Holyoke: The Skinner Family and Wistariahurst (MA) (Images of America) [Paperback]

Kate Navarra Thibodeau (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 13, 2006

Born in England in 1824, William Skinner was a tradesman who, at 19, immigrated to the United States. Skinner turned his skill and resourcefulness into a tremendous success. He first went to work in Northampton and eventually opened the Unquomonk Silk Mills in nearby Haydenville. Skinner would have remained there had a flood not destroyed his business. He built a new mill along the canals in Holyoke, one of America's first planned industrial cities, and moved his family home, Wistariahurst, to the city by dismantling it piece by piece. Residing in Holyoke for eight decades, the Skinner family contributed greatly to the community. Holyoke: The Skinner Family and Wistariahurst contains a rich legacy of photographs, letters, journals, and oral histories that provide an amazing view into life at Wistariahurst and the adventures of the family and their servants.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Kate Navarra Thibodeau holds a master's degree in American history from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She is a public historian and curator of Wistariahurst.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing; 1 edition (March 13, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738539449
• ISBN-13: 978-0738539447
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,897,924 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An interesting look into a part of Western Mass history, March 27, 2006

By 

J. Skinner "olentzero" (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Holyoke: The Skinner Family and Wistariahurst (MA) (Images of America) (Paperback)

Those who know something about the histories of Hampden and Hampshire Counties in Massachusetts are sure to be familiar with the Mill River disaster of 1874 and how it shaped the destinies of the towns it affected and those it didn't, as well as the people and families who survived that preventable tragedy. This book offers a quick but well-rounded glimpse into the private lives of one family who attained prominence both before and after the flood nearly ruined them. This collection of photographs makes an excellent companion volume to Elizabeth Sharpe's "In the Shadow of the Dam".

On a more personal note, I would like to thank Ms. Thibodeau for providing me with what are probably the highest-quality pictures of my great-great-grandfather Thomas Skinner I will ever possess.