Hopedale in March 2016

Hopedale history ezine for March 1 - Benjamin Helm Bristow, Part 1   

Ezine for March 15 - Benjamin Helm Bristow, Part 2   

Hopedale in March 2015

Hopedale History Ezine Menu                   HOME   

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    Research Resources and Techniques that are FREE or inexpensive

    Learn about databases available at the library, as well as other websites where the resources are deep and the
    cost is low. In addition to available resources, we will review the use of a research plan and other organizational
    tools to make the most of your limited available time. Especially important is learning research techniques for
    getting the most out of what you find and presenting the information to other family members.

    Join us for a four week journey that will result in you knowing more about how and where to research your family
    history!

    Presented by two Professional Genealogists:

    Seema Kenney resides in Upton. Her research spans several decades and reveals roots in New England that
    almost reach the Mayflower. Seema has published family history books and teaches many classes locally.

    Charlene Key Sokal  lives in Worcester. Her research focuses on NY, PA, MA and IN. Charlene was formerly the
    supervisor of the Local History/Genealogy area and of the Periodicals department of the Worcester Public Library

    In History of the Hopedale Community, p. 129, Ballou tells of several purchases
    of land in 1844, ending with,  "The third and most important tract was the Amos
    Cook farm of 108 acres lying directly south of and contiguous to our territory with
    an outlying wood lot of twenty three and a half acres, for which we paid $3,000.
    Adin Ballou, HIstory of the Hopedale Community

    Picture taken from Thwing Street, looking down Nelson Street,
    toward the intersection of Cook Street. This area was part of the
    purchase from Amos Cook by the Hopedale Community.
Genealogy on a Shoestring Budget
Bancroft Memorial Library
Wednesdays
March 9, 16, 23 & 30
7:00-8:00 pm

    March 1 - Super Tuesday - Voting at the gym. When I put
    my ballot into the box a bit after 8 a.m., the count was 169.

    There's still a Draper company in the textile business in Massachusetts - Draper Knitting in Canton. That's the company president,
    Kristin Draper, behind Uncle Sam. The tall gentleman beside her is Vice President Scott Draper. To the right of them is Lynn
    (Draper) Hover. I spoke with Lynn, who told me that they don't have any family connection to the Hopedale Drapers. It appears, once
    again, that Draper is quite a common name.

    Here's a bit about Draper Knitting from their website.

    Draper Knitting is a 6th generation family run organization based in Canton, Massachusetts where it was incorporated in 1856.  We
    are steeped in tradition with hundreds of years of experience throughout our production team.  We attribute our continued success
    to our ability to balance the traditional values of a family business with the forward thinking and second to none design and
    development that we offer to all of our customers big and small.

    Draper is also a wonderfully unique blend of old and new machinery, old and new processes and innovation.  We pride ourselves
    on still offering three types of fabric formations and endless blends of fibers for the simplest of applications to the most complex
    blends that help save lives.

    Draper Knitting Company’s corporate headquarters house the corporate offices as well as a 120,000 square foot manufacturing
    facility in the heart of Massachusetts.  This facility includes over 40 knitting machines that can knit an unlimited amount of fabric
    design options, CAD capabilities, our own dye house and extensive finishing capabilities.

    Above is the cover of a new publication by Edgar Browning on the  history of the
    construction industry. Mr. Browning grew up in Woonsocket and remembers the
    large amount of work going on in the city to replace bridges and deal with other
    damage from the 1955 flood. The Rosenfeld trucks in the picture were working
    on one of those projects.

Crocuses along Dutcher Street - March 1.

Tennis at the town park, March 1. All three courts in use.

    Ink ad in the Practical Christian, the newspaper of the
    Hopedale Community. Emily Gay was the town's doctor.
    Evidently ink was another source of income for her.

Hopedale Pond - March 3

Removing the stump - March 4.

    You've probably seen the Geico ad, "The squirrels are back in the attic." In my
    case, the squirrels are back in the birdhouse. Bottom floor, though; not the attic.
    They enlarged the two bottom holes (compare to the one at the top), and then
    they built a nest in the one on the left. They've also gnawed away all the perches.

    More participants welcome. If you have a hobby you'd
    like to display, call the Council on Aging at 508 634
    2208. I'll be there with my hobby - Hopedale history.

    In the good old days, The Flinstones advertised Winstons. Click here
    to see one of the ads on YouTube. Thanks for sending it, DJ.

    "...our main thoroughfare, now called Hopedale Street...had been laid out...without
    regard to any preexisting highways, cutting across the old torturous Magomiscock road
    near the junction of Hopedale and Union streets, but little had been done towards
    making it passable. It ran over an uneven surface, rocky and considerably elevated in
    some places, but low and marshy in others. Material excavated from the higher portions
    of it was transferred to the more depressed and wet localities, and before winter set in,
    a tolerably good wagon-way was opened and a promising beginning made of a future
    excellent thoroughfare. Adin Ballou, History of the Hopedale Community, 1843-1844

    Hopedale tree warden Walter Swift talking with the first
    visitors to arrive at his demonstration of collecting
    maple sap and boiling it down into syrup. March 12

Goodbye, Pinocchio.
March 16, 2016

Even dog bites made the news in 1929.
From the Hopedale Bulletin Board on
Facebook.   Here's a link to one of many
websites with tips for finding a lost cat.

    Thanks to Dave Guglielmi who came to the Council on Aging hobby fair at the Community House and
    loaned me a binder of Hopedale Pond photos to scan. I see a couple of familiar faces here, but I'll
    wait and see if some of you can send me some more names. These kids (other than the one at the
    back, middle) are a few years younger than me, and while the names will probably all be familiar, the
    faces aren't. To send identifications, you can use the email link on the homepage. The hobby fair was
    a very nice event, but, unusual for me, I forgot to bring my camera. I guess I was too busy loading up
    with my Hopedale history stuff to remember that, too.

    Dave also had some pictures of the 1949 dredging
    project at Hopedale Pond. I've added them to the
    bottom of a page about that job. Here it is.

Spring is here!!!

March 21










    Join us for a casual night tasting the latest from Atlas Distributing and the Hopedale
    Package Store! Beer selections from Peak Organic Brewing Company and wines
    from Wicked Wines and La Bodega will be served. Gluten-free drink and food
    options will be available this year!

    Proceeds of this event help fund our children’s summer reading program On Your
    Mark, Get Set…READ and our adult and children’s programs throughout the year.
    Suggested donation for this event is $15 paid at the library or $20 paid at the door.
    You must be 21 or older to attend. ID is required.
The Friends of the Hopedale Library
are pleased to present a special
Beer and Wine Tasting
Tuesday, April 12th
7 to 9 pm
at Willowbrook Restaurant
16 Hastings St.
Mendon, MA

C. 1910 card from Amy Burn's Hopedale postcard collection.

    Here's another card from Amy. Photo taken
    when library fines were strictly enforced.

March 23

    As we were driving down Hopedale Street on Easter
    afternoon, my son DJ noticed a couple of turkeys in a
    yard. In the picture above, the high school is in the
    background. An hour later, we came across the ones
    you see to the right and below.. Same ones? I don't
    know. They all look alike to me.