Turner's Public Spirit, September 30, 1922
A look back in time to a century ago
By Bob Oliphant
Center. Mrs. Susan Pond, of Needham, is spending the week with her daughter, Mrs. C. A. Blaney.
The infant son of Mr. and Mrs. John O’Connell has been named Francis Aloysius.
Alec McDougall, of Boston road, secured first prize for Gravenstein apples and second prize for Northern Spy and Wealthy apples at the Groton fair, and his little granddaughter, Alice Heywood, secured two first prizes for canning.
Inspector Flaherty, of the Fitchburg police department, was in town on Thursday and Friday of last week.
Winthrop Pond, with his son William, and daughter, Hazel, of Framingham, were weekend guests of Dr. and Mrs. C. A. Blaney.
Last notices to owners of unlicensed dogs have been sent out and those remaining unpaid after the first of October will be brought into court.
Miss Mattie Crocker, of Brockton, is in town, the guest of Mr. and Mrs. J. E. Knight.
Mrs. Downs, of Fitchburg, who has been the guest of her niece, Mrs. Ella M. Wright, has returned home.
Eric Anderson will take up his studies at Bryant & Stratton’s Commercial college, Boston, on Monday.
A Moon touring car, stripped of all accessories, was found burning on the Concord road, not far from the residence of Albert Hildreth on Wednesday evening of last week. The car was owned by Charles Lupus, of Fitchburg, who reports the car as having been taken from in front of his premises some time during the early evening. The police of Westford and Fitchburg are investigating the case.
Westford post, A.L. [American Legion] and Ladies’ Auxiliary held their meetings at the Cavalry building [20 Main St.] on Monday evening.
Miss Maud Robinson, who has been spending the summer with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Robinson, left today for Washington, D.C., to resume her duties as teacher at Miss Tomlin’s school for little children.
John G. Fletcher and Forrest White will enter the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Monday.
Arthur Jackson, of Jamaica Plain, charged with stealing hens belonging [paper torn, line missing] was fined fifteen dollars in the district court in Ayer on last Saturday morning.
Mrs. Webster, of Nashua, N.H., is the guest of Mrs. Arthur G. Hildreth.
Westford Grange has ten applications for membership, seven of which are new members and the other three by demit. The National and State Granges are to have exhibits at the Brockton fair, and the subordinate Granges have also been invited to send exhibits.
The Westford Boston and Maine railroad station was again broken into early Wednesday morning. The coin box belonging to the N.E.T.&T. Co. (this being a pay station) was removed from the wall and the money taken from it, while the empty box was found some distance down the railroad track.
Mr. and Mrs. Frank C. Wright spent four days last week in Springfield as the guest of Mrs. Wright’s brother, Burt Decatur [Albert Wright “Bert” Decatur], and spent a large part of their time at the Eastern Exposition. They went by auto and report a very enjoyable time.
Dr. C. A. Blaney is making extensive improvements on his house on the Boston road.
Academy Notes. A group of pupils from the senior and junior classes attended a performance of “Macbeth” at the Boston Opera House this week Friday.
The following boys represented the academy in the inter-high school athletic meet at the Groton fair on last Saturday: Raymond Shea, Herbert Shea, Richard Wall, Nathaniel Phillips and Philip Prescott. Raymond Shea was awarded two first prizes, bronze medals, in the running high jump and standing broad jump, and was second in the hop, step and jump.
The boys have become interested in soccer football and practice the game during their spare time.
About Town. J. Arthur O’Brien lost the crank of his car last week on the Stony Brook road. After trying to start the car by “Prest-o change-o” and not succeeding as well as S. Thompson Blood, of Concord, at the game of “Prest-o,” he began searching for a crank, and he found one at the Old Oaken Bucket farm [of Samuel L. Taylor, author of the About Town section].
The next meeting of Middlesex-North Pomona Grange will be held on Friday, October 6, at Odd Fellows hall, Bridge street, Lowell. Essex Pomona Grange has been invited and accepts the invitation to neighbor with the Middlesex-North and furnish the entertainment. Middlesex-North to furnish hints at ice cream and other lesser desirables.
The Groton fair was one grand inspiring success in the display of fruit and vegetables, domestic animals and domestic mankind. We had our treat of chat and sociability with many we never met before. The weather had no frowns or threats and we were thankful for its warm, cheering encouragement. Among those from Westford who exhibited and won premiums were Alexander McDougall on apples, and his granddaughter, Alice Heywood, canned goods; Old Oaken Bucket farm, corn, potatoes, apples, grapes and quinces. We lost out on crabapples owing to loop the loop road from Forge Village to Ridge Hill tavern. We had a branch of a crabapple tree heavily laden with handsome apples. In our haste to get these to catch those fine premiums we were driving at a loop the loop speed and at the last cradle hole loop the loop all hands went into the air, crabapple limb and all, and down came a shower of crabapples on our unprotected thick skulls. No fractures—too thick for that.
The Morning Glory farm has been experimenting in raising and rotting potatoes. Aroostook Green Mountains yielded four bushels to the row; home grown seed from New York potatoes and planted [in] 1921 yielded three bushels to the row and the rot was less than one-half compared with 1922 Aroostook seed. Home grown seed yields less and rots less and is earlier than seed changed every year, but if persisted in planting home grown seed every year there would soon be no potatoes to rot. That would be one way to prevent rot, but oh, how expensive! The best way to prevent rot is to get a start on it. Plant early; extremely early—say St. Patrick’s day in the morning. If that seems too early dilute it down a little, say about the time when the April fools begin to blossom and do business. If this prescription is punctually flowed the potato rot will not fool you.
- Otis Day is building a large modern henhouse in addition to those already modern. We are glad to see this thrift, it helps to reduce our tax rate and also the other fellow’s taxes. We advise everybody to shell out and in sight where the assessors can see it.
Twenty people from West Chelmsford made an excursion by auto truck to The Weirs last week Wednesday. The day was ideal with no thunder showers to ruffle or mar the delights. The motor boat trip on Lake Winnipesaukee was a never-to-be-forgotten impression.
- Arthur O’Brien, on Pigeon hill, states that about half of his potatoes are rotting, while the Old Oaken Bucket farm lays claim to about one-half a peck per bushel [i.e., one-eighth]. Extremely early planting is the prescription—take it or not.
Much less has been written and said as well as meditation not said or written on the shortage of coal. Cheer up, all you who have chilled your mind dwelling on coal shortage and an over-supply of zero weather. Carload after carload of coal is now to be seen coming down the Stony Brook railroad. Of course this line will not supply all the world and the rest of creation. Thank you for helping us “to see through a ladder.”
First Parish church (Unitarian) Sunday service at four p.m. Preacher, Rev. Frank B. Crandall, the minister. Subject, “The dry hole—a sermon on human endeavor.”
Graniteville. The Abbot Worsted soccer team defeated the Fore River club in Quincy last Saturday 4 to 1. Although it is early in the season the Abbots showed excellent form and are bound to show much improvement as the season advances. On this Saturday the Abbots will play the Arlington Mills team of Lawrence at Forge Village.
Mrs. Rose V. Robinson, wife of Bertram F. Robinson, died at the Lowell General hospital on Tuesday, September 26, after a brief illness at the age of twenty-five years. Besides her husband she leaves a father, Charles H. McCullough; two brothers, John and William, all of Graniteville, and a sister, Mrs. J. J. Shea, of Lowell. She was a member of the American Legion Auxiliary post and Walker Rogers Auxiliary post, Veterans of Foreign Wars.
The members of Court Westford, M.C.O.F., held their regular meeting on Thursday evening with a good attendance.
Many from here attended the Groton fair on last Friday and Saturday.
- A. Healy, the local coal dealer, has been delivering range coal in small quantities to his regular customers this week.
The Graniteville Junior soccer club will hold a dance in Forge Village on Friday evening.
The first of the motion picture shows this season will be shown on Friday evening.