SOUTHWICK – Local historian Dennis Picard will share stories about the role the Irish – one Southwick resident in particular –played in the Western Railroad via Zoom March 25.
Local historian Dennis Picard, pictured in historical garb, will talk about the role of the Irish in building the Western Railroad, including one Southwick resident. (DENNIS PICARD PHOTO)
“Paddy on the Railroad” will be presented at 7 p.m. Thursday. To pre-register for the Zoom link, email [email protected]. This program is a cooperative effort of the Southwick Historical Society, the Southwick Public Library and Southwick 250.
The Western Railroad of Massachusetts was chartered in February 1833. This five-year project linked the Boston and Worcester Railroad to Springfield, across the Connecticut River, and on to the New York state line. According to Picard, although many ethnic groups were among the thousands of skilled and unskilled workers, the vast majority of the hard work was done by those of Irish heritage.
“So many Irish worked on the project because of their availability, caused by lack of employment in Ireland at the time,” said Picard, “and because recruiters advertised for their help in major cities in Ireland.”
“Paddy on the Railway” details how the 1830s construction project was accomplished with vast amounts of manual toil, and how the Irish, at first looked down upon by other segments of society, came to be recognized for their contributions to the effort. A special feature of this presentation will be information specific to Southwick resident John Boyl’s contribution to this project.
