Hopedale Directory for 1898 The directory above was copied from one at the Bancroft Library. The book also includes Mendon and Upton. Click here to go to a page of other Hopedale items in the same book, including a list of streets, post office information, library information, fire department information, a list of town officers, a few ads, churches, guilds and societies, schools and teachers, and a business directory. A few observations: It seems that there must have been more women in town than are listed here. At first I thought that maybe they only included the relatively few women who worked outside the home, but after looking through again, I saw that that wasn't the case. In addition to the boarding houses, many people took in one or two boarders, so perhaps women who did that were included. Many of the Hopedale mansions had names. In addition to the ones I was familiar with, because they still survive, such as the Larches, the Ledges, Crossways, Urncrest, and Oakledge, the directory mentions Wind 'll Blow (Eben Draper Bancroft) and Holiday House (Colburn). Another mansion that's long-gone and not mentioned here was the Samuel Walker home on Mendon Street near the river, Harvest Hill. The most interesting name in town back then? My vote goes to Lavender Tarbox. HOME |
