Southwick Inn Chronology
(This article was originally part of the "From Today's Motorcycle Ride" series, the predecessor to the Southwick Time Machine.)
We ride over to the Southwick Inn for lunch. As we enter the foyer, a beautifully enlarged, framed picture of the Southwick Inn from years past greets us. More old photos of this historic structure adorn the walls inside the restaurant/bar area.
The Southwick Inn has been owned and run by various people. For a long time, it was named the "Southwick Hotel."
Southwick Inn Chronology
c. 1780: A tavern is built on the site of today's Southwick Inn. The property consists of several acres, a house, a barn, and other outbuildings.
1846: A fire breaks out in the Southwick Hotel's barn in November. People rush to remove the furniture from the house, which is saved with "great difficulty." However, the fire destroys the barn and 15-to-20 tons of hay. The losses sustained by proprietor S.B. Hodgett are estimated to be around $250.00.
1860: On January 21, Martin Taylor, the keeper of the Southwick Hotel, cuts a hole in the ice at Southwick Ponds to do some fishing when his silver pocket watch falls into the water. He returns to the lake two days later and successfully fishes his timepiece out of 15-ft deep water using a homemade rake whose teeth are made of penny nails. The watch reportedly still works. Willis Dibble, one of the best-known traveling salesmen in the region, is on the road in N.Y. when lightning strikes, burning the barns and sheds on his Southwick property in August. The underinsured outbuildings burn to the ground. He also loses a substantial amount of hay, grain, farming tools, and other equipment. He likely reads about his misfortune in the newspaper. He is briefly committed to the Northampton Insane Asylum.
1861: Ashes in a bin in the cellar of the Southwick Hotel catch fire. It is put out before any serious damage is done.
1868: Martin Taylor buys the Southwick Hotel (and farm) from J. W. Root for $6,500. (It is believed that Root was Taylor's brother-in-law.)
1869: State constables pay a visit to the Southwick Hotel (aka:" Union House") on Thanksgiving Day. They confiscate about 30 gallons of "strong drink" from hotel proprietor Chester Curtis. In court, he pleads guilty, and a judge orders him to pay $15.
c. 1871: Edmund Hunt and his wife purchase the Southwick Hotel from Chester Curtis.
1873: Willis Dibble is savagely beaten by the young Vining boys who, in an unprovoked attack at "the hotel in Southwick" in November, hit him with a chair and their fists. He survives the violent assault, but he is never the same. (See separate story)
1880: On March 4, Willis Dibble commits suicide by cutting his throat ear-to-ear with a razor. On their way home from Southwick Ponds on August 1, three Westfield boys stop by the Southwick Hotel. They get into an argument over two girls. One of the boys is arrested and fined $7.50 for disturbing the peace.
1881: After the horse he rented returns to the stable without him, the body of David Levett (24), a former clerk and horse trader at the Southwick Hotel, is found murdered in his carriage in Agawam, on December 1. (See separate story.)
1883: Joseph Bennett Loomis (24) of Southwick is hung on March 8 for killing his friend and former classmate, David Levett. Reading a confession before an audience of 150, he blames rum for the murder. He is buried in Southwick Cemetery.
1884: Walter Dobbins buys the Southwick Hotel.
1886: In October, Walter Dobbins appears in court on a charge of illegal liquor selling. He is acquitted.
1887: Walter Dobbins, once again charged with illegal liquor selling, is arraigned in district court on December 6.
1888: Walter Dobbins, slowly recovering from illness, sells his Southwick Hotel property to Henry Smith for $5,400. The February sale includes the hotel, farm, outbuildings, and furnishings. Dobbins recovers and buys the Lake House later this same year.
1892: The Tobacco Growers' Association of Southwick holds their first social and dinner at the Southwick Hotel on September 19, with Fred M. Arnold presiding.
1894: Martin Taylor dies from lockjaw on September 21. He is buried in Southwick Cemetery.
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| Frances Struthers |
1898: A suspicious fire claims some of the Southwick Hotel's barns and sheds.
1900: Faced with foreclosure, the 36-acre Southwick Hotel property is auctioned off on February 26.
1903: Harry Lamb purchases the Southwick Hotel. Southwick voters vote "no license," effectively banning all liquor sales.
1904: Authorities raid the Southwick Hotel in early July. Harry Lamb gets arrested for illegal liquor sales.
1905: Smoke is seen billowing out of Harry Lamb's Southwick Hotel ("on Southwick Street in the center village") at about 5:00 p.m. on May 8. Villagers break into the locked hotel, which is thankfully vacant. Finding a room on the upper floor ablaze, they form a bucket brigade and carry water from a nearby brook, but their efforts prove fruitless. With the fire spreading out of control, they focus on saving the neighboring library, the general store (across the street), and the Boyle property. In addition to the hotel, the fire claims a large barn and smaller outbuildings. The loss is estimated between $6,000 and $7,000.
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| Southwick Hotel |
1907: Walter Dobbins dies inside the Lake House on February 10.
1908: William Fox of Westfield sells the Southwick Hotel, including many acres and outbuildings, to Beecher Sage. The purchase price is just shy of $10,000. (Joseph McClure of Westfield was running the hotel).
1909: Harry Lamb dies on June 13.
1910: Lathrop Welcome (53), who once conducted the Southwick Hotel with his wife, drops dead while working in his cornfield. John T. O'Neil and his nephew George Malone purchase the Southwick Hotel. William Fox files a $500 suit against O'Neil for "action of contract."
1913: Suffering from Bright's disease, John T. O'Neil (53) reportedly dies inside the Southwick Hotel on October 11. His funeral is held at the hotel two days later. (He had bought a Studebaker touring car in the spring.)
1914: The Southwick Hotel undergoes renovations with the poolroom removed and a new entrance leading to the barroom with a porch added, enhancing curb appeal. Several people report seeing a moose near the Southwick Hotel on October 8.
1915: The Widow Welcome dies in her daughter's South Longyard Road home.
1919: Several of the Southwick Hotel's barns, stables, and outbuildings burn on October 8. Residents, aided by the Westfield fire apparatus, save the house, which was used as a hotel until the town went dry several years ago. Owner Albert L. Smith says the buildings are insured.
1921: An advertisement reads: "Differently Different. The Place to Go for Your Sunday Outing…You Are Well Taken Care of at Southwick Inn."
1922: John S. Struthers dies on June 4.
1924: Albert L. Smith is listed as the owner of the Southwick Inn and the Southwick Inn Filling and Service Station - both run by Adolph Guyer, who advertises: "Southwick Inn Chicken Dinners $1.25."
1925: Thomas and Edward Kane take over managing the Southwick Inn and the Southwick Inn Filling and Service Station.
1926: The Southwick Inn advertises in November that a steak or chicken Sunday dinner "can be had for $1.00."
1927: The Southwick Inn opens for the season on April 24. Thomas Kane returns to the Southwick Inn by August and advertises in part: "Where you are sure of a good dinner. Enlarged Dining Room Service."
1928: Alice and Amos Beahn become the new managers of the Southwick Inn. An REO coupe, heading towards the Southwick Inn from Depot Street, stops suddenly to read a signpost when a Dodge sedan crashes into it on September 20. No one is hurt.
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1930: Southwick Inn manager Joseph Garrau places a help-wanted ad for a "CHEF – First-class only."
1931: Citing ill health, Albert Smith puts the Southwick Inn and its filling station up "for sale or lease…real bargain." Wilfred Hamel and his mother, Rose Hamel, become proprietors of the Southwick Inn by April. William Fox commits suicide by inhaling toxic gas on May 10. The Hamels open the Southwick Inn by May 15. In June, they advertise "Hot and cold running water in rooms…Phone-Southwick 8116." Federal agents raid the Southwick Inn on Labor Day. Wilfred Hamel is arrested after 2.5 gallons of illegal spirits are found. His bail is set at $500 as he awaits to appear before the United States Commissioner on October 1. (He eventually retracts his not-guilty plea and is fined $100 in December.)
1932: Springfield businessman Worthy F. Caney extensively remodels and redecorates the Southwick Inn. He rebrands it "Club Worthy." The new upscale nightclub officially opens on March 5, with Rap's Orchestra providing music for dancers. (Managerial problems force the club's closure during the summer, and Caney sues the operator for theft.)
1933: The Southwick Inn returns. It opens on May 1 with Thomas Kane coming back as the "new" manager, advertising: "Yes, we have beer!" Another ad reads: "Delicious Chicken Dinner or New Deal Sandwiches with Beer. No Cover Charge." (NOTE: Massachusetts voters repealed state enforcement of Prohibition in 1930.)
1936: William Kelly is the manager of the Southwick Inn (at least through part of 1938).
1937: On March 16, a judge reverses the decision on the two damage suits ($10,000 each) brought on by Amos Beahn's estate. A. L. Smith advertises that the Southwick Inn is available for "rent or commission."
1938: An August ad reads: "Gala Opening… Turkey Supper, $1.00. New Management, John Long and Vincent Haggerty. Reservations Phone 8116."
1939: A Southwick Inn June advertisement reads: "We Serve Delicious Steaks and Chops. Chicken & Spaghetti 50¢.”
1940: Clinton Harvey, well-known throughout the area for his famous clambakes when he was the proprietor of the Little River Inn, takes over as manager of the Southwick Inn.
c. 1944: Clinton Harvey opens the Point Grove Club.
1955: The Southwick Meat Center opens in the rear of the Southwick Inn. In addition to carrying a full line of meat and poultry for wholesale and retail, the Center sells and repairs home freezers.
1958: In March, Alfred Lamothe headquarters his taxi service at the Southwick Inn, to provide trips to Westfield and Springfield. The Widow Struthers dies in a local nursing home on April 22.
1960: A fire breaks out in Mickey's Barber Shop on October 2, causing considerable damage. Early detection of the fire is credited with saving the adjacent Southwick Inn. In preparing for the upcoming holiday, the Southwick Inn advertises a complete Thanksgiving Dinner for $2.25.
1962: The Southwick Women's Bowling League opens the season schedule on September 18 with Point Grove taking on Bontempo's Package Store (today's Oak N' Keg) and the Southwick Inn vs. Congamond Cleaners.
1966: Dancing to John's Jolly Jesters every Saturday night in August at the Southwick Inn.
1978: A hot plate is responsible for causing a fire in one of the apartments on the second floor of the Southwick Inn on June 21.
More from the Southwick Time Machine's chronology series
Consolidated School Chronology