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This selection from Annals of Chicopee Street catalogues the early industries of Chicopee, Massachusetts. In the classic style of 19th century local histories, it reads more like a list of names than a narrative account. Yet the selection shows how early phases of industrialization in New England focused on sawmills and simple workshops, often employing farm girls. For example, Chicopee produced boots and shoes and ?friction matches,? an industry for which the town was well known. The "Fifth Parish" refers to the fact that in the mid-18th century Chicopee was the Fifth Parish of Springfield.

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Pages from the "Annals of Chicopee Street Records and Reminiscences of an Old New England Parish.."

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