Mittineague

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Print of Mittineague, Massachusetts by L.R. Burleigh Mittineague, Mass. (2674695712).jpg
Print of Mittineague, Massachusetts by L.R. Burleigh

Mittineague is a neighborhood along the Westfield River in Southern West Springfield, Massachusetts. Two smaller parts of the neighborhood are Mittineague Falls, and Mittineague Park (the actual park and surrounding area).

Westfield River river in the United States of America

The Westfield River is a major tributary of the Connecticut River located in the Berkshires and Pioneer Valley regions of western Massachusetts. With four major tributary branches that converge west of the city of Westfield, it flows 78.1 miles (125.7 km) before its confluence with the Connecticut River at Agawam, across from the city of Springfield's Metro Center district. Known for its whitewater rapids and scenic beauty, the Westfield River provides over 50 miles (80 km) of whitewater canoeing and kayaking, in addition to one of the largest roadless wilderness areas remaining in the Commonwealth.

West Springfield, Massachusetts City in Massachusetts, United States

West Springfield is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 28,391 at the 2010 census. The city is also known as "West Side", in reference to the fact that it is on the western side of the Connecticut River from Springfield, a fact which played a major part in the town's early history.

Mittineague Park is an approximately 325-acre (1.32 km2) urban park located in the southern section of the town of West Springfield, Massachusetts. The park contains a wide range of services typical of a park of this type, including many baseball/softball diamonds, and trails for hiking or cross-country skiing. It has a large pavilion, and a building that is used as a summer camp for children with special needs. Special events are scheduled at the park, including events for children. It contains a greenhouse and a community garden. There is an interpretive trail created by the "Friends of Mittineague Park".

Contents

History

They area of Mittineague was first settled in 1739. The area was not highly valued until a railroad from Worcester, MA to Boston was extended to Albany through Mittineague creating opportunities for industrial development, primarily the manufacturing of paper. [1] The mills and the Great Famine (Ireland) brought many Irish immigrants who developed Mittineague into a thriving village within West Springfield. . Between 1850 and 1860 the population of the town nearly doubled. The Agawam Paper Co., the Mittineague Paper Co., the Strathmore Paper Co., the Worthy Paper Co.and the Southworth Paper Co. were the most prominent of the mills found along the banks of Mittineague Falls. [2]

Boston Capital city of Massachusetts, United States

Boston is the capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city proper covers 48 square miles (124 km2) with an estimated population of 685,094 in 2017, making it also the most populous city in New England. Boston is the seat of Suffolk County as well, although the county government was disbanded on July 1, 1999. The city is the economic and cultural anchor of a substantially larger metropolitan area known as Greater Boston, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) home to a census-estimated 4.8 million people in 2016 and ranking as the tenth-largest such area in the country. As a combined statistical area (CSA), this wider commuting region is home to some 8.2 million people, making it the sixth-largest in the United States.

Great Famine (Ireland) Famine in Ireland, 1845-1849

The Great Famine, or the Great Hunger, was a period in Ireland between 1845 and 1849 of mass starvation, disease, and emigration. With the most severely affected areas in the west and south of Ireland, where the Irish language was primarily spoken, the period was contemporaneously known in Irish as An Drochshaol, loosely translated as the "hard times". The worst year of the period, that of "Black 47", is known in Irish as Bliain an Drochshaoil. During the famine, about one million people died and a million more emigrated from Ireland, causing the island's population to fall by between 20% and 25%.

In 1870, Mitteneague (now Mittineague) School was built, and had a student body of around 250. A "station" church was established on Pine St. and within a few years became the independent parish of St. Thomas the Apostle. [3] By the early 1900s, the population slowly dropped, and making the population around 1,500. By the 1950s, the population slowly rose again to its current population, 2,544 (2010).

Schools

There is one school in West Springfield Public Schools called Mittineague Elementary. A private school in the neighborhood is St. Thomas the Apostle School.

Mittineague Elementary is an elementary school in the neighborhood of Mittineague on Second Street in the city of West Springfield, Massachusetts. It is about 1 mile from Town Hall in downtown. The school offers Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3, Grade 4, and Grade 5.

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Horace Augustus Moses (1863-1947) was a prominent industrialist and profound social engineer who founded Mittineague Paper Company in West Springfield, Massachusetts, which later became Strathmore Paper Company. He is also noted for his involvement in forming Junior Achievement and for property transactions with the Boy Scouts of America. Moses was also an active member of the board at Green Mountain Junior College. Moses Hall, on the campus of Green Mountain College is named for Mr. Moses, whose donations helped build the hall in 1912, and keep it up for many years after his death.

The Mill River is a 1.25-mile (2.01 km) long 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 bemoan the loss of the Mill River as a recreational area, and hope to gain greater access to both it and Connecticut Rivers 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.

West Springfield is a suburb of Springfield, Massachusetts located on the west bank of Connecticut River.

References

  1. Massachusetts Historical Commission (April 1982). "MHC Reconnaissance Survey Town Report West Springfield" (PDF). www.sec.state.ma.us/mhc. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  2. "West Springfield; Her Material, Social and Religious Life; Advantages and Possibilities". Western New England. January 1913. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  3. "St. Thomas the Apostle". St. Thomas the Apostle. Retrieved June 29, 2016.