Indian Orchard, Springfield, Massachusetts

Main Street, Indian Orchard

Child laborers at Indian Orchard Manufacturing Company, 1911. Photo by Lewis Hine.

Indian Orchard is a neighborhood in the City of Springfield, Massachusetts. Located in the northeast corner of Springfield, Indian Orchard affords the quickest commute to Worcester, I-495, and Boston by way of the Mass Turnpike (I-90).

History[]

Indian Orchard began in the 1840s as an isolated mill town and has preserved its identity over the years, even after becoming more fully encompassed by "The City of Firsts."^[1] Because of its origins as a separate town, Indian Orchard contains many streets with names that are identical to entirely different streets in Springfield's Metro Center, having, for example, its own Main Street, differentiated only by the Indian Orchard name and ZIP code.^[2]

One of Indian Orchard's former mills is now a large artists' studio space; this has been the catalyst for the neighborhood's growing arts & crafts scene. The Indian Orchard Mills/Dane Gallery hosts an artists' open house twice a year. Hubbard Park is a major source of recreational activities. The newly expanded Indian Orchard branch of the Springfield Library offers adult and family activities. The neighborhood is also home to Lake Lorraine State Park, swimming beach formerly home to the public; the beach however has been closed since budget cuts in 2009.^[1] Large employers include Solutia and a US Postal Service bulk mail facility. There is a thorough weekly Farmer's Market at 187 Main St, Indian Orchard on Fridays 11:00 - 4:00, from May 8 to October 30.

Indian Orchard was also home to Chapman Valve Manufacturing Company, which converted uranium rods into slugs to be used as nuclear reactor fuel, for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Manhattan Engineer District. The site was remediated in 1995. It is now occupied by a solar energy facility. ^{[3] [4]}

See also[]

• Indian Orchard Station

References[]

Coordinates: 42°9′33.6″N 72°29′58.1″W / 42.159333°N 72.499472°W / 42.159333; -72.499472