A  M  H  E  R  S  T

Here's an Amherst Hockey Association sticker from around 1970.  I wish I had more pictures of Amherst hockey, especially Orr Rink before they modernized it.  It used to just be a brick box with no locker rooms and was always so cold that I could barely tie my yellow Rally Bobby Orr skates.  They had wire fencing around the boards instead of plexi-glass .  That looked great.  My coach would pick me up at 4:00 AM and then get us doughnuts afterwards from Bess Eaton because Dunkin Donuts wasn't famous yet.

Amherst Uptown from the late 1800's.

College Drug on Main Street around 1970.  Even though this location was home to Pharmacies for over a hundred years, it's now a Subway sandwich shop.  Below is a picture of the same area about 1900, It was originally called Phoenix Row.

Towards the right hand side of the picture above you can see the tall buildings.  Below are what those looked like.

This used to be the Amherst Post Office.  Now its Amherst Chinese Food.  Below is the Current Post Office from an old postcard shot around 1950.

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This picture is from 2004, but was my family's first house in Amherst around 1965.  God I wish they'd cut down that big tree.

This fountain was covered up with a big green wooden dome for over 30 years.  Now that I see what it looks like I wish they'd cover it back up again.

Believe it or not, this motel was where the Mountain Farms Mall was built in the early 1970's.  That mall was the thriving home of Woolco on one side and Almys on the other, with Just for Fun pinball and an iron-on T-shirt store in-between.  Eventually around 1980 they cleared out the corn fields right next to it and built the bigger better Hampshire Mall.  It put Mountain Farms Mall out of business immediately where it just sat empty for another 15 years til they re-did it as the plaza it is today with Wal-Mart and Barnes and Noble.

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This was the farm stand we got our groceries from.  Although the sign says Bay Road Fruit Stand, I swear everyone called it Andersons.  That thing on the top was in real-life a huge bright-red metal apple, even though I always thought it looked more like a strawberry.  Across the street from this little stand was the original Atkins Farms Stand (below).  We never went there til Andersons closed.  Now Atkins is much, much larger.

Atkins Farm Stand - circa 1975

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Old townies are sure to miss Jack August seafood restaurant in Northampton with its flashing neon light fish steering a ship in the window.  I always wanted to go there but never did.  That must be why they aren't there anymore.  I'm not sure what's there now, but I'll check next time I'm in the area.

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Jones Library

The Cosby House being torn down from the Amity Street lot where Jones Library was to be built - 1927.  The main portion of this house was actually moved to another location in Amherst.

Here is the Jones Library being built.

Here is another angle of the Jones Library being constructed.  It looks like the bank still had fresh cement as well - 1928.

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You have to admit, Amherst has the greatest Town hall to ever exist anywhere.  Judging from that ugly brown Nova, I think this shot is from about 1975.

Here's the Town Hall being built, after they tore down the old Palmer Bulding (below) that used to stand on the corner of Main and whatever that little street is called that runs parallel to South Pleasant.

And here is the Palmer Block in the spot where the Town Hall is.

If you like Amherst or have something to say, send me an email at ed@blanny.net