Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)/Springfield (Massachusetts)

SPRINGFIELD, a city and county-seat of Hampden co., Mass.; on the Connecticut river, and on the New York, New Haven, and Hartford, the Boston and Albany, and the Central of New England railroads; 99 miles W. of Boston. The city is noted for its beauty, being laid out with wide streets, and having many magnificent churches and residences. Here are a School for Christian Workers, public library, handsome court house, a fine group of municipal buildings, museums, International Y. M. C. A. College, hospitals, a United States armory and arsenal, United States Government building, street railroad and electric light plants, National and other banks, and numerous daily, weekly, and monthly periodicals. The industries include the manufacture of firearms, railway cars, knit goods, clothing, paper, envelopes, watches, boilers, engines, machinery, silverware, jewelry, skates, carriages, buttons, needles, toys, printed books, motor cycles, brass goods, woolen goods, chemicals, etc. Springfield was founded by William Pynchon with colonists from Roxbury in 1636. The Indians burned the town during King Philip's War in 1675. In Shay's rebellion in 1787 the United States arsenal was attacked. The city was incorporated in 1852. Pop. (1910) 88,926; (1920) 129,614.