{"nrhp_refnum":"93001474","name":"Hockanum Rural Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Area surrounding Hockanum Rd., from Hockanum Cemetery to the NE corner of Skinner State Park","address_restricted":false,"city":"Hadley","county":"Hampshire County","state":"MA","lat":42.29911350000006,"lon":-72.59710184872955,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1993-12-30","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Entertainment/Recreation","Conservation","Architecture","Agriculture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A rural historic district of about 752 acres in the southwest corner of Hadley, Massachusetts, at the base of Mt. Holyoke along a bend of the Connecticut River. It includes 18th and 19th century farmsteads, a cemetery, fields, and mountain tourism buildings in Skinner State Park.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the district is a farming neighborhood in continuous agricultural use for centuries. It also contains the features of the famed Mt. Holyoke summit view and the buildings of the 19th-century mountain tourist trade. It is significant for agriculture, architecture, conservation and recreation.","narrative":"Hockanum is a farming neighborhood in the southwest corner of Hadley, Massachusetts, enclosed by a bend of the Connecticut River and the base of Mt. Holyoke. The district covers about 752 acres of floodplain meadow, terrace pastures, farmsteads, a cemetery and part of Skinner State Park. Its oldest buildings are two farmhouses from the 1740s, including the John Lyman House of 1743 and the White Horse Tavern of 1747, along with later Federal and Greek Revival dwellings and barns. Farms were placed to avoid floods and to catch winter sun. Dairy farming and hay cutting continue today. The district also records the rise of mountain tourism. From the early 19th century, visitors crossed to Hockanum by ferry to climb Mt. Holyoke. In 1851 John W. French built the Summit House and later added a rail line up the mountain. Together, farms and tourist buildings show how agriculture and recreation shaped the landscape from 1740 to 1942.","period_of_significance":"1740-1942","architect_builder":"French, John W.","architectural_style":"Colonial: Georgian; Early Republic: Federal; Mid 19th Century: Greek Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still an active farming area; Summit House has been restored and is now a park visitors' center. Some farm buildings are deteriorated.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:03.590983-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/77/7953/63795377/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/93001474.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/93001474/64fc08649d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/93001474/64fc08649d-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HadleyMA_HockanumRuralHD_01.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">User:Magicpiano</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HadleyMA_HockanumRuralHD_01.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63795377","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hockanum_Rural_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5875499"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/hampshire-county/hockanum-rural-historic-district-93001474/"}