Assessors' Report, 1886 - Henry Patrick

    Hopedale History
    July 1, 2014
    No. 255
    Henry Patrick

    Hopedale in June    (Plus a few neighboring town photos and other odds and ends.)

    Website additions made during the past two weeks: Gannett Family (articles on the wedding of Dorothy
    Draper and Thomas Gannett.)     General Draper (Milord News article about his death.)     Robert "Zeke"
    Hammond (wedding article for Zeke's parents)    Bristow and Queena Draper (Queena's obituary and will)    
    Harrison Block (George Mongiat buys drug store)     The Other Drapers (article on the 55th anniversary party
    for Mr. and Mrs. George E. Draper.)      Joseph Miller (Body returned from South Pacific.)     Henry Rumse
    (Body returned from the South Pacific.)      Recent deaths.      

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    Twenty-five years ago - July 1989 - Seinfeld premiers.

    France celebrates the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution.

    The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber makes its first flight.

    Nintendo releases the Game Boy portable video game system in North America.

    In Lebanon, Hezbollah announces that it has hanged U.S. Marine Lt. Col. William R. Higgins in retaliation for
    Israel's July 28 kidnapping of Hezbollah leader Abdel Karim Obeid.

    Hopedale Country Club championship - Steve Bird will play Ken Mooradian, Dick Gould will face Lou
    Costanza, and Bob Carbone will meet Dave Cashel.

    Ann Robinson will conclude her duties as director of the Bancroft Memorial Library on July 20 to accept a
    similar position in Plainville.

    Fifty years ago - July 1964 - President Lyndon Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law,
    abolishing racial segregation in the United States.

    The U.S. sends 5,000 more military advisers to South Vietnam, bringing the total number of United States
    forces in Vietnam to 21,000.

    Winston Churchill retires from the House of Commons at the age of 89.

    Troop 1 Boy Scouts in Hopedale have returned home after an eventful week's stay at Camp Resolute in
    Bolton.

    Seven Hopedale residents have been honored by the American Red Cross for qualifying for the Seven Mile
    Club. (swimming) They are Brian Wright, Brian Luce, Mandy Eddy, Robert Leger, John Steel, Joseph Darling
    and Janice Mainville. The only resident who has achieved membership in the Fifty Mile Club is Steve
    Ostrowski.
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    When Rico Calarese replaced the old Henry Patrick Store with a new building in 1966, Peter Hackett wrote
    two articles about the history of the store for the Milford News. I sent one on February 15, 2011. Here's the
    other.

                                                        Henry Patrick of Hopedale,
                                                        Colorful, Noted Character

                                                                                By Peter Hackett

    The Henry Patrick store block, soon to be demolished, will remove from the scene a century old landmark,  
    long familiar to generations of people in the surrounding towns as well as in Hopedale itself. Although the
    building will soon be gone and pass quietly into the realms of Hopedale history, the name of Henry Patrick
    will live long in the memories of those who knew him.

    The old Henry Patrick store, now known as the Food Center, is operated by Americo Calarese. He is building
    a new supermarket to the rear at the same location. The front area will be used for parking when the original
    Patrick building is torn down.

    Henry Patrick was a noted and colorful character of this day and should be remembered in the annals, when
    written, of both Hopedale and Milford. When he built his store in 1869, that was seventeen years before
    Hopedale became a town. By  1899, the Hopedale Assessors Report lists him as one of the town's ten
    largest real estate owners and also one of the 21 persons who paid more than $100 on individual taxes, he
    paying $479 and his father, Delano, paying $246.

    Henry Patrick was respected throughout the state for his business ability and keen discernment. He was as
    well known in Boston as he was in Hopedale or Milford. He incorporated the store in 1929, the stock being
    sold only to his employees, and by so doing he was recognized as one of the founders, probably the founder
    of the Profit Sharing policy adopted by some of the larger mercantile establishments throughout New
    England.

    His overall policy in business was for large sales at small profit, and cash payment for everything he bought.
    This together with his universally respected integrity made his business tremendously successful so that by
    middle life he had acquired a comfortable competence.

    From the latter, to his credit, he was generous to charitable and benevolent entertainments, public and
    private. He was an active member of the Milford Universalist Church. Although intensely interested in
    Hopedale's town affairs, he seems to have kept out of public office.

    Patrick was somewhat incorrigible, critical, argumentative, stubborn and obstinate. He was anything but a
    quiet man, having always much to say. Being an earnest man, and full of energy and enthusiasm, he was
    under great strain when expressing himself due to a speech defect of stammering.

    Having so much to say and so much difficulty in saying it, it induced an excitement that perhaps was more
    apparent than real. Henry seemed at his best when criticizing the Drapers. Nothing they ever said or did was
    right according to him. To be against them seemed to be his paramount obsession. Perhaps that was why
    he was one of the few men in Hopedale who dared, and in his case, delighted, to call himself a Democrat.
    It was a great satisfaction to Henry Patrick when, in 1903, he sued and won his case against the town of
    Hopedale which had taken some of his land by eminent domain for use as park land. The town valued the
    land at $900. Henry said that was not enough. The town stuck to its figure, so Henry sued. The court ruled
    that the $900 must be raised to $2500. In addition to the increase, the town had to pay $1750 for lawyers'
    fees.

    Henry no doubt inherited his independent thinking from his father, Delano, who maintained a successful
    farm on Freedom Street. (near the intersection of Freedom and Northrop.) Under the date of Oct. 17, 1885 in
    the Milford Chronicles, we read, "At a public meeting of Hopedale voters in Social Hall on the question of
    dividing Hopedale from Milford, the sentiment was in favor of division. George Draper was chairman and
    Frank J. Dutcher, secretary. Delano Patrick opposed the division." Later, at a state house hearing, Delano
    Patrick was among those present to oppose the division. Perhaps this was the beginning of son Henry
    becoming opposed to the Drapers.

    Of Delano Patrick, Ballou describes him as being, "An intelligent, independent thinker, an exemplary citizen."
    He was born in Holliston, Oct 28, 1815 and died in Hopedale March 23, 1906, aged 90 years.

    Henry's date of birth, 1846  would make him but 23 when he built his store. Whether his father helped him or
    not, we don't know. We do know from town records of 1886 that he was one of the town's largest real estate
    holders.

    Henry Patrick died March 15, 1927, 58 years after the store was built, at the age of 81. He was a man of high
    character and standing. He was proud of his store and the service it rendered to the community. Like his
    father, Delano, Henry too was,  "An independent thinker, and an exemplary citizen." Milford Daily News, 1966.

                                         Henry Patrick's Store                            Now and Then - Patrick's       

    Thanks to Peter Metzke for sending
    the Worcester Gazette local news
    column above. The other clippings,
    printed in the Milford Daily News, are
    from the Bancroft Library.
1953