Turner's Public Spirit, April 3, 1920
A look back in time to a century ago
By Bob Oliphant
“Center. The Julian A. Camerons returned earlier in the week from their southern trip.
“Mrs. S. B. Watson was obliged to undergo some nasal surgical treatment performed by a Lowell specialist this week Wednesday. While very painful Mrs. Watson was reported as comfortable as could be expected.
“A Dubey family have moved into Mr. Seavey’s tenement [that once stood between 50 & 56 Main St.] over the old [Peter Swallow] store, and Mr. Dubey is to work for S. B. Watson.
“Clarence Hildreth is opening a garage on May first on the Forge Village road. For the present Mr. and Mrs. Hildreth will occupy the log cabin on Prospect hill….
“A son [Francis Allister MacDougall, Jr.] was born March 2, 1920, [in Northampton] to Mr. and Mrs. Allister McDougal [sic] last week.
“Death. Word has come to Westford of the death in Los Angeles of Mrs. Garrie Wright Smead [nee Elnora Garraphelia Wright], at the age of eighty-five years. Mrs. Smead was born in Westford and was the daughter of [Timothy] Prescott Wright, Forge Village. The latter was the first stationmaster of the Forge Village station when the Stony Brook railroad was built….
“Some few years ago the deceased made a trip east and visited her home town and its people, and was keenly interested in its development and improvement, especially in the J. V. Fletcher library. A token of her interest in the latter was the providing for the reading table for many years the Geographical Magazine.
“About Town. Seth Banister has bought a new Buick and has the foundation laid for a new garage.
“Ralph Adams Cram, whose father was a former minister of the Unitarian church here [1872-1876], says of national prohibition, ‘It is a form of bondage and slavery.’ Granting that it is so, the question to answer is, is it a less bondage than the bondage to the drink habit? It looks as though it was less by the decrease in drunkenness.
“Daniel H. Sheehan has the contract for sawing 500,000 feet of timber in South Sudbury, and is doctoring his auto truck from the effects of collision with snowdrifts on the Stony Brook road on the last blizzard day. As soon as his auto truck gets over its illness he will hoist anchor and set sails for South Sudbury. At present he has opened quite a machine shop of repairs on his truck which is still stored in the barn yard of W. R. Taylor [28 Stony Brook Road] with the sky of the universe for a covering against storm.
“Fire. The farm house of Almon J. Downing, Main street, near the Drew farm, was burned Sunday evening. The furniture on the ground floor was nearly all saved, but the furniture in the upper story was burned; also, everything in the cellar, including an unusual amount of canned goods, potatoes and other vegetables. The origin of the fire was clearly a defective chimney or an old-fashioned defective way of building a chimney….
“The place is better known as the old Walker homestead, the Downing family coming from Lowell and purchasing the farm of Charles E. Walker, who had lived on the farm over fifty years. The house we are sorry to lose aside from its financial loss to the owner. It was one of the old historic landmarks of the town, built in the long distant past by relatives of Lord Timothy Dexter of eccentric fame….
“The house of the old Walker homestead was unique and beautiful in its architecture in that it represented the thought of the time it was built and presented to us the contrast of modern design. For real and substantial simplicity and utility it stood well the contrast. We shall miss this ancient house. Under its roof we have spent many happy hours in song and sociability and reminiscences of the memories and scenes of the old Stony Brook school. Under its roof dwelt an open generous and cheerful hospitality….
“Forge Village. On Easter Sunday there will be two services at St. Andrew’s mission; the first at 8:30 in the morning … and the second at seven in the evening, at which the rector, Rev. Endicott Peabody, of Groton, will preach the sermon.
“Graniteville. Westford Post, A.L., has secured the upper floor of the postoffice building here as a meeting place and headquarters. The building is an ideal place, centrally located, and after the members have fixed up the rooms to their own satisfaction it will be a great source of convenience and pleasure for the boys to drop in and spend a pleasant hour….
“The Abbot Worsted Company is now planning on putting a crack semi-pro baseball club on the diamond the coming season…”
The old Walker homestead at 148 Main St. circa 1880. The patriarch Josiah Walker (1808-1898) and his wife Lydia (Hurd) Walker (1810-1904) are seated in the left front; bachelor son Charles (1829-1926) is seated to the far right. Courtesy Photo/Westford Historical Society.