USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Westminster > A History of Westminster, Massachusetts, 1893-1958 > Part 2
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The political structure of the town became complex and, by past standards, more partisan. As always in towns affected by much new building, the older residents tried to follow a conservative course, while steadily more and more overwhelmed by newcomers of comparatively free-spending tendencies. In the eyes of the old and established residents, sudden expansion always brings a certain tragic element. The tranquil aspect of large homesteads and farms gives way to the bulldozer and the power saw and ready-mixed concrete.
I3
SOME FACTS AND FIGURES
For the most part, the new homes of Westminster are not the cheap, crowded little boxes found nearer the large cities; nor are they as pretentious as those of the most exclusive country develop- ments. They may be said to occupy a sort of middle ground be- tween these extremes. In about the same category are the numerous summer cottages being built on the town's available lake shore.
Certain aspects of town history are not different, except in the most minor details, from those of all other similar-sized towns in the State. The Historical Society's files include the growth of the modern telephone system, the general distribution of electric power, conversion of some forty to fifty miles of gravel roads to asphalt-surface; in short, all those changes which in the same period occurred generally elsewhere.
Population growth is quite another matter. In this no two towns are alike. The rate of increase may be similar, but the character and type of new residents, the economic and social consequences, differ widely even in adjoining towns. Each town meets the problem-or perhaps tries to escape it-in its own way.
To future students of history, perhaps the most valuable con- tribution this book can make is the following brief economic anal- ysis of the past decade. Certainly this decade has seen by far the greatest changes in Westminster since its founding.
In 1948 there were 645 homes assessed. Ten years later the figure has jumped to 1032-an increase of 387 new houses. Locally owned motor vehicles, mostly passenger cars, increased from 1120 to 1922.
It is obvious from the 1941 report of the Country Life Committee that the study-group hoped expansion and growth would be of economic benefit to the town. But in actual fact the residential ex- pansion brought with it an almost crushing burden to the estab- lished townspeople. As we have seen, the tax rate jumped from $33 to $94 per thousand; valuations, however, increased by about one- and-a-half million above the 1948 figure of $2,222,036.
1895
1925
1958
BIRTHS-
24
29
67
DEATHS-
30
19
24
MARRIAGES-
18
2I
34
14
HISTORY OF WESTMINSTER
It is our purpose here merely to set down historical facts, not to explain them; nor is it intended to suggest a future course of action. Surely the trends and figures we have quoted in this chapter should be of vital concern to every Westminster voter, and to those who shape the future economic policies of the town.
Further facts and figures are to be found in "Important Dates" (Chapter Eighteen) and in the tables in the Appendix.
Chapter Four
PUBLIC BUILDINGS
WESTMINSTER SEEMS to have come through the dark ages of architecture unscathed-especially through the period around the turn of the century when most towns of this size were marred by at least one or two buildings-whose ungainly proportions still exist to conflict with all others in the area.
TOWN HALL
The white-clapboard Town Hall of Westminster, with its red- brick basement and modest entrance, might be taken for just an- other large comfortable residence by the passing motorist. Actu- ally it is of ample proportions for the needs of the town.
Before 1893 the building was one story less lofty than today, hav- ing been built along the general lines known as story-and-a-half in 1839. But in 1893 more room was needed, and it was decided with true Yankee thrift to raise the structure one whole floor. Evidently Westminster workmen were practical engineers of no mean ability; one would never guess that the pleasing dimensions of the building as it is today were not its original form.
The added ground floor was used for a dining hall and small kitchen, with a room near the door to house the books of the town library.
The hall proper was on the second floor, where it still remains, with a stage and anterooms. At the head of the stairs there was also a Selectmen's Office, open at that time the first Saturday afternoon of each month.
On the third floor was the meeting place of Joseph P. Rice Post 69, G.A.R., with portraits of many members decorating the walls.
15
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HISTORY OF WESTMINSTER
Iron posts had been installed to support the ceiling and for some years various groups were allowed to use the room. Finally it was declared unsafe, and the older residents may have concurred because of the very steep stairs.
In 1894 a vault was added for safekeeping of valuable papers, aug- menting the two town safes used earlier. Eight copies of the History of Westminster, 1728-1893, by William S. Heywood, are here stored for posterity. Presumably, copies of this sequel will also be placed there.
In 1914 a fire escape was built, costing $176.98. Modern heating replaced wood-burning furnaces in 1948. A fire broke out in 1950 and caused some four thousand dollars' damage before it could be extinguished. Afterward the hall was refinished and redecorated.
By 1958 the machinery of town business had become far more complex than in the past. It was necessary to employ office workers on a more-or-less daily basis, and the town offices on the ground floor had to be enlarged and modernized.
THE FIRE STATION
When the Heywood History was printed in 1893 it referred to two fire-station buildings, one in South Westminster and a larger one in the Center. Both were said to be very adequate for that period. After the South Westminster building was removed to Whitman- ville, Center Westminster station (built in 1850) continued to serve as fire headquarters until 1956. Various improvements were made from time to time, and an upstairs hall was used for a meeting place.
On January 14, 1954, at a special Town Meeting, three hundred and fifty dollars was raised to obtain plans for a new building to be erected on South Street. Nothing more was done that year, how- ever, due to public pressure aimed at a new water system and school additions.
At the annual meeting of March 5, 1955, fifty thousand dollars was voted for the new building. Construction was begun under supervision of Selectmen Lennard C. Salo, Walter W. Wintturi, Preston A. Baker; and town Fire Engineers Frederick J. Slade, John
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PUBLIC BUILDINGS
J. MacConlogue, Burtt P. Cummings. It was designed by Arnold Towle, and the builder was Victor Arcangeli.
In service since 1956, the handsome two-story Colonial building has three main truck-entrances. The ground floor is finished on the outside with brick, and the upper part is of white clapboarding with pleasing small-paned windows set off by shutters. The gable roof is topped with an appropriate counterpart of a traditional bell-cupola which contains a high-volume siren.
During 1958 some five thousand dollars was spent on finishing the second story to provide for a Chief's office, a recreation room, and rooms for Civil Defense, Planning Board, and Police Depart- ment. Several men under the direction of Frederick J. Slade and Raymond Caron supplied the labor for this fine public-service project, and the town has every reason to be proud of the result.
It was found that the old building on Main Street, if disposed of by the town, would revert to the heirs of the original owners. The selectmen were finally authorized to take possession by eminent domain, since the heirs were too numerous and scattered to be reached. The building has since been used for extra storage space.
Department activities and equipment have been covered in Chap- ter Two.
LIBRARY
The Forbush Memorial Building, erected in 1901, the brick-and- stone home of the Westminster Library and Museum, on Main Street, is described in Chapter Seven.
WATER DEPARTMENT
A small but handsome brick building necessitated by the new water system in 1955 is the only town building of consequence not located in the Center. About three quarters of a mile distant on the shore of Meetinghouse Pond, this building houses pumps and the chlorinating system.
On the outside wall a bronze plaque reads as follows:
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HISTORY OF WESTMINSTER
WESTMINSTER WATER DEPT.
WATER COMMISSIONERS ERIC WESTERFORS, CHAIRMAN
DOUGLAS NEWCOMBE RALPH OWEN
WATER SUPERINTENDENT
WILFRED GOODRIDGE
SELECTMEN
WALTER WINTTURI PRESTON BAKER LENARTH SALO
WHITMAN & HOWARD ENGINEERS 1955
TOWN GARAGES
In 1923 highway maintenance had become such an important town service it was decided to build the first so-called Town Garage. There is a remarkable photo captioned "Highway Depart- ment of 1890" in the 200th anniversary booklet published by the Westminster Historical Society. The nine-man crew with their hand tools and the six-horse team hitched to a primitive grader remind us of the enormous change in road operations taking place during a quarter century. In this short period between horse- troughs and gas-stations, it became necessary for the State to take over the town-to-town arteries, just as a little later many state-to- state arteries would be taken over by the Federal government.
The 1923 building on Main Street grew out of a relatively new development-purchase by the town of its own motorized equip- ment. The building was put up by Jack Arcangeli. With the aid of his wife and family, he made the cement blocks in his own back yard. It is a four-stall garage and is said to have cost under two thousand dollars.
New road construction, increased traffic and winter highway maintenance soon demanded still more storage space for town equipment. In 1936 the first unit of a long-range building program was completed on South Street. This four-stall garage was built by
19
PUBLIC BUILDINGS
town employees, assisted by A. Charles Hicks, for about fifteen hundred dollars.
In 1945 more room was again required. Five stalls were added, together with a boiler room, tool room and office. Work was done by town employees assisted by Charles Waarama and Oscar Leh- tonen; cost, ninety-five hundred dollars.
In 1949 four more stalls, added at a cost of thirty-four hundred dollars, brought the handsome and well-lighted building to its present size, including sufficient space for a Water Superintendent's office added later. The old hearse-house situated near Woodside Cemetery was moved nearby for storage of bulk materials.
Now these garage buildings are said to hold their own against those of any comparable town in the State. Much of the credit is given Highway Superintendent Wilfred H. Goodridge and a twelve-man staff of exceptional public spirit.
POST OFFICE
The Westminster Post Office, as in most towns of this size, has never been large enough to warrant a special building. However, the "Brick Store," which has housed the office since 1899, provides an ideal situation. (Before 1899 the post office had been moved many times, usually from one store to another.) It was made a sec- ond class post office in 1954 and today, along with the rest of the brick structure, has been modernized. The present Postmaster, ap- pointed in 1949, is Mrs. Altha M. Shay, assisted by Mrs. Vivian A. Cross. The town is served by Mail Carriers William R. Hickey and Walter W. Wintturi.
Past Postmasters
Carlos E. Barron 1893
Sydney Harrocks 1915
Thaddeus B. Fenno 1922
Eino A. Hintala (acting) 1937
William M. Shay
1939
es Chapter Five CHURCHES
LOOKING OUT across the rolling, wooded countryside from the top of Mount Wachusett, here and there a church spire seems to rise from unbroken forest. This effect is explained, when driving through the village of Westminster, by the avenues of ancient trees bordering the streets. Many of these are giant, spreading sugar- maples which were already old a century ago.
The church buildings of Westminster reflect the sound taste of the townspeople, together with a strong feeling for tradition. A stranger would never guess that of the three active churches, two were recently built. The newest is the Catholic church, finished in 1952; and in 1942 the present Congregational edifice took the place of a fine old building lost by fire. The Baptist church dates back to 1863, with characteristic clock-tower and spire. And an earlier spired building, once a Universalist church, is now home of the American Legionnaires of Westminster.
These handsome, substantial buildings are ample proof that the spiritual and cultural needs of the town are well accommodated.
THE BAPTIST CHURCH
The earliest records of the Baptists in Westminster go back to 1806, when a few townspeople began attending services in Prince- ton. At the same time weekly prayer meetings were held in the Lake Schoolhouse at the corner of East and Worcester Roads. The present Baptist church was built in 1863, replacing an earlier brick building which stood near Meetinghouse Pond at the foot of Acad- emy Hill.
When the Reverend William Gussman accepted a call here in 1893, he succeeded the active nine-year tenure of the Reverend
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MAIN STREET, WESTMINSTER
2 I
CHURCHES
Lyman Partridge. Under the Reverend Gussman the stained glass memorial windows were given by several families; he resigned in 1899 and was succeeded the following year by the Reverend A. S. Buzzell.
In June 1902 Edward J. Abar was called from Crozier Seminary; during his five-year ministry, an Estey organ was installed. The Reverend Abar later returned to live in Westminster after many years. The Reverend George Mason, a returned missionary from China, was pastor from 1907 to 1909, when Dr. and Mrs. William McAllester came here.
During Dr. McAllester's ministry, a former member, General Nelson A. Miles, in an address on the 88th Anniversary in 1918, presented the church with a new parsonage-the former Daniel C. Miles house on the opposite side of Main Street. After eleven years, Dr. McAllester retired, having served the longest ministry in the church's history; but he continued to make his home on Pleasant Street.
The Reverend Drew T. Wyman was pastor from 1921 until 1927. During this period the Miles House was made into two apartments, the Reverend Wyman using one as a parsonage. The old parsonage at the corner of Bacon and Pleasant Streets was sold. On retiring, the Reverend Wyman bought a house on Bacon Street and lived in Westminster until his death in 1943.
When J. Morris Forbes, a student at Newton Seminary, was called in 1927, a joint reception was held to welcome him and to confer the honor of Pastor Emeritus on the Reverend Wyman. Mr. Forbes took leave of absence in 1928, and his post was filled by the Reverend Elmer G. Hall. Both men later became foreign mis- sionaries.
In April 1928 the church was formally incorporated.
The Reverend George N. Pike, a young graduate of Gordon College, began his eight-year ministry in 1929 and was active in the church's 100th Anniversary celebration the following year. He went to Adams in 1937, and was succeeded in 1938 by Reverend Clarence N. Fogg of Claremont, New Hampshire, who remained until 1943. During this period the Cheerio Club was organized.
Hugh McLean supplied the pulpit for a brief period thereafter, and in 1944 Charles Hodgman, Jr., came here from Gordon Divin- ity School.
22
HISTORY OF WESTMINSTER
The Reverend Donald G. Patterson was engaged in 1949, serving as minister for eight years until his resignation in 1957. During this period, on May 11, 1952, the Reverend Edward J. Abar, pastor of the Baptist church from 1902 to 1907, preached a sermon exactly fifty years after he first stood before the congregation. In the eve- ning a reception was held in his honor. On April 30, 1955, the church held special services in commemoration of its 125th year.
The Reverend George F. Moore, a graduate of Gordon Divinity School, accepted a call in June 1958, and with his wife and family came to Westminster.
For some time in recent years it had been evident that more space was needed for Sunday School and other activities. In 1956 the church acquired one building lot, another was given by Mrs. Edward R. Miller, and Victor Arcangeli gave land on Church Street. The church also received a large gift of money in memory of Nelson Sprague Greely and his aunt, Miss Sarah Jane Wyman, which made possible additional classroom space and the building of a new hall. The Wyman-Greely Auditorium was dedicated on October 19, 1958, and the Reverend Patterson returned to preach the dedication sermon.
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
In 1893 the Catholics of Westminster had for some time been attending the Sacred Heart Church in West Fitchburg. Their num- ber had not been great enough to undertake a local church of their own. On June 26, 1880, an announcement had appeared in the Gardner News: "Catholic services will be held in the (West- minster) Town Hall next Sabbath .. . " This arrangement was short-lived; it was fifty years later, in 1930, that Mass was once again celebrated in the Town Hall.
This time, under the sanction of Bishop Thomas M. O'Leary, Springfield Diocese, masses continued until 1951. At that time Bishop John J. Wright of Worcester consulted with Father James Cavanaugh of Sacred Heart Church, and the parish of St. Edward the Confessor was the outcome. The Reverend Thomas J. Connel- lan was appointed priest, first of the new church. A Women's Guild and Men's Club were formed. A main objective was to raise
23
CHURCHES
funds toward a new church building. The Arcangeli family gave land on Church Street, and the parish purchased the adjoining lot. T. Cranston Albro III of Greenfield, architect, and the Worcester firm of Granger Contracting Company were engaged.
On February 3, 1953, Bishop Wright and Father Connellan plunged a gold-handled spade of silver into the ground to mark the start of construction. Donald Baker, altar boy, turned the first dirt. Bishop Wright spoke to some four hundred people gathered at the ceremony, solemnizing the historic moment.
In October the cornerstone was laid by Bishop Wright and the first Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament was given in St. Edward Parish. Also at this time the chapel and rectory were dedicated.
Saint Edward the Confessor Church-named for the re-builder of Westminster Abbey-is a red-brick Colonial building with a white- pillared front portico, and connects with a wooden chapel and rectory. The traditional architecture is in accord with the finest old buildings of the town.
The interior was finished in time for a midnight mass-Christ- mas, 1952-with the Reverend Connellan officiating.
The church was dedicated in 1953 when Bishop Wright cele- brated pontifical mass attended by some three hundred members and friends of the parish.
THE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
Heywood wrote of the First Congregational Church: "In the almost one hundred and fifty years of its existence ... it has shaped lives to high ideals by the power of its services . . . " Today its members feel that it has been even more active in the sixty-some years since.
The Reverend William Taylor came to this church in 1891, fol- lowing the Reverend Charles Palmer, who had held the post since 1883. In 1894 the Reverend Taylor was succeeded by the Reverend Edward Winslow. After a year the Reverend Winslow took over superintendency of the Home for Little Wanderers in Boston. He kept the Westminster church in touch with his work there, and it still contributes to the Home.
1895 marked the start of a decade under the Reverend John W.
24
HISTORY OF WESTMINSTER
Lees' pastorate. In 1904 a new parsonage was built on Worcester Road, and the wood-carving skill of the pastor give it a unique char- acter.
The Reverend A. Herbert Armes came to the parish from Carlisle in 1906. Evangelistic services were held then together with the Baptist church.
In 1910, the Reverend Armes was followed by the Reverend Raymond Fowles from North Attleboro. The 75th Anniversary of the church building was observed in 1912, and formal incorpora- tion took place the year after.
The Reverend Charles N. Gleason of Henniker, New Hamp- shire, became pastor in 1914; during his tenure a free pew system was adopted. In 1922 the Reverend Gleason resigned because of poor health, continuing residence in town until 1924. The Rever- end Winfield S. Randall came to Westminster from North Deering, Maine, in 1922. Residents of Finnish ancestry were invited to hold their services in the church and did so for a short period on Sunday evenings.
The Reverend Scott C. Siegle of Hanson began his ministry here in 1928 and was honored in 1930 at the first installation service in many years. During this period Universalist Church members ac- cepted an invitation to worship in the Congregational Church, since their own society had been discontinued here.
On Sunday afternoon, November 10, 1940, a sudden fire totally destroyed the venerable building. The congregation began at once the task of raising a new building, and this was completed in March 1942. The Reverend Siegle preached the dedication service on the morning of March 22 to a capacity gathering of worshippers. In the afternoon a service was held by the Reverend Robert Coe of Brookline, at which neighboring churches were represented by delegates.
The American Legion post building, the former Universalist church, and the Baptist church building had both been made avail- able for the use of the congregation while its church was being rebuilt.
The Reverend Marion Phelps of Erving succeeded the Reverend Siegle in 1942. The Ladies' Benevolent Society, dating back to 1836, and the What-So-Ever Guild (1922) now merged to form
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CHURCHES
the Friendly Alliance. A service flag and honor roll with more than fifty names of those who had served in both World Wars was dedi- cated in 1943.
John H. Bembow was engaged to preach in 1951, and was or- dained at a special service in 1952. It was the first such service held by this church since the ordination of Cyrus Mann in 1815. In May 1956 the church and community were saddened by the sudden death of the Reverend Bembow after an illness of only a week.
The Reverend John W. Morrow came from the Pilgrim Congre- gational Church of Leominster and began his pastorate here January I, 1957. Several times during the years an addition to the church for the use of youth and Sunday School activities had been con- sidered. In 1958, as a temporary solution, a house was purchased- on Pleasant Street, at the rear of the church property-with funds realized by the sale of a house willed to the church by Miss Minnie Dexter, its treasurer for thirty-seven years. The Pleasant Street house is equipped with Sunday School rooms, a pastor's study and other features.
The Congregational Church held a Loyalty Dinner in May 1958, at which time approximately forty thousand dollars was pledged for a building fund. Construction began immediately, and the new building, called Pilgrim Hall, was dedicated October 18, 1959.
THE UNIVERSALIST SOCIETY
The Westminster Universalist Society had reached a member- ship strength in the 1840's sufficient to maintain a separate church with all its appurtenances. The fact that the Universalists were then something of a liberal protest group drawn from the still rigorous Calvinism of other churches added temporarily to their strength. Later, when other sects became liberalized, there was no longer the same inducement for people to break away. In New Eng- land the Universalist church became more or less static before attaining any great size, and never acquired much wealth.
It is no reflection on the piety of Westminster Universalists to state that before 1900 they were already facing a struggle. At times they had been without a preacher. Historian Heywood had writ- ten that the then incumbent, Mr. Felt, was one of several pastors
26
HISTORY OF WESTMINSTER
from the Gardner church who had undertaken to supply the West- minster pulpit on Sunday afternoons.
In 1916 the Reverend Lucy Milton, who had been for two years pastor of the Gardner parish, began to supply the Westminster church and filled both posts for the next twelve years. She was to be the last Universalist pastor of the town, while becoming one of its most influential citizens. And as the Universalists dwindled in num- bers, finally giving up their own services, she gave much energy and devoted much of her time to the other churches.
Charles Foster Giles, clerk of the Universalist church and a trustee, in 191 1 married Lucy Milton, who henceforth became well known as the Reverend Lucy Milton Giles.
This remarkable woman was born on her shipmaster father's bark, Ocean Bride, off the Australian coast in 1867. All her early girlhood was spent in voyages to the far-flung ports of the world. Her father and mother provided her schooling while at sea. Throughout the incredibly adventurous and rugged seafaring life they led, her parents remained religious New Englanders, and the Bible played a large part in Lucy's early training. After the death of her parents the young woman worked for several years to save enough money to enroll in divinity school.
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