Everett Barney | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | December 7, 1835 |
| Died | April 1, 1916 (aged 80) Orlando, Florida, U.S. |
| Resting place | Barney Mausoleum, Forest Park, Springfield, Massachusetts |
Everett Hosmer Barney (December 7, 1835 [1] -April 1, 1916) was an American businessman and inventor from Massachusetts.
Barney was born in Framingham, Massachusetts to Harriet Hosmer Barney (d. 1847) and Jaries Sidney Barney (d. 1859), [1] [2] the third oldest of an eventual six siblings. [3] : 41 His father worked as a manufacturer in Saxonville, producing machinery for woollen mills. Barney attended public school in Framingham. [1]
Barney was one of the first consumers to buy a Knox Automobile [4] in the early 1900s, [3] : 140 and brought the first bicycle to Springfield, Massachusetts. [3] : 137
He personally enjoyed skating [5] and canoeing, [6] having taken up the sport in 1883. [3] : 148 He won canoe meets at the Thousand Islands and Lake Champlain in 1886 and 1887, respectively. [3] : 148 He was a charter member of both the Springfield Canoe Association (incorporated 1885) and the Springfield Boat Club (incorporated 1892) and, in 1903, became a life member of the American Canoe Association. [3] : 157
Although not attached to any one church, Barney was said to have Congregationalist affiliations. [3] : 115
From 1905 to 1910, Barney was involved in multiple regional organizations, including the Connecticut Navigational Association, the Connecticut River Improvement Association, the Connecticut Valley Historical Society, the Home Market Club, and the Republican Club. [3] : 118
His only child, George Murray Barney, was born on March 27, 1863. He had "business talent," and took up canoeing after his father became interested in the sport. He died unexpectedly at age 26 on May 29 1889, from "lung fever". [3] : 95 Following his son's death, Barney constructed a mausoleum on the estate, in which his son was interred, [7] and in which he and his wife, Eliza Jane Knowles (1830-1905), [3] : 43 were also eventually interred. [8]
Barney died at his winter home in Orlando, Florida in 1916. [9] He also kept a winter home in Osprey, Manatee County, Florida. [3] : 115
In 1851, Barney was hired as a contractor at Hinkley & Drury's, a Boston-based company which made locomotives. [1] He traveled for his work with the firm, visiting locales such as St. Louis, Missouri. [3] : 93
In the late 1850s, Barney moved to Connecticut, where he worked for a gun manufacturer, producing Spencer carbines. He later worked for the manufacturer in their New York branch, where he was put in danger during the draft riots. [3] : 93 He then moved to Springfield, Massachusetts, to help another branch to help them finish a contract for the federal government. [3] : 94
In 1864, Barney took out a patent on clip-on ice skates, [1] the first person to do so. [10] He teamed up with a business partner, John Berry, whom he knew from work in Boston, [3] : 94 to form the Barney and Berry Company, which began produced the ice skates that same year [11] by leasing machinery from a gun factory. [3] : 94 The steel for the blades was produced in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, while the sheet steel for the tops was imported from England. [3] : 131 The company built a factory at the mouth of the Mill River in the South End of Springfield, Massachusetts in 1866; [2] [3] : 94 during its time in operation, it was a primary provider of jobs for Springfield workers. [2] In 1869, Barney bought Berry's share of the company, but retained the company's original name. [1] [3] : 94 In 1872, a factory was built on Broad Street. [3] : 94
In 1868 Barney invented and patented a perforation machine for banks. [1] His other inventions included the breech-loading shotgun, which was an improvement of the carbine, [3] : 135 , the saluting cannon for installation on boat decks, [5] and a "life-saving sled" that could be used on ice and water. [3] : 159
In 1882, Barney bought 110 acres of land in south Springfield near the Connecticut River. [1] Beginning in 1884, he had water gardens created, and gardens planted with plants imported from around the world. [3] : 94 [5] He hosted public concerts and allowed people to visit the estate to be able to watch boat races occurring on the river. [2] In 1883 or 1885, he built a mansion called Pecousic Villa on the estate. [3] : 94 [7]
In the 1890s, Barney donated his estate to the city to form part of the new public Forest Park, under the condition that he and his wife be allowed to live in his mansion until their deaths. [2] [8] [11] [12]
Barney funded the first public playground in Springfield, known as Fort Gallagher, which was located "along the river bank" on Wilcox Street. He also funded the construction of boathouses for a local high school. [3] : 115
Springfield is the most populous city in and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern Mill River. At the 2020 census, the city's population was 155,929, making it the third most populous city in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the fourth most populous city in New England after Boston, Worcester, and Providence. Metropolitan Springfield, as one of two metropolitan areas in Massachusetts, had a population of 699,162 in 2020.
Chicopee is a city located on the Connecticut River in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 55,560, making it the second-largest city in western Massachusetts after Springfield. Chicopee is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The communities of Chicopee Center (Cabotville), Chicopee Falls, Willimansett, Fairview, Aldenville, Burnett Road, Smith Highlands and Westover are located within the city.
Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, that lies between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,247. Located 8 miles (13 km) north of Springfield, Holyoke is part of the Springfield Metropolitan Area, one of the two distinct metropolitan areas in Massachusetts.
Samuel Slater was an early English-American industrialist known as the "Father of the American Industrial Revolution", a phrase coined by Andrew Jackson, and the "Father of the American Factory System". In the United Kingdom, he was called "Slater the Traitor" and "Sam the Slate" because he brought British textile technology to the United States, modifying it for American use. He memorized the textile factory machinery designs as an apprentice to a pioneer in the British industry before migrating to the U.S. at the age of 21.
The Springfield Armory, more formally known as the United States Armory and Arsenal at Springfield located in the city of Springfield, Massachusetts, was the primary center for the manufacture of United States military firearms from 1777 until its closing in 1968. It was the first federal armory and one of the first factories in the United States dedicated to the manufacture of weapons. The site is preserved as the Springfield Armory National Historic Site, Western Massachusetts' only unit of the national park system. It features the world's largest collection of historic American firearms.
Forest Park in Springfield, Massachusetts, is one of the largest urban, municipal parks in the United States, covering 735 acres (297 ha) of land overlooking the Connecticut River. Forest Park features a zoo, aquatic gardens, and outdoor amphitheater, in addition to design elements like winding wooded trails, and surprising, expansive views. The site of America's first public, municipal swimming pool, currently, during the holiday months Forest Park hosts a popular high-tech lighting display, known as Bright Nights. Contrary to popular belief, the park was not designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, although it was designed by his firm.
Daniel Baird Wesson was an American inventor and firearms designer. He helped develop several influential firearm designs over the course of his life; he and Horace Smith were the co-founders of two companies named "Smith & Wesson", the first of which was eventually reorganized into the Winchester Repeating Arms Company and the latter of which became the modern Smith & Wesson.
The Sudbury River is a 32.7-mile-long (52.6 km) tributary of the Concord River in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States.
The Holyoke Canal System is a system of power canals in Holyoke, Massachusetts. It is split into three canals based on elevation and distance from the inlet at the Holyoke Dam- the First Level Canal, Second Level Canal, and Third Level Canal. Constructed over a period between 1847 and 1892, the Canal System, along with the Dam, is recognized as a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers for its use in the development of the Venturi meter by Clemens Herschel, the first means of measuring large-scale flows, and the McCormick-Holyoke Turbine by John B. McCormick, which doubled the efficiency of turbines to more than 80% in its time.
Chester William Chapin was an American businessman, president of the Boston and Albany Railroad from 1868 to 1878, and U.S. Congressman from Massachusetts. He was a multimillionaire at his death in 1883, and controlled one of New England’s most important rail lines.
Connecticut River Greenway State Park is a protected environment with public recreation features that consists of separate state land holdings, including open spaces, parks, scenic vistas, and archaeological and historic sites, along the Connecticut River in the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts. The state park includes critical wildlife and plant habitat as well as areas providing public access to the river in its run across the state and is intertwined with other protected land including farmland under state-held agricultural preservation restrictions, municipal and conservation land trust holdings, and state and national wildlife refuges.
Mount Tom State Reservation encompasses the Mount Tom Range and is located in the Connecticut River Valley region of Massachusetts, just north of the city of Springfield. The reservation is noted for its biologic diversity, high cliffs, and rugged scenery.
Irene E. Parmelee, her surname also spelled Parmely, was an American painter and portrait artist.
The Mill River is a 1.25-mile-long (2.01 km) tributary of the Connecticut River in Springfield, Massachusetts. It flows from Watershops Pond to its confluence with the Connecticut River. It is referred to as "The Miracle Mile" in a 2009 master's thesis that outlines possibilities for reclaiming the river's mouth as a recreational area. As of 2011, the final 350 feet (110 m) of the river, including its mouth, is confined in a pipe underneath Interstate 91, railroad tracks and a car dealership. Many Springfield residents have bemoaned the loss of the Mill River as a recreational area, and hope to gain greater access to both it and the Connecticut River in upcoming years. As it has for over a century, today the Mill River serves as a barrier between Springfield neighborhoods. Surrounding it are some of the most densely urbanized locations in Springfield.
The history of Springfield, Massachusetts dates back to the colonial period, when it was founded in 1636 as Agawam Plantation, named after a nearby village of Algonkian-speaking Native Americans. It was the northernmost settlement of the Connecticut Colony. The settlement defected from Connecticut after four years, however, later joining forces with the coastal Massachusetts Bay Colony. The town changed its name to Springfield, and changed the political boundaries among what later became the states of New England. The decision to establish a settlement sprang in large part from its favorable geography, situated on a steep bluff overlooking the Connecticut River's confluence with three tributaries. It was a Native American crossroad for two major trade routes: Boston-to-Albany and New York City-to-Montreal. Springfield also sits on some of the northeastern United States' most fertile soil.
The automotive industry in Massachusetts refers to a period of time from 1893 to 1989 when automobiles were manufactured in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts commercially. In the early years, the state produced more automobiles than Detroit, Michigan. During the 20th century, General Motors and the Ford Motor Company were producing automobiles at the Framingham Assembly and Cambridge Assembly, respectively.
Smith's Ferry is a neighborhood in Holyoke, Massachusetts, United States, located to the north of the city center, approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from downtown. The neighborhood prominently features the Mount Tom State Reservation, as well as the Mountain Park Amphitheater, the Dinosaur Footprints Reservation, and several other recreational and historic venues. Smith's Ferry is the second largest geographic division in Holyoke after Rock Valley, comprising roughly 3,800 acres (1,500 ha) of mixed residential, commercial, and recreational zoning.
Steiger's was a department store company of New England in the 19th and 20th centuries. Founded in Holyoke, Massachusetts in 1896, its flagship store for much of the company's history was in Springfield, Massachusetts. At the time of its purchase by May Department Stores, Steiger's was described as the last family-owned chain of department stores in New England.
Francis R. Richmond (1851-1907) was an American architect practicing in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Burrage Yale was an American tin ware manufacturer and Justice of the Peace from Wakefield, Massachusetts. He was the town treasurer and the largest employer in the city. He gave his name to Yale Avenue and Yale Fire Station. He was also the first postmaster recognized in Washington, D. C., and the cofounder of South Reading Academy, with abolitionist minister, Cyrus P. Grosvenor.
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