Indian Orchard is a neighborhood in the City of
Springfield, Massachusetts. Located in the northeast corner of Springfield, Indian Orchard affords the quickest commute to
Worcester
Worcester may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England
** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament
* Worcester Park, London, Engla ...
,
I-495 Interstate 495 (I-495) is the designation for several Interstate Highways in the United States, all of which are related to Interstate 95, listed from south to north:
* The Capital Beltway, a beltway around Washington, D.C., running through Virgin ...
, and
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
by way of the
Mass Turnpike
The Massachusetts Turnpike (colloquially "Mass Pike" or "the Pike") is a toll highway in the US state of Massachusetts that is maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). The turnpike begins at the New York state l ...
(I-90).
History
Indian Orchard began in the 1840s as an isolated mill town and has preserved its identity over the years, even after becoming more fully encompassed by "
The City of Firsts."
Because of its origins as a separate town, Indian Orchard contains many streets with names that are identical to entirely different streets in Springfield's Metro Center, having, for example, its own Main Street, differentiated only by the Indian Orchard name and ZIP code.
One of Indian Orchard's former mills is now a large artists' studio space; this has been the catalyst for the neighborhood's growing arts & crafts scene. The Indian Orchard Mills/Dane Gallery hosts an artists' open house twice a year. Hubbard Park is a major source of recreational activities. The newly expanded Indian Orchard branch of the Springfield Library offers adult and family activities. The neighborhood is also home to
Lake Lorraine State Park, swimming beach formerly home to the public; the beach however has been closed since budget cuts in 2009.
Large employers include
Solutia and a
US Postal Service
The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U. ...
bulk mail facility. There is a thorough weekly Farmer's Market at 187 Main St, Indian Orchard on Fridays 11:00 - 4:00, from May 8 to October 30.
Indian Orchard was also home to Chapman Valve Manufacturing Company, which converted uranium rods into slugs to be used as nuclear reactor fuel, for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Manhattan Engineer District. The site was remediated in 1995. It is now occupied by a solar energy facility.
Indian Orchard is home to the
''Titanic'' Museum.
See also
*Indian Orchard Station
References
{{SpringfieldMA
Neighborhoods in Springfield, Massachusetts