USA > Massachusetts > Franklin County > Warwick > Warwick, Massachusetts; biography of a town, 1763-1963 > Part 15
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Warwick had never been able to boast of a town hall. Several attempts had been made in various years to have the town vote to build one, but all had failed. Town meetings were held in the hall attached to the hotel, and town records, first scattered among
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the homes of town officials, were eventually housed in an office in the Howard house. In 1893 the state exerted pressure on the town to provide a fireproof vault to protect these records and this led to reopening the issue.
At the annual meeting in March, 1893 the town voted to build a town hall at a cost not to exceed $5000. Charles A. Wil- liams, Appleton Gale and Wales N. Ward were chosen as a committee to attend to the matter. James E. Fuller, a native son and a partner in the architectual firm of Fuller and Delano of Worcester, offered his services as architect. Nahum Jones offered the site of his now empty boot shop to the town at a very low price. This offer was accepted and the old shop was torn down. Frank and Edward Witherell of Warwick were the contractors, and the combined efforts of these men produced the building that we have enjoyed to this day.
On January 10, 1895 the building was fittingly dedicated with Samuel Hastings, Esq., acting as master of ceremonies. The interest shown by many former residents on this occasion created a movement to hold a town picnic in the summer to bring them back to the old home town on a day especially arranged for their welcome. Thus Old Home Day, as it soon came to be known, was born. The first picnic was so successful that the Warwick Old Residents' Reunion Association was formed, with Appleton Gale as president, Samuel Hastings, vice-president, E. A. Wil- liams, secretary, Charles A. Williams, W. E. Blackmer and A. Gale, executive committee.
The association has been of immense value in maintaining an interest in the town among its former residents, and each year the program arranged for both young and old has continued . . . Old Home Day has not changed materially in its nearly 60 years of existence: a competitive sport program for the children, fol- lowed by a ball game between a local team and one from a neighboring town, and a dance in the town hall in the evening; for the older people, a literary and musical program in the church with reminiscences of more youthful days exchanged by old friends. Often a band concert would be given, and always a supper would be served at the town hall by the Association.
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In 1881 fire destroyed the home of Quartus M. Morgan in the upper village, and the newspaper correspondent of the day stated it was believed to be the first major fire to have occurred in the village. Be that as it may, it was the first of many. Fires became a common occurrence, and numerous abandoned homes in the outlying districts were mysteriously destroyed. Albee Brothers store was burned in 1882, Deacon George Moore's mill in 1888 and in 1891 the two houses north of the Unitarian Church were totally destroyed. The old abandoned Mayo or Fay tavern went up in flames, also a house behind it, in 1896, and the Howard house south of the Baptist Church burned in 1901. Thus with the new town hall replacing the old boot shop many changes were made in the appearance of the village.
The Gay Nineties, as this period is often called, became an era of many changes in the old town. The population had drop- ped to 565 in 1890, but now the tide was to turn for a decade. An orgy of timber cutting began as many of the old families stripped the land and then sold out. Many families moved into town to work in the sawmills, and by 1895 the population had grown to 619. When the timber was exhausted they moved on.
But one group came to stay. This group was led by Ludwig Nordstedt who bought the farm owned by Joseph Williams on Flower Hill in 1892. He was the first of some 20 Swedish fam- ilies, most of whom followed him from Quincy, Massachusetts. Many were former stonemasons who, finding work declining in their trade, turned to farming. There were the Ericsons, the Bergstens, the Bergquists, the Hansons, the Nylanders, the Lund- grens and the Swansons, all of whom had arrived by the end of the century. The invasion went on, Carl Stange arriving in Brush Valley in 1902, and by 1906 we find that August Anderson had bought the town poor farm. Nils Ohlson, Charles Soderman, John Lawson, Victor and Ludwig Johnson, and Oscar Carlson had joined them before 1910.
Perhaps that same local newspaper correspondent who had boasted in 1876 that "Warwick has no naturalized citizens" would not have approved of the Swedish invasion, for many of the old families did not. However for many years they were
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quite sufficient unto themselves and gradually they were accepted and became a power in the community.
Ludwig Nordstedt served on the Board of Selectmen from 1910 to 1913. Each Saturday night the selectmen met at the town hall, supposedly to transact town business. He soon found that Sam Hastings had already taken care of everything quite satis- factorily and, feeling that the exchange of town gossip in a smoke-filled room did not compensate him for his wasted eve- ning, he resigned after four years.
The war with Spain appears to have been completely ignored by Warwick. Never in any way do we find any reference to it. In fact, from the year 1898 we find little worth recording for the next 15 years. Warwick had indeed become a sleepy little town with no ambition or hopes for the future.
Today we who have become accustomed to traveling over highways at the terrific speeds of modern day traffic are inclined to think of the horse and buggy days of our forebears as slow and safe. But when we glance through the volumes of newspaper clippings so carefully collected and preserved we find that such was not the fact. The runaway horse, as it was called, was a common occurrence. And a terrifying sight it was to see a horse with the bit clamped in his teeth as he tore down the road deaf to all the commands of his driver.
All too often it would end in tragedy but it was part of life in the country. Thus the Memorial Day exercises at the cemetery were marred when, in 1904, his horse took fright and threw Harwood Proctor, an old Civil War veteran, from his carriage. Severely injured, he died a few weeks later.
Miss Mary Tyler took the minister's wife, Mrs. E. H. Brenan, for a ride over the Rum Brook Road on an August day in 1902. The road ascends and descends a series of small but steep hills. In some manner the horse became frightened and ran. Miss Tyler was first thrown from the buggy and then Mrs. Brenan. Miss Tyler was seriously injured, but Mrs. Brenan fell on a rock ledge and was almost instantly killed.
A similar accident caused the death of Mrs. Darrah, the bride of a Worcester artist who had a summer home at the Sandin
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place at the end of Sandin Road. Driving her horse alone she lost control of it descending a steep hill on the Royalston Road. Her body and also that of the horse were found at the foot of the hill.
Tragedies such as these to prominent people were not quickly forgotten, and even today when mention is made some will nod their heads and say, "I remember being told about it years ago."
In 1900 the town received a gift that has proved a blessing to many of the townspeople during the past 60 years in a manner little dreamed of by its donor, Mrs. Edward C. Thayer, the daughter of Captain David Ball. She gave the ornamental iron watering trough that is placed near the public library and is designed for the use of both human beings and animals. It is a rare occasion today for a horse to be seen quenching its thirst as thousands have done in the past. A spring, given by Charles Williams, provides a constant flow of water from Mount Grace. The base of the fountain is so arranged that the upper part forms a trough for the benefit of dogs and other small animals. On this base rests a column which supports the larger bowl for horses. From the center of the bowl rises an ornamental post with four figures, from the mouths of which water pours into the bowl.
Its great value to the town stems from the fact that during a long, dry season many of the wells supplying water for the resi- dents become useless. Then all turn to the old fountain, and often several cars can be seen awaiting their turn to fill containers with water for home consumption.
Earlier Captain Ball had given a watering trough to the town which still stands on the side of the Winchester Road opposite the A. J. Morris home. The Captain was a well-known citizen of Warwick and a descendant of Samuel Ball, an early settler. Both he and his father, also David, were cabinet makers and farmers. Some years before the Civil War the son had moved to Vermont. When war came he enlisted in the 6th Vermont Regiment. On July 3, 1863 the regiment was part of Stannard's brigade and was stationed on Cemetery Ridge in the town of Gettysburg. Here they awaited the famous charge of 15,000
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Confederates under General Pickett. David Ball, now a captain, led his company, and the firm stand of these Vermont men is credited with playing a prominent role in repulsing the charge often claimed to be the turning point of the war.
After the war Ball returned to Warwick, but he was never claimed by the town as having served from here. Nevertheless he was recognized as its leading veteran and frequently acted as marshall in the annual Memorial Day parade. For years at the exercises in the cemetery the firing squad has stood near his grave to fire their "Salute to the Dead."
And so the years rolled slowly by and life must have been rather boring to the young, and even the old had tired of a too peaceful existence. At least we can find no other reason to cele- brate the 150th Anniversary of the town's incorporation a year early. The anniversary date would fall on February 17, 1913, and it was felt that at that time of year justice could not be done to the occasion. Better early than late, so plans were made to hold it in the summer of 1912.
The general committee chosen consisted of Charles A. Wil- liams, Samuel Hastings, Leslie W. Green, Edward A. Lyman and Ludwig Nordstedt. August 14 and 15 were set aside for the celebration. The program as arranged was to begin with an opening address by Governor Foss with music, both vocal and instrumental. This was followed by a historical pageant ar- ranged and directed by Miss Annie B. C. Fisher, (later Mrs. Louis B. Pulcifer) a native of Warwick and for the previous 20 years a teacher in the Concord High School. She was ably assis- ted by Miss Elsie Williams, and the pageant depicting important episodes in the history of the town was lauded by all attending as a masterpiece.
In the evening an old time vocal concert was given in the Unitarian Church. All participating were dressed in old time costumes and directed by Honorable Samuel Hastings. The choir was well worth going miles to see as well as hear.
On the following day there were sports and a ball game in the morning. After this the principal address as given by Rev- erend H. Barber of Meadville, Pennslyvania, a native of War-
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wick and the son of Deacon Hervey Barber. The pageant was repeated in the afternoon and a grand ball was held in the town hall in the evening. The New Home Band of Orange, sponsored by the sewing machine company of that name, furnished music throughout the day. An exhibit of historical relics was provided on both days.
All went well with one exception. Governor Foss neither came nor sent a substitute or regrets, though he had promised to come. Perhaps he became aware that he had received only six votes from Warwick at his election. Be that as it may, the anniversary is still fondly recalled by many now preparing to celebrate the Bicentennial in 1963.
On February 16, 1915 the reign of Samuel Hastings came to an end. His portrait looked down on town meetings from its place on the wall, behind the town hall stage, for about 25 years, but together with all other portraits of former citizens it was relegated to the attic of the public library. A clock given by Mrs. Hastings in memory of her husband hangs on the wall of the selectmen's office. Its face fails to register either approval or dis- approval of their acts, but if they keep it wound its hands will show that Sam is still trying to serve the town.
14 BATTLE, BOOM AND BUST, 1915-1940
THE ANNUAL ELECTION of town officers, on the whole, has become a rather dull affair during the past century, due to the fact that the death of industries caused a decrease in population. This removed most of the able and energetic men, and those who remained had little opposition. And so we see town offices held year after year, not because they were particularly well adminis- tered, but because no one else wanted them enough to fight for them. As a result the same small group, usually dominated by one man, remained in control year after year, unchanged except by death.
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Occasionally there came a revolution when conditions brought forward an energetic outspoken man who dared to oppose the entrenched politicians. Such a time arrived shortly after World War I in the person of George Shepardson, a prosperous farmer who also ran the stage that carried the mail to and from Orange. In 1921 he dared to oppose Orville Cole, who had held the office for the past six years. After a bitter campaign which en- couraged some sleeping animosities to awaken Shepardson suc- ceeded in winning the office.
When the result was announced the remaining two selectmen resigned (Fred W. Bass and Ernest Prouty). Shepardson was defeated six years later by a relatively new arrival in Warwick, Lee J. Dresser. Dresser was to continue in office 27 years, until 1954, when he relinquished it in order to keep his office as Road Superintendent, the town having voted that the Board of Select- men could no longer appoint one of their members to this posi- tion.
The orgy of timber cutting that was at its height during the decade following 1890 and continued into the next century left many acres of land stripped bare of merchantable timber. This area, along with the abandoned fields, was left for nature to reforest with no thought of the future needs of mankind. This condition became widespread and the conservation of our natural resources and reforestation began to be the concern of those who recognized the danger.
Another result of the slaughter of the forests was the tremen- dous amount of treetops and branches, called slash, that was left to decay in the woods. This formed a fire hazard that often caused the destruction of millions of feet of merchantable timber. In order to spot the outbreak of any fire and subdue it as quickly as possible the State erected fire towers on high elevations. One of these towers was erected on Mount Grace in 1911. This was replaced by a second one 71 feet high in 1919. It was blown down by the hurricane of 1938 and replaced by a temporary wooden tower until the present one was erected in 1940.
One of those who became interested in this problem was Doctor Paul W. Goldsbury, a descendant of a pioneer family
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of Warwick. He had returned to the ancestral home and was to play a prominent role in town activities for half a century. His grandfather, Captain James Goldsbury, was a leading citizen until his death at the age of 101. Doctor Goldsbury was instru- mental in placing a bill before the legislature in 1915 to establish a State park or forestry reserve at Mount Grace. The bill was passed by the Legislature and the State Forest Commission was ordered to investigate the proposition.
The report was made to the General Court on January 4, 1916, and eventually the State bought most of the mountain. This began about 1920 and by 1927 the Commonwealth had acquired over 3,000 acres. It continued to buy land on a smaller scale whenever the opportunity arose. The Diamond Match Company and the New England Box Company had been buying large forest holdings, beginning at the start of the century. The Diamond Match Company had sold all their land to the State by 1940 and the New England Box Company, who had acquired some 2,400 acres in 1921, sold about 1,700 acres to the State after cutting off the timber. By 1962 the State owned 8,361 acres.
When the State acquired the various lots of land, the valuation set by the assessors and in effect at the time would be accepted by the State. There it would remain until changed by the State. Many people in the town felt that this valuation should be increased when the valuation of the land increased. They also became alarmed at the purchase of mowings, pastures or wood- lands needed for farming, and as a result the town voted that the Moderator appoint a committee of five to investigate the situation to see if the town could get a better tax reimbursement for land purchased for forestry or other purposes. No further action is on record as having been taken by the committee or the town.
Joseph Peabody, State District Fire Warden, was in charge of the State land in Warwick until 1939. He stationed the Ford Model-T forest fire truck here about 1924, under the direction of Oscar N. Ohlson, and allowed the town to use it.
Beginning about 1930 the State began to develop a picnic area at the eastern foot of the mountain and later added facilities
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for skiing. Mr. Ohlson, a lifelong resident of Warwick, was appointed Supervisor of the State land in 1939 and still serves in that capacity.
Despite the efforts of some of the former citizens who returned on Old Home Day to extol the future possibilities of the grand old town (which they had deserted), the majority of Warwick's people had bowed to the inevitable. They had approved the actions of the State as it gradually devoured nearly one-third of the town bite by bite until today the State owns 8,361 acres of land. The Director of Agriculture, elected by vote of the town in 1919 to assist the agricultural interests by working with County and State agencies, had lost his enthusiasm from lack of interest and the town refused to elect one in 1941.
Mounted on the outside of the Town Hall on the left side of the main entrance is a bronze plaque with the names of men from Warwick who served in the first World War. These men were residents of the town at the time they entered the armed forces, but one man was temporarily employed in the town with no family connections here. As a result he failed to return after the war and no record of his service has been found.
The names, together with their records, are as follows:
Howard A. Anderson, Coast Artillery, Fort Williams, Maine.
Frederick Merriman Barnard; 302nd Infantry; sailed for France July 4, 1918, stationed four months at Pariguix, France; commissioned 2nd Lieut., stationed Military Police School Nov- ember, 1918, to May, 1919; Commissary Officer and Prisoner of War Supervisor May, 1919 to October, 1919.
Thomas Samuel Copeland; 6th Anti-Aircraft Sector.
Gustave De Neve, Ambulance Service Section 557, June 1917 to April 1919, including one year's service in Italy; Sergeant, 1st. Class.
Samuel Philip Freedman, - .
Chester Everett Larrabee, 60 Infantry A.E.F., April 16, 1918 to July 28, 1919; engaged St. Mihiel - Meuse - Argonne.
Charles Edward Lincoln; 3rd Division, 4th Infantry Regi- ment; saw service in the Argonne and at Mount Falcon.
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Warwick also contributed its share in supporting the war effort. Orville W. Cole was appointed chairman of the Liberty Loan Bond drive, with Etta M. T. Bass acting as chairman of the Women's Division. The town's quota was $6000 and it was oversubscribed to the total of $7600.
Town affairs proceeded peacefully for many years, with little happening of major importance. In 1919 the Stevens family gave to the town a steel flag-pole 75 feet high. This was erected on schoolhouse hill in memory of Maria Mayo Stevens, a descen- dant of both Mayo and Stevens families. She was an exceptional woman both in her sterling character and her accomplishments. Her life was devoted to her family, her home and her town.
The town formally voted to accept the flagpole in 1922, and the selectmen annually appointed a custodian of the flag with instructions to display it on all holidays. After 40 years of service the bottom section of the pole was found to have been eaten by rust until there was danger of the pole falling in a heavy wind. The town decided that it was best to replace the pole with a new one, and the present 40-foot pole was installed to continue to perpetuate the name of Maria Mayo Stevens.
The year 1918 saw the close of Warwick's last industry, when George N. Wheeler closed down his box shop and retired. He died in 1926.
The box shop was closed until May, 1920, and then a syndi- cate bought it and organized the Warwick Lumber Company with plans to manufacture interior building materials. Extensive improvements were made, new machinery installed, and the pro- spects of a flourishing industry seemed excellent. And then a final blow crushed Warwick's hopes when, on August 13, light- ning struck the buildings and they burned to the ground.
In 1925 the town voted to buy 100 acres of land at the junc- tion of the Wendell and Hockanum roads to develop a town for- est. Beginning in 1927 Town Forest Commissioners were appointed by the Selectmen to have the care of it. Oscar N. Ohlson has been a member of the Commissioners from their inception for the past 35 years.
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Ernest G. Prouty was the last blacksmith to run the old shop that once had stood across the street from the village store. It had been banished and moved to the corner of the Wendell Road and Mount Grace Avenue when the town park was made. With the passing years the automobile had rapidly replaced the horse, and the blacksmith found he had more and more time on his hands to dream about the good old days when his shop was the Mecca that attracted the young and the old.
Finally, shortly after the end of the first World War, he gave up the struggle and closed the doors of his shop. The ringing of his hammer on the anvil ceased to be heard, and the sparks no longer flew as when he shaped the horseshoe. The pungent odor of the burning hoof, as the hot shoe was tested for fit, no longer assailed the nostrils of the gaping boys and the idle men as they exchanged the news and gossip of the day.
But the horse-drawn road-grader and the dump carts of former days were replaced by the trucks and plows of the town road department, so a new use was found for the old shop. In 1926 it was bought by the town to be used as a garage and workshop. Once more it satisfied a need until outgrown and, scorned for its old age and lack of modern conveniences, it was replaced by the new highway shop. Again abandoned to its memories (if a building has memories), it had but a short time to reflect on the past before it was ruthlessly destroyed, as offensive to the sight of man.
The year 1929 was outstanding in that two events took place that altered the appearance of the town. The first was the result of a town vote to install not less than 20 street lights at a cost of $24 per light per year. Thus a drastic change took place in the appearance of the town at night. The second event was the destruction of the schoolhouse by fire in the early morning hours. This was the climax of a series of serious fires that took place during the year. Three were brush fires, and one was the loss of the beautiful home of George A. Witherell on the Orange road. The previous year the Warwick Inn had narrowly escaped destruction when fire consumed the adjoining barn and dance hall.
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And that brings us back to the Warwick Inn, now at the end of its first century of life. Down through the years as transient travel had become almost nonexistent the Inn had increasing difficulty to remain in operation. Its doors were closed several times until a new owner could be found to make another attempt. It is not surprising that under these conditions it occasionally fell into hands that, in these days when the temperance move- ment was strong and the sale of intoxicants illegal, would supply the forbidden drink. But there were virtuous citizens with sus- picious minds and eagle eyes, and so on several occasions raids were conducted which sometimes did find the liquor. Then the Inn would change hands again and the local news correspondent would add to her item the hope that the new owner would con- duct a proper business.
On one occasion it had a narrow escape from fire when it was unoccupied. A neighbor chanced to see smoke coming out around a window, and his prompt action saved the old building before the fire had obtained headway.
Captain Harry J. Lemp and his wife Clara acquired the Inn in 1921, at a public auction. Lemp was a very versatile man and made several improvements in the property, including the installation of electric lights. At the end of seven years the Lemps sold out to Philip Malouin and his wife Christine, who took pos- session in 1928.
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