129 20 8497 https://collection.maynardhistory.org/files/original/b05c9b0a0f692424340de8a2c2838531.jpg fbc31fb4e07f271ab630b6883f67ad9a Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Original Format If the image is of an object, state the type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Cardstock, 4 x 9.5 in. Storage Location in the archive VF90 Chamber of Commerce Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Trade in Maynard, Mass. - 1942 Business Promotional Blotter/Calendar Description An account of the resource The business advertising on this promotion: L. Roy Hawes, Florist; Dr. Donald O. Feltus, optometrist; Lovell Bus Lines; Maynard Men's Shop; Maynard Radio & Music Store; Elite Beauty Shop; W. A. Twombly Funeral Sevice Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1942 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 1999.2765 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Helen M. Ketola advertisement blotter https://collection.maynardhistory.org/files/original/c013099fed45493c70ea2d87a508bc53.jpg 3d58bb595d8bb33d35d5c00f2008717a Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Original Format If the image is of an object, state the type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Cardstock, 3 x 6 in. Storage Location in the archive VF90 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Ink Blotter advertising Assabet Coal Company Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Mary Howe Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 1999.1189 blotter coal ink https://collection.maynardhistory.org/files/original/ff77d4c3cbc340c8aab7d089e78d5cce.jpg 66a75399575d7bc35c14c3f6c7ca40ec https://collection.maynardhistory.org/files/original/e4b2594dd898bd0ccafd96a1e035b877.jpg 60e90c6aaadd14ce3253b8fb8ff2b507 Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Original Format If the image is of an object, state the type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Cardstock, 3 x 5 in. Storage Location in the archive VF91 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Haynes Bros. Promotional Card/Calendar - 1891 Description An account of the resource Haynes Bros. store occupied 1 Riverside Block, ( later Gruber Bros. Furniture), 115 Main St. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1891 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Frank W. Alto Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 1999.342 calendar grocery Haynes store https://collection.maynardhistory.org/files/original/aa8d87b29fe046adf11503ddc8fe1e9d.jpg 7616b5acdec47027ce8272229f97092f Artifact A physical object that is not a document, photograph, or other media. Materials Cardstock, 3 x 4 in. Condition An assessment of the condition of the artifact. Good Storage Location in the archive AB95 #1 SU5-1 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Promotional Matchbook Wayside Record Company Description An account of the resource Wayside operated a recording center in old Colonial Hall on Main St., over the former F. W. Woolworth store - 31 Main St. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource R & J Adv. & Sales Co. Belen, N. Mex. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Ralph L. Sheridan Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 1999.1166 Country & Western matchbook matches music recording studio https://collection.maynardhistory.org/files/original/2e0baf7c73eedf983b4a99f6a3cd083c.pdf aff5691726834f55c41cb6f9ece32e8e Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Monographs Description An account of the resource The Maynard Historical Society has a growing collection of monographs. Monographs, by nature, are focused and detailed research on a single topic (places, people, events, etc.) Many of these monographs, especially by guest authors outside of the Society's research team, contain personal anecdotes and details of life in town during their lifetime. In the years preceding the 1971 Centennial of Maynard the rather new Maynard Historical Society gathered a series of monographs on a wide variety of topics. 96 papers, written by primarily by Birger Koski and Ralph Sheridan, plus a number of "guest" authors, many of these were read at Historical Society meetings in the late 1960's and then became source material for the 1871-1971 History of Maynard book written for the Centennial of the Town. Monographs from that project are titled as a "Centennial Monograph", Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Various Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Maynard Historical Society, et. al. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Various Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1800-current Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Text Any textual data included in the document. This paper is concerned with the old time Husking Bees, but it needs some prefacing remarks, how and why they came into being. Three types of corn were raised: Indian corn for display purposes, (2) yellow and white corn for human consumption and (3) field or cow corn. The third type is what created that institution known as the Husking Bee. Field corn was a large ear, sometimes foot long and smooth kernel even after drying out - not wrinkled as the corn forhuman consumption, if old. Sometime in late September or early October the stalks wore cut in the field and bundled standing up. These bundles were called corn shocks. After drying outside for approximately a month, they were transported into the barn, usually the loft. A farmer with not too large a crop would do the necessary labor with his family, but those with huge crops would either pay additional help or have a Husking Bee. Webster's definition: a neighborly gathering to work for someone, or for some joint concern; as a quilting or a Husking Bee. (U.S. Derivation) The Husking Bee was usually held on a Saturday night to make it a social evening. The ears of corn were ripped off the stalks, the husk stripped off end the ears were then ultimately either brought to a grist mill loose, barreled, or bagged; or, at the farm, the kernel was machined off by a contraption into which the ear was inserted and a crank turned. To make the Bee more interesting ears of Indian colored corn were mixed with the field corn - the finder of such being able to buss a partner of his or her own choice - that was traditional. The kernel that was machined off at the farm was fed to chickens and horses. The corn ground at the grist mill was called cob meal, as cob and all were ground, and was' fed to cattle. The only part discarded in all this process was the cob of the corn that had the kernel machined off. The White Farm by Voses Pond and the Batley Farm on Acton Street had Husking Bees that individuals still living remember. The following is an account of a Bee from the Maynard News of November 3, 1911: October 13, I890, Husking Bee 20 young people responded to an Invitation to participate in a harvest party at the home of Miss Nellie B. Peters on Saturday evening. Festivities opened with corn husking but as in the case of a similar party recently, red ears were conspicuous by their absence. This seems a bad year for red ears. Young ladies chagrined. Then after busking there was a program of vocal and instrumental music, followed by dancing and collation, and all appeared happy despite failure to be hobsonized. November 3, 1911 A barge load of Maynard and Concord people attended a Husking Bee at Mrs. Quinn's Farm in South Sudbury Saturday night. The word hobsonized in the News article must refer to the dictionary definition of Hobson's Choice (17th century) a choice without an alternative - so the last phrase would read ''despite failure to have a choice without an alternative". There were grist mills throughout the area so farmers did not have too far to travel. The Wayside Inn Mill is a grist mill used today for grinding flour for one of the Baking Companies. We in Maynard had a mill on Mill Street which was a combination grist, wood, and cider mill -according to Gutteridge's ''History". The above technical information was supplied to me by William Salo, of the Salo-Simon Farm. Submitted by B.R.Koski - Jan. 1965 Storage Location in the archive SU9-4 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Centennial Monograph: Husking Bees Description An account of the resource A summary of a farm harvest tradition. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Birger Koski Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1965-01 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2019.240 corn farm grist mill monograph https://collection.maynardhistory.org/files/original/8699f27cf1fcc8b5b17d120c6666287f.pdf c11c182c1e87123cb4d981d1aa11dedf Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Monographs Description An account of the resource The Maynard Historical Society has a growing collection of monographs. Monographs, by nature, are focused and detailed research on a single topic (places, people, events, etc.) Many of these monographs, especially by guest authors outside of the Society's research team, contain personal anecdotes and details of life in town during their lifetime. In the years preceding the 1971 Centennial of Maynard the rather new Maynard Historical Society gathered a series of monographs on a wide variety of topics. 96 papers, written by primarily by Birger Koski and Ralph Sheridan, plus a number of "guest" authors, many of these were read at Historical Society meetings in the late 1960's and then became source material for the 1871-1971 History of Maynard book written for the Centennial of the Town. Monographs from that project are titled as a "Centennial Monograph", Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Various Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Maynard Historical Society, et. al. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Various Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1800-current Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Text Any textual data included in the document. The original and only form of locomotion for man from one place to another on this globe of ours was by moving one leg after the other forward. Only in recent times - millennia wise -did he learn other ways. We wish to speak in this paper on those less fortunate brethren of ours of by-gone years who tramped or rode the rails into and possibly out of Maynard. Webster defines a tramp as one who travels about on foot. Further, he defines a hobo (this is Americanese by the way) as a professional tramp, We are sure that Maynard was graced by both genre. We must also confess to a certain softness of the heart towards these tramps as differentiated from hobos of the first forty years of the existence of Maynard, for we have dear friends that did exactly this looking for work during the Great Depression of the early 30's. Carl Sandburg in 1927 published his famous "American Song Bag" from which we have taken these following excerpts of hobo songs to illustrate Nineteenth Century America from their viewpoint. In many ways these are similar to the folk songs that came out of the 30's and the protest songs of today's youth against the crass materialism of present-day Society. "Hallelujah, I'm a Bum" goes back to the 1890's, heard at the water tanks of railroads: Oh, why don't you work like other men do? How the hell can I work when there's no work to do? Hallelujah, I'm a bum Hallelujah, bum again Hallelujah, give us a handout To revive us again. I went to a house and asked for some bread. A Lady came out, says, the baker is dead. Halleluja (repeat) And so on for many verses. Another song is entitled "Shovellin' Iron Ore" and this is usually sung by quartets in conjunction with "We are Four Bums"" Something happened the other day That never happened before A man tried to got me to shovel iron ore. Says I, Old man now what will you pay? Says he, Two bits a ton! Says I, Old man, go diddle yourself. I'd rather be on the bum' We are four gums, four jolly good chums. We live like royal Turks, We're having good luck, in bumming about. God bless the man that works. The fourth and last one is entitled "Wanderin". We still hear this song today. it has a tremendously haunting quality to the melody: My daddy is an engineer My brother drives a hack My sister takes in washin' An' the baby balls the jack An' it looks like I'm never gonna cease my wanderin' I been wanderin' early and late. New York City to the Golden Gate And it looks like I'm never gonna cease my wanderin'. Been a-workin' in the army, Working on a farm All I got to show for it Is the muscle in my arm And it looks like I'm never gonna cease my wanderin'. So now that we are in the proper frame of mind let us read some excerpts from the Maynard Town Reports starting in 1871 - our first year as a corporation: (READ EXCERPTS -SEE ATTACHED) A January 8, 1904 news item in the paper tells us of a large number of complaints about hobos begging for food and scaring women. January 22, 1904 - Officer Connors hurrying hobos out of town. They have to have permit now to stay at poor farm for night. February 5, 1904 - Plan of overseers of the poor forcing hobos to get a permit is working -only twelve last week - up to that time 18 to 25 nightly. William Lord of Stow says they are coming there and Stow may follow Maynard's plan. The January and February dates on these news would indicate that these men were out of work and out of money and searching both. That they were tramps and not hobos. Most of them no doubt traveled on - some no doubt stayed on and became solid citizens of our community. Lest we judge too harshly these wayfaring strangers -remember - they might be our fathers or grandfathers! Most of the dates are from Maynard News and the information prior to the turn of the Century was compiled from Town Reports by a jail-bird of 35 years and tramp who traveled to Concord from Maynard daily to jail - we mean Ralph Sheridan our President! Read at the March, 1968 Meeting of the Maynard Historical Society B. R. KOSKI Storage Location in the archive SU9-4 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Centennial Monograph: Hobos and Tramps Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Birger Koski Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1968-03 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2019.239 Description An account of the resource A bit of cultural background of tramps and hobos and then an account of how tramps and hobos were cared for from 1871 through 1905. Tramps, generally speaking, "rode the rails" on the trains that passed through town (apparently Massachusetts was a magnet for tramps because such ad hoc care was available). Supported by Town Report excerpt (see related resource) Relation A related resource <a href="/items/show/7625">2019.232 - Hobos and Tramps Town Report Excerpts</a> hobos monograph tramps https://collection.maynardhistory.org/files/original/d68254d012ae24ceae5fa641e3b2ba8d.pdf d59b6a393e83c934c911287086f0c1a1 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Monographs Description An account of the resource The Maynard Historical Society has a growing collection of monographs. Monographs, by nature, are focused and detailed research on a single topic (places, people, events, etc.) Many of these monographs, especially by guest authors outside of the Society's research team, contain personal anecdotes and details of life in town during their lifetime. In the years preceding the 1971 Centennial of Maynard the rather new Maynard Historical Society gathered a series of monographs on a wide variety of topics. 96 papers, written by primarily by Birger Koski and Ralph Sheridan, plus a number of "guest" authors, many of these were read at Historical Society meetings in the late 1960's and then became source material for the 1871-1971 History of Maynard book written for the Centennial of the Town. Monographs from that project are titled as a "Centennial Monograph", Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Various Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Maynard Historical Society, et. al. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Various Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1800-current Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Text Any textual data included in the document. In minuscule the two-party system that has held sway in America has also remained the political reality in Maynard. Threats to its supremacy have been cipher though efforts nationally and locally have risen to attempt changing the status quo. It has consequently created a stability in political affairs that is conservative and unchanging - a prudence that is commendable to most people. In the quadrennial elections for National office, our town remained firmly Republican until 1928. Slowly through the decades the Democratic Party forces gained strength - possibly for two reasons: (1) the emergence of the foreign born and their off-spring into the political life of the community and (2) the growing Catholic element (particularly the Irish) set against the Yankee Protestant founders of Maynard. The Protestant founders having pre-empted the Republican banner from Civil War days left only the Democratic Party (with some exceptions, of course) to the late-comers. A deeper study of the situation in Maynard we think might illuminate what has happened in Massachusetts as a whole. In 1920: Republican Harding & Coolidge: 1O13 votes Democrat Cox & Roosevelt: 423 votes Social Labor: 2 votes Socialist: 120 votes Close to 2-1/2 to 1 Republican. In 1924: Republican Coolidge-Dawes: 1083 votes Democrat Davis-Bryan: 462 votes Independent Progressive LaFolette-Wheeler: 283 votes Communist: 20 votes Social Labor: 0 votes Close to 2-1/2 to 1 Republican. In 1928 Republican Hoover-Curtis: 1115 votes Democrat Smith-Robinson: 1022 votes Prohibition: 6 votes Socialist: 82 votes Communist: 20 votes Just about even. Remember Al Smith was a Catholic. Remember also it took thirty-two years (1960) for a Catholic to enter the White House - a tribute to both sides for a live and let live atmosphere finally. In 1932: Democrat Roosevelt-Canier: 1237 Republican Hoover-Curtis: 1022 Prohibition: 6 Socialist: 160 Communist: 31 Social Labor: 3 A majority for the Democrats. In 1936: Democrat Roosevelt-Garner: 1712 Rep. Landon-Knox: 1010 Social Labor: 5 Socialist: 19 Communist: 24 Prohibition: 3 Union Party Lemke-O'Brien: 130 This was clearly a Democratic town by then. Notice the supply of small minority parties - five of them - a sign of frustration on the political spectrum from right to left during the Great Depression. In 1940: Democrat Roosevelt-Wallace: 2139 Republican Wilke-McNary: 1131 Prohibition: 1 Social Labor: 1 Socialist: 8 Communist: 13 Nearly two to one Democratic by now. In 1944: Democrat Roosevelt-Truman: 2033 Republican Dewey-Bricker: 1131 Social Labor: 4 Nearly two to one Democratic. The dominance of the local Democratic Party has remained to the present (1968) - though a phenomenon has grown -- the emergence of an Independent vote tied to neither party - voting for individuals only. Apparently neither party has what it needs to attract this large unorganized bloc of voters to its standard. The two parties function through town committees elected by the registered voters of both parties. Party caucuses nominate candidates for the general election - with Independents being able to get on the ballot through nomination papers with a certain minimum amount of signatures. In 1941 the Republican Town Committee requested of its Democratic counter-part that a Citizens Caucus be instituted in place of the two-party caucuses for local elections. This meant one caucus to which all voters could go to vote. This lasted through 1943 but was discontinued as so many of the defeated candidates got on the ballot by securing signatures. [Maynard News - 1941: Jan. 31, Feb. 8, Feb. 14; 1942: Feb. 19; 1943: Feb. 11] This Citizens Caucus, to this writer, seems a ploy by the minority party to get more Republicans voted into town office. Minority parties have never played any role in town government. However, with the increase of the Finnish population in town, a sizable Socialist group emerged concerned with National and International questions and living and working conditions. A Socialist Hall was erected on Parker Street (Parker Street Hall) - plays, athletics, dances were held. Voses Pond was purchased by them for summer use. The Imatra Band had its home at the hall. A Finnish speaking Socialist Party was organized within this grouping and English-speaking locals came and went with regularity organized through the efforts of the Finns. Socialist speakers came regularly to Post Office Square (corner of Main and Walnut Streets). Up to the advent of the second World War - a span of forty years - the Socialist image was vigorously projected in town but passed on with the aging of the foreign-born Finns. A split-off group from these Socialists organized themselves in 1922 as the Workers Party (Communist) as a result of the Russian Revolution. They met in Eagles Hall, purchased the site of the burned-out Maynard House to build a hall, but later built the Waltham Street Hall instead. This hall burned down on May 6, 1932 and they rented the Powder Mill Road Hall (present home of the Elks) for some years. This group nurtured an English-speaking Communist Party in town and during the depression year of 1933 four candidates for local office. The Town Clerk refused to allow them to run as Communists so they ran as Independents. This was the first and last time that a local minority party ran candidates. The vote was not spectacular but indicated frustration during the Great Depression. Selectman: 254 votes Board of Public Welfare: 197 votes Board of Health: 122 votes Tree Warden: 431 votes [Maynard News: Feb. 2, 1933; Feb. 16, 1933] I am indebted to Raymond Sheridan and Ralph Sheridan for Information plus the Maynard News of the following dates: Aug. 26, 1904 - Oct. 29, 19O9 - Oct. 14, 191O - Feb. 21, 1913 - April 11, I913 -Aug. 21, 1914 - April 9, I92O -A pril 30, 1920 - Feb. 18, 1921 - Feb. 25, 1921 -Feb. 3, 1922 -March 24, 1922 - March 31, 1922 - Oct. 5, 1928 - May 6, 1932 - Feb. 2, 1933 - Feb. 16, 1933 - May 18, 1933 -March 24, 1939 - Jan. 31, 1941 - Feb. 7, 1941 - Feb. l4, 1941 - Feb, 19, 1942 - Feb. 11, 1943. Also town reports of the Quadrennial Elections. Read at the October, I968 meeting of the Maynard Historical Society B. R. KOSKI Storage Location in the archive SU9-4 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Centennial Monograph: Local Political Parties Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2019.238 Description An account of the resource This paper covers the ebb and flows of various political parties from the Town's incorporation through the mid 20th century. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Birger Koski Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1968-10 Communist Party Democratic Party election monograph political parties Republican Party socialist Socialist Party vote voters https://collection.maynardhistory.org/files/original/38f3ec6e0caff5e080b658d5415b2e38.pdf 1aacf6fb02ca0c0ee1443a19e3492c9a Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Monographs Description An account of the resource The Maynard Historical Society has a growing collection of monographs. Monographs, by nature, are focused and detailed research on a single topic (places, people, events, etc.) Many of these monographs, especially by guest authors outside of the Society's research team, contain personal anecdotes and details of life in town during their lifetime. In the years preceding the 1971 Centennial of Maynard the rather new Maynard Historical Society gathered a series of monographs on a wide variety of topics. 96 papers, written by primarily by Birger Koski and Ralph Sheridan, plus a number of "guest" authors, many of these were read at Historical Society meetings in the late 1960's and then became source material for the 1871-1971 History of Maynard book written for the Centennial of the Town. Monographs from that project are titled as a "Centennial Monograph", Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Various Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Maynard Historical Society, et. al. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Various Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1800-current Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Text Any textual data included in the document. The purpose of this paper is not to reveal startling trends in our population growth but simply to have on record in our files this aspect of Maynard history. What is revealing is that we have had no growth comparable to our two immediate neighbors - Acton and Sudbury - where there has been phenomena! growth since the Second World War. Possibly our small size and loss of land to the government during the Second World War accounts for this. From a very small population base in 1847, the coming of Assabet Manufacturing Company in that year to the shores of the Assabet contributed to a growth to 1820 people (895 males and 925 females) by 1871 the year of our incorporation. We do not have any other figures prior to 1830 so, let us start there. 1880 - 2291 1895 - 3100 1901 - 3142: Native Born Male: 949; Native Born Female: 1OOO; Foreign Male: 590; Foreign Female: 603 1905 - 5700: A Newsnote of Feb. 5, 1904 tells us that the Foreign Population is about half of the total. 1910 - 6339 1915 - 6774 1920 - 7086 1925 - 7857: Male: 4090; Female 3767 1930 - 7156 1940 - 6812: 20 or over: 5153; The larger figure must include children 1945 - 7017: 20 or over: 5290 1949 - 7017: over 20: 5272 (Town Report, 1949) 1950 - 6978: over 20: 5239) (in 1950 General Laws, Chapter 51, Sect. 4, it was passed that all persons in the Commonwealth 20 or over would be listed every January.) 1955 - 7253 I960 - 7695 1965 - 9070 1970 - 9590 We have not been successful in acquiring any figures for 1971-72-73 from those in charge of the yearly census they are not available. However, it is understood that we are over the 10,000 mark. From 1895 to 191O we more than doubled our growth from 3100 to 6390, caused by the American Woolen Co. expansion starting in 1899. From 1910 to 1925 the growth was about 1400, more than the half of that between 1920 and 1925, caused by the boom after the First World War. From 1925 to 30 we lost about 700, no doubt caused by the Great Depression starting in 1929 and the boom and bust cycles of the Textile Industry. From 1930 to '55 we remained remarkably stable: 7156 in '30, 7253 in '55. If our population is over 10,000 as of now, since 1955 we have grown about a third larger. This doubtlessly has been created by people moving into Suburbia. As a neighbor of ours from Concord said in the middle I840's about his farming friends and others throughout America "People live lives of quiet desperation" - so we in a one-industry town. His name was Henry Thoreau. Read at the Sept. 1973 Meeting Maynard Historical Society B.R.Koski Storage Location in the archive SU9-4 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Centennial Monograph: Population Trends in Maynard Description An account of the resource A review of the population of Maynard from 1871 through 1973. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Birger Koski Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1973-09 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2019.237 monograph population https://collection.maynardhistory.org/files/original/bd944c4e7eceb37db438872cabdbb05a.pdf b8bdd2aa015ce8d83e645a823cb67227 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Monographs Description An account of the resource The Maynard Historical Society has a growing collection of monographs. Monographs, by nature, are focused and detailed research on a single topic (places, people, events, etc.) Many of these monographs, especially by guest authors outside of the Society's research team, contain personal anecdotes and details of life in town during their lifetime. In the years preceding the 1971 Centennial of Maynard the rather new Maynard Historical Society gathered a series of monographs on a wide variety of topics. 96 papers, written by primarily by Birger Koski and Ralph Sheridan, plus a number of "guest" authors, many of these were read at Historical Society meetings in the late 1960's and then became source material for the 1871-1971 History of Maynard book written for the Centennial of the Town. Monographs from that project are titled as a "Centennial Monograph", Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Various Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Maynard Historical Society, et. al. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Various Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1800-current Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Text Any textual data included in the document. By 1894, the number of Finnish-speaking people In town had increased so that a Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church was organized and in 1907-08 a church building was erected on Glendale Street at a cost of $8,000 and dedicated in June 1908. A parsonage was built in 1928 at a cost of $6,225. It had no synodical connection until November 10, 19O8 when it affiliated with the Suomi Synod. Rev. John Vartianen was the pastor at the time. A Sunday School was organized In 1906, Ladies' Aid Society In 1906. They had fourteen pastors up to 1934. There were one hundred seventy-flve members in 1934 at the 40th anniversary celebration at which Jacob Laurila, chairman of the celebration committee, recited a history of the church. In 1967 the church moved to a new building ever the town line In Sudbury, at the junction of Great Road and Waltham Street. Rev. Larry K. Wolff is Pastor at present. Storage Location in the archive SU9-4 Monograph Collection Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource St. John's Evangelical Church - Historical Summary Description An account of the resource A short historical summary of the church. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource ca 1968 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2019.236 church Saint John Evangelical Lutheran Church Saint John Finnish Lutheran Church https://collection.maynardhistory.org/files/original/acc03c8c9b2d669864f9653b9d1552e4.pdf 0528671519a6806d90545fc2efe27161 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Monographs Description An account of the resource The Maynard Historical Society has a growing collection of monographs. Monographs, by nature, are focused and detailed research on a single topic (places, people, events, etc.) Many of these monographs, especially by guest authors outside of the Society's research team, contain personal anecdotes and details of life in town during their lifetime. In the years preceding the 1971 Centennial of Maynard the rather new Maynard Historical Society gathered a series of monographs on a wide variety of topics. 96 papers, written by primarily by Birger Koski and Ralph Sheridan, plus a number of "guest" authors, many of these were read at Historical Society meetings in the late 1960's and then became source material for the 1871-1971 History of Maynard book written for the Centennial of the Town. Monographs from that project are titled as a "Centennial Monograph", Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Various Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Maynard Historical Society, et. al. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Various Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1800-current Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Text Any textual data included in the document. Finnish immigrants began to settle in Maynard in 1885, which was a prosperous mill town on the Assabet River about 22 miles west by north of Boston. It was here that the early settlers earned their livelihood and established their Lutheran Church. It is known that some Finnish immigrants lived in Maynard prior to this date, but they only stayed for a short time and then moved on. In August 1894, a Bible salesman by the name of John Laitinen arrived in their midst. He inspired them with his talks and suggested having an outdoor worship service for all the Finnish people in Maynard. The people were enthused and began making preparations for a great festival. This was held the following week by the shore of Mill Pond in the pine grove. This grove used to be across from St. Bridget's Church. It is believed the speaker of the day was Mr. John Laitinen. At this festival a meeting was held and the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church of Maynard was organized. The women had made beautiful baskets which were sold and the proceeds were turned over to the newly organized church and were the first monies deposited in its treasury. The minutes of this first meeting have been lost so important facts, such as the exact date of this meeting, how many joined the new church, or who were elected as its officers are not known. For their first pastor a call was sent out to Rev. John Nissila of the Fitchburg congregation to hold amid-week worship service in Maynard once a month. If there were five Sundays in the month he held services also on the fifth Sunday. These services were held in the chapel of the congregational church. Rev. John Nissila served the congregation until 1895. Pastor Viljo Heiman of Worcester served the congregation temporarily in 1933, assisted at other times of congregational need, and conducted Finnish Worship Services twice a month, dropping to once a month until the move to the new church building, when the use of the Finnish language was completely discontinued, and his services no longer needed. The congregation was incorporated as the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church of Maynard, Mass., according to the laws of Massachusetts, in 1902. The names on the Charter were: William Luomala, Peter Pekkala, Matti Koski, Erick Johnson, Hugo Kajander, Heikki Aakko, Josef Kajander, Victor Anderson, Heikki Huikari, Heikki Paakki, and Antti Seppala. The lots which the church and parsonage were built on were purchased in February 1902 for $750.00. The building of the church was begun in April 1907. Jacob Oberg and Matti Jokinen made a contract with Mr. Whitney, a contractor, to dig a cellar and lay the foundation for the sum of $250.00. The plans for the church were drawn by Mr. Johan Peltokorpi of Lanesville. After a few minor changes, they were accepted and he was selected as the construction foreman. congregation gave the entire construction project into the hands of the Trustees. Victor Luosalo was selected to act as an overseer in behalf of the congregation. Pastor Antti Kononen who was the pastor at the time did the bookkeeping. The work on the church began in June 1907 and was completed in November of the same year. All the work was done by Finnish day laborers. The total cost of building was $8,000.00. The dedication of the church took place June 6, 1908. The congregation joined the Suomi Synod in April 1909. Pastor M. I. Kuusi of the Worcester congregation was then serving the congregation temporarily. The congregation joined the Eastern Conference of the Suomi Synod in 1910. The Maynard, Allston, Brighton and Quincy congregations joined together to form a pastorate in 1913. Their first pastor was Alpo Setala. The Sunday School was first organized in January 1906. The first teachers were William Luomala, Elias Worlin, Marla Harjula, Liisa Tikka, and Mrs. Wuorenmaa. The Christian Young Peoples Society was first organized in 1913 and now functions as the Luther League. The Ladies Aid functioned for 60 years. In 1945 the younger women of the church organized the Bethany Sisters Guild. Following the merger of the Lutheran Church of America the women organized to form the Lutheran Church Women. The Mens Handicraft Society was active for twenty years from 1913 -1933. The men then banded together under the banner of the Lutheran Brotherhood of Maynard, Mass. Then they were known as the Lutheran Church Men. The choir was organized in 1913, and has been active ever since. A parsonage was built in 1929 at a total cost of $6,225.00, while Dr. Taito A. Kantonen was serving as pastor. However, the first pastor to occupy the parsonage was Pastor and Mrs. Arvo Niskanen, who arrived in 1943. The congregation held Open House at the parsonage on November 7, 1943. On the same day the first ministerial act was performed in the house. Charles Williams Jr. son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Williams of South Chelmsford was baptized. The parsonage was furnished by the congregation and individual members. The congregation has always taken an active part and supported all church-wide campaigns and endeavors. St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church is now 77 years old and has passed through her share of the typical experiences of growth, from an immigrant church to a community church. During this growth she has made the transition in service from the Finnish to the English language. The church has also progressed from being served by an itinerant ministry, to the calling of her own pastor. In 1962, in the same spirit of progress, St. John eagerly waited for the consummation of the merger of the Lutheran Church in America in order that she might be more fully united with her sister churches in New England and in the work of ministering to the American community. St. John is happy to have been selected as one of the churches involved in the pilot project for leadership training in the Long Range Program for Parish Education in the new church. St. John organized a self study committee which initiated action toward the relocation of the church to better serve the growing community constituting her parish. The congregation is also proud of the fact that several of her pastors have gone on to distinguish themselves in the work of the church. Dr. Taito A. Kantonen now serves as Processor of Systematic Theology at Hanna Divinity School in Springfield, Ohio, Dr. Bernard Hillila recently served as the dean of the Hanna Divinity School, and now serves as dean of the Pacific Lutheran College in Thousand Oaks. California. Pastor Eino Vehanen has served as a guest professor Pastor at the school of Missions at Maywood Theological Seminary, Maywood, Illinois, and has now returned to serve a parish in the foreign field. St. John has two sons serving in the ministry. They are William Sarvela, son of Mr. and Mrs. Evert Sarvela, and Walter Aalto, son of Mr. and Mrs. Eino Aalto. In 1967 St. John relocated in a new building in North Sudbury at the juncture of Route 117 and Waltham Street. She continues to hold membership in the Maynard-Stow Council of Churches, and is an associate member of Sudbury Council of Churches. St. John is exceedingly grateful to God for blessing us so richly in the past and our prayer is for His continued nearness and blessing in years ahead. The old church building is continuing to serve as a house of worship as the Church of the Nazarene purchased the building, and currently has an active congregation working for the glory of God. Storage Location in the archive SU9-4 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Centennial Monograph: Saint John Evangelical Lutheran Church Description An account of the resource Originally serving the Finnish immigrant population in Maynard, this church started in 1894 and prospered through the years. In 1967 the church building moved to North Sudbury, but it is still considered to be a Maynard church. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Ingrid Martin Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource ca 1968 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2019.235 church Lutheran monograph Saint John Church Saint John Evangelical Lutheran Church Saint John Finnish Lutheran Church https://collection.maynardhistory.org/files/original/97f1e59583056348e216273dde3d96fe.pdf 02b33d722bc16d8b75b15ea054891c92 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Monographs Description An account of the resource The Maynard Historical Society has a growing collection of monographs. Monographs, by nature, are focused and detailed research on a single topic (places, people, events, etc.) Many of these monographs, especially by guest authors outside of the Society's research team, contain personal anecdotes and details of life in town during their lifetime. In the years preceding the 1971 Centennial of Maynard the rather new Maynard Historical Society gathered a series of monographs on a wide variety of topics. 96 papers, written by primarily by Birger Koski and Ralph Sheridan, plus a number of "guest" authors, many of these were read at Historical Society meetings in the late 1960's and then became source material for the 1871-1971 History of Maynard book written for the Centennial of the Town. Monographs from that project are titled as a "Centennial Monograph", Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Various Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Maynard Historical Society, et. al. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Various Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1800-current Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Text Any textual data included in the document. Birger has asked me to delete or make any additions to this essay entitled "Pool Rooms". He has written this paper so well and has put so many hours of research into it, that I do not plan to make any changes and will read it verbatim. However, at Its conclusion, I will make a few additions and I must also come to the defense of some of my friends who were pool room proprietors. The word pool room has had a certain unsavory connotation even to the present time in the minds of the homebody, because of the picture it conjures up. An old picture of unkept males, spittoons, sawdust on the floor for the spittoon missers, leering faces watching the passers-by, especially the woman folk, a hang-out for criminals, the whole gamut of an unhealthy world, springs into mind at the mention of the word. It seems however, that there are unnecessary evils in all aspects of life, in the same way as there are necessary good in order for a society to exist and persevere; it just depends on whose eyes are looking at what. Consider the little cosmopolitan town of Maynard after the turn of the century. From a comparatively sleepy little village of 3100 souls in 1895 it became a town of 5700 ten years later. The American Woolen Company, taking over the management of the defunct Assabet Manufacturing Company in 1899 created a tremendous need for labor. The Woolen Company had its agents in various European countries during this period, it also had large posters distributed thru out the mill urging the present work force to write to their old country friends extolling the virtues of coming to America and a New World. Up to this time the population consisted mostly of English, Irish, and Scotch persuasion. And they came -- mostly single men and women. They came from Finland, Poland, Russia, Italy, Lithuania, and a scattering from other countries. Twenty one different nationalities were listed by the town clerk. They set up their lodges, clubs, bands, etc., got married, did the things that people have done from time immemorial. Some also became habituees of pool rooms that some enterprising countrymen opened. This was their home until some wily wench of their own nationality wrenched them away to the domestic tranquility of marital bliss from which they occasionally escaped momentarily -- back home to the pool rooms. Pool, of course, was indulged in by nearly all the male populace, not only in Maynard but elsewhere. All societies had their pool tables when room allowed and when they became affluent enough. Pool matches were played by the better players and friendly games were played by others. It was indeed, an indoor sport whereby many happy hours were wiled away. Thru the years, pool rooms were located in various parts of the town. According to the Gutteridge History, the first pool table was located in the basement of Union Hall, built in 1857. Later came the combination barber shop and pool room. William Casey was the proprietor of such a place in the old Riverside Co-op building, also Michael Crowley who owned a similar establishment in the upstairs of Darlings block (present site of Eagles Building). Years later, George 0'Brien had a pool room at the Paper Mill Corner, later taken over by Joseph Allen; opposite Main Street on Elver was another; on the site of Music Hall was still another; on River Street a Polish manager held forth, while at the comer of river and Walnut, a Finnish manager was in charge. The Lynch pool and bowling alley catered to the pool sharks. Crossing the Assabet River on Main Street was a combination barber shop and pool room. It is claimed on good authority that during the years of no license the pool rooms were veritable oases to the thirsty ones and also, after Prohibition came, it was common knowledge that a thirst could be quenched with no particular difficulty. Jakey was a common drink peddled at these places. This was a Jamaica Ginger root concoction mixed with some soft drink. Old timers who had their thirst appeased claim even now this mixture made an excellent drink. Sometimes unscrupulous owners used clear shellac causing paralysis of the legs, known as Jakey Legs. Police cracked down every so often but the history of Prohibition would indicate that the situation could not be controlled. This could be considered a civil disobedience movement that finally swept Prohibition into the dust bin of history. The Civil Rights movement of today's is a parallel situation. PooI rooms news was sparse, but we have few dates to mention: June 11, 1909: Mike Tamloff, Proprietor of the Walnut Street Pool Room is sick. May 8, 1914: A pool strike is on in Maynard. About 100 pool players have gone on strike on account of the raise in the price of pool. The price is now five cents per cue. It was formerly two cues for five cents, Owners will be requested to revert to old prices. May 15, (1914): the pool strikers have won out, three owners have conceded to the strikers. Nov. 3, (1914?): Hanks Killenen has been appointed manager of the Riverside pool room on Main Street which opened for the Winter season on Monday. All items from the Maynard News. Conclusion. ----------- Now at the start I told you I would have a few remarks and additions to make relative to Birger's excellent effort. First, I want to make an apology to Birger. He arrived at my house Tuesday afternoon at almost the exact moment that the Gemini heroes were scheduled to splash in the Atlantic. I tried to give him my undivided attention, but It was just impossible with such an historical event taking place. In re-reading Birger's description of the pool rooms, the details seemed rather sordid. It is true that there were two places, run by foreigners that answered that description, however, there were other pool rooms, managed by the Sheridan Brothers, the Duggan Brothers, George Lynch, Edward MaManus, John Connors and others. They were all reputable citizens and they would not tolerate one drop of liquor on their premises and please be charitable to those that played the game. There was not much choice of entertainment In those days, and most of the young men preferred pool to the bar room. Naturally some very good players developed in those days, among some of the better players were my dear friend Spec White, Jimmie Claflin, deputy police chief of Boston, Tony Hilferty, Curly Downey, Phil Bowers, Kid Whalen, Doc Currier, and others. The history of pool is strange and remarkable. The game originated in Egypt, thence it traveled to China, and finally landed on the continent, and became very popular with royalty. The game is centuries old, probably the oldest. After a rather shady period yes, we must admit that pool rooms in the larger cities did house many criminals and riff-raff. Today it's not bowling alleys, instead bowling lanes. Pool rooms are now Emporiums. In the not too distant past, boys under eighteen years of age were not permitted to enter a pool room or bowling ally. Today children of all ages from nine to eighteen have their own leagues and contests. Pool emporiums are springing up thru-out the country and children are taught by experts how to play these two most scientific games. Billiards and pool have at long last come into their own. Je suid finis, which means "I have finished". By Birger Koski and Jim Farrell March 1965 Storage Location in the archive SU9-4 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Centennial Monograph: Pool Rooms Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Birger Koski and James Farrell Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1965-03 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2019.234 Description An account of the resource A place for unsavory characters or a home for skilled players? The pool (billiards) rooms have a an interesting history that intersects with the multi-national growth of the town at the turn of the 20th century. billiards monograph pool https://collection.maynardhistory.org/files/original/e96b004911034aced1b4e8103cfc1628.jpg bf96ab67ca2ee4a937648a614405ee65 Artifact A physical object that is not a document, photograph, or other media. Materials Iron, 6 ins. Condition An assessment of the condition of the artifact. Fair Storage Location in the archive AB15 SU1-2 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Railroad Track Spike Description An account of the resource This spike was found at the former carbarn of the Concord, Maynard and Hudson Street Railroad. It was likely used for the trolley tracks. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Ralph L. Sheridan Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 1999.975 car barn railroad spike trolley https://collection.maynardhistory.org/files/original/6809d227776e5bc166c4c9811969d9cf.pdf 881006947a7150dc21afd628bc16ccbe Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Monographs Description An account of the resource The Maynard Historical Society has a growing collection of monographs. Monographs, by nature, are focused and detailed research on a single topic (places, people, events, etc.) Many of these monographs, especially by guest authors outside of the Society's research team, contain personal anecdotes and details of life in town during their lifetime. In the years preceding the 1971 Centennial of Maynard the rather new Maynard Historical Society gathered a series of monographs on a wide variety of topics. 96 papers, written by primarily by Birger Koski and Ralph Sheridan, plus a number of "guest" authors, many of these were read at Historical Society meetings in the late 1960's and then became source material for the 1871-1971 History of Maynard book written for the Centennial of the Town. Monographs from that project are titled as a "Centennial Monograph", Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Various Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Maynard Historical Society, et. al. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Various Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1800-current Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Text Any textual data included in the document. A secret beneficiary, fraternal society founded in 1888 at Louisville, Kentucky by Dr, J. H. Wilson. The society aims to furnish the advantages of fraternal membership without the necessity of accepting life insurance or of pledging to any particular cause. The society maintains a home and vocational school for needy members and their orphans at Mooseheart, near Aurora, Illinois. The Loyal Order of Moose, Maynard Lodge 1023 was instituted May 17, 1915 at Masonic Hall with dignitaries from the Grand Lodge and surrounding communities. John Richard, Deputy National Director, was the organizer. News items of February 19, April 2 and 15, 1915 from the Maynard News indicated that entrance fees were $5.00 but after the charter closed they would be $25.00, Also that about 50 candidates were already secured. No names of the first officers were in the paper. An earlier attempt to organize a Lodge reported in the News of March 17, 1911 did not materialize. Meetings were held at first at Odd Fellows Hall, followed by (the) Hall over T. F. Parker's store on Main Street and rooms over the store on Main Street occupied by our Publicity Director, Elizabeth Schnair and the K of C Hall. A June 1915 news in the Maynard News shows the Lodge to have 100 members. A four night fair in Cooperative Hall was reported on December 22, I916. Dancing to the Colonial Orchestra was enjoyed by all. Booths were in charge of Misses Lottie Ryan, Edward Ryan, Henry Weir, William Hayward, Frank Prue, William Tobin, Percy Grady, Cornelius Murphy, Richard Kelsey, Frank Brayden, Fred King, Dennis White, Leonard Smith, Miles Tierney, and Miss Elizabeth Olson. Walter White was Treasurer at this time. April 6, 1917 news item reports the headquarters as being over T. F. Parker's Store. William Connly and P. J. Schnair were listed as in charge. Former members that were contacted for this paper include Alexander Bourque, Secretary for many years, Frank Brayden and Elmer Mattson. Mr. Mattson remembered that the benefits of this Fraternal Society were $7 weekly for sickness, $100 for death, the doctor was Dr. Flaherty, the membership at its highest was between 200 and 300 members. The organization flourished until about 1931 when it was dissolved. A surprising side-light on this organization was the lack of news publicity. We have only a half dozen dates up to 1917 in the Maynard News and after that for thirteen or fourteen years nothing. I am indebted to Frank Sheridan for aiding in my research. Read at the February, I966 Meeting of The Maynard Historical Society B.R.KOSKI Storage Location in the archive SU9-4 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Centennial Monograph: Loyal Order of Moose Description An account of the resource Despite having over 200 members at its peak, there was surprisingly little information on this fraternal society that operated from 16 years in the early 20th century. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Birger Koski Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1966-02 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2019.233 fraternal organization monograph Moose https://collection.maynardhistory.org/files/original/7eab67a989964cb45d6baa9e67ac1c93.pdf 9c28d271083c0af646cd18b9041d0574 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Monographs Description An account of the resource The Maynard Historical Society has a growing collection of monographs. Monographs, by nature, are focused and detailed research on a single topic (places, people, events, etc.) Many of these monographs, especially by guest authors outside of the Society's research team, contain personal anecdotes and details of life in town during their lifetime. In the years preceding the 1971 Centennial of Maynard the rather new Maynard Historical Society gathered a series of monographs on a wide variety of topics. 96 papers, written by primarily by Birger Koski and Ralph Sheridan, plus a number of "guest" authors, many of these were read at Historical Society meetings in the late 1960's and then became source material for the 1871-1971 History of Maynard book written for the Centennial of the Town. Monographs from that project are titled as a "Centennial Monograph", Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Various Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Maynard Historical Society, et. al. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Various Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1800-current Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Text Any textual data included in the document. Excerpts from Maynard Town Reports: 1871 - Travellers, $21.44 1872 - none recorded 1873 - Isaac Stott, board(ing) of tramps, $1950 1874 - Board for 102 tramps, $68 paid to K. R. Hall 1875 - Board for tramps, $119.33 (Tramps have credit of $7 for sawing wood for schools) 1876 - Care of tramps, $252.50 1877 - Care of 859 tramps, $111.71 -- Herring and crackers, $20.51 1878 - Care of 725 tramps, $71.05 1879 - Care of 837 tramps, $75.83 -- Herring $11.92, Crackers $18.63 1880 - Care of 184 tramps, $23.87 -- 1881 - Care of 116 tramps, $14.29 1882 - Care of 120 tramps, $19.34 1883 - Care of tramps, $23.58 1884 - Care of tramps, $135.00 1885 - Care of tramps, $132.00 1886 - Care of 697 tramps, $97.00 (12½ ¢ per tramp) 1887 - Care of 424 tramps, $53.00 1888 - Care of 561 tramps 1889 - Care of tramps, $95.13 1890 - Care of 744 tramps 1891 - A building owned by Lorenzo Maynard and rented by Alonzo Knapp for a boarding house was selected as a poorhouse. Mr. Knapp and wife take charge of house, cultivate a portion of the land, harvest the hay crop, put up tramps, etc, for one year for the sum of $325. Cared for 184 tramps. Paid Assabet Mfg. Co. rent of poorhouse, including lockup, May 1, 1891 to March 1, 1892: $166.63. 1892 - The Abel G. Haynes farm on Great Hoad was selected and purchased as a poor farm on the poor removed to the same on May 1. $4800.00 was appropriated for the purchase. The small barn has been converted into a "tramp house". 1893 - "1306 tramps lodged for the year" is an item that merits careful consideration. 1894 - 1775 tramps lodged - we supply wood to the school which is cut 1895 - 1375 tramps lodged - believe they should be ?? by the tramps. 1896 - 1441 tramps lodged - lodged by the police: each traveller is required to saw 20 sticks of 4ft. cord wood into "stove lengths" (unless excused for some good reason by the warden) and in return receives a few crackers and the shelter of our tramp lockup. 1897 - 1449 tramps cared for with as may as 32 in one night. From information received from neighboring towns it was clear that we are being Imposed upon. 1898 - No of tramps lodged and fed: 1662 males and 2 females. The Board feels that tramps should be locked up elsewhere. The old lockup near the depot was fitted up at a small expense, and on December 11 went into use as a tramp house. Applicants for lodging were required to apply between the hours of 6 and 8 P.M. The effect was marvelous; from a formerly crowded house the average for the last month showed a record of about one tramp a day. 1899 - The use of the old lockup near the depot was wise move. Tramps lodged and fed during the the year dropped from a record 1664 to only 836 males and 2 females. Care of the tramp house cost $144.51. 1900 - Number of tramps cared for at tramp lockup: 844 1901 - Number of tramps cared for at tramp lockup: 742 males 1902 - Number of tramps cared for at tramp lockup: 1027 males, 1 female 1903 - Number of tramps lodged: 998 males, 1 female 1904 - Number of tramps lodged: 519 1905 - Number of tramps lodged before the new law was enforced: 90 males. Storage Location in the archive SU9-4 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Town Report References re: Tramps and Hobos Description An account of the resource This is a collection of Town Report excerpts in support of the Hobos and Tramps monograph (see related resource). (If anyone can provide details on what happened in law during 1904-1905 please contact us) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1968-03 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2019.232 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Ralph Sheridan Relation A related resource <a href="/items/show/7633">Tramps and Hobos Monograph</a> hobos monograph Poor Farm tramps https://collection.maynardhistory.org/files/original/451a7722fcaf69b4b6cd14fcb27ebfa9.pdf fa0a1741f6a340d9eeede39520123e19 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Monographs Description An account of the resource The Maynard Historical Society has a growing collection of monographs. Monographs, by nature, are focused and detailed research on a single topic (places, people, events, etc.) Many of these monographs, especially by guest authors outside of the Society's research team, contain personal anecdotes and details of life in town during their lifetime. In the years preceding the 1971 Centennial of Maynard the rather new Maynard Historical Society gathered a series of monographs on a wide variety of topics. 96 papers, written by primarily by Birger Koski and Ralph Sheridan, plus a number of "guest" authors, many of these were read at Historical Society meetings in the late 1960's and then became source material for the 1871-1971 History of Maynard book written for the Centennial of the Town. Monographs from that project are titled as a "Centennial Monograph", Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Various Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Maynard Historical Society, et. al. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Various Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1800-current Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Text Any textual data included in the document. At town meeting, March 14, 1881, it was voted that a committee of two be appointed to consider the matter of public watering troughs. The committee appointed was Joseph Hapgood and George Flood. Since then the town has been the recipient of four. In 1891, Lorenzo Maynard erected one at the comer of Main and Nason Streets, inscribed "GIFT OF L. M. - 1891". In 1915, Nason Street was widened six feet and this watering trough was moved to the foot of Walnut Street, where it remained until parking meters were installed In 1952. It was then removed to the Public Works garage. At the request of' the Maynard Historical Society, end with the whole-hearted co-operation of the Board of Selectmen, Police Department, Fire Department and the Public Works Department this old landmark was restored to a dignified place In front of the Fire and Police Building on June 25, 1969. November 3, 1891, the town voted to accept and maintain a public watering trough presented to the Town of Maynard by Mrs. Asahel Balcom. It was erected in 1892 at the intersection of Great Rond and Parker Street, where It now stands. June 1, 1892, the Selectmen granted Thomas F. Rafferty permission to put a watering trough on Main Street near Sudbury Street railroad crossing. This one Is unique, being first made spherical for one of the battlefields, but before leaving the shop, was damaged and it was secured by Mr, Rafferty. April 2, 1894, the town voted to accept from Thomas F. Rafferty (of Cambridge ????) the gift of a memorial fountain on Main Street, also $200, the interest of said sum to be used as maintenance and care of said memorial. June 27, 1904, town voted to accept a watering trough, the gift of the late Warren A. Haynes, and authorize the Selectmen to use the $20 gift from the Massachusetts Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to aid in establishing the same at the comer of Acton and Concord Streets. It was erected on September 10, 1904. Today, only the base of this one remains at the location. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Centennial Monograph: Watering Troughs Description An account of the resource The origins of the watering troughs (and fountain) that dot the Maynard landscape. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Ralph L. Sheridan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource ca 1969 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2019.231 monograph watering troughs https://collection.maynardhistory.org/files/original/2f0a350bf3b4fcb0f50b319b8b9e9698.pdf 6d0401be20a303aa5fa183f7e4e85a58 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Monographs Description An account of the resource The Maynard Historical Society has a growing collection of monographs. Monographs, by nature, are focused and detailed research on a single topic (places, people, events, etc.) Many of these monographs, especially by guest authors outside of the Society's research team, contain personal anecdotes and details of life in town during their lifetime. In the years preceding the 1971 Centennial of Maynard the rather new Maynard Historical Society gathered a series of monographs on a wide variety of topics. 96 papers, written by primarily by Birger Koski and Ralph Sheridan, plus a number of "guest" authors, many of these were read at Historical Society meetings in the late 1960's and then became source material for the 1871-1971 History of Maynard book written for the Centennial of the Town. Monographs from that project are titled as a "Centennial Monograph", Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Various Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Maynard Historical Society, et. al. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Various Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1800-current Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Text Any textual data included in the document. Possibly the first thirty years of the incorporation of the town of Maynard saw small groups of hunting and fishing enthusiasts get together for that purpose, but we have no record of this until 1902. That year in the June 20th issue of the Maynard News mention is made of the Maynard Gun Club holding a series of pigeon shoots on Wednesday afternoons. Nothing further is noted in the papers until August 27, 1909, that a Gun Club, with 35 members has been organized recently with Allan Howard, John Petersen and Robert Marsden as officers. April 14, 1911 new note publicizes the fact that this club is holding its Annual Sports Meet at Harvey Broadbent's Field on Waltham Street. This club was short-lived for on April 15, 1915 Maynard News reports that the new Maynard Gun Club at Brown's Pond has dug pits for traps and will be ready for a shoot on April 19th. Apparently, this group enlarged its horizon for on July I6, 1915 an article appears in the papers and speaks of a sportsmen's club to be organized - the committee being Charles E. Wheeler, Dr. Clifford L. King and Walter R. Peterson. The purpose of the club was to be the protection of game and fish. At a meeting at Peterson's store (on Nason Street, present location of Boston Edison) on August 20, 1915 the following officers were elected: President, Charles E. Wheeler; Vice-President, Dr. C. L. King; Secretary, William Collier; Treasurer, Walter R, Peterson; Committee on By-Laws was King, Collier and Peterson. Paid-up members were over 50 and weekly meetings were held at Peterson's store. The club received its charter in 1916. A news note of April 9, 1920 tells of Arthur J. Sullivan and and Glenn Swett liberating four pair of Mallard Ducks in the Assabet River for the local club, and meetings are being held in the High School building Wednesday evenings. January 21, 1921 was the date for the first Annual Banquet at Masonic Hall. Committee members for this affair were as follows: P.J. Schnair, William McGarry, Eugene Thompson, William Millington, Henry Ledgard, Joseph Marsden, George Stockwell and Henry Slyvert. Ninety members and friends were present. Mr. Peter Jensen, one of the venerable old timers, wrote reminiscences for me on May 10, 1966 which should prove interesting for us, as he was one of the originals in I915. Peter remembers huntIng fox with all the individuals so far named. In addition, he named the following as members of the club: Alex Marsden, George Stuart, Ed Billett, Jesse Billett, Alfred Annett, Walter Annett, William Annett and Carl Swanson. A news note of June 7, 1929 tells us of the opening of the new clubhouse at White Pond, Hudson, with 122 members listed as subscribers and shareholders. Also mentioned was the field day coming with the following committee:Frank Moran, William Brindley, George Carey, Thomas Smith, Ralph Barnes, John Moynihan, Eugene Thompson. The property on White Fond Road, Hudson, was purchased in 1928 by the club with the help of club member, Oswald C. Dreschler, former American Woolen Company Agent in Maynard, who was the mortgage holder, according to Pete Jensen in his memo. The following information is all gleaned from Pete's memoranda who gathered it from Rod and Gun Club sources and old members. In 1932. after several meetings at the home of O.C. Dreschler on Bent Avenue, a set of By-laws were drawn up and the club was incorporated. Attorney Leslie W. Sims was the club attorney at the time. Up to 1936 the club had a let-down in activity but at a re-organizational Meeting on January 4th Carl Swanson became President; Pete Jensen, Secretary; Vincent Malay, Treasurer. This meeting was held at the Elks Hall on Main Street, The club at that time had 42 members and $12.75 the treasury. The United States Government in 1942 issued orders that there could be no shooting events at the club grounds on White Pond Road on account of the Ammunition Depot adjacent. In 1943 the club moved to Parker Street into a small building near Parker Street Hall known as the Hessa Club house. Coming back into Maynard the club grew by leaps and bounds. One meeting accepted 40 new members. In 1944, Pete Jensen and Carl Swanson, representing the club, leased the White Pond Road clubhouse to the non-commissioned officers' clcub of the Ammunition Depot. The year 1944 also saw the consummation of the lease of the 26 acres American Woolen Company filter bed land on Odd Mill Road from the Town of Maynard to the club. Pete Jensen was appointed chairman of a committee to investigate the possibility of buying the above-mentioned land. The sewer committee which was composed of Thomas Tierney, Robert Hatch and Walter Denniston was very co-operative about the matter as was the Board of Selectmen, comprising William Stockwell, Walter Cheslak and Joseph F. Dineen. In 1944, twenty-six acres of land were purchased from the town of Maynard and recorded In 1946. 1945 - Charles Weckstrom, President; Harvey Shalsten, Secretary; P.N. Messier, Treasurer. The club moved their quarters from Parker Street to Eagles Building in 1945. 1946 - Same officers as 1945 1947 - F.W, Johnson elected president but retired after two months in favor of Alex Nelson; Harvey Shalsten, Secretary: P. N. Messier, Treasurer. 1948 - Alex Nelson, President; John McNamara, Vice-President; Harvey Shalsten, Secretary; P.N. Messier, Treasurer. 1949 - Peter Jensen, President; Carl Swanson,Vice-President; Eino Ketola, Secretary; P.N. Messier, Treasurer. 1950 - Harvey Shalsten, President; Carl Swanson, Vice-President; Eino Ketola, Secretary; P.N. Messier,Treasurer. 1951 - Stanley Sikorsky, President; Harvey Shalsten, Secretary; W, Johnson, Treasurer. 1952 - Stanley Sikorsky, President; Harvey Shalsten, Secretary; F.N. Johnson, Treasurer. 1953 - Bolis Sokolowski, President; Pete Jensen,Vice-President; Joseph Nastasi, Treasurer. 1954 - Bolis Sokolowski, President; William Mansfield, Vice- President; Harvey Shalsten, Secretary; Joseph Nastasi, Treasurer, 1955 - Bolis Sokolowski, President; W. Hazen Davis, Vice-President; William Mansfield, Secretary; Joseph Nastasi, Treasurer. 1956 - Same officers as in 1955. 1957 - Bolis Sokolowski, President; W. Hazen Davis, Vice-President; George Maker, Secretary; Joseph Nastasi, Treasurer. 1958 - Harold Tyler, President; W. Hazen Davis, Vice-President; George Maker, Secretary: Bolis Sokolowski, Treasurer, 1959 - same as 195S, 1960 - W. Hazen Davis, President; Pete Jensen, Vice-President; Bennie Sokolowski, Secretary; Bolis Sokolowski, Treasurer, 1961 - Stanley Sofka, President; Richard Hudson, Vice-President. 1962 - Stanley Sofka, President; Richard Hudson, Vice-President; David Higgins, Secretary and Treasurer. 1963 - Stanley Sofka, President; Lou Doucette, Vice-President; David Higgins, Secretary and Treasurer. 1964 - Stanley Sofka, President; Lou Doucette, Vice-President; Edward Lawton, Secretary; Richard Hudson, Treasurer, 1965 - Stanley Sofka, President; Walter Raisanen, Vice-President; Edward Lawton, Secretary: Richard Hudson, Treasurer. 1966 - Stanley Sofka, President; Wayne Glendenning, Vice-President; Robert Chandler, Secretary; Edward Lawton, Treasurer. The club built the present building in 1949 with no outside help and the dedication took place In 1950. It has grown into an organization of many hundred with the club grounds one of the finest in Massachusetts, All dates up to 1929 from the Maynard News. Read at September 1966 meeting Maynard Historical Society. Birger R. Koski Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Centennial Monograph: Maynard Rod and Gun Club Description An account of the resource A history of one of the major clubs in Maynard whose origins stretch back to the turn of the 20th century. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Birger Koski Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1966-09 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2019.230 club fishing gun hunting monograph Rod and Gun https://collection.maynardhistory.org/files/original/66807a0ba18c55751e6acbea1928f952.pdf ef36442189f22c4d94e95d3263f10d16 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Monographs Description An account of the resource The Maynard Historical Society has a growing collection of monographs. Monographs, by nature, are focused and detailed research on a single topic (places, people, events, etc.) Many of these monographs, especially by guest authors outside of the Society's research team, contain personal anecdotes and details of life in town during their lifetime. In the years preceding the 1971 Centennial of Maynard the rather new Maynard Historical Society gathered a series of monographs on a wide variety of topics. 96 papers, written by primarily by Birger Koski and Ralph Sheridan, plus a number of "guest" authors, many of these were read at Historical Society meetings in the late 1960's and then became source material for the 1871-1971 History of Maynard book written for the Centennial of the Town. Monographs from that project are titled as a "Centennial Monograph", Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Various Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Maynard Historical Society, et. al. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Various Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1800-current Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Text Any textual data included in the document. The first we hear of the Lithuanians in Maynard is a newsnote of 1904 telling of a St. Elizabeth's Society meeting. This was a joint group with Hudson Lithuanians. This would place the first Lithuanians In Maynard in the latter 1890's. Apparently there was not enough of this ethnic group to organize any clubs or societies for we have no records of any such. For religious purposes St. Bridget's Church was used. A newsnote of March 23, 1917 tells us of Father Daugin, a Lithuanian priest, of Norwood was to hear confessions at St. Bridget's Church this Monday for the Lithuanian speaking people, The dearth of news about Lithuanians is possibly answered by their being asmall ethnic minority and belonging to Polish organizations in town. All dates from Maynard News For further information indebted to Mrs. Raymond (Mary) Sheridan. Read at the April 1969 meeting of the Maynard Historical Society - B.R. Koski Storage Location in the archive SU9-4 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Centennial Monograph: The Lithuanian People in Maynard Description An account of the resource A short summary of the small Lithuanian population in Maynard. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Birger Koski Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1969-04 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2019.229 ethnic groups Lithuanian monograph https://collection.maynardhistory.org/files/original/fdebe6822ecc251f0ea3ed4fb46b2dde.pdf 2605031449500829dde64a9f8ac5f0c5 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Monographs Description An account of the resource The Maynard Historical Society has a growing collection of monographs. Monographs, by nature, are focused and detailed research on a single topic (places, people, events, etc.) Many of these monographs, especially by guest authors outside of the Society's research team, contain personal anecdotes and details of life in town during their lifetime. In the years preceding the 1971 Centennial of Maynard the rather new Maynard Historical Society gathered a series of monographs on a wide variety of topics. 96 papers, written by primarily by Birger Koski and Ralph Sheridan, plus a number of "guest" authors, many of these were read at Historical Society meetings in the late 1960's and then became source material for the 1871-1971 History of Maynard book written for the Centennial of the Town. Monographs from that project are titled as a "Centennial Monograph", Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Various Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Maynard Historical Society, et. al. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Various Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1800-current Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Text Any textual data included in the document. I find this monograph difficult to start as I want to present generalities which will be of interest to everyone and not an autobiography of my 30 years with the Dramatic Club. HISTORY OF MAYNARD DRAMATIC CLUB Let's start at the beginning of the school year in 1936 when William Reynolds was an English Teacher in Maynard High School. Eager to make friends in the town and very interested in the theatre, he would stop in at Ledgard's Paper Store to talk with William Ledgard, whom he learned had been active in the local high school plays and after graduation had appeared in the Maynard Teachers Club and Maynard Players productions. The two "Bills'* heard that the late Hazelle Cameron also was interested in the theatre having been active in stock productions, etc., before coming to Maynard. They would wander across the street from the Paper Store to Hazelle's Cosmetic Shop, to talk about the theatre, with the hope of reviving the Maynard Players. From these talks they contacted members of the inactive Maynard Players, young people who had been active in high school dramatics, church groups and the Finnish Dramatic Clubs and an organizational meeting was held at the home of William Ledgard. The Maynard Players were unable to be active due to family and business commitments and were reluctant to turn over their treasury or the name "Maynard Players" to the "younger" element figuring that they wouldn't do justice to their nearly 25 years in the theatre. Therefore, a new group, to be called the MAYNARD DRAMATIC CLUB was organized on November 19, 1936 with William Ledgard as the first President and the late J. Leo Comeau as Treasurer, an office he held for over 28 years until the time of his death May 12, 1965. The original membership of 13 included: William Ledgard, J. Leo Comeau, William Reynolds, Leo Mullin, Walter Denniston, Richard Bison, Huldah Nelson, Peg Martin, Hazelle Cameron, Constance Dawson, Clara Grieve, Laura Aho and Helen Mark Ketola. Its membership through the years, over 200 persons, has consisted of people from all walks of life, drawn together by an interest in the theatre and a desire to express themselves on the legitimate stage plus continuing the cultural interests of Maynard, Its membership has been a regular "league of nations" including, English, Irish, Finnish, Polish, Italian, Russian, Scottish, Jewish, Armenian, Swedish, etc. nationalities. Of the original charter and longtime members still active: 1936 - Huldah Nelson, Peg O'Connell, Helen Mark Ketola, Leo Mullin; 1937 - Ahti Jaakkola; 1938- Sirkka French as anon-participating member; 1939 - Samuel Micciche; 1946 - Roy Helander; 1947 - Lilian Holmes; 1957 - Vera Leithoad. Now we have the second generation becoming active as K. Thomas French, son of Sirkka French, is our current President. Children of members have also performed in our plays. In the beginning, membership dues were per year and at present they are only $2.00 per year and for a few years we didn't charge any dues. At first meetings were held at members homes to save money, then as the club membership grew we started renting the Elks Hall, Eagles, and for many years the meeting room at Parker Street Hall. The first few plays were rehearsed at the home of J. Leo Comeau to save on expenses until we started rehearsing at the Elks, Eagles and Parker Street Hall and at one time we used a room at the old Town Building across from the Mill. Back in 1937, rental for a hall to present a play was $18.00, then in 1938 to 1941, $25.00. In 1945 combined costs for all rehearsals and performance was $75.00 and in 1946-1948 with rehearsals and two performances $115.00. During the many years that the club held their meetings, rehearsals and performances at the Parker Street Hall, the Finnish Workingmen's Society was more than generous. We were allowed the use of their scenery, properties, costumes. etc., without any additional charge and even had one of the sets to do with as we wished. When the Maynard Lions Club started to sponsor the plays in I960, the performances were held at the Green Meadow School mainly for the convenient larger parking area. Last year we used the new High School Auditorium for the first time and I assume that the performances will be there from now on. Samuel Micciche acted as spokesman for the club at the building committee meetings and the Dramatic Club, through his efforts, was instrumental in seeing that the new high school stage was well equipped with excellent lighting and other facilities. To save expenses for the Maynard Lions Club, all rehearsals were held at the home of Helen Mark Ketola, but last year the members felt that it was imposing too much on her home life to tie up their home for rehearsals, therefore we started to rehearse at Parker Street Hall again. In the formative years members purchased tickets for the plays even though they performed and did all the necessary work in preparation for the performance. The cast not only acted but helped with scenery, handled publicity, collected ads, sold tickets, etc. Royalties for the first play was $15.00 then it jumped to $20.00 in 1939, $25,00 in 1940, $35.00 in 1941 and thereafter have been $50.00 just for the privilege of producing a play. We did obtain reductions from the authors for two of the plays, but most of them today are reluctant to reduce the set rate; therefore, it is impossible to produce any first-rate Broadway production for less than $50.00 for the first performance and $35.00 for the second performance. For the enjoyment of its members, outings were held at the Twilight Club at Lake Boone (the club no longer being in existence and the club-house is now owned by an individual), Annual Banquets were held at the Marlboro Country Club and Wildwood Inn, Marlboro. Halloween parties were always well attended with members appearing in the most fantastic and original costumes. Cast parties were held after the productions of plays at Parker Street Hall meeting room and for the past six years, when the Lions Club started sponsoring them, at the home of Helen Mark Ketola. The club has held a membership in the New England Theatre Conference and entered ''Double Door" and "Kind Lady" in the Greater Boston Little Theatre Tournaments. The club sponsored an Oratorical Contest in 1939 for the students of Maynard High School, a Costume Party & Dance for the benefit of the local Servicemen's Fund was held at the George Washington Auditorium November, 1945. February, 1947 a dance was held at Parker Street Hall for the Emerson Hospital Fund. Donations have been made to M.H.S. Screech Owl, Maynard Music Festival, High School Library Fund, Emerson Hospital, Heart Fund, American Red Cross, Christmas Seals, Metropolitan Opera Association, Boy Scouts of America, Salvation Army and in 1940 to the Finnish Relief and remembrances sent to our members in Service in 1942. To date 36 plays, "the best of Broadway", have been performed for the enjoyment of the public with the club producing 25 on their own; sponsors of single productions have been the L.D. Wilson Chapter, Order of DeMolay; F.J. DeMars Unit #235 American Legion Auxiliary; Maynard Post #1812 VFW Auxiliary; Maynard Teacher's Club; Band Parents Instrumental Club and since I960 the Maynard Lions Club has sponsored the plays with their receipts going to their Scholarship Fund. Special performances and benefits have been given for the American Red Cross, Cushing Veteran's Hospital at Framingham, Sudbury Methodist Church Building Fund, Cub Scouts of Hudson for two years. One-act plays have been performed for various organizations including: Maynard FTA Pops, First Unitarian Church of Northboro, Union Congregational Church Couples Club and Service Group; United Co-op Society Annual and Semi-Annual Meetings, Woman's Co-op Guild, St. Christopher's Guild, All American Club, Rodettes, Maynard Emblem Club, Rebecca's of South Acton, Magdalene Chapter of Eastern Star and the Hovey Players of Waltham. Serving as Presidents of the club after Bill Ledgard have been Emylee Lerer, Edward Hannon, Henry Tatler, Peg O'Connell, Samuel Micciche, Louis Fava, Frank Primiano, James Fava, Ann Duclos, Tony Sotrines, Ray Van Vorse, Helen Mark Ketola, Richard Colleton, Philip Murphy and at present M. Thomas French. Items of interest of various plays : The first play presented by the Maynard Dramatic Club was "THE LATE CHRISTOPHER BEAN" directed jointly by William Reynolds and Leo Mullin and sponsored by L.D. Wilson Chapter, Order of DeMolay. The cast included: John Murphy, Constance Dawson, Kathryn Bariteau, Margaret Murray, Laura Aho, Murray MacKenzie, William Ledgard, Richard Elson and Walter Denniston. Richard Elson today is better known as the Editor of Confidential Chat in the Globe and Bill Ledgard is attending a University in Pennsylvania for his Masters Degree and working as a Librarian at University of Pennsylvania. The second play - "HENPECKED HERO" The club considered this one a "lemon". The fourth play - "THE GHOST TRAIN" was directed ty Rev. Halsey Andrews who at the time was the minister at St. George's Episcopal Church. Tlie sound effects of the approaching storm and depicting the ghost train were very realistic. Our beloved late J. Leo Comeau had his first and only part and had only three to say, "BOOZE AND DOPE", on cue. By the time he was to make his debut he was so flustered that another member of the cast came to his rescue and said them. Leo vowed then and there not to be in another play but would handle all the scenery which he did with perfection. Sirkka French portrayed an inebriated spinster very convincingly and the audience marveled at her portrayal and sympathized with her as she lay flat on her back on along, hard bench for two acts of the play. The fifth play - "NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH" Kal Kansanniva not only directed the play but also acted in it. His timing was perfect, his ability to remain in character during the entire production was excellent and his voice range and playing only with and for those on stage made him semi-professional. Kal is in charge of the Drama Department at the State College in Lowell. The seventh play -"KIND LADY" was entered in the Greater Boston Little Theatre Tournament along with such popular amateur theatrical groups as the Quannipowett Players of Reading; Tavern Players of Lynn; Milton Players, Winchester Group Theatre, Peabody Playhouse of Boston to name a few. Huldah Nelson appeared in the leading role of "Mary Kerries" convincingly portraying a kindly, middle-aged lady, suffering at the hands of a crafty gang of crooks and proved to be an actress possessing marked ability and professional skill. Henry Tatler played opposite Huldah in the leading male role of "Henry Abbott", the head villain in a cast predominated by villains and he also handled it with professional skill and was successful in winning the scorn of the audience. The late Hans Miller from Concord, who had been one of the judges for this Tournament attended one of our club meetings after the competition and mentioned that there had been a three way tie for second place with Maynard among one of the three. Henry Tatler directed four more plays after that and also performed in them. Henry also performed in Summer stock in New Hampshire plus appearing in the Broadway production of "FOLLOW THE GIRLS in 1945"˜ 'starring JACKIE GLEASON. He started out in the chorus line but upon the illness of one of the top performers was given his part. At present Henry is working for Dun & Bradstreet in New York and is the Director of Music at St. Pauls Evangelical lutheran Church in New York and for years has planned and directed the Christmas Choral Festival. The 11th - "CHARITY BEGINS" - the stage setting was superb with the help of Doris Miller with her professional skills in Interior Decorating. Doris also did the make-up for many of the club performances. The 14th - "THREE'S A FAMILY" - our 10th Anniversary, was a story of a New York family during the war having troubles with the maid situation, the draft, housing shortage, and most important "production line problems". Leo Mullin portrayed the aged, nearsighted Dr. Bartell who was recalled from retirement due to the shortage of doctors to deliver the baby's of the expectant mothers. The funniest part of the play was at the end when he comes out from the bedroom, walks over to the spinster and takes her hand saying "Next" and pulling her to the room. The spinster was played ty Ann Swanson. The 15th - "LADIES IN RETIREMENT" was directed by Roy Helander. I portrayed the aging but still lively actress, Leonora Fisko and spent half of the play on stage and really had a chance to emote. Rita Foley, now Mrs. Gately was tremendous as the housekeeper who murdered me at the end of the act while I sat playing the piano and singing. (Must have been my singing that caused her to "murder" me.) The back wall scenery was an old dutch oven and Rita "stuffed" my dead body there and when the door was opened to the audience you could see that the opening had been bricked up. The 16th - "CHICKEN EVERY SUNDAY" had the largest attendance - over 6OO people for two nights. That is very good considering that Parker Street Hall only seats about 300 comfortably. The husband and wife was played by Leo Mullin and Huldah Nelson with Huldah's son Paul and Paul's cousin Joanne Kangas playing their small children. In the play the wife was renting rooms in their home to make money so the family had to set up cots in the living room. This scene was very hilarious as Leo stepped back of a folding screen to take off his trousers and put on a nightshirt. A mirror had been hung on the back wall and the audience could watch his actions. The audience was in hysterics and Leo didn't know what they were laughing at and he breezed along in his own inimitable way. At one time he sat on the cot and then got up and started walking around the stage and as he did his nightshirt caught up between the cheeks of his rear which added more hysterical laughter from the audience. I was watching from the side-lines back stage and tears streamed down my face as I laughed so heartily. The 17th - "BLITHE SPIRIT" - Marion Ruggiero and Amy Reynolds appearing as the "spirits" with their ghostly wanderings about the stage in their flowing gray chiffon dresses, gray powdered hair and white make-up made you feel as if you were "one stop beyond". Pat Farrell was a hit as Madam Arcata, the medium. The 18th - "KISS & TELL" - Ray Van Vorse as Dexter Franklin, the gangling youngster with a changing voice, was excellent. That part started his long association with the club. The 20th - "THE CAT & THE CANARY" - A mystery with people disappearing, bookcases opening and hands reaching out with the ominous atmosphere heightened by the excellent lighting under the guidance of Samuel Micciche, which was especially frightening in the second act when huge shadows swayed across the ways of the bedroom as the characters moved about. When a closet door was opened and Forrle Nelson fell out as if he were "dead" you wonder how he did it without getting hurt. This was the last time we had the dress rehearsal as a performance for the children. The youngsters screamed so much that it was difficult to say the lines. The 21st - "THE 15th ANNIVERSARY FESTIVAL OF PLAYS" - similar to what we are doing this year as our 30th ANNIVERSARY. For the first play "A HAPPY JOURNEY", the curtain opened to a bare stage. The play was about a motor journey a family was making to visit their daughter in Trenton. The automobile was portrayed by four chairs. Leo Mullin was the father and Helen Ketola the mother with their small son and daughter sitting in the back seat of the car. The second play "LUCK PIECE" was a drama with a very drab, dreary setting with Huldah Nelson and Roy Helander having the main parts. The third, a comedy, "GOODNIGHT PLEASE!" had a much cheerier setting. The 22nd - "SUDS IN YOUR EYE" - Peg O'Connell as Mrs. Feeley, the owner of a junk yard who befriended Miss Tinkham, a retired school teacher played by Huldah Nelson, and Mrs. Rasmussen played by Helen Ketola who got tired of living with her daughter and son-in-law. The three were delightful taking life as it came and touching up the dull spots with just a "sip" of beer and using the empty beer bottles to make a fence. The 23rd - "LADIES IN WAITING" had an all female cast. The 25th - "HENRIETTA THE EIGHTH" - Christine Lampinen, now Mrs. Molloy, and Philip Murphy appeared for the first time and have been valuable additions to the club ever since. The 27th - "MIRANDA" - Pat Wehkoja, now Mrs. Donahue, not only directed the play but also did the make-up and was instrumental in having the "fish-tail" outfit made for the mermaid portrayed by Christine Molloy. The 31st - "GIRLS IN 509" started our relationship with the Maynard Lions Club. The selection of the play was excellent and the subject matter was timely, since politics was the theme. Although politics is a universal theme of interest at this particular time, on the eve of our national elections the impact was tremendous. The story hinged around a stalwart but eccentric woman and her niece who were die-hard Republicans and when the Democrats came in office in 1932, Aunt Hettie and Mimsy decided to remove themselves from society and they became recluses in a New York Hotel. When the hotel was being remodeled the hermit ladies are discovered in one of the back suites. Both the Republicans and the Democrats try to "woo" them to come out to vote. Ahti Jaakkola played a dual role as both the Republican and Democratic National Committeemen. The curtain at the Green Meadow School doesn't go all the way up so that the trap set-up was in view of the audience. The audience thought it was a basket-ball cage pulled up out of view of the stage and didn't realize it was a trap until it was sprung during the play. The 32nd - "YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU" - We selected this for our 25th Anniversary year mainly to break the "jinks as we had started rehearsals on this twice but for some unforeseen reason had to cancel production. About a year after we had performed it, it was revived on Broadway and as Elliot Norton, one of the best drama critics said in his review "it is a play that will live on forever". The 33rd - "MY THREE ANGELS" - Anne Darling of the Acton Little Theatre Group volunteered her costumes and services for this production. The three angels were criminals in a French colony who took over to make the Christmas of the Ducotel family one to be remembered. Pete Hogan was the star of the show and was assisted by the other two angels played by Philip Murphy and John Boothroyd. The 34th - "ANNIVERSARY WALTZ" - Roy Helander and Rose Drinkwater superbly portrayed the husband and wife celebrating their fifteen anniversary with Gail Huhtamaki and Frances Rizzo as their youngsters. Both youngsters showed a definite flair for the theatre and should go along way in dramatics. The 35th - "COME BLOW YOUR HORN" - Pete Hogan, so natural, lively and snappy - with his natural style making his characters live. Newcomer Fred Mallonee, tall, handsome and extremely boyish in appearance and mannerisms, so in contrast to his brother played by Pete. The 36th - "MARY, MARY" - the first produced at the New High School Auditorium. The performance was truly a masterpiece which held the audience attention from opening curtain until the end. The excellent cast included Christine Molloy and Ahti Jaakkola, long time favorites, plus Fred Mallonee who made his debut in "Come Blow Your Horn", and newcomers Janet Lankiewicz and M. Thomas French. Both Janet and Tom were naturals on stage and drew the acclaim of the audience. The Maynard Dramatic Club is always on the look-out for more members as we feel that the club is a community project which helps to serve the cultural interests of the town. We certainly hope that more towns-people will join to continue the work done in the 30 years so that we will continue to flourish and not become extinct like our predecessors. Today we would perhaps be celebrating our 60th Anniversary if the original Maynard Dramatic Club would have been continued by the Maynard Players and we to have continued from there thirty years ago. An invitation is extended to YOU to Join the Dramatic Club so why not turn your "after 5 p.m." interests to areas of cultural endeavor. Interests in the arts span a variety of activities. As outlets for self-expression or relaxation, as a change of pace or Just plain fun, why not "make-believe" on stage, Turn to acting to overcome shyness - create self-confidence. There is a place for YOU in the Dramatic Club. Besides acting such as directing, assisting back-stage with make-up, costuming, scenery. staging, properties, sound-effects, lighting, prompting or handling publicity. May I at this time extend an invitation to you to attend the club's 30th ANNIVERSARY FESTIVAL OF PLAYS, three one-act plays to be presented at PARKER STREET HALL on SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 1966 with curtain time at 8:15 P.M. Donation only $1.00 per person. "NOT ON THE PROGRAM" directed by Helen Mark Ketola. Cast: Christine Molloy, Susan Paakki, Helen Mark Ketola, John Merriam, M.Thomas French and Ray Van Vorse. "AIR TIGHT ALIBI" directed by Fred Kallonee. Cast: Carole Mallonce and Colin Pitblado. "GEORGE" directed by Roy Helander. Cast: Lorraine Freidenfeles, Mary White, Richard Fardy and Roy Helander. Continuing our 30th Anniversary Year we will present the Broadway Comedy "SEE HOW THEY RUN" on Saturday, March 4, 1967 at the High School Auditorium sponsored by Maynard Lions Club for their Scholarship Fund. Reserve this date. Thank you for your attention and for the privilege of speaking to you about my first love: MAYNARD DRAMATIC CLUB. MRS. HELEN MARK KETOLA READ AT MAYNARD HISTORICAL SOCIETY MEETING - OCTOBER 26, 1966 Storage Location in the archive SU9-4 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Centennial Monograph: Maynard Dramatic Club Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2019.228 Description An account of the resource At the turn of the 20th century the "Maynard Players" was the source of dramatic productions in Maynard, but it had gone inactive. In 1936 some new folks in town tried to revive the old group, but were unable - so they formed a new troupe: the Maynard Dramatic Club, which celebrated its 30th anniversary a few years before the town's centennial. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Helen Mark Ketola Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1966-10-26 club drama dramatics Leo Comeau Maynard Dramatic Club monograph theater https://collection.maynardhistory.org/files/original/d0990c8f7ba73c0d80840a958e716c0a.pdf fd23a4bd278fd3b2e6f26dd44ffc4075 Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Text Any textual data included in the document. Birger Koski of the Maynard Historical Society submitted to our office this week a poem in tribute to William J. Salo. WILLIAM J. SALO 1903 -1968 In Maynard Town an age has passed. Age? This is endless? Nevertheless ... An age has passed. The age of nevermore .. Of field of rye, clover, farm, Born, stock ... of sleigh, wagon, plough and lumber. This was his age. Whose age? Brother Bill of course ... That's how we all knew him. For forty years he was known -- Strongest man in town -- Two hundred fifty pounds of muscle, Willing to swap muscle for Muscle in contest. And heart to heart in feeling He gave his wealth of knowledge and goods of olden days Memorabilia -- in full amount Brother Bill -- You sensed what You were doing for posterity. Birger Koski Maynard Historical Society Storage Location in the archive SU9-4 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource William Salo Tribute Description An account of the resource A poem in tribute to William Salo. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Birger Koski Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource ca 1968 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2019.227 poem https://collection.maynardhistory.org/files/original/086998e23c2237831f16bd4f11c5cee9.pdf 7232280b0cffa441b4d14eea29d13bc9 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Monographs Description An account of the resource The Maynard Historical Society has a growing collection of monographs. Monographs, by nature, are focused and detailed research on a single topic (places, people, events, etc.) Many of these monographs, especially by guest authors outside of the Society's research team, contain personal anecdotes and details of life in town during their lifetime. In the years preceding the 1971 Centennial of Maynard the rather new Maynard Historical Society gathered a series of monographs on a wide variety of topics. 96 papers, written by primarily by Birger Koski and Ralph Sheridan, plus a number of "guest" authors, many of these were read at Historical Society meetings in the late 1960's and then became source material for the 1871-1971 History of Maynard book written for the Centennial of the Town. Monographs from that project are titled as a "Centennial Monograph", Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Various Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Maynard Historical Society, et. al. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Various Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1800-current Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Text Any textual data included in the document. Perhaps it would be a good idea to give a few salient facts about the United States Post Office Department before commenting on our own local post office. The post office department is the largest enterprise in America, closely followed by the American Telephone & Telegraph Co. and General Motors. Last year over 80 billion pieces of mail was handled by the post office department and its 700,000 pay rolls. The huge annual deficit continues to grow and will continue to do so as long as this department is politically dominated. James Farley, who was postmaster general under Franklin Roosevelt claimed to have balanced the post office budget (methinks he must have done a lot of "juggling"). Benjamin Franklin was our first postmaster general, he having been appointed by the first Continental Congress. Lawrence O'Brien is our present postmaster greneral. With these facts safely stored away, we can now confine our remarks about the local post office. The first post office was established in 1850, while the village was known as Assabet. Amory Maynard was our first postmaster. His tiny office was located opposite the B&M railroad station. Other postmasters followed in this order: Asa Balcolm, Lorenzo Maynard, John Harriman, Abel Haynes, Ben Johnson, George Flood, William Hall, Arthur Walker, Arthur Coughlan, William Stockwell, Frank Sheridan, and John Nowick,, the last two coming under the Civil Service law which insures continuity in office provided no malfeasance exists during their term in office. Most offices are divided into four classes. First, second, third and fourth. Fourth class offices were and are usually found in small country stores. There is a movement on foot to eliminate these smaller offices but I predict it will never happen. The boys in Congress will see to that. Postmasters in the fourth class are paid from their stamp cancellations. Just before I entered the postal service the post office crew consisted of Mr. Hall, postmaster, John Sunderland, assistant postmaster, Arthur Champagne, clerk, and Arthur Hart, part-time clerk. Arthur will always be best known for his perilous ride down the Assabet River in a fragile canoe when the crest of the flood was at its highest. My mind is a trifle nebulous concerning the post office personnel when I entered the service in 1905, shortly after graduating from Maynard High. The post office was located in the Masonic Block. Mr. Hall was postmaster and Ida, his wife, was assistant. Arthur Champagne and I were clerks, he left about a year later and thru his efforts the office Arthur Sullivan replaced him. When the office went second class, I can remember Sully and I taken the oath given by Attorney Thomas Hillis. This automatically placed us under Civil Service. Speaking about Sully, I must tell you about one incident that nearly cost me my job. A negress employed as a maid by Keyes Hall of Stow came to the stamp window one day and asked for "farve two cent stamps". At that moment Sully crept on his hands and knees from out of nowhere, directly under my feet saying "farve two cent stamps". I became hysterical and dropped helplessly to the floor. Sully finally composed himself and gave the greatly embarassed customer her "farve two cent stamps". But this was only the beginning. Keyes Hall who was president of a large insurance concern in Boston bought all his stamps from the Maynard office and he more than any other person was responsible for advancing Maynard to a second class office. He called next day in a flaming rage and asked the postmaster who was the clerk who was discourteous to his maid. Mr. Hall, of course, was ignorant of the incident, asked Keyes to describe the clerk. The guy with the curly hair he replied. Don't ever let this happen again Jim Mr. Hall exclaimed. I took the entire blame as I did not want to involve Sully. Business was increasing rapidly and soon Tim Moynihan, a great fellow, was added to the clerical force. During Mr. Hall's regime, which by the way lasted seventeen years, the office jumped from third class to second. New fixtures were installed and a cancelling machine that cancelled 1OOO letters a minute. Before this innovation we had to cancel all mail by hand, we even had to stamp all incoming mail. I should make some reference to the Rural Free Delivery which was established in 1902. The original route included part of Stow Lower Village, North Sudbury, Nine Acre Corner, the Powder Mill and Fletcher Corner district. The route was twenty two miles in length. Remind me to tell you two or three stories connected with the R.F, D. following this monograph) A few years later, the route was almost doubled. Two horses were used and I have seen Mr. Rice, the carrier, arrive at the post office with a lighted lantern which he was forced to use in trying to decipher the addresses on the later part of the route. A long day, you say, but don't forget that we clerks use to have to work from 6 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. The business men were much displeased when we started closing at 6 p.m. In those days it was difficult to hire any male help ( no pun intended) accordingly almost all substitutes came from the distaff side. Claire Beford, may Ledgard, Millie Walker, Emma Greenhalge, Margaret Williams and Mrs. Bradford Parker are among some of the names I remember. Whether Robert Sheridan was a regular or a sub, I do not recall. Before leaving Masonic Block, I must tell you how on a very hot day, I slid out to Bariteaus Barber shop which was nearby and had my hair scalped. Returning to the post office, I discarded my office coat, and presented myself at the general delivery window. I never thought it would work, however, I changed my voice and asked if there was any mail for William Sampson. Tim started to look through the letters in the general delivery section and in the meantime I put on my coat. When he turned around and saw me, he just went to pieces. He must have liked what he saw for he immediately went to Bariteaus and had the same operation performed. Sully, not to be outdone, also got clipped. There were so many humorous incidents in that old post office, yet, I can not close its doors without relating about Mr. Hall's pet object. It was a burglar alarm that he had installed in the safe and the big bell on top of Masonic Hall that gave the alarm.He would test it every morning religiously. Fortunately it was never used, although there had been one previous break, that prompted Mr. Hall to install the alarm. It went off one day by mistake and much to the postmaster's chagrin a goodly crowd had gathered to assist in catching the burglar. Mr, Hall died on April, 14, 1911 and was succeeded by Arthur Walker on June 16th of the same year. His salary was a lucrative $2OOO. Politics being what they are Mr. Walker only lasted the usual four years. During his term parcel post service was inaugurated. Eleven pounds was the weight limit. The incoming as well as the outgoing mail was carried in a two wheel man-powered vehicle Jack Kelly, William MacAuslin, and Connie Moynihan were in charge of this duty. It was not unusual to see them accompanied by an immigrant, usually of Finnish or Polish extraction. On their coat would be tied a tag with the post office box number of the relatives. Often after the mail was distributed, we would take the foreigner to his or hers proper destination. It was quite a sight to see their turned up boots. T'he B&M had a ??? thing going for them. The government allotted the railroad either $60,000 or eight thousand dollars for carrying' the mail annually between ?? Boston and Marlboro. Pure gravy. Well, we must finally leave the old post office and wend our way to our new post office located in Naylor's Block, ?????? adjunct to the block. The new post office was open for inspection on ???? 1916 and the people were pleased to note that the entrance was on the ground level. New fixtures were installed and we now had more call and combination boxes exceeding in number those of the old post office. On July 14, 1916, ex-rep P J Sullivan headed a petition requiring 500 names for the purpose of obtaining city delivery. We were entitled to carrier service two years before this petition was circulated but no one seemed to want to take the initiative. The petition met with great success and carrier service became a certainty. Arthur Coughlan was postmaster and deliveries were started on May 1, 1920. There were only two carriers to start with: Harold Sheridan and James Eaton. Later because of continued growth the names of Edward White and William Sweeney were added. Chester Sawyer was the rural carrier making a total of five carriers. Once again the political pendulum was swinging and William Stockwell, a Republican, succeeded Mr. Coughlan, a Democrat. During Mr. Stockwell's three terms, the office experienced a healthy growth. He was followed by Frank Sheridan in 1935. During the last year of his first term he was placed under Civil Service as a result of a new ruling, which guaranteed tenure in office until retirement age. Postal receipts continued to grow and it became necessary to seek new quarters, accordingly the post office was removed to Nason Street, near the junction Summer and Nason Street. It was apparent that this old shack was not a fit place for a United States post office. Several suggestions for a new site were offered by well meaning people, but they all had certain drawbacks. Finally, the site of the old town house was selected and Maynard has now a modern, up-to- date post office which should meet all postal requirements for years to come. John Nowick is the present postmaster, and being a comparatively young man with Civil Service protection should continue in office until retirement age. I shall always feel that I had at least some small part in the selection of a site for (the) new post office. During one of the weekly meetings of the selectmen, two representatives of Maynard Industries appeared before the board. They wanted to obtain this location for a parking area. I was opposed to this suggestion as I felt this place too valuable a spot for a private parking lot. I thought it would be an ideal site for the post office and the other members agreed. But I am getting ahead of my story... Let's return to the period when Bill Stockwell displaced Arthur Coughlan. There was a steady increase in business and in the meantime Frank Finocchi had been added to the clerical force. I think that it was in 1927 that the townspeople were shocked by the news of Tim Moynihan's untimely passing on Thanksgiving eve. John Trench advanced from substitute clerk-carrier to regular clerk in 1928. Others connected with the local post office while in the first and second class and who have since passed away are Arthur Sullivan, Ed White, Chet Sawyer, Al Sullivan, Chris Wilson, Harold Sheridan, and possibly others. They were comparatively young men who never had a chance to enjoy well earned retirement. I don't think the the post office clerks of today are finding any fault with their working conditions and salary, however, if do carp and criticize perhaps the following facts will cool then off a bit: We worked from 6 a.m to 8 p.rn. there was no such thing as one clerk, one window; we had to be prepared to take charge of any window, registry, money orders, stamp window, general delivery, later came the issue of war bonds, we even had to take turns in sweeping up the office when the p.o. was in Masonic Block. Five mails were dispatched daily and all incoming mail had to be backstamped with a dated receive stamps. Add to the above, we had to take an annual case examination. This consisted of putting 900 cards, representing letters on the proper forty five railroad runs. All incoming mail had to be sorted for the many boxes and later be given to the box owners. We were among the first ten offices in the country relative to postal savings deposits. On a Friday and Saturday, the corridor, in unending streams, would be packed with foreigners sending money to the old country. When the incoming mail arrived, we would put down all four windows and leave down until all the mail had been placed in the boxes. Then up would go the windows and the shout: "Get your mail and get out". Thus, we have seen our local post office grow from a lowly little office which was usually housed in some merchant's store to modern building doing a business of well over a one hundred thousand dollars under the postmasterships of Frank Sheridan and John Nowick. Humorous side lights. R.F.D. Ted Willams. Fat Stone. Dead Squirrel. Turkey Raffle. F. I will have to credit myself with being a bit prophetic. You will recall that at the beginning of this monograph, I stated that the P.O. department is politically dominated. Yesterday, Postmaster Gen. O'Brien suggested that the P.O. Dept. be abolished, discontinue the cabinet office of Postmaster General, and appoint a Board of Directors to be run along the lines of a private business. Personally I think it is an excellent idea, the department would be self-sustaining, and the huge deficit that increases each year would be a thing of the past. Storage Location in the archive SU9-4 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Centennial Monograph: Post Office Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2019.226 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource James P. Farrell Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1967-03 Masonic Block monograph Post Office