Flood Memorial Park Ceremony 1999 Video
View the video here. Read More
New Date – Leeds History Hot Chocolate Social
Thursday, April 3rd, 6:30-8:30pm Leeds School Music Room Rescheduled History Night…hopefully without snow! You are invited to this casual sharing of Leeds stories, old photos, and memorabilia. There will be a slide show with images from 1950 of the Leeds 100th anniversary celebration, old class photos, and pictures of the village in the 1800 and 1900s. Watch the show, listen... Read More
History Night
You and your old and new friends are invited to this casual sharing of stories, old photos, and Leeds memorabilia. Listen to or tell tales of Leeds from “back in the day” while enjoying a cup of hot cocoa and delicious desserts! April 3rd, 6:30 – 8:30 pm LEEDS SCHOOL MUSIC ROOM Do you have an interesting, funny, or unusual Leeds’ artifact? If so, please consider sharing... Read More
Intro to the Gazette Series about Leeds, by Alice Manning, 1975
On the last weekend of August 1950, Leeds held a gala celebration marking the 100th anniversary of the naming the village. The old bell was rung – the same bell that summoned the workers to their tasks at the Nonotuck Silk Mill (now the Leeds Village Apartments), once an important contributor to the giant silk industry which made the area famous. As the harsh tones of the... Read More
Robert Emrick – My Grandfather
Back before many of the prominent businessmen moved to Leeds, the town was considered “the sticks” and had very little fire protection. When a disastrous fire broke out on East Center Street in 1923 my grandfather started a movement in Northampton to get the first motorized fire pump called “The Seagrave” and an additional six fireboxes installed in Leeds. This is also what... Read More
State Police Barracks in Leeds
By Joel Emrick A little known chapter in the history of Leeds was when the MA. State Police Barracks (Troop B) was stationed in the Shepard House which lies between the Grove Hill mansion and the Grammar School. In the early 1920s the State Police were based in the Armory on King Street but were forced to relocate due to the expansion of the National Guard which needed more of the... Read More
History Notes: Frank Parker, Flood Survivor
By Joel Emrick My memories of Frank Parker are of an old man sitting on his porch at 16 Upland Road with his dog, Bakki, who we were told was a German war dog. Bakki would always chase passersby although now I’m told by Red Green if you put your hand up the dog would stop. No one told me that at the time and I didn’t dilly dally when I went by their house. What makes Mr. Parker... Read More
A Short History of Leeds
Leeds, Massachusetts, is a geat neighborhood within the city of Northampton and the most distant from the center. Like Florence and Bay State, the other districts in the community with distinctive identities, its history is linked to the Mill River. The exact boundaries of Leeds have never been agreed on. Whether the Veterans Hospital is in Leeds or Florence has never been resolved... Read More
