Mulberry Street is the name of an historic street and tourist destination in Springfield, Massachusetts

Springfield, Massachusetts

Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...

, made famous by Dr. Seuss

Dr. Seuss

Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American writer, poet, and cartoonist most widely known for his children's books written under the pen names Dr. Seuss, Theo LeSieg and, in one case, Rosetta Stone....

' first childrens' book And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street

And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street

And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street is a book written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss and Robert Carington, first published in 1937. It was Seuss's first children's book, originally titled "A Story That No One Can Beat," the manuscript was rejected by over 43 publishing companies but was...

! Less than one mile from Springfield's Metro Center neighborhood, the Springfield Armory

Springfield Armory

The Springfield Armory, located in the City of Springfield, Massachusetts - from 1777 until its closing in 1968 - was the primary center for the manufacture of U.S. military firearms. After its controversial closing during the Vietnam War, the Springfield Armory was declared Western Massachusetts'...

, and The Quadrangle

The Quadrangle

The Quadrangle is a cluster of five museums in Springfield, Massachusetts, on Chestnut Street in Metro Center. Five museums and the Springfield City Library surround the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden...

, Mulberry Street is also less than one mile southwest of Dr. Seuss' boyhood home on Fairfield Street.

Mulberry Street is located in the Ridgewood Historic District of Springfield, in the city's Maple Hill neighborhood. From the 1820s until urban White Flight

White flight

White flight has been a term that originated in the United States, starting in the mid-20th century, and applied to the large-scale migration of whites of various European ancestries from racially mixed urban regions to more racially homogeneous suburban or exurban regions. It was first seen as...

in the 1960s, Maple Hill and Mulberry Street, in particular, were considered Springfield's "Gold Coast." Many ornate mansions still stand on the street, and in the general area along Maple Street. In the 1960s, Mulberry House, a luxury condominium building, was built atop the hill at the street's northernmost point, abutting historic Springfield Cemetery. From atop this hill one is afforded excellent views of Springfield and the Connecticut River

Connecticut River

The Connecticut River is the largest and longest river in New England, and also an American Heritage River. It flows roughly south, starting from the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire. After flowing through the remaining Connecticut Lakes and Lake Francis, it defines the border between the...

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And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street!

Suess' first childrens' story follows a boy named Marco, who describes the sights and sounds of imaginary people and vehicles traveling along Mulberry Street in an elaborate fantasy story he dreams up to tell to his father at the end of his walk, but decides instead to simply tell him what he actually saw. Dr. Seuss wrote the story as a commentary about how he felt adults stifled children's imaginations.