Finding Easthampton in Tip Top Shape

From Dave Brigham:

When my friend Jim asked in late January if I wanted to take a road trip to Easthampton, Mass., I jumped at the opportunity. And once I realized that our initial destination was located in a former mill complex, I got pretty excited.

Jim did the driving, so I plopped into the passenger seat of his Prius and enjoyed the 85-mile ride, which was a nice change of pace for me, as I often complete 60- to 90-minute round-trip backside drives on my own. He wanted to visit a wine shop operated by the partner of one of his high school friends. I was happy to accompany him to the 01027.

Located in Hampshire County, about halfway between Holyoke and Northampton, Easthampton, like so many towns in New England, made the transition from farming to manufacturing during the Industrial Revolution. Our first stop was the former West Boylston Manufacturing Company complex that stretches for quite a distance between Pleasant Street and Lower Mill Pond.

The West Boylston Company was founded in 1814 in -- you guessed it -- West Boylston, Mass. In 1897, however, the State of Massachusetts selected a large section of the town, along with parts of neighboring Boylston, Clinton and Sterling, to create the Wachusett Reservoir. "[T]he Nashua River in the town of Clinton was impounded by the Wachusett Dam, causing 6.5 square miles to be flooded," per Wikipedia. "Over 2,200 acres of West Boylston's land was used for the reservoir, the most of any town. This disrupted the center of town and most of the industrial base. Many buildings were moved to the unaffected parts of the town but the majority were demolished and filled by the reservoir."

But the West Boylston Company did things a little -- okay, a lot -- differently. "Instead of abandoning the mill, the company dismantled it brick by brick and shipped it by train to its new home in the Pioneer Valley, where it was rebuilt on the banks of the Lower Mill Pond," according to the web site for The Boylston Rooms, a wedding venue located in the former mill complex. "Between 1899-1907, the West Boylston Company built the huge complex of mills on Pleasant Street."

That's amazing!

After the demise of the West Boylston Company, "the building finally became the property of the Lesnow Manufacturing Company, manufacturers of clothing, who operated the factory for many years until their demise in 1985," per MACRIS. "The building was acquired by the adjacent Kellogg Brush Manufacturing Company, a growing manufacturer of household brushes. A small semi-attached office building was originally the West Boylston plant superintendant's (sic) office, later became the offices of the Lesnow Company."

Today the old mill complex is home to commercial, office, artist and warehouse space. After parking in the front lot, Jim and I wandered aimlessly both outside and in (including a much-needed trip to the bathroom for two middle-aged guys) for a bit. Below is the first (and likely last) photo I've ever made inside a bathroom. I just couldn't resist the ol' piss trough.

After a few minutes, we realized we needed to walk down back to the side of the mill facing the water. I enjoyed the scenery, from the Abandoned Building Brewery....

(Wish we'd had time to stop in for a brew.)

...to the wonderful urbex paradise in one of the yet-to-be-developed areas of the complex.

I really wanted to explore more, but this wasn't my expedition.

In short order, we found ourselves in front of Tip Top Wine Shop.

I love the sign in the top photo, and was pleasantly surprised by the tile entryway. I asked one of the owners about it; she said a local artisan created it for the shop.

The store isn't large, but it's got a great selection of wine, beer, non-alcoholic beverages and chocolates, snack foods and other treats. Jim and I had a nice chat with his friend's partner and her co-owner, but didn't overstay our welcome. We asked for a lunch recommendation and then were on our way.

I made a few more photos around the mill before we got back to the car.

(Spring Action Electrical is no longer in business.)

(The Invisible Fountain is an art gallery and event space, I think.)

(Old loading dock.)

Another luxury of riding shotgun through an old mill town is getting to make photos out the window of a slow-moving car.

D&D Auto Parts & Machine is no longer in business. The building dates to 1930, per the local assessor.

We parked downtown and walked around for a little bit. I liked the feel of the area and the old buildings. At the corner of Union and School streets, on the side of Razor's Edge barber shop, I spied a ghost sign that's been partially covered by a fire escape.

I have no clue what business this advertised.

I'm going to finish up this post with two restaurants, one where we ate, the other where I'd like to meet the person responsible for the outdoor decor.

Guess which one this is?

Galaxy is open for dinner Wednesdays through Saturdays, so we were out of luck being there in the middle of the day. The restaurant serves salads, small plates, delicious-sounding entrees and more. According to the eatery's web site, "Galaxy grew out of [owner/chef Casey Douglass's] dream of opening his own restaurant. After many years of working for others, gaining notoriety in helping develop establishments such as Icarus in Boston, Del Raye in Northampton and the much missed Squires, Casey finally realized that dream by opening the once beloved Apollo Grill, which ran from 2001 to 2015. Casey is now focused on Galaxy, a restaurant born of the same dreams as the Apollo was, to serve its community using fresh ingredients with our own twist."

We ate across the street, at The Silver Spoon, which the Tip Top owners recommended.

This place serves up diner food in a cozy space poppular, from what I can tell in my limited experience, with hipsters. I had the cinnamon raisin French toast, which was delicious.