Turner's Public Spirit, May 7, 1921
A look back in time to a century ago
By Bob Oliphant
“Center. The new electric motor for blowing the pipe organ at the Congregational church has
been installed and is doing weekly service.
“W. M. Wright, caretaker of Whitney playground and the academy [now Roudenbush
Community Center] grounds, has a power lawn mower which greatly facilitates the care of the
large amount of lawn that Mr. Wright keeps in such good condition.
“The librarian at the J. V. Fletcher library announces some books at the library which the
receivers give the rating as being ‘as interesting as a novel,’ and a few titles are brought to the
patrons’ notice: ‘A Labrador doctor,’ Grenfell; ‘The Syrian Christ,’ Rihbany; ‘The promised
land,’ Antin; ‘Every man’s chemistry,’ Hendrick; ‘Literature with a large L,’ Jenkins: ‘A golden
age of authors,’ Ellsworth; ‘A Pilgrim in Palestine,’ Finley; ‘The work of Luther Burbank,’
Harwood.
“Tadmuck Club. The closing of the sixteenth year of the Tadmuck club and the eighth
annual luncheon took place on Tuesday afternoon at the Unitarian vestry. The hostesses of the
day were Mrs. Harry M. Gumb and Mrs. Angelina Ryan, and the waitresses, who served so
prettily, were Misses Lillian Hunt, Alice Swenson, Edna Sargent, Marjorie Bell, Gladys Ingalls
and Ethel Ingalls. The decorations of laurel and spring flowers were most attractive.
“The hour of the luncheon was necessarily delayed owing to unavoidable auto troubles to the
caterer and his men. Caterer Lydon of Lowell provide a plentiful and palatable luncheon menu.
“At its close the president, Mrs. George F. White, called to order and extended pleasant
welcome and introduced Mrs. William R. Taylor as toastmastress [sic]. Miss Sarah W. Loker, the
club’s beloved honorary president, was the first speaker introduced, and spoke in her usual
interesting manner. Mr. F. A. Meyer followed with what proved the first installment of a sort of
travelogue which was interesting descriptions of other parts of our country as seen by the
speakers. Mrs. Meyer sketched an auto trip to New York, visiting with Mr. Meyer his home town
on Long Island Sound. Mrs. William A. Anderson next took up the narrative giving what in
retrospect were some of the humorous happenings in the life of a minister’s wife in West
Virginian mining towns….
“The last paper was ‘Old Westford academy,’ written by Miss Gertrude Fletcher … [and] read
by Miss Mabel Drew. The paper listed some of the academy graduates who had especially made
good in their different branches of work, a few of whom were Loammi Baldwin, 1835, famous
engineer; Henry Fowle Durant, educator, and formerly of Wellesley college; Willard Parker,
M.D., a famous New York doctor; Ellen Swallow Richards, lecturer and household sanitation
expert; Richard Dana, author; Charles Franklin Emerson, educator, and Ralph Adams Cram,
architect; Nettie M. Stevens, a former preceptress and a scholar and research worker of note.
Miss Fletcher closed the paper with a fine tribute to the old academy and to Westford by John D.
Long, at one time a teacher and resident.
“An Interesting Document. Westford folk may be interested to know that in digging over
Paul Revere’s account books, which have been placed on deposit with the Massachusetts
Historical society … a journalistic investigator has found in the doughty Paul’s own handwriting
a complete list of the bells he cast between 1793 and 1801—some 43 of them altogether. Under
the entries for 1793 are: ‘The town of Westford wt. 674, The academy of do. wt. 120.’
“Death. Abiel J. Abbot, one of the best known citizens of Westford, died at his winter home
in Boston on last Sunday after a brief illness from bronchial pneumonia, aged seventy-one years.
He was born in Westford on January 8, 1850, being one of six children of the late John W. P. and
Catherine (Abbot) Abbot. He was educated at Westford academy, Highland Military academy,
Worcester, Phillips-Exeter academy and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He served as a
member of Troop F, Spalding light cavalry, M.V.M. He was chairman of the trustees of
Westford public library, member and chairman of the school committee for ten years, trustee of
Westford academy, member of the Home Market club, Boston, and member of the executive
committee of the National Association of Wool Manufacturers.
“Mr. Abbot, [the father,] with the late Allan Cameron [and Charles G. Sargent], organized the
Abbot Worsted Co., and started business in a small way at Graniteville, and from this small
beginning later developed the large mills at Forge Village and Brookside, and development has
been steadily progressive….”
Abiel Jacob Abbot was a long-time treasurer, and son of the co-founder, of the Abbot Worsted Company. Courtesy Photo / “Souvenir of the Dedication of the J. V. Fletcher Library” (1896), p.36.