In yesterday’s post I shared a passage where Babu speaks of going to “Watershops” with Jakey.

Thursday, September 28th, 1939
There is a “Harvest Moon.” We found a new spot overlooking the “Watershops.” It’s like a picture.

That was a familiar jolt to me.  You see, Babu grew up in Chicopee and I grew up in the neighboring Springfield.  Well, not only is Watershops Pond in my town, but in the very neighborhood I grew up in.  So I got curious and I searched images of Watershops pond from the 30’s.  I found this:

Oh my!  The caption on the picture said:

Speaking of Watershops, above are Springfield College students swimming in the pond at freshman camp in 1930. Yes, that guy is bare-assed.

And it is very true.  That person is naked!  I’m pretty sure that is NOT the view Babu saw in 1939, although, a picture it is.  If I can get past the image of that man’s butt, I realize that it was then an even prettier spot then I was when I was growing up.

The blog attached to this picture was a very interesting one and I will share it as well.  Hell’s Acre

I hope you enjoy.

In the 2011 tornado Springfield experienced, most of the trees surrounding the pond were decimated.

I mourned for quite a while that the pretty place I had been driving by since I was a child was now something different: ruined and ugly.  I notice now as I drive by that the most is being made of that situation.  There is now a park being built and, although it will never be as nice as the scenery in that above picture, (now come on, you know what I mean!) it is looking pretty nice these days, too.

In researching this I also found out that this park has a beautiful dedication.

Park dedicated to fallen marine