Hockanum Rural Historic District

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.