Hopedale History
March 2026
No. 449
Hopedale in 1926, Part 3
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Twenty-six years ago – March 2001 – Despite pleas from the international community to spare them, the Taliban government of Afghanistan begins destroying the Buddhas of Bamiyan, having declared that they are idols.
Apple Inc. released the Mac OS X operating system for Mac computers.
Fifty years ago – The Cray-1, the first commercially developed supercomputer, is released by Seymour Cray‘s Cray Research, with the first purchaser being the Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) in Los Alamos, New Mexico.
Patty Hearst is found guilty of armed robbery of a San Francisco bank in 1974.
One-hundred years ago – March 1926 – Robert Goddard launched the first liquid-fuel rocket at Auburn, Massachusetts Using a mixture of gasoline and liquid oxygen, Goddard made the successful launch from his Aunt Effie’s farm in Auburn, Massachusetts. Though the “Nell” rocket rose only 41 feet (12 m), the first flight demonstrated that liquid fuels and oxidizers could be used to launch larger rockets to greater heights, leading to the beginning of the “Space Age” in 1957 when a rocket first put a payload into Earth’s orbit.
News above is from Wikipedia. For Hopedale news from 25, 50 and 100 years ago, see below this textbox.
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Hopedale in 1926, Part 3
September 3 – J.J. Gibbs and family are enjoying an auto trip through Canada
September 10 – Jessie Gover has concluded her duties as cashier at the Henry Patrick Co. centre store and is to enter the Hyannis Normal School. (Miss Gover later taught at the Dutcher Street School. She was my sixth-grade teacher.)
September 17 – The district picnic of the Pythians and Pythian Sisters Saturday at Whitinsville was attended by upwards of 200 from here. The ball game was won by Hopedale, 8 to 6. An unscheduled feature of the outing was an exhibition of stunts by an unknown aviator who was passing overhead and saw the crowd.
September 24 – Local firemen participated in the muster at Ashland Saturday, and during the evening rendered assistance at the fire which destroyed the Town Farm buildings near the Framingham line.
October 1 – The interlocutory divorce decree granted Mr. Eben S. Draper two months ago has been made final and Mrs. Draper is given the custody of their daughter.
October 8 – A house call was sounded on the fire alarm Monday evening to search for John Nicholson who had been missing since morning. The boy was found in the woods back of the Hopedale House.
October 15 – The Worcester County Brotherhood eleven lost all its games in England, being matched against the best amateur and some professional talent in Worcestershire. The visiting team was everywhere commended, however, for its speed and sportsmanship. The final game Monday with a picked team from Oxford University was the closest of the series and was lost by a score of 6 to 5. The Americans are spending the week in a sightseeing tour of London.
October 22 –Mr. and Mrs. Clare H. Draper, Jr., have spent several days this week in Hopedale, following their recent marriage at Greenville, S.C. Wednesday Mrs. C.H. Draper gave a tea in honor of her daughter-in-law and her daughter, Mrs. Harry Chabot, who returned from Paris for the wedding. Mr. and Mrs. Draper will make their home in the South.
October 29 – Timothy O’Leary of Holliston, 75 years old and for many years employed at the Draper plant, died from injuries sustained Sunday when he was struck by an auto operated by Dale Chambers, said to be only 14 years old. Mr. Chambers, senior, was an occupant of the auto and was arrested for allowing a minor to operate a car and for intoxication. The case will be heard at Framingham tomorrow.
November 5 – Carl Adams, foreman of the screw shop at the Draper plant, and Flora Gould, a graduate of the high school in the class of 1923, were married in New York Saturday at The Little Church Around the Corner. They will reside at 48 Inman street.
November 12 – About 175 persons attended the Activos baked bean and salad supper Saturday evening at the Union Church. It was followed by a program of music and readings.
November 19 – November Membership night was observed at the Community House Wednesday with a program of marching, club swinging, folk dancing, games., etc. by a class of girls from the Sargent School of Physical Education at Boston. Elsie Nilsen, a sister of Mrs. R.E. Gourlie, was the leader. A banjo duo from Boston gave an entertainment, Narducci’s orchestra furnished music for dancing, and members of the Women’s Club furnished refreshments.
November 26 – Notices have been posted at the Draper plant that all departments will be operating tomorrow morning and that in the future the five full-day per week schedule will be discontinued for the old 5 ½ day schedule. With the old schedule, pay day will be Saturday morning.
December 3 – The annual Draper Corporation yard prizes were distributed with last week’s pay envelopes and they totaled about $420. This year awards were made for three sections instead of two: the Hill and Cross streets section being added to the town proper, and the Prospect Heights section. The first prizes went to A.E. Stafford, J. Manion, and Chester Cann
December 10 – Princess Margaret Boncompagni will sail next Wednesday on the steamer Paris for an extended visit in this country, part of which will be spent with her brother here
December 17 – Harry C. Steele, a well-known tenor soloist, and Mrs. Ethel Merryman, also of this town were arrested in Maine, Saturday, when a check on the Fidelity Trust Co., accepted by a Westbrook, Maine concern went to protest. They were arraigned in Portland Monday, and the case was continued to give the authorities further time for investigation.
December 24 – The public schools were closed Friday for the Christmas recess. Each room had its own tree, and gifts were presented each pupil through the courtesy of Mrs. B.H.B. Draper.
December 31 – Community House members enjoyed an entertainment and dance Wednesday evening. The program included a Punch and Judy show, a magician, and a ventriloquist.
Hopedale News – March 2001
Hopedale News – March 1976
Hopedale News – March 1926
