Main Street

From the collections of PVMA • Digital image © Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Assoc. • Image use information

About this item

The electric trolley was first introduced to Western Massachusetts in Springfield in 1889, and over the next decade trolley systems spread to the larger towns of the region. Starting around 1902, some regional networks were built in New England, particularly in the Boston area. By 1907, it was possible to take a trolley from Springfield to Worcester and on to Boston using different companies’ lines. In Greenfield, the Electric Street Railway Company began operation in June, 1895, with runs to Turners Falls and Millers Falls. Neighboring communities built their own rail lines, and by 1905, Greenfield was linked by trolley to Northampton, Amherst, Montague, and points in between. These companies consolidated that year into the Connecticut Valley Street Railway. By 1910, a well developed network of electric trolleys meant that a passenger could ride from Greenfield to Boston, New York, or Philadelphia. Trolley links connected cities all the way to Chicago, paralleling the existing steam lines. However, the rise of the automobile and labor costs meant that the street railways began to decline after World War I. The Connecticut Valley Street Railway went into bankruptcy in 1923. The system in and around Greenfield was purchased by the town in 1924, which resuscitated it, but the system collapsed during the Great Depression.

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Details

Item typePostcard
Documentary Photograph
PhotographerHugh C. Leighton Company, Manufacturers
Datecirca 1910
PlaceGreenfield, Massachusetts
TopicTransportation, Travel, Tourism
EraProgressive Era, World War I, 1900–1928
MaterialPaper
Process/FormatPhotography; Printing
Catalog #1999.03.0008
View this item in our curatorial database →
Hugh C. Leighton Company, Manufacturers, photographer. Main Street. Photograph. ca. 1910. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/1999-03-0008/. Accessed on October 7, 2024.

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