Southwick's Grand Hotel: The Railroad Pavilion
In the mid to late 1800s, thousands of tourists took the New Haven and Northampton Railroad to Southwick Ponds to escape the summer heat and have a good time. Special trains stopped at the lake during the summer tourist season.
In 1878, railroad officials, looking to capitalize on the growing popularity of the lake, announced their intention to build a handsome hotel on their grove near Middle Pond. The railroad purchased additional land in Southwick in 1879, on which they constructed a $6,000 dining and dancing pavilion. The railroad formally dedicated its new two-story pavilion on August 16, 1879. (In 1879, officials estimated that some 40,000 people would visit Southwick Ponds during the summer tourist season.)
The Railroad Hotel at Southwick Ponds opened circa 1880. R. V. Cooley managed the hotel for the railroad. The hotel faced Middle Pond and was just a few short rods from the original location of what would become the railroad's Congamond Station. The hotel opened on a seasonal basis, initially two months each year. (The hotel had various informal name changes over the years but was primarily known as the Railroad Hotel.)
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| The Railroad Pavilion Hotel |
Elisha Tobey became the proprietor of the Railroad Hotel and Pavilion, which she leased from the railroad starting circa 1883. Later in her proprietorship, she dropped railroad from the name, often referring to it as the Pavilion Hotel. In 1890, J. A. Theroux, who had worked for the railroad for several years, became proprietor of the hotel and loosely renamed it Congamond Lake Hotel. M.C. Macy managed it in 1891, and William Reagan took over in 1892. When F. J. Stone took it over in 1897, he renamed it Hotel Congamond.
The Railroad Hotel, which had first-class accommodations, shady groves, sports fields, a large dance pavilion, and fine made-to-order dinners, would typically open for the season in early or late June and close in August. (William Reagan expanded the season, opening the hotel in May.)
Guests could rent rowboats and sailboats; a steamboat was also available for private excursions. The hotel had a store that offered ice cream, cigars, soda water, confectionaries, and other goods for sale. The hotel and grounds were well-adapted for large family gatherings, church and social clubs, secret societies, and corporate events. It was not uncommon for thousands of guests to be on the grounds on any given weekend.
When J. A. Theroux took charge, he added a fruit stand, a merry-go-round, a shooting gallery, a photo gallery, and other amusements. (In 1890, the railroad contemplated installing a concrete path from the train stop to the hotel for the 1891 season, but it is unclear if they ever constructed it.)
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| The Congamond Station |
In the summer months, trains from Westfield made multiple stops at Southwick Ponds, usually three times daily. As the lake's popularity grew, the railroad expanded passenger service, and on peak weekends, it eased overcrowding by adding additional cars. In 1890, Springfield residents could buy a roundtrip ticket to the railroad station near the Railroad Hotel for eighty-six cents, reduced to fifty cents per adult for parties of 50 or more and thirty-five cents for accompanying minors. (Passengers taking one of the two daily trains from Springfield had to connect through Westfield to reach the lake.)
Under William Reagan's management, the Railroad Hotel and Pavilion did not sell alcohol (or allow gambling). Past problems with authorities and drunken guests may have been the reason for the change. Below are three notable instances.
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| The Dining and Dance Pavilion with Lookout Platform |
Several French Canadians from Holyoke, Massachusetts, started fighting on the train to Southwick Ponds on July 3, 1882. The fight continued at the Railroad Pavilion Hotel, with the men hitting each other with clubs and stones; nine people were injured. The hotel called Westfield authorities for help.
Authorities looking for illegal liquor raided four places at Southwick Ponds, including the Pavilion Hotel, on July 5, 1886. They found several kegs of beer at the hotel. Proprietor Tobey claimed the beer was within the legal limit of three percent, so authorities only seized one keg to have its alcohol content tested. (The test results appear to show it contained 62% alcohol.)
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| New Haven and Northampton (Railroad) Company Stock Certificate (1888) |
A fight among drunken men broke out on the grounds of the Railroad Hotel on July 4, 1889. The men kicked and hit one another with their fists, bottles, and other makeshift weapons. Several of the ruffians entered the hotel's dining room, hurling insults and assaulting innocent guests, badly injuring some.
Following a dismal season in 1890, out-of-town creditors put several attachments on Theroux's hotel, and local sheriffs seized his goods and then sold them off.
It appears that Theroux did not have a good relationship with his neighbors. His wife had left for Canada, and according to Theroux, his ill-willed neighbors told his creditors he was planning to flee there with the Railroad Hotel's gross receipts following the highly profitable Holyoke Caledonian event held each August. Authorities raided the hotel during the Caledonian event in 1890, which attracted some 3,000 people. They installed themselves as assistant innkeepers and sold the sixty-plus kegs of beer and cigars that Theroux had for the event. The massive event should have brought in $1,500 to $2,000, but accounting records showed only a mere $400 in total sales. In addition to keeping the money for themselves, authorities had sold the beer without a proper permit. This action may or may not have attracted the attention of the deputy revenue collector based in Westfield. (The United States Internal Revenue Service may or may not have gotten involved. Regardless, Theroux sought legal counsel as he and railroad officials believed the seizures were part of a conspiracy to remove him from managing the hotel. If that was their plan, it worked. As earlier mentioned, M.C. Macy took over management in 1891.)
Around the turn of the century, the advent of additional transportation options took its toll on the Railroad Hotel. In 1911, the once first-class Railroad Pavilion Hotel underwent renovations and became tenement housing for transient workers of the Berkshire Ice Company.
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Edited Out/Author's Additional Research Notes
Working Titles: Railroad Hotel; Railroad & Pavilion Hotel; A Golden Age of Southwick: The Railroad Pavilion Hotel
Some readers have expressed confusion with stories that combine Southwick Ponds and Congamond Lake. They are the same thing. Folks originally called the lake Southwick Ponds. For a short time, it was Congamuck Lake (named after the Native Americans that once hunted and fished its shores). Later, it was named Congamond. The Southwick Time Machine uses the common name for the period.
The railroad's fiscal year started October 1 and ended September 30. According to accounting records, the railroad purchased additional land at Northampton and Southwick "Lake" for the fiscal year ending 1880. They paid $2,418.91 for the land. They spent $6,090.21 constructing buildings and other improvements at Southwick "Lakes." It does not appear that any of the $6,090.21 went to Northampton. Accounting records for the fiscal year ending 1881 show that the railroad purchased more land in Northampton and Southwick for $1,075. (The railroad built two pavilions at Southwick Ponds.)
The number of entertainment places around Southwick Ponds more than doubled in 1878. The railroad used its grove at Congamond for company picnics and other employee appreciation events. In its early years, the general public could use the railroad's grove, pavilion, and grounds for free.
By 1885, the railroad owned about 100 acres of land at Southwick Ponds.
Elisha Tobey managed the Railroad Hotel and Pavilion from 1883 through 1888. J. A. Theroux was proprietor in 1890. William Reagan ran it in 1893. J. A. Theroux was proprietor in 1890.
R. V. Cooley may have been V. Rubeun Cooley, a.k.a Valorous R. Cooley.
In 1887 and 1888, the Railroad Hotel opened for the season in late June.
In 1893, the Railroad Hotel opened for the season on May 15. Edward Coombs was the cook for the season. The hotel did not sell intoxicating liquor. Five steamboats ran the lake.
Telephone service was out at the Pavilion Hotel in 1889. The telephone company repaired the line, and service resumed.
The Railroad Pavilion was so successful in its early years that it didn't have to do any special Fourth of July celebration to attract guests.
A combination of raids and cooler weather dampened the 1885 season. A state detective visited the Railroad Hotel on Sunday, August 2, 1885. He was there to make sure no alcohol sales were taking place on the Lord's day. A judge dismissed the case as the prosecution had no evidence of alcohol sales to guests.
Some sources incorrectly state that the railroad built the pavilion in 1887; 1878-9 is correct.