Hopedale History
February 2022
No. 400
Hopedale in 1922, Part 1
Hopedale in February
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Twenty-five years ago – February 1997 – Tune-up and repair work on the Hubble Space Telescope is started by astronauts from the Space Shuttle Discovery.
North Hollywood shootout: Two robbers, wearing kevlar body armor, and armed with AK-47s containing armor-piercing bullets, injure 17 police officers and civilians in a gun battle
Fifty years ago – February 1972 – President Richard M. Nixon makes an unprecedented 8-day visit to the People’s Republic of China and meets with Mao Zedong.
North Vietnamese negotiators walk out of the Paris Peace Talks to protest U.S. air raids.
A coal sludge spill kills 125 people in Buffalo Creek, West Virginia.
One-hundred years ago – February 1922 – DeWitt and Lila Wallace publish the first issue of Reader’s Digest in the United States.
President Warren G. Harding introduces the first radio in the White House.
Leser v. Garnett: The Supreme Court of the United States rebuffs a challenge to the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which gave women the right to vote.
News items above are from Wikipedia. For Hopedale news from 25, 50 and 100 years ago, see below this text box.
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Hopedale in 1922, Part 1
News items from the Milford Gazette, saved at the Bancroft Library
January 13 – Cho Co, the public health clown, entertained the school children of this town and Mendon yesterday afternoon in Town Hall.
About 150 persons attended the chicken pattie supper served by the Alliance Wednesday evening.
January 20 – The high school sophomores enjoyed a sleighride to Franklin Monday evening.
January 27 – The local American Legion will present the play “Wives to Burn,” Feb, 13 in Town Hall.
About 25 couples attended the dance of the Winter Dancing Club Saturday evening in Pythian Hall. (Harrison Block)
The girls employed at the Draper Corporation shop office enjoyed a dance in Pythian Hall last Tuesday evening with about 100 in attendance.
February 3 – The high school basketball five was defeated at Northbridge Friday, 14 to 1.
During the past year, 30, 463 volumes were loaned form the Bancroft Memorial Library, of which 3264 were from the South Hopedale branch.
February 10 – The high school basketball five defeated the Milford High-Y five Friday at the Milford Y.M.C.A. by a score of 24 to 15.
An oyster stew supper was served at the Unitarian Men’s Club Tuesday evening, after which Eben S. Draper related experiences with the American Expeditionary Forces.
While attempting to board a moving train at Framingham last Thursday afternoon, Charles A. Forster fell and narrowly escaped death. He was enroute to Lawrence in response to a message that a relative was dying.
February 17 – Plans for the new quarters will be inspected at tonight’s meeting of George Draper lodge, Pythians. (From the time they had first been organized, the Hopedale chapter of the Knights of Pythias had held their meetings in the hall upstairs in the Harrison Block. In 1922, plans had been drawn up for the building of the Community House, and that would include a room for the Pythians, so those plans much have been what this referred to.)
A three-act comedy will be presented in Town Hall next Thursday and Friday evening, under the auspices of Tisquanum lodge, Odd Fellows, for the benefit of the building fund.
February 24 – The Westcott spindle mill in Spindleville has been closed this week on account of lack of orders and the holiday.
Charles H. Hart has been elected warden of the Upton town farm by overseers of the poor, and with his wife will begin his new duties Monday. Mr. Hart conducted a farm in Bucksport, Maine for many years and came to Massachusetts about five years ago to manage a large farm in Holliston. For the past year he has been employed in the Draper Corp. plant.
March 3 – The General Draper residence in Hopedale is being put in readiness for the arrival of Princess Boncompagni sometime in April. The Prince and Princess, who are taking a cruise in southern waters, will return to New York in a few weeks and the prince will sail for Italy. The Princess will come to Hopedale for a stay of about six weeks, before returning to Italy. (The Prince and Princess divorced the next year.)
March 10– The high school seniors presented the farce, “A Box Full of Monkeys” Friday evening in Town Hall for the benefit of their Washington trip. Dancing followed the entertainment and candy and ice cream were sold. Bateson’s orchestra furnished music.
The Nipmuc Canoe Club will hold the third in the series of dances in Town Hall, Tuesday, March 28.
March 17 – Little tots from the studio or Mrs. Dorothy Pierce Wilbur, of Braintree and Boston, will appear in a most unusual program Easter Monday night, and the Town Hall. The entire performance is given by children ranging in age from 2 ½ years to 12 years. Their clever work, wonderful costumes and dainty mannerisms make them a decided hit wherever they are shown.
March 24 – Miss Helena Hattersley has left the employ of the Draper Corporation, and is now working for the Dennison Co. at Framingham.
Harland E. Gaskill, a graduate of the state college at Amherst, has gone to Reading, Penn., to attend the training school for department store managers conducted by the W.T. Grant Co. of New York.
March 31 – Work on the new Community House was started last week by the Casper Ranger Construction Co.
A touring car which was stolen from A.J. Dion Saturday, was found near the Home Farm in Worcester, where it had been stripped of tires and parts, and abandoned by the thieves.