After the Crystal Ballroom at Balch's Beach closed, it became the second incarnation of the Brass Rail, managed by Louis "Gino" Boccasile, who also ran The Old Post Office Cafe in Springfield. The new location also brought a new name: Gino's Brass Rail, which held its grand opening on Thursday, May 27, 1937.  The customer entrance of Gino's new Brass Rail faced Point Grove Road, and there were two side exit doors, one facing west and the other east. Windows along the back and on the side of the building provided spectacular views of Middle Pond. Due to the building's location, patrons were treated to refreshing lake breezes and crosswinds when the doors and windows were open, giving Gino one leg up on his competition, which there was a lot of with the lake being a popular tourist destination, flooded with folks escaping the summer heat and those looking for a good time. The Brass Rail first opened on a seasonal basis. It quickly became known for its authentic ...

Walter Dobbins bought the Southwick Hotel (today's Southwick Inn) in 1884. Authorities arrested him on at least two occasions for illegal liquor sales.  Walter fell severely ill sometime around 1887-8. His recovery was slow, possibly prompting him to sell the Southwick Hotel to Henry Smith in February 1888. The $5,400 sale included the hotel, farm, outbuildings, and furnishings. Walter fully recovered and bought the Lake House, at Southwick Ponds, later that same year.   The Lake House The Lake House was located on Lake Road (today's Congamond Road), across from Saunders Boat Livery, about where the now-closed Franklin House is today. It was about a two-minute walk from the Congamond Station, eliminating the need to hire a carriage. The Lake House dates back to the late 1800s and was a charming and popular venue for its grand clambakes and other family-friendly events in its grove, which had a dance floor. However, the Lake House underwent a dramatic transformation. It was...

Hearn & Company Furniture Store and Undertaking While fishing in Middle Pond at Congamond Lake on the morning of July 5, 1916, Mrs. William Daniels and her daughter Pearl discovered a man's body floating around ten o'clock; an empty rowboat sat on a bank nearby. Mrs. Daniels notified authorities who brought the body to shore. A medical examiner arrived on the scene to view the body, which had no visual bruises. The man had $13 on him. His watch stopped at 11:47, which indicated that he drowned late in the evening. The body turned out to be Matthew Malone, brother of Deputy Sheriff Timothy J. Malone of Southwick. Matthew was last seen around 5:30 p.m. on the Fourth in Southwick; witnesses said he was at Cannon's Hotel with a companion or two that night, possibly three. At first glance, it appeared that accidental drowning was the cause of death. Therefore, an autopsy would be unnecessary. But several unanswered questions lingered. Authorities wondered how the boat got o...

Barnett's Grave in Suffield In November 1930, John F. Barnett Jr. submitted plans and an application to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Public Works seeking permission to place fill in Congamond Lake to provide a bathing beach.   After receiving state approval, John spent three years developing Barnett's Beach before it opened at Congamond Lake on July 4, 1935. It featured a dine-and-dance pavilion, live entertainment, "fine sandy bathing, picnic grove, boat livery, and recreation fields."   The resort, located on the south end of Middle Pond, had valuable frontage along the new Suffield-Congamond State Highway. The main building was five stories tall, about 300 feet long, and 75 feet wide. The ends were 50 feet wide. On one end was the dance hall and dining; the other was living quarters and cottages. Barnett's Beach held a dance until midnight on August 10, 1935. Following the dance, the night watchman made his usual rounds before calling it a ni...

Some 300 people visited Balch's Beach on the north end of Middle Pond at Lake Congamond between June 17 and 18, 1929. The amusement center held its grand opening on July 1. (Balch's Beach stretched across Point Grove Road to North Pond.) Balch's Beach featured a concession stand, live entertainment, a dancing pavilion, row boats and canoes, fishing, and a speed boat that provided lake tours. It also had a picnic grove, a bathhouse, and a merry-go-round. Cottages, campsites, another bathhouse, and a ballroom were later added. (A powerful searchlight was installed atop the bathhouse in 1931. The light mimicked daylight and illuminated the water for night swimming.) The Balch's Beach Ballroom became the Ritz Ballroom in 1930.  The original owner, Benjamin Babb, held a $5,000 first mortgage. Clayton Balch was the director, presumably until William P. Marcoullier of Westfield operated it under a trust agreement circa 1930-1. (However, Thompsonville Bottling Works filed a $50...

1901: Harmon A. Smith is born in New Haven, Connecticut, on June 12.  1932: Miller's Beach encourages Connecticut swimmers to enter its aquatic meet being held on June 19. Participants should send entries to John Pollard or Harmon Smith, c/o Miller's Beach, or call Southwick 77 and reverse the call.  1935 Ad 1935: The Young Democratic Club of South Windsor, Connecticut, holds its July meeting at Smith's Beach in Southwick, Massachusetts.  1936: Harmon Smith, the athletic coach at Agawam High School, purchases Smith's Beach. He previously rented the property for several years, containing about 38 acres of land and 1,500 feet of lakefront. (Smith started coaching in Agawam in 1924. He worked at Miller's Beach in Southwick and at the pool at Riverside Park.) 1937: Seven-year-old Evelyn Fennelly sustains severe injuries after being struck by an automobile while at Smith's Beach on June 13. She is taken to Noble Hospital for emergency treatment before being transfe...