedy and Morgan Street Parks.^{[1] [3]}

Notes and References

1. Spatial analysis of Web site: Holyoke Neighborhoods. 3 Jun 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20170802205322/http://www.holyoke.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/neighborhoods.pdf. 2 August 2017.
2. 609019. Highlands, Holyoke, Massachusetts. 3 Jun 2016.
3. Web site: MACRIS inventory record for Highlands, Holyoke. Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 2014-06-18.
4. News: Holyoke's Fine Trolly System; Its Expansion From a Two-Mile Horse Car Line in 1884 to Its Present Great Proportions. September 2, 1923. 37. Springfield, Mass..
5. News: Holyoke. December 18, 1874. 6. Springfield Republican. Springfield, Mass.. The acceptance of Allyn's new streets on Manchester grounds has been postponed until spring to allow of further grading on Pearl street. Building in this section still continues quite lively....
6. News: Building Lots at Holyoke on the Manchester Grounds, at Auction [Advertisement]. 1. Springfield Republican. Springfield, Mass. September 1, 1874.
7. Book: Barrows, Charles Henry. An Historical Address Delivered Before the Citizens of Springfield in Massachusetts at the Public Celebration, May 26, 1911, of the Two Hundred and Seventy-fifth Anniversary of the Settlement. 59. Connecticut Valley Historical Society. 1916.
8. 108 . Haeber . Jonathan . From Main to High: Consumers, Class, and the Spatial Reorientation of an Industrial City. May 2013. MA. University of Massachusetts Amherst. https://web.archive.org/web/20170323162122/http://www.terrastories.com/holyoke/thesis.html. March 23, 2017.
9. News: Boston Sunday Globe. Boston. November 14, 1897. 62. Holyoke; Mayor Smith Indorsed [sic] in the Caucuses— Old Names of Suburban Villages. Many residents could not understand why 'Manchester Grounds' was not good enough for a title for the section now known as the 'Highlands.' Some of the people at the time the change was made openly declared that a small majority, who thought the latter name was a little more modern and stylish. At any rate, it is thought by all that the Highlands is both picturesque and perfectly appropriate, as this section of the city stands on much higher ground than the other portions of Holyoke, and from here may be obtained, on clear days, a pretty good view of the business portion of the city.