A lifelong railroad historian and enthusiast.
By James Van Bever
Henry Arnold Wilder was born in the northern New Hampshire town of Lancaster on May 23, 1909. His parents were Henry Ephraim and
Evelena McPherson. Arnold’s (as he was known) father was a car inspector for the Maine Central Railroad in the White Mountain region of New Hampshire.
However, after the Maine Central Railroad went on strike in 1923, Arnold’s father moved his family to Westford, where he bought a dairy farm at 254 Concord Road in the Parker Village section of town. Wilder, who was fourteen at the time, recalled that he had no intention of remaining in Westford for the rest of his life.
Despite his father’s new vocation as a farmer, Arnold never lost his love for the railroad. He once stated that he couldn’t “remember when I didn’t like trains. They told me I rode a steam locomotive before I could walk. Of course, I had lots of opportunities because my dad had passes.”
Arnold’s goal in life was to make a career working on trains, but an eye injury as a youth made him ineligible for full time employment with the railroads. He did have several part time positions working on trains and became a lifelong railroad historian and enthusiast.
Wilder collected and refurbished railroad memorabilia much of which found its way into railroad museums. He became “a walking encyclopedia of knowledge about trains, old railroads long forgotten, and odd bits of railroad lore.” Arnold would often give talks on the history of the railroad in Westford and the surrounding area. He was a member and assistant secretary of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society, and past president and member of the National Railroad Enthusiasts.
Upon his arrival in Westford, the young Wilder entered Westford Academy and graduated with the class of 1927. While a student at Westford Academy, Arnold received a letter in basketball despite his poor eyesight. He also wrote the class song for the graduating class of 1927.
Upon graduating from Westford Academy, Arnold’s first job was as a clerk for the Wright and Fletcher General Store in Westford. He then found work during the Depression at the Abbot Worsted Company, first in Lowell, and later in Westford. Wilder would eventually become the company’s personnel manager until they closed in 1956. While working at Abbot’s, Arnold was a member and president on the Greater Lowell Industrial Safety Committee which advocated for worker safety.
After the closure of the Abbot Worsted Company, Arnold began sending many of the former Abbot workers to the new Raytheon Company in Lowell. Raytheon was looking for employees with good finger dexterity and Mr. Wilder felt that many of the women who had tied knots at the Abbot Company were the type of workers that Raytheon needed. The people at Raytheon said, “Who’s this guy sending us all this help?” and offered Arnold a job as a production analyst. While at Raytheon, he received a degree in Industrial Engineering from Northeastern University at the age of fifty-one. Arnold would work at the Raytheon Company until he retired in 1974.
Aside from Arnold Wilder’s work life, he is also remembered for the many contributions that he made to the town of Westford. He served three terms on the Westford School Committee, 30 years with the 4-H Club which he served as Honorary Director of the Middlesex County 4-H fair, and nine years as a J.V. Fletcher Library Trustee. Arnold was also a member of the Westford Historical Commission which worked to restore the original Westford Academy building to the current Westford Museum.
In addition, Wilder served on the Westford Academy Trustees. As Trustee president, Arnold advocated for the appointment of its first woman member, Mrs. Bette Hook. During his time at the Westford Academy Trustees, Arnold helped raise funds to purchase the first uniforms for the Westford Academy band in 1959. Also, as a Westford Water Commissioner, Arnold helped consummate the purchase of the Westford Water Company for the town.
Wilder was also an avid member of the Masons. He received numerous awards from the Masons including the Scottish Rite 33 Degree in Milwaukee. One of Arnold’s roles with this organization was serving as organ player for three different lodges, Ayer, Littleton, and Lowell. He stated that he had “never played an organ until the old organist moved to Colorado.” Arnold then took lessons from a man in Leominster in 1980 and became a proficient organist.
Notwithstanding the many accomplishments and interests of Arnold Wilder, he may be best remembered for his lifelong love of horses. Arnold learned how to ride horses while working at the Wright & Fletcher Store where he rode horseback to deliver groceries. During his life Arnold owned five horses Bobbie, Joe Bee, Laddie, Topaz, and Lady Mary. Mr. Wilder rode many of his horses during parades in Westford and the area. At the town’s 200th anniversary, Arnold dressed in a colonial uniform rode his horse Topez. It was rumored that Topez is the only horse that has been through all the degrees in Masonry.
Arnold Wilder died on May 20,2009, just three days short of his 100th birthday. At the time of Arnold’s death he was the oldest living man in town. He once “described himself as the guy who owns the horse Topaz but was more realistically assessed by residents as a man who was beloved by Westford’s children, parents, and grandparents.”
Sources:
“ Industrial Safety Council Holds Anniversary Dinner”, Lowell Sun, December 10, 1953, p. 54.
Ibid. “Westford Buy Water Co.”, March 13, 1956, p. 28.
Ibid. “Town of Westford Now in Possession of Water Plant”, March 18,1956, p. 13.
Ibid. “Railroading more than a hobby for Westford writer-historian” by Frances Berg, September 13, 1974, p. 3.
Ibid, “Male domination of Academy’s trustees ends after two centuries”, July 8, 1978, p. 10.
Ibid. “Longtime Westford resident keeps his sense of community”, by John Collinge, May 17, 1992.
“Meet your Neighbor”, by Virginia Kimball, Westford Eagle, February 22,1979, p. 5.
Ibid. “Railroad buff transports museum goers into the past”, by Gail Ferney, October 25, 1984, p. 1.
Ibid. “Henry Arnold Wilder”, June 4, 2009.
“Westford Recollections of Days Gone By”, by June Kennedy, p. 457.
“ Find a Grave”, “Henry Arnold “Arnold” Wilder”.
