Turner's Public Spirit, August 30, 1924

A look back in time to a century ago

By Bob Oliphant

Center.  The marriage of Miss Eleanor Abbot Cameron, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Julian Abbot Cameron, to Howard Shepard Hayward, son of Mrs. May Shepard Hayward, of Allston, will take place on Saturday, September 6.  Mr. Hayward and his bride will establish their home on Parkman street, Brookline.

Harwood L. Wright has returned from his vacation spent with his brother in Marshfield.

The last meeting of the Grange was in charge of the music committee and the following program was presented: Piano duet, Miss Freda Johnson and Mrs. Edith P. Blaney; vocal solos, Miss Elva Judd; reading, Mrs. Josephine Prescott; piano solo, Miss Fred Johnson, and an interesting roll call, to which many of the members responded.  At the next meeting to be held on Thursday evening, September 4, neighbors’ night will be observed with Medford and Stow as the visiting Granges.  A supper will be served.

Master Richard Hildreth has returned home after spending the greater part of the vacation with his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. George Lawrence.

The schools of the town will begin the school year on Wednesday, September 3.

The corn and frankfort roast which the American Legion Auxiliary and Westford post were to have at Keyes pond on Monday evening had to be postponed on account of the weather.

Mrs. Sidney W. Wright and three sons are the guests of relatives in Ashby.

Mrs. Charles A. Blodgett has returned from a pleasant vacation spent in Maine.  The return trip was made by auto.

Mr. and Mrs. J. E. Knight have been spending a few days as the guests of Mr. and Mrs. C. E. Campbell, of Hudson, N.H.  While there Mr. Knight observed his eighty-sixth birthday and was pleasantly remembered by his many friends with gifts and a shower of birthday cards.

Mr. and Mrs. Fred T. Doolittle, of Rutherford, N.J., are expected in town on September first as the guests of their daughter, Mrs. [Edwin] Clarence Hildreth.

Master Elmer Bridgeford recently spent the weekend at Mountain View farm, Townsend hill.  His brother [probably a first cousin, not a brother], Richard Hodson, accompanied him home.  During the latter’s visit the two boys enjoyed a trip to Salem Willows.

Mrs. R. C. Coffin and Mrs. L. G. Weston, of Newburyport, were the guests of Mrs. Harry E. Whiting recently.

Mr. and Mrs. Frank C. Wright attended the Decatur reunion held at Nabnassett pond on last week Thursday.  Many member of the family were present and although the family originated in New Hampshire, there were more of the Massachusetts Decaturs present.  Next year the affair will be held in New Hampshire at a point near the place of the earliest settlement.

Mrs. Fred L. McCoy has been spending a few days as the guest of her daughter, Mrs. Louis Robbins, of Watertown.

Mrs. Josephine Prescott is attending the state convention of the American Legion Auxiliary as an alternate delegate at Worcester on this week Friday and Saturday, preceded by a banquet at the Hotel Bancroft on Thursday evening.

Miss Elizabeth Wells has been the guest of her aunt in West Newbury.

The annual outing of the republicans of Northern Middlesex county was held at the Whitney playground last Saturday and brought out a large attendance.  Speakers from the seventh and eighth senatorial and the eleventh representative districts were present.  A band concert preceded the speaking, with singing by the Honey Boy Four, and a ball game and dance followed.  The candidates who appeared were Alvan T. Fuller and James Jackson, for governor; Frederick Gillette, for U.S senator, represented by Andrew Marshall and Frederick W. Dallinger; James W. Bean, Horace A. Keith and Fred J. Burrell, for treasurer; Charles P. Howard and Vernon W. Evans, for state senator; Walter C. Wardwell, county commissioner, who also spoke for his running mate, Alfred Cutting.  Charles L. Burrill also spoke, as did Alfred W. Hartford, chairman of the committee.

Miss Evelyn Benjamin, of Reading, who has been spending her vacation at the home of her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Eben Prescott, tendered a farewell party to her many little friends and their mothers on Monday afternoon.  The affair was a frankfort roast and was thoroughly enjoyed by those present.  Other refreshments served were baked potatoes, cake, cookies, candy and punch.  Those who assisted in serving the young folks were Miss Lucinda Prescott, Mrs. Benjamin Prescott, Miss Angie Parfitt and Miss Eleanor Peabody of Lawrence.

About Town.  The annual Decatur reunion was held at Lake Nabnassett last week Thursday with eighty in attendance.  There was music, dancing, sports, dinner, etc.  Among those who attended from town were Miss Luanna Decatur, Guy R. and Gerry Decatur, Hiram Decatur and Fred Naylor of Groton, and Mrs. Samuel Naylor of West Chelmsford.

The next meeting of Middlesex North Pomona Grange, after the long vacation will be held Friday, September 5, at Oddfellows’ hall, Lowell.  Morning session, “Vacation experiences,” by everybody and others; “First aid to farm animals,” Samuel Law Taylor of Westford; “Surprise feature paper” (editor not named).  Afternoon session—Speaker, Ernest F. Gilbert, master of state grange.

Almon E. Downing, formerly living on the Walker farm, has returned to town and is living on the Barton place on the Chamberlin road.

Foxes are around and at their annual after vacation hunger.  If you do not wish to contribute to the joy of their appetite either shut up your chickens or let the foxes think the more expensive way of shutting them up.  Oh! Excuse me.  I forgot there is another way of practicing against foxes vs. hens.  You can exterminate the foxes.  Hurrah!  I am for exterminating all kinds of wild life that has to have a cent’s worth of victuals a year to live on.

At a meeting last week Wednesday of the trustees of Middlesex North Agricultural society at Lowell it was voted to hold the annual charity fair Wednesday and Thursday, September 17 and 18, at the auditorium in Lowell.  Thus do we come the charity act mid-way between the Acton and Groton fairs.

Death.  Mrs. Mary J. (Burke) Wiley, a former well known resident of Westford and Lowell, died at her home in Cuttingsville, Vt., last week Thursday, after an illness of several months.  She was one of five children of Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Burke, who lived on the Tenney road a little west of Long Sought pond.  At this old residence she was born and here she passed her youthful days receiving her early education in the close by Long Sought pond school, now the Lyon School on the Groton road.  She was of a happy, genial disposition, always on the bright sunny side of affairs.  She is survived by her husband, Clarence E. Wiley; three sisters, Mrs. John T. Kelley, Mrs. J. Eugene Gorden of Lowell and Mrs. George A. Morris of North Chelmsford, and one brother, George H. Burke of Westford, also several nephews and nieces.  The funeral was held Monday morning from the home of her sister, Mrs. John T. Kelley of Lowell.  Solemn high mass was held at St. Margaret’s church at ten a.m.  Burial in St. Patrick’s cemetery, Lowell.

Tax Data.  The assessors have given the 18,000 acres of land in town a value of $730,765.  The buildings of all kinds thereon they call worth $2,141,816, making a total real estate valuation of $2,872,580 [$2,872,581].  Of personal property they find $1,134,533.76, making a total valuation of $4,007,113.76 [$4,007,114.76].  At the various town meetings appropriations amounting to $141,433.16 were made.  In addition thereto fixed charges for hydrants, street lights, notes and interest to the amount of $14,533 have to be taken into consideration.  State taxes amount to $743.40; county tax, $6127.49.  On the other hand the town voted $12,000 to be taken from the treasury.  Estimated receipts amounting to $37,683.63 were found available, so that the collector’s warrant will be for the collection of $122,143.41, made up of $1930 tax on 956 polls, $34,036 tax on personal property and $86,177.40 tax on real estate.  The assessors found 251 horses in spite of the number of automobiles, 557 cows and 147 other neat cattle, 7 sheep, 19 swine, 8598 fowl and 550 dwellings.

An Interesting Trip.  The Old Oaken Bucket farm folks took an auto ride on Monday to Sharon and Peterborough, N.H.  It was an inspiring trip, much of it through a farming region never explored by any resident of the Old Oaken Bucket farm, going by way of Groton, Pepperell, Townsend, Ashby, New Ipswich and Sharon to Peterborough.  We made our own “Wayside Inn” for dinner at Sharon Center, there being one house and part of a once barn at the Center.  We did not know it was the Center until a relative at Peterborough informed us that the Center was wherever there was a house and part of a once barn.  Our chief interest in going to Sharon was not for the sake of finding the Center “Wayside Inn” which hunger automatically made us find, but to find the cemetery where repose dust of our great grandfather, Reuben Law, and other relatives.  We succeeded in finding almost everything else except the cemetery and almost everything else made us think of a cemetery, everything was so solemnly still and peaceful.  We shall try again in September and have the promise of a guide from Peterborough.

Sharon was once a flourishing town with schools and churches.  It now has neither school, church nor town hall and not population enough [population was 359 in the 2020 census] to hold the several town offices, without much doubling up, tripling up and quadrupling up.  Everywhere the trout streams and larger brooks were clear down to the rocky bottom, there not being water enough to make canoeing unsafe, and many of the streams to cover the nakedness of the mountain trout.  Crops, what few there were, did not show the effects of the drought as the streams or rather where streams once were.

The Massachusetts part of our route did not show this extremely low level water supply.  Townsend Harbor and Squannicook [sic] brook[1] showed high tides, but as they have been dredged for large ocean steamers this high tide was easily accounted for.  Sometime, as soon as there is an easement in work, I am going to Townsend Harbor and do the village up and its outskirts, the Center, for I have lived in ignorance long enough about this ocean steamer business.  The farms, with a few thrifty, notable exceptions, bore the trade mark of “We are simply stopping here,” and this outside the thrifty villages.

We came home by way of Wilton, Milford and Nashua.  Wilton Center had some splendid farms that stimulated the spirit of thrift to just look at them.  When we struck the lower levels of East Wilton, where runneth the Souhegan river, when there is anything to find the aforesaid river, it had changed from what we saw forty years ago.  The rock bottom was about all that reminded us that it was where water had sometime run.  The farming from East Wilton, and with few exceptions to the home line, bore the trade mark of thrift enough to hold onto the rigging.

Ninety-ninth Birthday.  Matthew F. Downs observed his ninety-ninth birthday on Friday, August 29.  He was born in Vassalboro, Me., and served on the police force in Augusta, Me., several years; was watchman in the Boott mill, Lowell, for many years.  He kept the Middlesex Tavern at Middlesex Village for one year, and from there he moved to the old historic brick tavern in Westford located at the junction of Groton and Dunstable roads.  The farm borders on the old, historic Long-Sought pond and is a famous summer resort, being within half a mile of the Lowell and Fitchburg street railway.  Here at this farm Mr. Downs has resided for nearly fifty years.  He is a good specimen of our old New England Yankee, six feet tall, and erect without apparent stoop, even with the ninety-nine years loaded onto him.  A few years ago he buried his wife [1918], and his son Frank L. Downs [1903].  He is now living in the quiet of his old age with his son Joshua and his daughter, Mrs. Hutchins [nee Florence M. Downs].  Besides these he has two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.  When Henry Ford met him in Sudbury at the Wayside Inn, he said, “This is the oldest person that I have ever shaken hands with.”

Grange Meeting.  At the last meeting of the Grange, after the usual one session a month vacation, there was a good attendance.  The program was an exceptional interesting one.  Music, all kinds, in charge of Mrs. C. A. Blaney; piano duets, vocal duets and song singing, solos generally and reading by the “literate.”  All this so efficiently good by the efficient chairman, Mrs. Blaney, was followed by roll call, each member being asked to tell what they thought was the smartest animal and why.  This brought many interesting animal stories.  I very much regret being unable to be present in defense of our old New England old-time caw, caw, caw crow, who just at present is on trial for his life with the preponderance of testimony in favor of extermination, so says the Farm Journal, who has offered cash prizes of $250 in various grade for the best shot against the crow, or the best shot for the preservation of his romantic beloved life.  The contest closes September first.

Enough was known recently to show that the overwhelming trend of the writings was against the crow.  Personally I have contributed a rapid firing hot broadside against those who favor extermination.

That the crow does some damage we admit and so does everything else that both breathes and requires food, including mankind and if we go right into extermination on that basis it will be a busy season for the undertakers.  Bird life is being exterminated fast enough without specializing in it.  Seems as though we could spare some woodchucks, rats and mice, if we cannot live happily without exterminating something before [paper torn, two lines missing] the crow, but I am not advocating the extermination of even the woodchuck, although he and she together lived on my beans this summer, but as beans are only worth about thirty cents a bushel minus expenses, is it worth the powder to exterminate?  Much so with the crow, a little corn is pulled and we fly at their throats for extermination revenge.  The lovely darling, beloved aesthetic rats and mice destroy several million dollars’ worth of grain yearly where the crow destroys a few thousand and no one yet has offered a cash prize essay on the best method of extermination.

Next week will be neighbor night with Westford Grange, Thursday evening, September 4, and Stow and Medford Granges have accepted invitations to be present and furnish refreshments for the head and Westford Grange illustrates the other act [i.e., refreshments for the stomach].

Graniteville.  Three masses were celebrated in St. Catherine’s church on last Sunday morning.  The masses at 7:30 and 8:45 were celebrated by the pastor, Rev. A. S. Malone.  The 10:30 mass was celebrated by Rev. Joseph Malone [brother of Rev. A. S. Malone].  Three masses will also be celebrated on Sunday morning.

Mrs. Mary Doyle and daughter, Miss Margaret, of Dorchester, have been recent guests of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Coon.

The Westford board of registrars held the following meetings [to register new voters] this week before the state primaries: At Brookside, Monday evening; Forge Village, Tuesday; Graniteville, Wednesday, and at the town hall, Westford, Thursday.

Joe Wall, local fish and game warden, has recently placed over 10,000 fingerling trout in the different ponds and streams in this vicinity.

Motion pictures will be shown in Forge Village commencing on Labor day night for the fall and winter season.

Ayer

News Items.  Miss Effie Little has been visiting relatives in Forge Village.

Real Estate Transfers.  The following real estate transfers have been recorded from this vicinity recently:

Westford—Julia Gilbert to Mary Kisler, land on Maple street; Annie T. O’Brien et al. to Arthur J. O’Brien, land near Stony Brook; Emma M. Wright et al. to Julia Gilbert, land on Maple street.

 

[1] “The Squannacook River is a 16.4-mile-long (26.4 km) river in northern Massachusetts. It is a tributary of the Nashua River and part of the Merrimack River watershed flowing to the Atlantic Ocean. The river rises within West Townsend….”  See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squannacook_River.