Turner's Public Spirit, April 18, 1925

A look back in time to a century ago

By Bob Oliphant

Center.  Mrs. Adeline Buckshorn has purchased a new Buick touring car.

Miss Eleanor Colburn, of Concord, N.H., is spending her vacation with her mother, and was the soloist at the Unitarian church on Easter.

The next meeting of the Alliance will be held at the church on Thursday afternoon, April 23 at 2:30.  Mrs. Adeline Buckshorn will read a paper on “The life of Christ,” and the annual election of officers will be held.  All members are requested to be present.

About twenty-five of the friends of Miss Alice Swenson gathered at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Ingalls on Tuesday evening and tendered her a miscellaneous shower.  Miss Swenson received many useful articles and during the evening was presented a basket of flowers.  Refreshments were served and a general good time was enjoyed by all present.

Raymond Prescott, of Bentley School of Accounting, Boston, is enjoying his vacation at the home of his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Eben Prescott.

The state department of public health will hold a well-baby conference in the town hall on May 8, from ten in the morning until five in the afternoon.  All children of pre-school age may be examined by Dr. Coffin, division of hygiene, and a report of findings sent to the family physician of each individual.  No charge will be made for examination.  Further information may be received from Mrs. Wright, town nurse.

The Easter services at the Congregational church were largely attended.  The cantata in the morning and the pageant in the evening were especially fine.  The alto solo of Miss Lillian Sutherland and the singing by a trio composed of Miss Sutherland, Mrs. Edith Blaney and Miss Alice Swenson were much appreciated.  The floral decorations were in charge of Mrs. Shupe.  Nine new members were taken in, one by letter and the others by confession of faith.

The Men’s club of the Congregational church held a meeting on Tuesday evening.  The topic of the evening was on poultry raising.  Fred Hanscom and Ralph Josselyn gave interesting and instructive accounts on the subject.  A general social time was enjoyed.

Mrs. Horace Killam has been the guest of her parents, Rev. and Mrs. Edward D. Disbrow.

Rev. and Mrs. E. D. Disbrow attended recently the Haverhill Philharmonic concert.  Their son-in-law Horace Killam, who has so successfully conducted the Westford Oratorio society for the past two seasons, is the director of the Haverhill society.

The floral decorations at the Unitarian church on Easter Sunday were very beautiful and consisted of Easter lilies and cut flowers, both being donated by attendants in memory of deceased members of their families.  The children of the Sunday school brought in their banks and the yearly Easter offering at the regular service, both of which will be sent to the Children’s Mission in Boston.

Bertram Sutherland, who has been in the west for some time, is expected home in May.  Bert’s many friends will be pleased to greet him again.

It was with great regret that the friends of Alfred Jordan [see more on this death below], Providence road, learned of his death which occurred at his home on last Sunday.  He [paper torn, line missing] will be missed by those with whom he came in contact.

The beautiful floral decorations at the Congregational church on last Sunday were donated by the attendants, several of them being in memory of deceased members of the donors’ families—L. W. Wheeler in memory of Mary H. Wheeler; Charles L. Hildreth in memory of Elizabeth H. Hildreth; Misses Atwood in memory of their father and mother, and W. R. Taylor and Mrs. F. L. Snow in memory of their mother [Alta Mahala (Schellenger) Taylor (1853-1922)].

Miss Lilly Atwood, Miss Sarah W. Loker, Mr. and Mrs. Harry Ingalls, Mrs. John K. Felch and Rev. Edward Disbrow attended the meeting of the Middlesex Union Association of Congregational Churches held on Wednesday in Lunenburg.

Successful Sale.  The Alliance conducted a very successful sale at the Unitarian church parlors on last week Thursday afternoon, somewhere in the neighborhood of $300 being realized as a result of the affair.  The tables were attractively decorated with crepe paper and flowers appropriate to the Easter season and many beautiful and useful articles were on display, in charge of the following ladies: Fancy work, Mrs. Benjamin Prescott, Mrs. Arthur G. Hildreth; aprons, Mrs. Charles Robinson, Mrs. Alexander MacDougall; quilt, Chinese work and scarfs, Mrs. Adeline Buckshorn and Miss Julia Fletcher; grabs, Miss Alice Johnson, Mrs. Everett Miller; candy, Mrs. C. G. Carter and Miss Marion Fletcher; food, Mrs. W. R. Carver, Mrs. John Feeney, Sr., and Mrs. H. V. Hildreth.  The beautiful home-made quilt, windmill design, in yellow and white, was the work of Miss L. M. Blaisdell, who resides at the home of Mrs. Alma Richardson.  It was made up of 720 pieces; the stitching of these pieces alone required about four days’ time.  The lucky ticket, when drawn from a basket by little Miss Priscilla Greig [age 6], bore the name of Mrs. A. H. Sutherland, the winner of the quilt.  Returns of $48 were realized on the sale of tickets on the quilt.

The Chinese articles made on hand-looms at Nanking, China, were especially beautiful and were sold on a percentage, the greater part of the proceeds going toward educational work in China.

The beautiful all wool, hand-woven scarfs, sent out by the Associated Handicraft Industries for Disabled Veterans of New York, were sold on a similar basis.  Disabled veterans are the only ones employed in making the scarfs.

There was a short musical program in which Albert Guerin of North Chelmsford, rendered solos which were much enjoyed, Miss Julia Fletcher acting as accompanist.

About Town.  No, thank you, we have not planted any beans yet, for we are so busy hoeing peas that we planted March 7 that we have not time to plan in our hand and transplant to the ground such small stuff as beans.  But as long as you have a chip on your shoulder the Old Oaken Bucket farm will furnish one peck of green home-grown peas for the veterans’ dinner at the town hall on Memorial day, if you or others will furnish one pint of intentions of home-grown string beans.  Here is a chance to prove our faith by delivering the goods.  Say, sister, we do not allow anyone to get ahead of us down in the valley of the Stony Brook except woodchucks.

We acknowledge with thanks and interest compounded of receiving from Emory J. Fletcher a copy of a live Florida paper, giving a truthful picture of that land of prosperity.

The women of the Merry-go-Round Whist club of Westford and West Chelmsford, with their husbands and friends, enjoyed a second party at “Idlewild,” [sic, Idlewilde[1]] Dunstable, last Saturday evening.  Besides whist there was a turkey dinner and everyone won out.  But not so in the game of whist, in which the prizes for best scoring were won by Mrs. Clara Greig, of this town, Mrs. Miner, Mrs. Henry Miller, Charles Hill, [and] Mrs. Henry Miner.  Whist was followed by an entertainment in the nature of a mock marriage which made “Idlewild” ring echoes of merriment, with the following as characters for the merriment: Mrs. David L. Greig, Mrs. Jennie Brown, Mrs. Frank Bale, Mrs. Archie Cooke, [and] Mrs. Emma Edwards.  The rest of the evening was dedicated to dancing.

Our old former Stony Brook school playmate, Alonzo B. Falls, of Wellesley, was in town on last week Friday, and with his daughter called on the Edson G. Boyntons and a few other old-timers, Mr. Falls being an uncle of Mrs. Boynton.  He is a retired engineer of the Boston and Maine railroad, having served for many years on the road, from Boston to Concord, N.H.  I was very sorry to have missed seeing him and trying again those old Stony Brook school collar and elbow wrestling matches in which we both thought we won.  As he is eighty-four years old and somebody else only lacks a few years of that age [Samuel L. Taylor was 79], how nice to renew our youth in those school-day ways.

Nice morning last Monday, when the snow showed how nice and green our peas look shooting up through the snow on the Old Oaken Bucket farm.  So glad that we got them hoed on Saturday, as some folks do not like to hoe in the snow.  How’s beans, sister?

Alfred E. Jordan died at his home on the Providence road (Bunce farm [106 Providence Road]) last Sunday, aged 65 years and 7 months.  He was a native of Lowell, moving to this town about ten years ago.  For many years he was in the employ of the John Pilling Shoe Company, where he was universally liked.  Said one of the firm, “If ever there was a white man, Alfred E. Jordan is one.”  While in Lowell he was a regular attendant at the First Spiritualist church, and chairman of the committee that built the present Spiritualist church on Middlesex street, and a life-long loyal supporter.  He is survived by his wife, Laura Jordan; a son, Frederick; a daughter, Marguerite, all of this town, and a brother, Samuel B. Cady, of Lowell.  The funeral took place on Tuesday afternoon from the Talbot Memorial chapel at the Edson cemetery, Lowell.  Rev. Harold F. Haynes, of the First Universalist church, conducted the services.  There were the usual and appropriate floral tributes.  The bearers were old-time friends of the deceased.  Interment was in the family lot in Edson cemetery.

Mrs. Joseph C. Decatur, of Winthrop, was in town on Sunday, calling at the old Capt. Peletiah Fletcher place on the Lowell road.

Back-Log drama, “Nothing but the truth,” Littleton town hall, April 18.

Unitarian Church Notes.  Sunday service at four o’clock.  Preacher, Rev. Frank B. Crandall, the minister; subject, “When gathered together.”  Church school at three o’clock.

A substantial offering was received last Sunday for the missionary work of the American Unitarian association.

On Sunday the preacher will draw a much-needed lesson for the present time from the traditional gospel for Low Sunday[2].

At the annual meeting of the Laymen’s league in the vestry last Sunday evening officers were elected for the ensuing year as follows: Arthur G. Hildreth, pres.; Charles Robinson, vice pres.; Benjamin Prescott, sec.-treas.; Sherman H. Fletcher, Homer S. Seavey and Everett Miller, ex. com. [paper torn, line or two missing.]

The fire alarm sounded Wednesday[3] noon on last week and the Westford fire engine company responded in quick time as did also the Chelmsford fire company to a blaze on the Vose road in the Parkerville section of the town, which destroyed the farm buildings on the Loammi C. Bicknell place.  Besides the buildings destroyed, a horse, cow and nearly all the personal property perished in the fire.  The blaze is supposed to have started from a defective chimney.  The place is located about three miles from any fire company and the buildings were past saving when the fire companies arrived.  The place is owned by a Russian.  While the Westford fire company was fighting this fire an alarm was sounded for a forest fire on land of David Sherman, between Cold Spring road and the Stony Brook railroad.  The Graniteville fire company responded and Westford fire company were on the scene as soon as they could be released from responding to the fire on the Vose road.  Aside from the response of the two fire companies there was the usual response of volunteers fresh from the fields of early spring planting.  The wind was blowing the fire in the path of several houses, which made it a hurry-up necessity to hold the fire to its present holdings, which was successfully accomplished.  Some ten or fifteen acres were burned over, mostly promising young pine growth.  Fortunately the fire was discovered when it first started by unintentional incendiarism on the part of a passing freight train on the Stony Brook railroad.

One of the oldest landmarks in the town of Tyngsboro was destroyed by fire last week Friday evening when the barn on the Channing Whitaker place was destroyed by fire, together with two cows and a six-cylinder Nash automobile.  The building, said to have been the best framed structure in Tyngsboro, was transformed into a roaring furnace within the briefest possible time, and all efforts to save the live stock or the car were futile on account of the intense heat.  The cause of the fire is not even suggested, and the loss is estimated at $8000.  Aid was summoned from the fire departments of Lowell, Dracut, Nashua and North Chelmsford to save the large dwelling house only a few feet away and on the windward side of the burning barn.  Only for the rain which fell during the afternoon and was still falling at the time of the fire it appears that a disastrous fire must have resulted from the dry condition of the closeby forests.  The several fire companies responded and reached the scene of the fire within a few minutes of the alarm.  The first to respond was Nashua, followed by Lowell, Dracut and North Chelmsford.

All efforts of the Tyngsboro fire department and the other fire companies were bent towards saving the mansion of a house.  So intense was the heat that it looked as though they would fail at this, as the streams of water were promptly changed into steam, but a fortunate change in the wind saved this old landmark, where the late Channing Whitaker, so well and pleasantly remembered, lived so many years.  The property is now owned and occupied by Chester Queen of the firm of Perham & Queen, who run a general store in Tyngsboro.

A grass fire started last Sunday noon on the line of the Stony Brook railroad and burned over land of W. R. Taylor, Bernard J. Flynn and Amos B. Polley.  Fortunately this land lies between the Stony Brook railroad and the Stony Brook, so that bounded on the north by the gravel bed of the railroad and south by the hornpout waters of Stony Brook the fire was easily controlled by a dozen volunteer fire fighters.  This fire was evidently another unintentional incendiarism by a passing freight train.

Graniteville.  Many from this vicinity attended the Tadmuck club dance that was held in the town hall, Westford, on last Monday evening.  Ted Marshall’s orchestra furnished the music for dancing, and the affair proved to be a great social success.

Many radio fans listened in Monday evening to an excellent band concert given by the Abbot Worsted Company band that was broadcast from State WEEI, Boston[4].  The songs sung by John Kelly and Frank Charlton, accompanied by the band, was also greatly enjoyed.

Owing to the holiday on Monday the regular meeting of Cameron Circle, C. of F. of A. [Companions of the Foresters of America], will be held on Tuesday evening instead.

Mrs. Joseph Wall has recently returned home from the Lowell General hospital.

The glorious festival of Easter was observed in St. Catherine’s church last Sunday when two masses were celebrated by the pastor, Rev. A. S. Malone, the last being a solemn high mass. Special musical programs for the children’s and the regular choirs.  The altar was beautifully decorated with flowers and potted plants that made a pleasing effect.  Both services were largely attended.  The pastor preached appropriate sermons at both masses.

Harry Carbo, manager of the Abbot junior baseball team, is booking games, but has many open dates, and would like to hear from any of the teams in surrounding towns whose average age is sixteen years.

Glenn Dameron, who played first base for the Abbot Worsted Company team last year, is expected to play with the Lawrence Independents this year.

Ayer

Real Estate Transfers.  Westford, Walter W. Fletcher et ux. to Frederick C. Robinson et ux., land on Depot road; Richard D. Prescott to Abbot Worsted Co., land at Forge Village; Charles G. Sargent Est. by trs. to Inhabitants of the Town of Westford, land on Church street; Frederick G. Sargent et al. to Inhabitants of the Town of Westford, land on Church street.

 

[1] Read more about Dunstable’s “Idlewilde Farm Inn, The Most Attractive Summer Home in New England” at https://www.dunstable-ma.gov/350th-anniversary-celebration-committee/pages/idlewilde-farm-inn.

[2] “Another name traditionally given to this day [i.e., the Second Sunday of Easter] in the English language is Low Sunday. The word ‘low’ may serve to contrast it with the ‘high’ festival of Easter on the preceding Sunday. Or, the word ‘low’ may be a corruption of the Latin word laudes, the first word of a sequence used in the historical Sarum Rite.” Quoted from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Sunday_of_Easter.

[3] Chelmsford

Gobdonoff House, Household Furnishing and Barn and Contents Prey to Fire. April 8.

Shortly after 2 o’clock this afternoon the Centre Fire department was called to aid at a fire at what is known as the Loami [sic] Bicknell place in the Parker village section [of Westford] beyond South Chelmsford. The house was owned and occupied by Harry Gobdonoff with his son and daughter. The fire, thought to have started from a defective chimney, had made such progress when discovered that when assistance arrived, nothing could be done to save the buildings. The house and barn together with all household furnishings, a horse, cow, hens, ducks and an automobile were completely destroyed. The daughter was alone in the house at the time the fire started. The Westford, South and [Chelmsford fire departments] responded to a call sent out by Observer Blood in the watch tower on Robin hill. The fire spread into the woods and before it could be checked burned over some five acres of sprout and woodland.

Owing to the extremely dry weather and the prevalence of grass and wood fires Forest fire warden Arnold C. Perham announced tonight that no further permits for fires in the open would be issued until there is a heavy rain.

Lowell Courier-Citizen, Lowell, Mass., Thursday, April 9, 1925, p. 12.

[4] Per “The Radio Program” column in the Lowell Courier Citizen of Monday April 13, 1925, p. 7, “In the Air Today” for “Station WEEI, Edison Light of Boston, 500 Watts, 476 Meters” featured the “Abbott [sic] Worsted band” on the air from 7:45 p.m. to 8:45 p.m.