Manhan Rail Trail
Featured Ride
Experience the heart of the Pioneer Valley on this 13-mile out-and-back ride from Northampton to Easthampton. The paved trail offers fantastic views of Mount Tom, which can be easily accessed via a trail spur in Easthampton. You can extend your ride by pairing the Manhan with the Norwottuck Section of the Mass Central Rail Trail, a direct connection at the northern trailhead in Northampton.
Note: You need to have the Ride with GPS app downloaded in order to send this map to your mobile device. You do not need to have an account on Ride with GPS to use the app. To explore the map below via Google Maps or Satellite, click the RWGPS Cycle dropdown menu.
Trail Description
The Manhan Rail Trail connects the downtowns of Northampton and Easthampton along the former New Haven & Northampton Railroad (NH&N) corridor, which was built upon the towpath of the disastrous Farmington Canal. The trail offers convenient access to several fantastic nature preserves, with views of the Connecticut River Oxbow and Mount Tom. The trail is part of the envisioned New Haven and Northampton Canal Greenway, with plans to close the gap between Easthampton and Westfield to complete the 80+ mile interstate trail.
Transportation
There are two parking lots on the trail in Easthampton, in addition to a pair of parking lots along the Mount Tom Spur, all shown on the map above. There are also several affordable paid parking lots in downtown Northampton. If you choose to take public transportation, the route is served by the Amtrak Valley Flyer and Vermonter, multiple long-distance bus providers, and several Pioneer Valley Transportation Authority (PVTA) local bus routes.
Amtrak Valley Flyer and Vermonter
The Valley Flyer serves Northampton, running twice daily (once daily on weekends) between New Haven, CT and Greenfield, MA, with key stops in Holyoke, Springfield and Hartford. The Vermonter runs once daily between Washington D.C. and St. Albans, VT, with key stops along the Northeast Corridor and in Burlington, VT, in addition to those on the Valley Flyer. A limited number of bikes are allowed on both Amtrak routes and must be booked with your reservation for a $20 fee. Bikes also must be able to have their front wheel removed for storage. Tickets can be purchased on Amtrak’s website or on the Amtrak app.
PVTA Local Bus
Several PVTA routes including the R41, R42, R44, B43 and B48 serve the northern end of the trail in downtown Northampton. If you get tired on your ride, the hourly Route R41 can be helpful to get between downtown Northampton and Easthampton. All PVTA fixed-route buses are currently fare-free. Check the PVTA website for schedules and route details, and see this page for information on bringing your bike on PVTA buses.
Intercity Bus
Peter Pan operates five daily buses between Northampton and Springfield in each direction. Peter Pan also runs five daily trips between Amherst and Northampton, although return trips from Northampton to Amherst only run occasionally on Fridays and Sundays. Peter Pan allows bikes to be carried for free in the luggage bay with or without a bike bag/box. See the Peter Pan website for schedule information and to buy tickets.
Greyhound also operates one daily trip between Northampton and Springfield in each direction. Bikes are only allowed on Greyhound in a bike bag/box, so this option works best if you plan to use ValleyBike.
Amtrak Valley Flyer and Vermonter
The Valley Flyer serves Northampton, running twice daily (once daily on weekends) between New Haven, CT and Greenfield, MA, with key stops in Holyoke, Springfield and Hartford. The Vermonter runs once daily between Washington D.C. and St. Albans, VT, with key stops along the Northeast Corridor and in Burlington, VT, in addition to those on the Valley Flyer. A limited number of bikes are allowed on both Amtrak routes and must be booked with your reservation for a $20 fee. Bikes also must be able to have their front wheel removed for storage. Tickets can be purchased on Amtrak’s website or on the Amtrak app.
PVTA Local Bus
Several PVTA routes including the R41, R42, R44, B43 and B48 serve the northern end of the trail in downtown Northampton. If you get tired on your ride, the hourly Route R41 can be helpful to get between downtown Northampton and Easthampton. All PVTA fixed-route buses are currently fare-free. Check the PVTA website for schedules and route details, and see this page for information on bringing your bike on PVTA buses.
Intercity Bus
Peter Pan operates five daily buses between Northampton and Springfield in each direction. Peter Pan also runs five daily trips between Amherst and Northampton, although return trips from Northampton to Amherst only run occasionally on Fridays and Sundays. Peter Pan allows bikes to be carried for free in the luggage bay with or without a bike bag/box. See the Peter Pan website for schedule information and to buy tickets.
Greyhound also operates one daily trip between Northampton and Springfield in each direction. Bikes are only allowed on Greyhound in a bike bag/box, so this option works best if you plan to use ValleyBike.
Bike Share
ValleyBike: If you don’t want to bring your own bike, ValleyBike offers an easy, affordable bikeshare service. You can rent ValleyBike E-bikes at several docks near both ends of the ride using their app, and return them to any dock in the system. There are also docks available in Amherst, if you choose to begin on the Norwottuck Rail Trail, and in Holyoke, if you decide to ride on-street past Mount Tom.
Connecting Trails
Mahan Rail Trail: Mount Tom Spur
Just before Ferry Street in Easthampton, you can take this 2.2-mile paved trail spur around the base of the Mount Tom Range. With fantastic mountain views, the spur provides access to the Mount Tom State Reservation. From the end, you can also continue down Route 5 towards Holyoke on a rumble strip-protected bike lane.
Mass Central Rail Trail: Norwottuck Section
You can easily pair this ride with the paved Mass Central Rail Trail: Norwottuck Section, which connects directly to the Manhan in Northampton and runs 11 miles through Hadley and Amherst to Belchertown. From the Norwottuck, you can also ride 2.1 miles on-street to the Silvio O. Conte Wildlife Refuge: Fort River Trail.
Northampton Bikeway
Where the Norwottuck branches east from the Manhan in Northampton, you can alternatively head west on the Northampton Bikeway. This paved shared-use path runs 2.2 miles through the Northampton neighborhoods of Florence and Leeds.
New Haven and Northampton Canal Greenway (future connection)
While there is currently a gap between the Manhan’s southern trailhead and the rest of the Greenway beginning in Westfield, there are plans to extend the trail through Southampton and eventually under the Mass Pike to complete the envisioned 80-mile New Haven and Northampton Canal Greenway.
Just before Ferry Street in Easthampton, you can take this 2.2-mile paved trail spur around the base of the Mount Tom Range. With fantastic mountain views, the spur provides access to the Mount Tom State Reservation. From the end, you can also continue down Route 5 towards Holyoke on a rumble strip-protected bike lane.
Mass Central Rail Trail: Norwottuck Section
You can easily pair this ride with the paved Mass Central Rail Trail: Norwottuck Section, which connects directly to the Manhan in Northampton and runs 11 miles through Hadley and Amherst to Belchertown. From the Norwottuck, you can also ride 2.1 miles on-street to the Silvio O. Conte Wildlife Refuge: Fort River Trail.
Northampton Bikeway
Where the Norwottuck branches east from the Manhan in Northampton, you can alternatively head west on the Northampton Bikeway. This paved shared-use path runs 2.2 miles through the Northampton neighborhoods of Florence and Leeds.
New Haven and Northampton Canal Greenway (future connection)
While there is currently a gap between the Manhan’s southern trailhead and the rest of the Greenway beginning in Westfield, there are plans to extend the trail through Southampton and eventually under the Mass Pike to complete the envisioned 80-mile New Haven and Northampton Canal Greenway.
Trail Photos
Trail Attractions
Historic Northampton Museum (off-trail near start)
To learn about the history of Northampton and the industrial past that fueled the railroad corridor you ride along, check out the Historic Northampton Museum, just a few blocks from the trail. The campus is comprised of three houses built across the 18th and 19th centuries, offering a visual timeline of New England architecture and domestic life. The museum holds a significant collection of over 30,000 artifacts, telling the story of the people who shaped the Pioneer Valley, from indigenous residents to mill workers of the 19th century. The museum also runs rotating temporary exhibitions and is currently showing “Slavery and Freedom in Northampton, 1654 to 1783,” discussing the experiences of enslaved people in the city. Read further about Northampton’s industrial past in the Dig Deeper section below and learn more on the Historic Northampton Museum Website.
Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library and Museum (0.5 miles from start, off-trail)
A short ride from the start of the trail in Northampton, the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library details the life and career of Northampton Mayor, Massachusetts Governor, and United States President, Calvin Coolidge. This museum is unique in that it is housed on the second floor of the Forbes Library, the only presidential library part of a municipal public library. Exhibits showcase a variety of artifacts from Coolidge’s life, including his mechanical exercise horse, which he used to stay in shape without leaving the Oval Office. Silent Cal, as he was known, was also a frequent passenger on the Central Massachusetts Railroad (now the Mass Central Rail Trail) during his time as governor, travelling the length of the line from Beacon Hill to his hometown. Learn more on the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library and Museum website.
Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary (2.8 miles from start)
Managed by Mass Audubon, this 751-acre sanctuary features five miles of hiking trails through a vast array of ecosystems. The area is a critical stopover for migratory birds, and a year-round home for various species of waterfowl, turtles, and amphibians. The trails include a boardwalk that provides an up-close view of wetland ecology, in addition to a universally accessible All Person Trail located near the Nature Center. You can hike down to the water for a great view of the Connecticut River Oxbow. Learn more about the Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary on the MassAudubon Website.
Old Trolley Line Conservation Area (2.8 miles from start)
Connected to the Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary by Old Trolley Line Trail, Easthampton’s Old Trolley Line Conservation Area, managed by The Pascommuck Conservation Trust (PCT), is another great spot to explore leafy hiking trails and observe local wildlife. The area gets its name from the Northampton Street Railway, which once operated a trolley network throughout the city, including a line between Northampton and Easthampton that ran every 20 minutes daily from 1895 to 1933. Part of the line ran along the current Old Trolley Line Trail, while the rest of the conservation area was historically farmland. You can continue through the Conservation Area onto Pomeroy Farm, where you must stay on the marked trails. Learn more on the PCT website.
Mount Tom State Reservation (off-trail, accessible from Mount Tom Spur)
The Mount Tom Spur branches off the main trunk of the Greenway in Northampton and takes you right to the base of Mount Tom. Explore 22-miles of hiking trails throughout the DCR-managed, 2,161-acre Mount Tom Reservation, including a section of the New England National Scenic Trail (NET). The mountain is a popular spot for hawkwatching as migrating raptors utilize updrafts along the mountains cliffs to travel South. Mount Tom is the highest peak (1,202 ft) of the Metacomet Range, a 100-mile chain of volcanic rock stretching from Long Island Sound to Vermont, and offers fantastic views of the Connecticut River Valley from the top. The area has long been a popular tourist destination, and from the mid-18th century to the 1930s, you could take a specialized inclined railway to reach hotels at the summit, whose foundations you can still see today. Just off the rail trail at Mt. Tom Trailhead Park, maintained by the city of Easthampton, there is a 2,000ft (~0.37 mile one way) crushed stone path, with slopes that meet the US Forest Service standards for accessible trails. See the DCR website for more information.
Eastworks (4.2 miles from start)
As you approach the end of the route, Eastworks is a great spot to grab a drink or a bite to eat. Located directly alongside the trail in Easthampton, the massive 500,000-square-foot former factory was repurposed for mixed-use in 1997. Constructed in 1908 and expanded in 1920, the building was a textile factory and headquarters for the West Boylston Manufacturing Company. After textile production moved south in the late 20s, the building was used to produce electronics and high precision bomb instruments during World War II. Today, the complex is home to an array of small businesses, office space, artist studios and apartments.
To learn about the history of Northampton and the industrial past that fueled the railroad corridor you ride along, check out the Historic Northampton Museum, just a few blocks from the trail. The campus is comprised of three houses built across the 18th and 19th centuries, offering a visual timeline of New England architecture and domestic life. The museum holds a significant collection of over 30,000 artifacts, telling the story of the people who shaped the Pioneer Valley, from indigenous residents to mill workers of the 19th century. The museum also runs rotating temporary exhibitions and is currently showing “Slavery and Freedom in Northampton, 1654 to 1783,” discussing the experiences of enslaved people in the city. Read further about Northampton’s industrial past in the Dig Deeper section below and learn more on the Historic Northampton Museum Website.
Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library and Museum (0.5 miles from start, off-trail)
A short ride from the start of the trail in Northampton, the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library details the life and career of Northampton Mayor, Massachusetts Governor, and United States President, Calvin Coolidge. This museum is unique in that it is housed on the second floor of the Forbes Library, the only presidential library part of a municipal public library. Exhibits showcase a variety of artifacts from Coolidge’s life, including his mechanical exercise horse, which he used to stay in shape without leaving the Oval Office. Silent Cal, as he was known, was also a frequent passenger on the Central Massachusetts Railroad (now the Mass Central Rail Trail) during his time as governor, travelling the length of the line from Beacon Hill to his hometown. Learn more on the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library and Museum website.
Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary (2.8 miles from start)
Managed by Mass Audubon, this 751-acre sanctuary features five miles of hiking trails through a vast array of ecosystems. The area is a critical stopover for migratory birds, and a year-round home for various species of waterfowl, turtles, and amphibians. The trails include a boardwalk that provides an up-close view of wetland ecology, in addition to a universally accessible All Person Trail located near the Nature Center. You can hike down to the water for a great view of the Connecticut River Oxbow. Learn more about the Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary on the MassAudubon Website.
Old Trolley Line Conservation Area (2.8 miles from start)
Connected to the Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary by Old Trolley Line Trail, Easthampton’s Old Trolley Line Conservation Area, managed by The Pascommuck Conservation Trust (PCT), is another great spot to explore leafy hiking trails and observe local wildlife. The area gets its name from the Northampton Street Railway, which once operated a trolley network throughout the city, including a line between Northampton and Easthampton that ran every 20 minutes daily from 1895 to 1933. Part of the line ran along the current Old Trolley Line Trail, while the rest of the conservation area was historically farmland. You can continue through the Conservation Area onto Pomeroy Farm, where you must stay on the marked trails. Learn more on the PCT website.
Mount Tom State Reservation (off-trail, accessible from Mount Tom Spur)
The Mount Tom Spur branches off the main trunk of the Greenway in Northampton and takes you right to the base of Mount Tom. Explore 22-miles of hiking trails throughout the DCR-managed, 2,161-acre Mount Tom Reservation, including a section of the New England National Scenic Trail (NET). The mountain is a popular spot for hawkwatching as migrating raptors utilize updrafts along the mountains cliffs to travel South. Mount Tom is the highest peak (1,202 ft) of the Metacomet Range, a 100-mile chain of volcanic rock stretching from Long Island Sound to Vermont, and offers fantastic views of the Connecticut River Valley from the top. The area has long been a popular tourist destination, and from the mid-18th century to the 1930s, you could take a specialized inclined railway to reach hotels at the summit, whose foundations you can still see today. Just off the rail trail at Mt. Tom Trailhead Park, maintained by the city of Easthampton, there is a 2,000ft (~0.37 mile one way) crushed stone path, with slopes that meet the US Forest Service standards for accessible trails. See the DCR website for more information.
Eastworks (4.2 miles from start)
As you approach the end of the route, Eastworks is a great spot to grab a drink or a bite to eat. Located directly alongside the trail in Easthampton, the massive 500,000-square-foot former factory was repurposed for mixed-use in 1997. Constructed in 1908 and expanded in 1920, the building was a textile factory and headquarters for the West Boylston Manufacturing Company. After textile production moved south in the late 20s, the building was used to produce electronics and high precision bomb instruments during World War II. Today, the complex is home to an array of small businesses, office space, artist studios and apartments.
Trail Artwork
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Wildlife of the Trail
A wide variety of wildlife can be spotted on this trail, given that it weaves through urban areas, forests, ponds, and meadows. Species such as the purple martin, eastern bluebird, American kestrel, orchard oriole, and field sparrow might be seen around the MassAudubon Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary. Other potential species along the trail include wild turkey, various woodpeckers, bald eagle, yellow-rumped warbler, eastern screech owl, deer, porcupine, and squirrels. Be on the lookout for various waterfowl like ducks, swans, herons, and egrets around Lower Mill Pond. Be careful for turtles when passing by waterbodies!
eBird
Check out the eBird hotspots along the trail to see what bird species have been spotted recently in the area. You can also report any interesting birds you see on your ride. There are hotspots near downtown Northampton, at the Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary, at the Old Trolley Line Conservation area and at the mill pond near Eastworks. See this page for more information about eBird.
eBird
Check out the eBird hotspots along the trail to see what bird species have been spotted recently in the area. You can also report any interesting birds you see on your ride. There are hotspots near downtown Northampton, at the Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary, at the Old Trolley Line Conservation area and at the mill pond near Eastworks. See this page for more information about eBird.
Dig Deeper
History of the Rail Trail
Following the final abandonment of the railroad in 1992, a dedicated grassroots group of local residents formed the Friends of the Manhan Rail Trail to advocate for a linear park. In 1996, Easthampton received federal funds to acquire the city’s section of the rail corridor. After a decade of extensive municipal planning, fundraising, and corridor acquisition, Phase 1 officially opened to the public in June 2004. The trail grew over the next several years, adding a northern connection to Northampton in 2010 and installing a critical bridge over the Manhan River in late 2011.
From Canal to Railroad to Rail Trail
The Manhan Rail Trail follows the path of the former New Haven & Northampton Railroad, which, as the name suggests, spanned 78 miles from Northampton to New Haven. The railroad succeeded the New Haven and Northampton Canal, built in 1835 to provide a navigable alternative to the difficult rapids of the Connecticut River. The canal provided a current-free channel with levels separated by locks to handle elevation change, allowing traffic to move both North and South. In its Massachusetts section, water was diverted from the Manhan River to control the canal’s water level, although the canal frequently sustained damage when the river overflowed. The canal sparked a boom of industrial growth in the Pioneer Valley but was plagued by constant leaks and an array of other problems, limiting its functional and economic potential.
With the rise of rail technology, the Canal company pivoted and cleverly decided to construct a railroad along the canal’s towpath, which horses and mules used to haul cargo boats. Construction began from New Haven in 1846, and the canal was drained and filled in a year later. The first section of the New Haven & Northampton Railroad, nicknamed the Canal Line, opened in 1848 from New Haven to Plainville CT, but construction in Massachusetts proved difficult due to challenging terrain and objections from other competing railroads. In 1854, the line was finally completed to Northampton, although this part of the railroad largely diverged from the path of the former canal in favor of a straight, flatter course. The railroad transformed Western Massachusetts, allowing manufacturers in the Pioneer Valley to transport goods to the ports of New Haven or New York in a matter of hours rather than days. It also brought massive quantities of coal which allowed factories to transition from water power to steam power. Easthampton and Northampton both saw massive industrial booms, which you can read about below.
Although the New Haven & Northampton Railroad independently owned its tracks, the trains that originally ran on the line were operated by the New York and New Haven Railroad (NY&NH), predecessor to the powerhouse New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (The New Haven). When the NY&NH’s contract expired in 1869, the company made the unusual decision to transition to fully independent operations, purchasing their own locomotives and expanding further into Massachusetts. This period of independence lasted until 1887, when The New Haven Railroad reabsorbed the line. Passenger service, always a secondary priority for the line, was phased out by the mid-1920s. Traffic to Northampton gradually declined, and by the late 70s, the Northampton-Easthampton tracks were in such poor condition that most trains only ran to Easthampton. In 1992 the line was finally abandoned in its entirety.
Northampton: Silk City and the Utopian Silk Experiment
The arrival of the railroads propelled Northampton into industrial dominance as the city became one of the global leaders in silk production. The local silk industry began in the 1830s, when local businessmen including Samuel Whitmarsh triggered a speculative frenzy known as Mulberry Mania, predicting that silk would replace cotton as America’s primary textile export. As locals began raising silkworms, mulberry trees, silkworms’ primary food source, became the hottest commodity in town. This speculative bubble popped in 1839, as mulberry trees struggled to survive New England Winter and faced widespread blight. The crash bankrupted Whitmarsh, who had recently constructed a massive mill along the Mill River in present day Florence.
In 1842, the Northampton Association of Education and Industry (NAEI) bought Whitmarsh’s mill and embarked on an egalitarian project to produce silk textiles independently from the slave-based cotton industry of the South. NAEI was founded by a group of activists including abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison’s brother-in-law, George Benson, who organized a system of communal industrial production with a commitment to abolitionism and social equality. Reaching 120 residents at its peak, the NAEI operated on a system where every member, regardless of race, gender, or religion, received the same hourly pay and had an equal vote in community governance. Members spent their days working in the silk mill or on the community's farms. Evenings were dedicated to lectures, debates, and self-improvement, as NAEI believed manual labor and intellectual growth should be integrated.
The NAEI’s most famous member was abolitionist Sojourner Truth, who escaped slavery in upstate New York in 1826. After her escape, she successfully recovered her son who had been illegally sold to a plantation in Alabama, winning the first ever legal case of the kind against a white man. She moved to Northampton from New York City in 1843, where she officially adopted the name Sojourner Truth, and became an abolitionist and an advocate for African-American rights. While at NAEI, she met fellow abolitionists Frederick Douglass and Wendell Phillips, and gave her first known anti-slavery speech at a convention in Northampton. The NAIE experiment ended in 1846, as technology of the day made it difficult to profitably produce silk goods.
The silk industry exploded with the invention of “machine twist” thread in 1852, which overcame the challenges of using delicate silk strands in sewing and knitting machines. By the end of the 19th century, Northampton was one of the world’s largest producers of silk, led by the Corticelli Silk Company, focusing on silk thread, desired for its durability and elasticity, and the McCallum Silk Hosiery Company which produced luxury finished silk goods. Both companies built factories along the New Haven and Northampton Railroad (now the Manhan Rail Trail) for easy transport of raw silk and finished goods. After the post-Mulberry Madness crash, local silk production was abandoned in favor of imported silk from China and Japan. By the 1880s, silk was imported to Pacific ports and shipped across the country, with the New Haven & Northampton Railroad running special silk trains for the final leg of the journey.
Easthampton’s Button and Rubber Industry
Without direct river access, like Northampton, industry in Easthampton didn’t take off until the arrival of coal from the railroad in the mid-19th century. Easthampton’s growth was driven almost single-handedly by the Williston family, industrialists who used the railroad to turn a quiet farming village into a global manufacturing center. The Williston-Knight Button Company, founded in the 1840s, was once the largest button factory in the world. The factory originally made their buttons from vegetable ivory, produced from South American tagua nuts. These nuts were imported from Ecuador and Panama, and arrived at the port of New Haven where they were hauled north by the NH&N, which ran right next to the downtown button factory. In the 20th century, the company struggled to transition to synthetic plastic buttons that were taking over the industry and the factory closed by the mid-1920s.
Easthampton’s other main product was elastic webbing, also led by the Willistons, who founded the Nashawannuck Manufacturing Company in 1850 and The Glendale Elastic Fabrics Company in 1862. Both of these companies depended on the railroad to deliver raw rubber imported from South America, and to get their finished products to the port of New York for distribution. By the late 19th century, the Nashawannuck Manufacturing Company was the largest producer of suspenders in the United States (and arguably the world), producing staggering quantities to supply nearly every man in the country, as belts did not become standard until the early 20th century. The Glendale Elastic Fabrics Company was also enormously successful, becoming the largest manufacturer of rubber-webbing in the world, an elastic fabric used in shoes, garter belts, and industrial applications.
As the city’s button industry was dying out, the elastic industry continued to thrive by adopting new synthetic materials. To afford the expensive new machinery required for this transition, the Glendale Elastic Fabrics Company and Nashawannuck Manufacturing Company merged with the Conant-Houghton Company in 1927 to form the United Elastic Corporation, which together controlled roughly 80% of the elastic webbing market in the United States. With the takeoff of synthetics during World War II, the NH&N railroad was working overtime to haul finished elastic to military contractors, with United Elastic produced webbing for parachutes, gas masks, and pilot gear. After the War, the company benefited from the exploding consumer demand for elastic goods, and became leaders in the use of lycra and spandex by the 1950s and 60s. Although the industry thrived into the mid-20th century, production began to move to the south in the 1970s and later overseas.
Following the final abandonment of the railroad in 1992, a dedicated grassroots group of local residents formed the Friends of the Manhan Rail Trail to advocate for a linear park. In 1996, Easthampton received federal funds to acquire the city’s section of the rail corridor. After a decade of extensive municipal planning, fundraising, and corridor acquisition, Phase 1 officially opened to the public in June 2004. The trail grew over the next several years, adding a northern connection to Northampton in 2010 and installing a critical bridge over the Manhan River in late 2011.
From Canal to Railroad to Rail Trail
The Manhan Rail Trail follows the path of the former New Haven & Northampton Railroad, which, as the name suggests, spanned 78 miles from Northampton to New Haven. The railroad succeeded the New Haven and Northampton Canal, built in 1835 to provide a navigable alternative to the difficult rapids of the Connecticut River. The canal provided a current-free channel with levels separated by locks to handle elevation change, allowing traffic to move both North and South. In its Massachusetts section, water was diverted from the Manhan River to control the canal’s water level, although the canal frequently sustained damage when the river overflowed. The canal sparked a boom of industrial growth in the Pioneer Valley but was plagued by constant leaks and an array of other problems, limiting its functional and economic potential.
With the rise of rail technology, the Canal company pivoted and cleverly decided to construct a railroad along the canal’s towpath, which horses and mules used to haul cargo boats. Construction began from New Haven in 1846, and the canal was drained and filled in a year later. The first section of the New Haven & Northampton Railroad, nicknamed the Canal Line, opened in 1848 from New Haven to Plainville CT, but construction in Massachusetts proved difficult due to challenging terrain and objections from other competing railroads. In 1854, the line was finally completed to Northampton, although this part of the railroad largely diverged from the path of the former canal in favor of a straight, flatter course. The railroad transformed Western Massachusetts, allowing manufacturers in the Pioneer Valley to transport goods to the ports of New Haven or New York in a matter of hours rather than days. It also brought massive quantities of coal which allowed factories to transition from water power to steam power. Easthampton and Northampton both saw massive industrial booms, which you can read about below.
Although the New Haven & Northampton Railroad independently owned its tracks, the trains that originally ran on the line were operated by the New York and New Haven Railroad (NY&NH), predecessor to the powerhouse New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (The New Haven). When the NY&NH’s contract expired in 1869, the company made the unusual decision to transition to fully independent operations, purchasing their own locomotives and expanding further into Massachusetts. This period of independence lasted until 1887, when The New Haven Railroad reabsorbed the line. Passenger service, always a secondary priority for the line, was phased out by the mid-1920s. Traffic to Northampton gradually declined, and by the late 70s, the Northampton-Easthampton tracks were in such poor condition that most trains only ran to Easthampton. In 1992 the line was finally abandoned in its entirety.
Northampton: Silk City and the Utopian Silk Experiment
The arrival of the railroads propelled Northampton into industrial dominance as the city became one of the global leaders in silk production. The local silk industry began in the 1830s, when local businessmen including Samuel Whitmarsh triggered a speculative frenzy known as Mulberry Mania, predicting that silk would replace cotton as America’s primary textile export. As locals began raising silkworms, mulberry trees, silkworms’ primary food source, became the hottest commodity in town. This speculative bubble popped in 1839, as mulberry trees struggled to survive New England Winter and faced widespread blight. The crash bankrupted Whitmarsh, who had recently constructed a massive mill along the Mill River in present day Florence.
In 1842, the Northampton Association of Education and Industry (NAEI) bought Whitmarsh’s mill and embarked on an egalitarian project to produce silk textiles independently from the slave-based cotton industry of the South. NAEI was founded by a group of activists including abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison’s brother-in-law, George Benson, who organized a system of communal industrial production with a commitment to abolitionism and social equality. Reaching 120 residents at its peak, the NAEI operated on a system where every member, regardless of race, gender, or religion, received the same hourly pay and had an equal vote in community governance. Members spent their days working in the silk mill or on the community's farms. Evenings were dedicated to lectures, debates, and self-improvement, as NAEI believed manual labor and intellectual growth should be integrated.
The NAEI’s most famous member was abolitionist Sojourner Truth, who escaped slavery in upstate New York in 1826. After her escape, she successfully recovered her son who had been illegally sold to a plantation in Alabama, winning the first ever legal case of the kind against a white man. She moved to Northampton from New York City in 1843, where she officially adopted the name Sojourner Truth, and became an abolitionist and an advocate for African-American rights. While at NAEI, she met fellow abolitionists Frederick Douglass and Wendell Phillips, and gave her first known anti-slavery speech at a convention in Northampton. The NAIE experiment ended in 1846, as technology of the day made it difficult to profitably produce silk goods.
The silk industry exploded with the invention of “machine twist” thread in 1852, which overcame the challenges of using delicate silk strands in sewing and knitting machines. By the end of the 19th century, Northampton was one of the world’s largest producers of silk, led by the Corticelli Silk Company, focusing on silk thread, desired for its durability and elasticity, and the McCallum Silk Hosiery Company which produced luxury finished silk goods. Both companies built factories along the New Haven and Northampton Railroad (now the Manhan Rail Trail) for easy transport of raw silk and finished goods. After the post-Mulberry Madness crash, local silk production was abandoned in favor of imported silk from China and Japan. By the 1880s, silk was imported to Pacific ports and shipped across the country, with the New Haven & Northampton Railroad running special silk trains for the final leg of the journey.
Easthampton’s Button and Rubber Industry
Without direct river access, like Northampton, industry in Easthampton didn’t take off until the arrival of coal from the railroad in the mid-19th century. Easthampton’s growth was driven almost single-handedly by the Williston family, industrialists who used the railroad to turn a quiet farming village into a global manufacturing center. The Williston-Knight Button Company, founded in the 1840s, was once the largest button factory in the world. The factory originally made their buttons from vegetable ivory, produced from South American tagua nuts. These nuts were imported from Ecuador and Panama, and arrived at the port of New Haven where they were hauled north by the NH&N, which ran right next to the downtown button factory. In the 20th century, the company struggled to transition to synthetic plastic buttons that were taking over the industry and the factory closed by the mid-1920s.
Easthampton’s other main product was elastic webbing, also led by the Willistons, who founded the Nashawannuck Manufacturing Company in 1850 and The Glendale Elastic Fabrics Company in 1862. Both of these companies depended on the railroad to deliver raw rubber imported from South America, and to get their finished products to the port of New York for distribution. By the late 19th century, the Nashawannuck Manufacturing Company was the largest producer of suspenders in the United States (and arguably the world), producing staggering quantities to supply nearly every man in the country, as belts did not become standard until the early 20th century. The Glendale Elastic Fabrics Company was also enormously successful, becoming the largest manufacturer of rubber-webbing in the world, an elastic fabric used in shoes, garter belts, and industrial applications.
As the city’s button industry was dying out, the elastic industry continued to thrive by adopting new synthetic materials. To afford the expensive new machinery required for this transition, the Glendale Elastic Fabrics Company and Nashawannuck Manufacturing Company merged with the Conant-Houghton Company in 1927 to form the United Elastic Corporation, which together controlled roughly 80% of the elastic webbing market in the United States. With the takeoff of synthetics during World War II, the NH&N railroad was working overtime to haul finished elastic to military contractors, with United Elastic produced webbing for parachutes, gas masks, and pilot gear. After the War, the company benefited from the exploding consumer demand for elastic goods, and became leaders in the use of lycra and spandex by the 1950s and 60s. Although the industry thrived into the mid-20th century, production began to move to the south in the 1970s and later overseas.
Photo Credits
Leaves Turning on the Trail, Photo by John Phelan / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0