458 Comments for Belchertown State School

No I didn't, I wasn't aware of one being there.

What is that thing that looks like a person? It's creepy! Obviously it's not a real person (I'm not much of a believer in ghost) but what is it?
I thought an old pipe but the coloring is too strange for that.....

Grr. Part of my comment was cut off, but to The Dead, yes thats grafitti.


To Motts: Did you happen to see the alter?

To The Dead:

I just went there recently and theres was a decent amount of sexual eloquence displayed amongst the back of the balcony and alter. Such catchy slogans as "Suck my tit bitch", "I love the cock" and my personal favorite "Worship my asshole" can be found there.

No problem Isabeats; the only reason I thought of it was because I went with my nephew last week! Pity about the BSS one though, I love antique carousels!

OK, I was partially mistaken. I called a friend who knows about the carousel and she told me that originally the town of Belchertown wanted to buy it, but could not raise the funds. The State then auctioned it off and it was bought by a Holyoke man who originally planned to repair it, then resell it to the Holyoke Heritage Park committee.This fell through and the owner decided to dismantle it and sell the individual horses/swans/ etc. to private collectors. I did a quick search to see what I could find and found this interesting reference. Sadly, I wish I had been right; the carousel almost made it to Heritage Park in one piece, but now no longer exists. Thanks for the up-to-date info, Kitty. http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~plalli/posters

Hi Kitty- Perhaps over the years merry-go-rounds got moved around, but I know the Belchertown State School carousel moved from there to Holyoke. At the time (the 70's, I believe) it made the news because the carousel had some historical value and there was pressure to find it a home and not see it lost. I remember Mountain Park too and have been there long ago. perhaps there are two carousels? Or the BSS one is now elsewhere? I'll try to research it.

More on the carousel...http://www.holyokemerrygoround.org/

The carousel at Heritage State Park is the one that used to be in the now-defunct Mountain Park, also in Holyoke. That park closed in the late 1980s when Riverside began expanding, and has since been subject to demolition and several fires.

My aunt, uncle & cousins live up in Belchertown...hmmm, maybe I'll have to pay them a visit & try to check this place out!

ok, so now I know what my first prints will be

I'd be scared to explore such ruins. Where do you find the courage?

I love this shot! The only thing I can complain about is not your fault at all. It's the grafitti in the background that takes away from the look. Why can't people leave these sorts of places alone?
Keep up the awsome work!!

Wow, I love the look of the posters in the background. For a moment, I thought I was looking at a ghost woman until I read the description. Wonderful image!

Must agree with Lynne--the color photos provide something unexpected...the aging is so apparent.