Holyoke grew from a small milltown to a booming 19th-century industrial hub, thanks in part to the sweat of immigrants and migrants. Beginning in the 1840s, people from Europe, Canada and Puerto Rico flocked there to work in the city’s paper and textile mills—earning Holyoke the moniker “Paper City.” They brought with them the cultures and traditions of their former homes, which melded with those of others and created something uniquely American.
In her new book, Destination: Holyoke, Wistariahurst Museum curator Kate N. Thibodeau asks the questions, “Who were these people?” and, “How did their experiences contribute to Holyoke’s history and character?” Expanding on her work as curator of four exhibits on the subject, Thibodeau combines family histories with previously unpublished photographs (one of which is pictured) to understand Holyoke’s history and honor the people who made it. Thibodeau uncovers how these individual histories weave together to create the fiber of communities, and even of our national character.
Thibodeau appears at Barnes & Noble in Holyoke this week to answer questions about her research and sign her new book.
May 10, free, 1 p.m., Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 7 Holyoke St., Holyoke, (413) 532-3200.