Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Chicopee (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Edward Bellamy House, St. Stanislaus Bishop & Martyr's Parish, and The Polish Center of Discovery and Learning at Elms College. Also, be sure to include Basilica of St. Stanislaus in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Chicopee (Massachusetts).
Table of Contents
Edward Bellamy House
The Edward Bellamy House is a National Historic Landmark at 91–93 Church Street in the Chicopee Falls section of the city of Chicopee, Massachusetts, United States. Its landmark designation was in honor of journalist and Utopian writer Edward Bellamy, whose home it was for most of his life.
Built in 1852, Bellamy's father moved the family into the house after its construction. Bellamy grew up in the house, and returned there after completing his studies and a brief stint of work in New York City. He did much of his writing (both journalistic and otherwise) in his father's study until the latter's death in 1886, after which Bellamy's family took over the entire house. It was in these years that Bellamy wrote Looking Backward, the work that brought him fame. His principal absences from Chicopee were made in a quest to improve his tubercular health, which eventually claimed his life.
The property had only two private owners after the Bellamys before it was acquired in the 1970s by the Edward Bellamy Memorial Association and restored. The association operates part of the property as a historic house museum, and rents out office space in the remainder. The building is not architecturally distinguished, and has undergone a variety of alterations.[1]
St. Stanislaus Bishop & Martyr's Parish
St. Stanislaus Bishop & Martyr's Parish - designated for Polish immigrants in Chicopee, Massachusetts, United States. Founded 1891, it is one of the Polish-American Roman Catholic parishes in New England in the Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts.[2]
The Polish Center of Discovery and Learning at Elms College
Specialty museum, History museum, Museum
Address: 33 South St, 01013-2633 Chicopee
Basilica of St. Stanislaus
Minor basilica in Chicopee, Massachusetts. The Basilica of St. Stanislaus is a Roman Catholic minor basilica dedicated to Stanislaus of Szczepanów located in Chicopee, Massachusetts. The church is under the circumscription of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts and serves St. Stanislaus Bishop & Martyr's Parish. The church was completed in 1908 to the designs of Robert J. Reiley and Gustave E. Steinback of the firm Reiley and Steinback. The basilica was decreed on June 25, 1991.[3]
Address: 566 Front St, 01013 Chicopee
Chicopee Public Library
Public library. The Chicopee Public Library is the public library for the city of Chicopee, Massachusetts. A member of the Western Massachusetts Regional Library System, the library participates in resources sharing and collaboration with all other libraries in the WRMLS. The library owns approximately 109,000 books according to the 2005 IMLS Public Library Report. In addition, they have 4,200 media items and send and receive over 35,000 interlibrary loan requests. In the fiscal year 2008, the city of Chicopee spent 1.1% of its budget on its public library, around $25 per person.[4]
Address: 449 Front St, 01013 Chicopee
Chicopee Falls Dam
The Chicopee Falls Dam is a masonry stone dam that parallels Route 33 in Chicopee, Massachusetts. It is part of the Chicopee River Watershed. The dam was constructed in the late 19th century, and is currently owned by the City of Chicopee. It impounds the waters of the Chicopee River at Chicopee Falls, to form the Chicopee Reservoir.
This is the third-to-last dam on the Chicopee River before it empties into the Connecticut River just north of Springfield.
Flash-boards have been installed to raise the level of the impoundment above the original height of the dam. Therefore, the dam's effective height is greater than the 10 feet (3.05 m) shown in its specifications.[5]
City Hall
City hall in Chicopee, Massachusetts. City Hall is a historic city hall in Chicopee, Massachusetts. Located in the heart of Chicopee at Market Square, the building is in the Italianate style, with a rose window and a 147-foot tower modeled on that of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, Italy. It was designed by Charles Edward Parker.[6]
St. Anthony of Padua Parish
Religious institution in Chicopee, Massachusetts. St. Anthony of Padua Parish - designated for Polish immigrants in Chicopee, Massachusetts, United States.
Founded 1926. It is one of the Polish-American Roman Catholic parishes in New England in the Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts.[7]
Valentine School
School in Chicopee, Massachusetts. The Valentine School is a historic school at Grape and Elm Streets in Chicopee, Massachusetts. Built in 1898 to a design by George P. B. Alderman, it is a prominent local example of Renaissance Revival architecture. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, and included as part of the Springfield Street Historic District in 1991. The building has been converted to residential use.[8]
Springfield Street Historic District
The Springfield Street Historic District is a predominantly residential historic district south of the downtown area of Chicopee, Massachusetts. It encompasses a significant number of Queen Anne style houses built in the second half of the 19th century by wealthy residents of Chicopee, as well as housing for skilled workers at the nearby textile mills. It is centered where Springfield Street and Fairview Avenue meet. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.[9]
Thomas D. Page House
The Thomas D. Page House, also known later as the Belcher Lodge or the Chicopee Falls Masonic Temple, is a historic house in Chicopee, Massachusetts, USA. Built about 1875, it is a prominent local example of Queen Anne and Stick style architecture, built by one of the community's business leaders of the time. For many years it housed the local Masonic lodge. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988; it now houses an antiques business.[10]