USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Nahant > Some annals of Nahant, Massachusetts > Part 32
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CHAPTER XXV
LATER YEARS
THE period since 1900 contains some events well worth recording while memory is fresh. Much already treated covers through to the present time, but scattered events of the last quarter century need mention. President Roosevelt visited Senator Lodge in 1902, and as no President can ever travel as a private citizen he was received with acclaim every- where, and made public appearances which were the delight of the people. He arrived in Lynn on Sunday, August 24, and was welcomed by Mayor William Shepard. This was the first appearance of a President in Lynn since Lynn became a city. The route from the station to Senator Lodge's home was lined with people welcoming the distin- guished visitor. Joseph T. Wilson, chairman of the Nahant selectmen, gave him the town's welcome. The special escort for the President was Troop F, cavalry, M. V. M., from North Chelmsford. They arrived in Lynn Sunday morning and went at once to Nahant and pitched camp in the open field between Nahant Road, Pond Street and Spring Roads, using mostly the upper part, against the westerly end. Valley Road did not then run across this field. Special police pre- cautions were taken, and the Nahant police were assisted by a squad from the Metropolitan Park Police. Of course, secret service men were also on hand. The ride to Nahant, and other rides to and fro, were in Senator Lodge's victoria, for, it seems strange to say, automobiles were not then the common means of conveyance.
Nahant was well decorated for the occasion, flags and bunting appearing everywhere. Especial mention was made by the newspapers of the display of color at the Life Saving
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Station, since named the Coast Guard Station. On Monday there was a reception at the Public Library building, and speaking exercises from a platform erected at the street's edge and over and around the front entrance path to the building. Photographs show several notables, George B. Cor- telyou, Henry Cabot Lodge, William H. Moody and Curtis Guild among them. The platform also held town officers, G. A. R. men and other special guests. The street in front was closed to carriages, and quickly filled with people anxious for sight and hearing of this interesting man and principal officer of the country. The President delivered another address on the City Hall grounds in Lynn that same afternoon, and then was rushed away to Boston, where he spoke in Symphony Hall in the evening. The visit to Nahant was short, but the little peninsula was gratified. To see, hear or shake hands with a President is not so very uncom- mon, yet most who do it often recall it and speak of it with pleasure and mild pride. Especially does the world love a sincere, hearty and outspoken leader, even in those times when it may not agree with him.
There were other details on this occasion. Even a one- day visit is full of complications to be worked out, and the selectmen had much to arrange. The visiting party included clerks, newspaper men and others, who were put up by them at the Whitney Homestead, the Rockledge and Hotel Tudor. The extra police were accommodated at the Relay House. And there was a band, for band music sets up an outdoor affair of the celebrative sort as does nothing else. It was a busy time for some, as well as a great pleasure to the whole town and her many visitors. Shortly after this visit Senator Lodge obtained for the Public Library the autographed por- trait of President Roosevelt which is now displayed in the building.
It was in 1909 that the town accepted Valley Road as a new street, between Spring Road and Nahant Road, cutting the field used for this visit, and in 1903 for a part of the anniversary celebration, into two parts. Today other buildings upon it
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leave it no longer the "large open field" it was once described to be. This part of Valley Road is the most used piece of road the town has accepted in many years. Most new streets are for the development of a tract of land into house lots, but this short section carries traffic to and from all parts of the town.
The year 1904 saw the death of Samuel Covell at the age of seventy-three. He was a well-known Nahanter, and at the time of the fiftieth anniversary celebration in 1903 he was the only man still living in town who voted at the first town elec- tion in 1853. His house at the corner of Valley Road and Pond Street is now owned by Frank R. Killilae. It was specially marked, during the celebration, as the home of an 1853 voter.
This recent period now under consideration seems to have seen two other changes in town government methods. In 1922 the school committee was increased from three to six members, which has been its number ever since. There appears to have been no real need for this change, nor has any apparent gain developed from it. It was a purely political move, carried out at a special town meeting in the summer of 1921 and intended to curb or change a balance of power on the committee.
The other change was with the adoption of revised town by- laws at the annual meeting in March, 1922, whereby the mod- erator was elected annually. Before that he was chosen at each meeting, and with the opening hour early, as it had been in later years, few were present and often a half dozen or so made the choice. It was obviously fairer to give all voters a chance to share in this election, as with other town officers, and now the office is filled at the ballot box. Because of Senator Lodge's less frequent attendance at recent town meetings he seemed not the logical candidate, and Fred A. Wilson was chosen, and has been re-elected annually ever since. Had Senator Lodge appeared at any meeting, there is no doubt Wilson would have been absent long enough for an election from the floor to occur, for the people wanted Lodge when they could have him.
The Spanish-American War saw several men gone from Nahant. George Cabot Lodge entered the Navy as a cadet and came out an ensign. He was a son of Senator Lodge,
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well known and popular on Nahant, where he always spent his summers, growing up with the nickname "Bay" Lodge, a hold-over from baby days. He was a poet by avocation, with some published work to his credit. He died in 1909 at the age of thirty-six. Two other men in this scrap were sons of E. Francis Parker, an old Nahanter. They were not legal resi- dents, though well known in town. Francis S. Parker was on the second Brigade staff up to 1898, and was then mustered in as second lieutenant, fifty-fourth Regiment, U. S. V., serving at Jacksonville as aid-de-camp, on the staff of the second Brigade, second Division, seventh Army Corps. Frederick Parker, who is still a familiar figure among Nahant summer people, was a lieutenant in the Navy on the U. S. S. "Peoria." Samuel Hammond was an ensign in the Navy in 1898, on the "Justin" and the "Caesar." D. G. Finnerty, Jr., son of D. G. Finnerty, elsewhere mentioned, enlisted as a private in the first Heavy Artillery, stationed at Fort Warren, Fort Pickering and at Framingham. This Battery expected to go to Cuba but did not. Finnerty has also been nineteen years in the National Guard. He was in Nahant only in summer time, but has since become a year-round resident. Major William Hennessy is another non-resident but familiar figure, from many summers in town. He was an officer in the ninth Massachusetts In- fantry. There were others, more or less known on Nahant, but no complete list is at hand, and this much detail is given because there is no local group organized or equipped to yield even such meagre information.
It was at the annual town meeting in 1910 that the growing agitation for a better and larger Town Hall took the form of a warrant article asking for the appointment of a special com- mittee to prepare plans and estimates and report on remodel- ling the old Town Hall building. This committee was Charles D. Vary, then chairman of the selectmen, Samuel Hammond and Fred A. Wilson. The committee soon found that it was not desirable to try to remodel the old building, and devoted their energies to preparing sketches for a new building, calling into consultation Mr. Robert D. Andrews, a prominent Boston
Edward J. Johnson
1832-1901
Albert Whitney 1810-1892
One of Dr. Piper's Drawings
Looking toward Bailey's Hill. The number of trees seems exaggerated
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architect. All town officials felt the need of economy in any large appropriation. The solons at the State House were toy- ing with schemes which would take away taxable property from Nahant and increase state taxes heavily. Much of this has since materialized, bringing increased taxes to Nahant. The committee therefore recommended the least that could be provided and be worthy, and also recommended the pur- chase of the property now occupied by the "new" Town Hall. This was carried into the town meeting warrant for March, 1911, in seven articles.
In the meantime Daniel G. Finnerty went to work on his own initiative, using another Boston architect, and had plans drawn for a pretentious Town Hall building which it was proposed to erect on the George Johnson lot at the corner of Summer Street and Nahant Road. He presented plans and estimates involving an expenditure of $80,000 in total, and petitioned the matter into the same town meeting warrant in three articles. Thus was precipitated one of the hottest of many town meeting fights.
The original committee were long getting over their sur- prise that the town would consider spending so much money, or that Finnerty, better known as a stickler for economy, should advocate such an expense. Doubtless he believed the best was none too good, and stood among those willing to spend freely to get a result the town deserved. The com- mittee was further alarmed by their belief that the building Finnerty proposed was underestimated, and the resulting cost would be many thousands higher. There never was any question that the absolutely fire-resistive building would be best, provided the town could afford it, but there was a belief that a practically safe building would cost much less and be adequate for all purposes.
After a hard-fought battle the town decided to put Fin- nerty's proposed building upon the lot at the corner of Pleasant Street, where the Town Hall now stands. Then, getting somewhat alarmed at the cost, the town voted that the sums proposed should not be exceeded. This latter vote
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brought the matter back to the town for further considera- tion, for the building committee soon found that the cost was underestimated. At this later town meeting- a special meeting held August 8, 1911 - Senator Lodge presided. His house guest, Senator William Warner of Missouri, sat on the platform by courtesy of the meeting and witnessed as hot a contest as ever his political experience had opened to his wondering eyes and ears. Finnerty had used maximum means to develop enthusiasm for his plans and the needed additional money. An editorial of the next day called it the "Battle of Nahant," and spoke of the torchlight procession of the night before election, arranged by General Finnerty. It says the opposing forces were led by General W. K. Rich- ardson, and the latter until recently was an active participant in town meetings. The newspaper continues: "And in spite of the Finnerty torchlight parade, the cheers and speeches and varied hullabaloo, the Richardson forces won. The Finnerty plans provided for an omnium gatherum of community activ- ities, a fireproof structure with a hall on the second floor which would seat one thousand, and under this administrative offices, - a gymnasium, a police courtroom, a lock-up and a fire station. Had there been any space remaining it might have been utilized for a roof garden, a shooting gallery and a moving picture show. By a vote of 156 to 76 Mr. Finnerty's committee was discharged, the $75,000 appropriation was renewed, and Moderator Lodge was authorized to appoint a new committee. We question whether Mr. Finnerty and public-spirited citizens who sided with him will wholly regret this action after they have taken time to review the situation. It would be superfluous and absurd for a small town, even though a wealthy one, to exceed so generous a sum as $75,000 in erecting a municipal building." These sentences are from a Boston newspaper, which gives a ten-inch space on its editorial page. Such was the fuss that Finnerty fighting could force.
The town then changed over from Finnerty's architect to the one the committee had used in their investigation. The
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building was modified to be as nearly fire-resistive as the appropriation would allow, and the result was the structure now in evidence. It seems a notable building, and one which no participant in the fierce wrangle of 1911 regrets. But the expense was nearly $92,000. The building committee was Samuel Hammond, chairman, Ellerton James, secretary, J. Lothrop Motley, Winthrop T. Hodges, Walter H. South- wick, Edward E. Strout, and Francis H. Johnson. The new Town Hall was dedicated on November 9, 1912, with the exer- cises usual on such occasions. The principal address was by Senator Lodge.
Very soon the Sears tax suits, elsewhere discussed, were settled in favor of Nahant, and the money received cleared off this heavy debt more quickly than anticipated, and the burden of it was hardly felt by the town.
As to location, there seems no question that the public buildings should be nearer the geographical center of the town. The Town Hall and Public Library buildings are almost at one edge of the winter population, and sometimes in winter the travelling bothers most. It was no great gain, however, to put one building up by Summer Street, while there is much to be said in favor of keeping them together. They both should be a half mile westward. The mistake was with the location of the Public Library building a generation ago.
The selectmen, in their report for 1912, published in Feb- ruary, 1913, congratulated the building committee on their work, and stated that the hall provided would be ample for the needs of the town for many years. But all at once, a few years later, women became voters and the number of voting citizens was almost doubled. "Votes for Women!" was a cry abroad in the land, and in other lands, but seems not to have been a serious factor in determining town hall capacity and provision for future growth of the voting population. Fortunately, up to the present, the accommodations have proven sufficient, and it seems likely that all who wish to attend the business sessions of town meetings may do so for several years without undue crowding. At about the same
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time women became "emancipated" they became emaciated, also, so that more can be stowed in each square yard of area. Many towns have been obliged to adopt some sort of a dele- gate system to prevent overcrowding, but it is to be hoped this may not become necessary for Nahant.
The work of Nahant during the World War was guided and encouraged throughout the year and a half by a Public Safety Committee of about forty chosen by the Board of Selectmen. All three selectmen were on this committee, and the chair- man of the Board, Harry C. Wilson, was chairman of the committee. The committee was organized on April 7, 1917, ยท and divided into eight subcommittees. These were Home Guard, Finance, Children's Work, Conservation, Publicity, Red Cross, Recruiting and Food Production. Winthrop T. Hodges was general secretary. The general chairman, gen- eral secretary, and eight subchairmen were an emergency committee empowered to act when time was too short for summons to a general meeting.
The Home Guard was found popular and desirable in many towns, and drill was started on Nahant early in May with about forty men participating. The interest waned, how- ever, and after continuing as long as possible this branch of the committee activity was abandoned. George E. Hanson, not now a Nahanter, was subchairman, and the drill master was a sergeant of the United States Regular Army.
The Finance Committee was led by Charles H. Richardson, since removed to California, where he died in 1926. They raised for 1917 about $2,600 of which over $1,000 was expended in plowing and other garden work. A further campaign for 1918 yielded a similar sum.
The Children's Work Committee was headed by Fred A. Pirie, and was more or less combined with the Food Produc- tion Committee of which J. C. Shaughnessy was subchair- man. In food production lay the greatest work and expense of the Public Safety Committee. The wisdom of encouraging amateur efforts has been questioned because it used materials which would have yielded better results in the expert hands
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of the farmers. On the whole, this criticism seems ill founded. To foster an interest in gardening is desirable, and at least there was saved some strain on overloaded transportation systems which have to carry food not raised locally.
The Conservation Committee was headed by Ellerton James, and their work reached into food saving, waste curbing, and the use of materials not on the list important for war purposes.
The Recruiting Committee was led by George A. Wood, but the adoption of the forced draft registration and subsequent calling by quotas made this work of less importance.
The Red Cross Committee co-operated with the Red Cross Auxiliary, which was quickly formed and which is mentioned elsewhere. Some financial aid was given by the Public Safety Committee, but the Auxiliary went out and raised most of its own money. A drive for membership late in 1917 yielded four hundred and twenty from the year-round residents.
The Publicity Committee chairman was Fred A. Wilson, and the many circulars of information pouring in from the State Public Safety Committee and from numerous other sources were edited, rewritten and republished from Nahant. Over fifty circulars were issued and much other material dis- tributed, especially with the four Liberty Loan drives. For these and for the Red Cross drive of 1918 quotas were set for each community and proper results were expected. The quota habit was then new, but has persisted since and in drives where it should not. Slogans were used everywhere. A poster col- lection of the time, and the air was full of posters, will show how slogans loomed large in the pressure brought to get work and enthusiasm for what was proposed. In those days to rouse a nation or sell a notion meant a slogan. They are still used, now chiefly in advertising, but they have been overused and misused, as are stories about the Ford car, so that they all seem trite. A fresh look at the war period needs the reminder that then slogans were new and were undoubtedly effective. There was also exaggeration, and the Nahant Committee circulars kept the pace but did not set the pace. To stir the very apathetic and slow or muddy-minded meant efforts and methods hardly
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applicable to others, who might find the meat served up too strong for their appreciation. All in all, the activities of the Nahant Committee were commended by the State Committee, and were in some cases the envy of other committees, which were not getting such good results from their own work. A scrapbook in the Public Library contains all the printed matter issued by the Nahant Public Safety Committee.
Other subcommittees were formed as they were needed. In the Town Hall were many lectures, exhibitions and demonstra- tions. A garden exhibition was held on September 13 and 14, 1917, and on September 9 and 10, 1918. They were of the usual type, with prizes and ribbons and cups to encourage Nahant gardens. The material shown was of surprisingly fine quality. In 1918 the proceeds from the show all went to the Nahant Auxiliary of the Red Cross. One of the well-remembered dem- onstrations was by an old negress called Aunt Jemima, who showed how to cook corn in various ways. This was at a time when America's allies needed wheat, and people in this country were urged and trained to use more of other cereals. Then there were meat and sugar shortages, and the gasolene-saving day, when all people were urged to refrain from automobiling. How empty were the streets! One could really walk about in comfort, except for those to whom walking was a lost art.
The draft registration on June 5, 1917, included all men who had reached their twenty-first but not their thirty-first birthdays, except for those already in military service. On Decoration Day, 1917, there was a flag raising at the Town Hall, with appropriate exercises. A feature was singing by Mrs. Leonora Robertson Calef, since deceased, a daughter of R. H. Robertson and a Nahanter until her marriage. Her voice was frequently given to Nahant for worthy causes. One song, "The Unfurling of the Flag, 1917," was written by Miss Clara Endicott Sears, daughter of Knyvet W. Sears.
A special police force of about fifty was established and commissioned by the selectmen. It was an emergency group, and their services were not much required, though individual alertness and influence proved useful. And there were pa-
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rades. Nahant joined with Lynn in a great war chest parade held in that city, where one contribution was divided among a half dozen war services. And Nahant had at least one that was conspicuous, for the Third Liberty Loan. On one occasion Calvin Coolidge came to town and joined in the demonstration.
There was some shortage of coal in 1917 or early 1918, and people were told how to conserve fuel. In the fall of 1918 the condition was more acute. Allotments were made by the Government Fuel Administration, and that for Massachusetts was a tight fit. Transportation facilities were needed for war service, and other uses for them were cut to a minimum. Lawrence F. Sherman was chairman of the sub-committee on fuel during this period. During the second year of service of the Public Safety Committee the subcom- mittees were different. L. F. Sherman was sub-chairman of the Transportation Committee and of the Fuel Committee; C. H. Richardson, Drive Committee; H. C. Wilson, Protec- tion Committee; F. A. Pirie, Food Production Committee; F. A. Wilson, Publicity Committee and Conservation Com- mittee; D. A. Sanborn, Service Emblem and War Savings Committee; G. M. Clark, Soldiers Information Committee; D. G. Finnerty, Red Cross; and there was an associate thrift committee of women headed by Miss Mildred G. Cochran, who is now Mrs. Olaf A. Olsson.
So much of what happened is so recent that it seems superfluous to recount even what has been said, and the aim is to name some of the items which may pass out of recollec- tion or record after a score more years. During the influenza epidemic in 1918 a circular told people how to guard against it as well as possible. An interesting feature of the War Savings Stamps campaign was the offer by Ellerton James of $200 worth as prizes to children in the public schools who would learn and recite to their teachers short poems. Nearly the full amount was awarded in this way. The poems were selected and grouped by Fred A. Wilson, who made the original suggestion, and the school department co-operated
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to rouse enthusiasm and make the plan successful. Many children learned poems they should know, of a quality not above their appreciation, even as very unripe students.
To look back only a decade is hardly far enough to get a good perspective and make any accurate conclusions. Yet it would seem that the Nahant Public Safety Committee was unusually alert, and contained many men who kept on tiptoe for results and strove with might and main. Of course, in any committee workers are important. Too often people accept appointments to such, and then do nothing and suggest nothing.
The story of men who went to the World War from Nahant cannot be told adequately except by a special investigation, preferably by the Nahant Post of the American Legion. The organization of the Post is described elsewhere. The men went off in several groups, escorted, with more or less of a real send-off, to their trains at Lynn. Many were individual enlistments in one or another part of the service. In the fall of 1917 the Public Safety Committee sent out seventy-one letters to men, or their families, known or even rumored to be in active war service. Doubtless some rumors were incorrect and to some letters no replies came. The town report pub- lished in March, 1918, lists fifty-one, and gives for most of them the branch of service entered .. Eighteen were in the National Army, that new great army formed from the selective draft. Thirteen were in the United States Naval Reserve Force, on shipping board vessels, or in the Naval Reserve. Three or four were driving ambulances in France. Others were scattered about in other positions. Still more were not legal residents though perhaps long-time dwellers in town for a part of the year.
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