Turner's Public Spirit, July 9, 1921
A look back in time to a century ago
By Bob Oliphant
“Center. Mr. and Mrs. L. W. Wheeler returned from their trip to Denver., Col., last week
Friday evening. They made a journey of 4210 miles in their new car, camping by the way part of
the time. A very pleasant visit was enjoyed at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Roy B. Wheeler in
Denver. Although they saw many attractive places, New England looked good to them.
“Mr. and Mrs. Charles L. Hildreth and Roger attended Mr. Hildreth’s reunion [class of 1901]
at Dartmouth college in June. From there they went to Montreal and took a trip down the St.
Lawrence and on to Niagara Falls. There they had an unexpected meeting with Miss Ruth Tuttle,
who was making a trip to the falls with a friend from Winchester. Mr. and Mrs. Hildreth were
gone about three weeks.
“Word has recently been received of the death [June 11, 1921,] in North Craftsbury, Vt., of
Rev. Charles H. Rowley at the age of seventy-nine years. Mr. Rowley was a former pastor of the
Congregational church here for about eleven years [1880-1890], leaving here nearly thirty years
ago….
“Miss Maude E. Robinson has accepted a position to teach in Miss [Queenie Ada-Maye]
Tomlin’s school for little children in Washington, D.C. The school opens on October first.
“The Fourth was observed very quietly in town. The boys celebrated the night before by
ringing of bells and noise and their usual midnight feast. A number of people went to the band
concert in Littleton in the afternoon. The day was one of the hottest we have had.
“Mrs. Sidney B. Wright is in possession of a fairy lily [Zephyranthes candida] with nineteen
blossoms. It is certainly a treat to see so many of the dainty blooms.
“About Town. The tall chimney of the Abbot Worsted Company at Brookside has been
equipped with an iron cap and lightning rod. This will be a safer and cheaper conveyance of
lightning to the ground than the chimney proved to be several years ago.
“We notice an apple tree at Westford depot that is heavily loaded with apples which is unusual
when the frost stripped everything else in the valley. This exception can be accounted for on the
ground of protection by a heavy fog from the close by Stony Brook.
“A few from this section went to attend the Dempsey-Carpentier fight at Jersey City last
Saturday and paid as high as fifty dollars for a seat. One ingenious young lad in West
Chelmsford stayed at home and yet heard all the announcements and knew the result
immediately. Walford Olsen, though only seventeen years of age, has made his own wireless
apparatus which has proved very efficient. He listened in on his wireless last Saturday and heard
distinctly what was said at Jersey City, and when Dempsey was announced the victor Young
Olsen went immediately and reported the news in the village.
“The corner stone of the new Methodist church in West Chelmsford was laid with appropriate
ceremony on last Sunday evening at six o’clock. All the country side was present for the
occasion.
“Graniteville. Charles E. Eaton, who is employed as mechanic with the C. G. Sargent Sons’
corporation, was badly injured last Friday while setting up machinery in a mill at Hudson. While
working on a staging he fell over backward, striking his head on a corner of a tool chest. The
Hudson Woolen Co., where he was working, had him conveyed by auto with an attendant nurse
to his home in Graniteville. Mr. Eaton is now resting as well as can be expected, with every hope
for his complete recovery.
“Joseph Wall of this village was among a party of about fifty members of the Lowell Fish and
Game association who visited Marshfield last Thursday for the purpose of getting data on the
raising of pheasants, which is done on a large scale at Marshfield, under the supervision of the
State Fish and Game association….
“The Abbot Worsted Co. baseball club visited Gardner on the afternoon of July 4 and were
defeated by the fast Gardner A. A. by the score of 5 to 1…. This Saturday the Abbot team will
play the strong Pere Marquette K. of C. club of Boston on the local grounds and a great game is
expected. Game called at three p.m.
“The Abbot Worsted Co. band gave an excellent open-air concert in Ayer on July 4. The
concert was given in the evening from seven to nine and proved to be very enjoyable to the large
number present.”
Westford Town Clerk Charles L. Hildreth (1879-1968) graduated from Dartmouth College in
1901. Courtesy photo / Rauner Special Collections Library, Dartmouth College.