USA > Massachusetts > Franklin County > Bernardston > History of the town of Bernardston, Franklin County, Massachusetts, Volume II, 1900-1960, with genealogies > Part 7
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The two hundredth anniversary of the founding of the first church in Bernardston was observed July 9, 1939. Goodale United Church, the First Baptist Church, and the Methodist Church of
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Leyden were invited to take part in this anniversary. A worship service was conducted in the morning in the style of the eighteenth century, with no music or flowers. A tithingman led the procession of clergymen taking part in the service, and an hour glass was turned over to indicate the beginning of the service. During the singing of the hymns the congregation turned to face the choir in the rear. At noon a picnic lunch was eaten on the church lawn, the ladies of the church serving coffee and cold beverages. In the afternoon, a modern service took place in the church with floral decorations and the organ in use. Mrs. Lucy Cutler Kellogg of Greenfield gave an historical address, and the sermon was preached by Rev. Frederick M. Eliot of Boston, President of the American Unitarian Association. Following the afternoon service, a group went to the site of the first meeting house on Huckle Hill and held a service which was conducted by the Christian Endeavor So- ciety of Goodale United Church. A marker had been placed on the site by the members of the Laymen's League of the Uni- tarian Church in 1930. The plaque reads:
First Meeting House Fall Town Now Bernardston 1739 Marked by Laymen's League 1930
Mr. Allen resigned in 1944 to take a pastorate at the Geneseo, Illinois, Unitarian Church. He died in Rock Island, Illinois, April 22, 1955, at the age of eighty-six.
Rev. Samuel L. Elberfeld-July 10, 1944 to February 1, 1946. Mr. Elberfeld was born in Pomeroy, Ohio, June 4, 1869, and was edu- cated at Meadville Theological School and Harvard Divinity School. He left to return to the East Boston Unitarian Church for the second time (1923-1939; 1946-1953) and died in East Bos- ton, April 25, 1953.
Rev. Francis Christopher Schlater-May 1, 1946 to January 1, 1954. Mr. Schlater was born in Ambler, Pennsylvania, August 3, 1891. He was a graduate of Ursinus College with an A.B. degree, and Central Theological Seminary, B.D., and also did graduate work at several universities. Mr. Schlater was ordained in 1927 into the Reformed Evangelical Church which he served until 1941. He was a U.S.O. director 1942-1946. Bernardston was his first Uni-
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tarian parish and while he was here extensive repairs and improve- ments were made in the church, the lower floor partly replaced, and the kitchen enlarged and made modern. This work was done by the men of the church under the supervision of Christian Eckhoff. Mr. Schlater's informal friendliness took him into most of the homes of the town, and he was always ready to lend a helpful hand. His love of nature was a marked characteristic. He enjoyed travel, and accompanied Monroe Smith when he took a group by airplane around the world. Mr. Schlater left to accept a call to Middleboro, Massachusetts, in 1954, and in 1959 went to Las Vegas, Nevada as pastor of the Unitarian Fellowship. He died there January 13, 1960, and is buried in the graveyard of the church in Ambler, where his ancestor, Rev. Michael Schlatter, was once the minister.
Rev. Robert S. Slater-June 1, 1954 to September 1957. Mr. Slater was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and graduated from the Uni- versity of Baltimore, B.S., in 1951. He came to Bernardston as a student minister, serving also the Northfield Unitarian Church. Mr. Slater, a convert from the Roman Catholic Church, graduated from Harvard Divinity School, S.T.B., in 1955, and was ordained in Northfield, August 14, 1955. Mr. and Mrs. Slater worked ac- tively with the Youth Group and the School of Religious Educa- tion. He left Bernardston to act as assistant pastor of the First Unitarian Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Rev. Charles D. Moore-January 1958 to September 1959. Mr. Moore was born in Jonesboro, Georgia, January 9, 1926, and graduated from Mercer University in 1954. He then attended Col- gate-Rochester Divinity School for two years, while serving as a full time minister of Methodist churches in New York State. While serving Bernardston and Northfield churches, Mr. Moore studied at Harvard Divinity School and graduated with a B.D. degree in June, 1959. Mr. Moore took an active interest in the work of the Youth Group. He left to accept a call to the Unitarian Fellowship in Chattanooga, Tennessee. During his pastorate Mrs. George Warner presented the church with hymn books in memory of her husband.
Rev. John Paul Jones, D.D .- October 2, 1960- . Dr. Jones was born in Holliday, Missouri, February 2, 1898. He graduated from Westminster College, Missouri, in 1920, and from Union Theo- logical Seminary, New York City, in 1925. His degrees are A.B., B.D., D.D. Dr. Jones preached in Presbyterian churches in New
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York State from 1925 to 1957, and at the Amherst Unitarian Church 1958 to 1960. He was President of the Presbyterian Fel- lowship for Social Action, 1936-1940, President of the National Peace Conference 1943-1945, member of the Board of Directors of National Urban League for many years, and of the American Civil Liberties Union since 1950. Dr. Jones has travelled widely in Europe, Asia, and South America and resides in Ashfield, Massachusetts.
UNION SUNDAY SCHOOL PICNIC
T THE UNION SUNDAY SCHOOL picnics have been days that the Bernardston inhabitants have looked forward to annually since the eighteen sixties.
Joseph Priestly Hale, a former Bernardston boy, was born in a house long since gone, on what is now the Norman Duprey farm on West Mountain. He was a successful manufacturer of pianos in New York City, and when visiting here one summer nearly one hundred years ago, he saw a group of children enjoying a picnic and thought what pleasure the whole town might receive in a combined picnic of all the Sunday Schools. At that time there were five churches in Bernardston.
When he returned to New York he remembered the happy day and wrote back to Bernardston that he would like to see the pic- nic an annual affair. Soon after, he sent a check of $1000, the interest on which was to be spent each year for a Union Sunday School picnic.
The money was gratefully accepted and the first picnic was held at Ryther's Maple Grove. This grove may have been near the Donaldson home.
The fund has been administered over the years by committees made up of the appointed members of each of the Sunday Schools. Some years the picnic was a local event. Sylvan Grove near the old railroad station was a popular place. Other years a train was char- tered and as many as four hundred of the townspeople were car- ried to places as far away as Mt. Tom, Holyoke or Forest Park, Springfield.
In 1901, the Sylvan Grove was cut by the late Baxter Burrows and the picnic grounds were lost. However, the picnic has been held locally at Miller's Grove on Fall River and at least once in Cushman Park.
In recent years, it has been found that Laurel Lake in Erving,
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a state park with an excellent beach and fireplaces for cooking, has been a most popular spot for the annual affair.
Unfortunately, the attendance is not what it was in the earlier days as in this era picnics and cook-outs are almost a daily occur- rence and the one big get-together does not hold the allure of bygone days.
Mr. Hale died in 1883 and is buried in the Center Cemetery in Bernardston with a granite shaft marking his grave. His gift to the town is still appreciated, and each summer after the vacation Bible school many children inquire when and where the Union picnic will be held.
Chapter VII
LIBRARY AND SCHOOLS
CUSHMAN LIBRARY
O N AUGUST 20, 1862, during the exercises observing the one hundredth anniversary of the incorporation of the Town of Bernardston, a letter was read in which the Honorable Henry W. Cushman announced his intention of giving to the Town of Bernardston a free public library. To accomplish this, he pro- posed to give the town the sum of one thousand dollars for the establishment of the library, one hundred dollars per year for ten years "if he should so long live" for its enlargement, and the sum of five hundred dollars for the erection of a suitable fireproof building. This gift was accepted by the inhabitants of Bernardston at a special town meeting held September 6, 1862.
Dedication services were held on August 20, 1863. The two- story brick building consisted of the main library room, a small reading or reference room and a fireproof safe situated on the first floor. The founder added about thirteen hundred dollars to his original gift to cover cost of the erection of the building. Three months after the dedication, Mr. Cushman passed away. In his will he remembered the library by giving it the sum of twenty-five hundred dollars to be known as the Cushman Library Fund. The income only was to be used annually by the trustees for the pur- chase of books, and the principal of said legacy was to forever re- main a sacred trust for the enlargement of the library.
Some of the provisions set forth by Mr. Cushman concerning his gift of the library were: that the library should forever be free for the use of all Bernardston residents, teachers and students of Powers Institute, and for those families in adjoining towns who were paying members of Bernardston religious societies; "that the library should be controlled and managed by a board of trustees consisting of the town clerk, school committee and selectmen ex officio, of the town; of all resident clergymen and physicians of the town" and of twelve other members elected by the voters, these twelve to serve three-year terms.
When the inside of the building was being completed, the Hon- orable John Sanderson, a member of the original board of trus-
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tees, finished off the room on the second floor of the building at a cost of about nine hundred dollars. This was a private enterprise and was built fully as much in the interests of Bernardston as in his own, the town having the privilege at any time to buy it at cost. This was known as Sanderson Hall and served as a meeting place for various groups in town and was also used by Powers Institute for musicals and special courses. The hall was used as a classroom during part of the 1898-1899 school year.
John Sanderson died in July 1898, and in April, 1900, his heirs presented to the inhabitants of the Town of Bernardston a quit- claim deed releasing all their right, title and interest in the second story of the Cushman Library building. At this time the library was very short of space so some shelves were installed in Sanderson Hall and seldom used books were moved from the reference de- partment to the second floor. Later many non-fiction books and magazines were also moved upstairs leaving more space for the frequently used volumes on the first floor.
During the early days of the library there were many room rules and regulations in force which point out how vast a change has taken place through the years. For instance, in 1866 the librar- ian suggested that all persons be requested to "transact their busi- ness and leave immediately." At one time, a rail was erected across the front of the room with the librarian's desk situated in an open- ing in the center. For the most part the patrons were not allowed to pass beyond this railing, and the librarian located the book desired when given the number from the catalog. Although this method seems most peculiar to this generation, there was a prac- tical reason for it, for at that time at least twice a year all the books were called in by the librarian, arranged in perfect order, and the directors of the library inspected and checked them to see that all the books were present and accounted for.
By 1900 changes and improvements began to be made. Shelves were added to the room upstairs and the books in the reference section were moved in order to provide more space on the ground floor. In 1905 it was voted by the trustees to pipe the library for acetylene gas. Again in 1913 the question of lighting was brought up, and it was voted to investigate the cost of installing electric lights throughout the building. This was soon accomplished.
In 1915 there was a definite need for added book space and a committee was appointed to investigate the cost of making some changes in the general layout of the building. It was decided that
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some partitions should be removed, the stairway relocated, a vestibule built and that a hardwood floor should be laid. The stacks were moved upstairs at this time making one large room on the first floor. In the fall of 1916 another major improvement was made-a furnace was installed.
Still feeling pinched for space, the trustees at their annual meet- ing in 1917 voted to renovate the upper room in the library by adding shelves for the storage of non-fiction books. They also planned to improve the small room upstairs and use it for a ref- erence room and a place to store various gifts. Because of the ex- pense involved, the improvements to the small room were post- poned for a time.
In December, 1918, Dr. Willard H. Pierce, President of the Trustees, and Mrs. Pierce, presented the library with the librar- ian's desk, the children's table and chairs and other small things for the children's corner. These gifts were in memory of their daughter, Roxy, who was librarian from 1913-1918.
Again in 1919 it was voted to continue renovating the small up- stairs room which was now to be used as an historical room. In 1920 Mrs. Willard Pierce was appointed as caretaker, a position she held for many years. Under her direction shelves were in- stalled and enclosed in glass, a glass top was placed on the table so that various papers could be displayed, and the historical items were tastefully arranged.
Reverend Margaret Barnard, chairman of the Town Honor Roll Committee, in 1919 requested permission to have erected on the outside of the building, at the left of the entrance, a white marble tablet as a permanent memorial to Bernardston boys who served during World War I. It was unanimously voted to do this. At this time, Mrs. Everett Benjamin, a member of the trustees, presented her large dining room table to the library to be used as a reading table. This table was made from a cherry tree which stood on the Benjamin farm.
1930 saw improvements in the outside appearance of the build- ing. The land in the rear was badly washed away so loads of sod, stone and gravel were topped by loam, leveled and seeded. Through efforts of the Garden Club shrubs were planted in front of the building.
A new service was made available to the library in 1940. Works Project Administration funds were used to set up a State regional library office in Greenfield which was located in the basement of
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the Public Library. From this center, books were delivered to the library periodically to supplement its stock. This proved to be a most valuable innovation, and the library has continued to benefit by the Bookmobile services since that time.
The start of a long list of improvements and benefits for the library occurred in 1950. The receipt of the dog tax from the Town of Bernardston for the first time was a major asset, and it has been added to the treasury yearly since that time. This same year the trustees voted to have a reading program for the school children to see if their interest in reading could be stimulated. The program was considered very successful and has been re- peated each year. The number of participants has increased steadily, proving the popularity of the summer program.
In 1951 Mr. Fred Donaldson, President of the Trustees, made the library a gift of an electric wall clock and requested that he be made a committee of one to raise money for the installation of a lavatory. He contacted the business establishments of Bernard- ston as well as individuals and collected enough to finance the project. Mr. Herman Wiemers generously donated his time to planning and building the room, decorating it, replacing the bookshelves, installing the fixtures and plumbing. This was a very welcome and needed addition and has been greatly appreciated by the personnel through the years. With the installation of town water, the necessity of a method of heating the building con- tinuously made itself evident. Up to this time, wood fires had been built only on library days. Consequently, in 1953 the directors decided to have an oil burner installed in the old furnace.
The annual meeting of 1955 was a busy one. At this time, Mr. Fred Donaldson, President of the Trustees, transferred to the li- brary all his rights and interest in the book, History of Bernard- ston, by Lucy Cutler Kellogg. These rights were purchased by Mr. Donaldson from Mrs. Kellogg in 1950. He hoped that it might be possible for the library to publish a second volume which would bring the town history up to date. Also, at this time it was decided to have a measured-service phone installed for the convenience of the patrons and personnel.
An interesting addition came to the main library room in 1956 with the hanging of an oil painting of Sir Francis Bernard, Royal Governor of Massachusetts from 1760-1769, for whom our town is named. This painting was originally presented to the town by the late Isaac Burrows Snow during the Sesqui-centennial celebration
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in August 1912. At this time, the library trustees agreed to act as custodian of the painting, which now hangs beside the picture of Henry W. Cushman, donor of the library.
Remodeling and redecorating seemed necessary in 1957. The ceiling of the entrance hall was lowered and new wallboard ceil- ing and sidewalls installed. Storm windows and new lighting were projects for 1958. The trustees voted to purchase five combination aluminum storm and screen windows for the main room. Western Massachusetts Electric Company recommended the proper type of lighting fixtures needed to provide adequate illumination for the main reading room. These new additions greatly improved the appearance of the library and provided increased comfort for its patrons. A portable typewriter was purchased in December, 1958.
With the two hundredth anniversary of the incorporation of the Town of Bernardston to be celebrated in 1962, the suggestion was made at the annual meeting in 1960 that it might be the proper time to bring the History of Bernardston up to date. This proposition received an enthusiastic response. From the twelve elected trustees, a steering committee of three, Mrs. Henry Root, Mrs. Theodore Cronyn and Miss Frieda Wiemers, was appointed. The other trustees were: Mrs. Raymond Dunnell, Mrs. Clayton Fitzherbert, Miss Florence Birks, Mr. Arthur Ward, Mrs. Harold Denison, Mr. Melvin Denison, Mrs. Lynn Wyatt, Mr. John Mor- gan and Mr. Henry Root. Completion date for the project was set for August, 1962, with the possibility that any profits realized by the library might be added to the fund for future expansion, the need of which is definitely being felt.
LIBRARIANS-1900-1960
Rev. Richard E. Birks
Mrs. Charles R. Hills
Miss Nettie T. Davis
Miss Roxy Pierce Mrs. Willard H. Pierce
Miss Caroline A. Barber
October 1919
Miss Edith Barber-Acting Librarian Miss M. Jennie Mackay Miss Ellen S. Birks
Mrs. William A. Boyle
Mrs. Roy S. Herrick
April 1900
November 1901
October 1908
September 1913 April 1918
1921 April 1922
September 1925 September 1929 July 1939
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Miss Frieda J. Wiemers Mrs. Wilbur Fallon Mrs. Edwin W. F. Dyer
November 1950
October 1958
January 1959
The library is open two days a week-Wednesday from 2:30 to 8:30 p.m. and Saturday from 3:00 to 8:30 p.m. During July and August the hours are from 4:00 to 8:30 p.m. both days.
Circulation of books and magazines for the year 1960 totaled 11,356 and there were about four hundred card holders. The library has approximately 16,450 volumes plus many Bookmobile books which are replaced about every eight weeks. Special books can be obtained from other libraries in the area when they are not available on the shelves.
The Regional Library Center in Greenfield has a film service available to all organizations in Franklin, Hampshire, Hampden and Berkshire counties. The films, covering a variety of subjects, are distributed directly to the program planner for the group free of charge with the stipulation that there will be no admission charged. A projector and screen may also be borrowed from the Center. The local librarian receives a listing of the films and the dates they will be available and is ready and willing to assist any- one interested in planning a film program.
A limited number of phonograph records, mostly classical, are also available at the Regional Library Center and may be ob- tained by the local librarian when requested by the patrons.
Bernardston is indeed fortunate to have had such a generous and public spirited citizen as Mr. Henry W. Cushman. Few men down through the years have been blessed with such insight into the needs of future generations. It is interesting to note that at a special town meeting on the sixth of September 1862 the follow- ing article, which is well worth repeating one hundred years later, was unanimously voted: "That we hereby, for ourselves and our posterity, who are to be long benefited by this judicious liberality, tender our gratitude and thanks to the Honorable Henry W. Cushman for this munificent gift which does so much to render our 'means of education and social progress complete.' "
THE BERNARDSTON SCHOOLS
YOON AFTER LANDING in Massachusetts, the Pilgrims and the S Puritans established churches and schools. It was early resolved that schools should be free. In many places the first instruction
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was given by the minister, in the three R's as well as in religious subjects. This was doubtless true in Bernardston. There is no record of a school system until 1770, when the sum of two pounds was granted to be divided among the school districts of the town. In 1771 there were "90 children in town who wanted schooling," and six pounds was voted for their instruction. The town early realized the importance of education for girls as well as boys, for a 1772 record states that the town voted "to raise one shilling and six pence for each schoolar in the town for schooling . .. and that boys from six to sixteen years of age, and girls from six to twelve shall be reckoned as schoolars."
Before 1784 instruction was given in private homes. In that year "it was ordered that the town be divided into four school districts, and that each should build a school house in which to keep the school at its own expense." In 1800 the first school committee was appointed. Throughout the 1800's the town made annual appro- priations to provide elementary schooling in the district schools.
Bernardston was fortunate in having two men with advanced ideas regarding secondary education and with means to put their ideas into effect. The Hon. Job Goodale founded Goodale Acad- emy in 1832 and this school continued to educate the youth of Bernardston and surrounding towns for a quarter of a century. It was located on Church Street between Depot and Dewey Streets, opposite the Town Hall. This house, its barn and the Congrega- tional Parsonage were all Academy buildings.
Powers Institute was founded and endowed in 1857 by Edward Epps Powers, a Bernardston boy who had made a fortune in retail trade in Georgia. Powers Institute had a notable career as an old- time academy, having students not only from Bernardston, but also from many western Massachusetts towns, nearby towns of Vermont and New Hampshire, and as far away as Pennsylvania. Mr. Powers would have been gratified to know that his school served the town for a hundred years.
1900-1910
Many changes came to Powers Institute during the early 1900's, as with state aid it became the Bernardston high school, although retaining its original name. The School Committee took over some of the duties of the Trustees, but still kept several of the old academy rules and regulations. The study hour bell was a familiar
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sound, ringing promptly at seven o'clock each evening. A few students still boarded themselves at Cushman Hall.
The academy rules had forbidden attendance at dances during term-time, and an episode that hastened the dropping of these regulations was the suspension of two pupils in 1902, for viola- tion of the no-dancing rules. There had been a great deal of con- troversy in regard to these regulations, as is shown in an article of the town warrant of 1899, asking that by-laws be changed . . . "so that parents and guardians of town scholars shall have full control of their children out of school hours."
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