Turner's Public Spirit, March 19, 1921
A look back in time to a century ago
By Bob Oliphant
“Center. Dr. C. A. Blaney has exchanged his Ford car for a new one of the same make and
type.
“The town has purchased a new Ford closed car for the use of Miss Lord, the town nurse.
This replaces the one of the same kind that has been in service.
“The new policeman, Harry L. Whiting received his motorcycle for service this week.
“George F. White, automobile dealer, has been in attendance all this week at the Boston auto
show.
“The trial with mud and bad roads is abating and the roads are getting into pretty good shape
for the time of year, although Saturday’s rain made bad work. A number of machines were stuck
Sunday on the Graniteville road near the Atwood home [4 Graniteville Road] and had to have
help being pulled out. One driver got a broken axle. There were other bad spots reported where
autos got stuck and had to have help getting extricated.
“While there are still some of the large crop of winter apples in storage the most of them have
been shipped to Boston. Taken as a whole it has not been a difficult season for the truck-men….
“The Misses Atwood, Emory J. Whitney and Mrs. H. M. Bartlett, spending the winter in
Florida, expect to return to Westford early in April.
“About Town. Mervin Steele, the well-known trapper, recently caught an otter on the Stony
Brook, near the arch bridge at Westford depot. It had been living around Burges pond and Stony
Brook for several years, having been seen at the Willard Fletcher bridge on the Stony Brook road,
but it had eluded all attempts to capture it until the recent hold up. It was apparently an old one
and weighed 12 pounds.
“The quarantine has been lifted from the Banister home and Seth Banister, who has been
quarantined for scarlet fever, is able to be out and enjoy the fresh air and the songs of early
spring.
“The unusual mud trouble on the roads this spring is explainable on the ground that there was
about two feet of frost in the ground and no snow and with March trying to be summer with a
temperature of 50 and 60 in the shade, and north shade at that, what could be expected but a too
continuous and sudden thawing out of the roads. Hence mud comes faster and deeper than sun
and wind could dry it out.
“Amos Polley planted peas Thursday and is preparing land for 12 bushels of potatoes, which
he is planning on planting the last week in March or early April.
“The road at Brookside leading from Brookside to the Plain road has been named by the
Abbot Worsted Co. Riverview road, it having such a commanding view of the Stony Brook river.
Also the road that runs from the Stony Brook road at Stony Brook railroad bridge with the Plain
road they have named the Rocky Hill road, this road being the western boundary of their real
estate at Brookside.
“The auto truck of the Abbot Worsted Co. that plies between Brookside and Forge Village got
badly set in the mud with a load of wood Wednesday on the Lowell road between the residence of
S. L. Taylor and Amos Polley. The auto truck of John Feeney came along and with wire cable
managed to extricate it, although it was also heavily loaded with wood from Brookside for
Worcester. Another auto got in the mud requiring five horses to pull it out and still another not so
fortunate remained in the mud all night. It looks as if there was mud enough for argument for the
hearing on the condition of the Lowell road that comes off at Lowell Monday.
“Brookside is still enjoying prosperity with the mill running full time weekly by doing a class
of work not being done at any other mills of the Abbot Worsted Co. at Graniteville and Forge
Village, which are only running three days per week.
“Graniteville. The sportsmen of the town working in conjunction with Joe Wall, the local
fish and game warden, have contributed to a fund to purchase 20 snowshoe rabbits from
Maine….
“Dr. H. R. Coburn, resident physician at the Abbot Worsted mills of Westford, started
Monday of last week specializing in surgical operations at the Mayo clinic of Rochester, Minn.,
one of the largest clinics of the kind in the United States….
“The ice has gone out of the mill pond, the frost is fast getting out of the ground and judging
by the weather of the past few days, it looks as though spring was here.”
Photo taken in 1906 of the Brookside Mill, then run by George C. Moore. He sold it to theAbbot Worsted Co. in 1919. Courtesy Photo / Westford Historical Society.