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Weathervane Newsletter Summer 2002
A Walk in Paradise
In 1875, Henry James set his first novel, Roderick Hudson, in Northampton. His heroine, James wrote: "had made herself a charming home.a fragrant cottage (with) a rose framed porch, her little garden a study of horticultural odours." James may very well have drawn this portrait from the Victorian domestic scene along Pomeroy Terrace. The Bridge Street, Pomeroy Terrace area spans three centuries of domestic architecture. The older colonial and Federal era structures on Bridge Street gave way to planned residential developments on Pomeroy Terrace in the 1840s. Influenced by the Gothic Revival and Italianate designs of Andrew Jackson Downing, local architects like William Fenno Pratt began to build the neighborhoods of gracious houses that give Northampton its Victorian character.
A guide to the Pomeroy Terrace area and five additional tours are now contained within a new publication. Historic Northampton has recently released a long-awaited guide to historic walking tours around Northampton. A Visitor's Guide to Paradise: Historical Walking Tours of Northampton, Massachusetts features six distinct tours through the city's districts and neighborhoods. A brief introduction orients the visitor and is followed by a guide to downtown Northampton with its varied architecture and historic sites. Other tours include a guide to the 18th century sites of Jonathan Edwards' Northampton, and a tour of the ancient burial ground of Bridge Street cemetery. Another tour takes you through three centuries of domestic architecture along Bridge Street and Pomeroy Terrace, and yet another follows in the footsteps of Sojourner Truth and explores the utopian roots of Florence. Finally, the "I Do Not Choose To Run" Coolidge Walking Tour winds through Victorian neighborhoods and Smith College nature trails.
The guide is available at Historic Northampton in the museum and at the gift shop.
Contents Historic Northampton.