Turner's Public Spirit, May 28, 1921
A look back in time to a century ago
By Bob Oliphant
“Center. The board of health is making plans for a health day to be held in Abbot hall, Forge
Village, June 8. The morning will be given over to a clinic for babies and young children, which
will be in charge of Dr. Mary Putnam of Boston, who is connected with the state department of
child welfare. The children will be weighed and measured and Dr. Putnam will be very glad to
meet all mothers…. The health cartoons made by the school children will be exhibited this day
and the prizes awarded….
“Mr. and Mrs. L. W. Wheeler started this week Thursday on a trip to Denver, Colo. Going by
rail to Lansing, Mich., where their new Reo automobile is delivered, they go the rest of the way
by auto. While in Denver they will be the guests of [his brother] Mr. and Mrs. Roy B. Wheeler.
“Hiram Dane, former well-known resident and a civil war veteran, has come from California
to spend a few weeks at the home of his son, Ernest Dane.
“Mrs. Quincy W. Day spent a few days this week at the home of Rev. A. E. Kernahan [pastor
of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Graniteville from 1913-1915] in Roxbury.
“The union memorial services on Sunday will be held in the Unitarian church at eleven
o’clock. Rev. Frank B. Crandall of Ayer will conduct the service, assisted by the other pastors.
The music will be furnished by a choir from the three churches with Mrs. Ruby Felch Smith as
soloist. A lunch in charge of Mrs. Eben Prescott will be served to the veterans after which they
will decorate the graves of their comrades. Owners of automobiles are requested to loan them for
the afternoon to carry the veterans and singers to the various cemeteries.
“At an open meeting of the Grange on Thursday the seven home economics clubs of
Westford, Graniteville and Forge Village exhibited their work and gave an interesting program.
Miss Ruth Sargent, lecturer of the Grange and leader of the clubs, presided. After the judging of
the many attractive loaves of bread, … George Farley, state club leader, gave an interesting talk
in which he said that every girl should learn to cook and sew. Mrs. Waterhouse judged the work
and awarded the prizes. The names of the prize winners will be given next week.
“As announced last week the senior class of the academy presented “The black diamond” to
an appreciative audience. Much credit for the success of the play is due to the high school
teachers and Mrs. Harry Ingalls, who coached the pupils in their parts. Nearly $100 was raised
towards the expenses of their class outing. The play was repeated at Brookside on Friday night of
this week. The cast is as follows: Hulda, a “black diamond,” Gladys Ingalls; Emily, Minnie and
Fannie Makepeace, cousins boarding in the country, Lillian Hunt, Alice and Ruth Johnson; Dr.
Zinn, Miss Matilda Makepeace, their aunt, Hattie Simpson; Capt. Charles Houston and George
Radford, two English “dudes,” Stanley Smith and Francis Daley; Claremont Goodell, a college
graduate, Chester Lapniewski.
“The ceremony of presenting a stand of colors to the American Legion took place on Monday
evening with Sherman H. Fletcher presiding. Hon. Herbert H. Fletcher presented the flags which
were received by Commander Frank Johnson, who gave an interesting account of the plans of the
Legion for helping their wounded comrades still in the hospitals and for Americanization work….
“Health Cartoon Contest. To stimulate the interest among our school children in matters of
health, the board of health offers to the school children of the town a first prize of five dollars,
second prize of three dollars and third prize of two dollars for the best cartoon.
“The contest is open to all the school children in the town of Westford from the fourth to
eighth grades. Any health subject may be selected. The following are suggestions of subjects
that would be suitable: The prevention of tuberculosis; value of fresh air; sufficient sleep;
sufficient exercise; good posture; prevention of fly breeding; cleanliness; washing the hands
before meals; covering the mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing….
“Graniteville. The baseball season opened here on last Saturday afternoon under ideal
weather conditions, when, before a large crowd, the Abbot Worsted Co. club defeated the
Saxonville town team by the score of 12 to 3. The Abbot Worsted Co. band of thirty-five pieces
with J. P. Larkin, leader, furnished excellent music during the afternoon. The game was opened
up with J. C. Abbot pitching the first ball and Manager McCarthy on the receiving end….”
Ada (Sharp) and Quincy W. Day. Ada visited her former pastor in Roxbury in May 1921.
Courtesy Photo / Roger and Marilyn Day.