Complied By Marilyn Day
On February 14, 1907, the Westford Athletic Association held a Valentine’s party at the Westford Town Hall on Valentine’s Day.
From the tone of the article in the Wardsman on February 23, it doesn’t sound as though the dance was a financial success. “The Valentine party at Town Hall last week Thursday night was a success in music, in dancing, in decorations, and in valentines, but there is the hush of refrain from considering its financial success. The decorations were by Edward A. Hamlin, and to explain that they were attractively unique is a very imperfect substitute for the open vision. Music by Ideal Orchestra of Fitchburg.” (Westford Wardsman, 23 Feb. 1907, p. 2)
However, the article from the Lowell Courier on February 15 paints a glowing picture of the event.
“The valentine party, held at the town hall last night under the auspices of the Westford Athletic Association, proved to be the social event of the season. The hall has never before presented a finer and more novel appearance. Twelve hundred paper hearts were hung on a wire extending from the chandelier in the center of the hall to the various sides and corners. Each wire was apparently held in place by a Cupid cut from pasteboard two feet long. Large hearts, two and a half feet long, were used at the top of the stage, the sides being filled in with small hearts. A large photograph of the Westford A. A. baseball team of 1906 held a prominent place at the front of the stage. When dancing began there were many couples on the floor, many coming from Lowell, Littleton and the surrounding towns.
Mr. Edward Vaughn, the Lowell boy who did the catching for the Westford A.A. baseball team the past summer, was presented a purse of money in appreciation of the earnest work he did for the team during the summer of 1906. Mr. Edward Hamlin had charge of all the decorating, and was ably assisted in the work by several of the young ladies who are honorary members of the association.”
All these years later, we can add the wonderful glass-plate photographs taken by Charles L. Hildreth on the afternoon of February 14 that captured the room in all its splendor
Here is the 1906 Athletic Association baseball team picture from the Westford Historical Society collection, which was also taken by Charles L. Hildreth.
Standing-Riley, c. f.; Clark, 3b.; A. W. Hartford, Mgr.; McGlinchy, 2b.; Taylor, r.f.
Sitting-Fletcher, 1b.; Will Wright, l.f.; Butler, p.; Warren Wright, s.s.; Vaughn, c.