Firemen's Monument, Hope Cemetery - Needent Hurry

Firemans-Monument_Postcard_JAN26___1130am_FRONT.jpg

Sculpted by Arthur B. Hewett, the figure of Simon E. Coombs, a member of the Worcester Fire Department, stands atop this monument. Coombs was a member of the Department for forty-three years and its chief from 1872 to 1891. [ Friends of Hope Cemetery ]

Inscription: ERECTED BY THE WORCESTER FIRE DEPARTMENT IN MEMORY OF THEIR DEPARTED COMRADES. | DEDICATED SEP. 15, 1896

Fireman’s Monument: March 20, 2021

Fireman’s Monument: March 20, 2021

Today, there are five headstones on this plot.
> George W. Blake | 1837 – 1860 [ Typhoid Fever ]
> Ira B. Hastings | 1840 – 1864 [ Consumption ]
> John Stockley | 1831 – 1865 [ Typhoid Fever ]
> Frank. B. Jones | 1853 – 1895 [ Multiple Injuries ]
> William Flynn | 1837 – 1900 [ Chronic Heart Disease ]

Postmark: 01/26/19?? 11:30AM - Spencer, Mass.

Postmark: 01/26/19?? 11:30AM - Spencer, Mass.

Sent to: Mrs V. Wesley Green
Address: 35 Lincoln St, Spencer Mass
As you will be out late tonight needent hurry down to morrow A  

THE MYSTERY
This card was sent in the late morning with an expectation that it would arrive before the recipient left home that same evening, which speaks to an abiding faith in the punctuality of the post office in those days. (Also interesting because the parties could have walked between their two houses in about 15 minutes.) In any case, one has to wonder what would keep a young, albeit married, woman out late (how late?) in the depths of a New England winter. [ Note: The postmark does not include a year, but it would have been sent between 1904 and 1908. ]

THE SENDER
The only personal identifier in this case is one lone letter, an “A” at the end of the message. However, given that the recipient’s mother’s given name was Addie, it seems almost certain the she was the sender.

THE RECIPIENT
Lella May Ashman, born in Spencer on September 26, 1883, married Van Wesley Green, a plumber, on June 13, 1904 and they were living together at the address on this card when the 1910 Federal Census was taken in January of that year. By 1920 Lella, now identified in the census records as Stella, had one child, Ruth M. Green, who was born in 1918. By 1930 she had another child, Gertrude B. Green, age 8 at the time, and the family had moved to Pleasant Street in Spencer. Efforts to locate further information about Stella after 1940 have so far proved fruitless.

REFERENCES

(1) Firemen’s Monument - Friends of Hope Cemetery
(2) Family Histories - Ancestry.com
(3) Spencer, Massachusetts - Wikipedia

THE CARD
Made in Germany for A.P. Lundborg
Worcester, Mass.
[ Front: A21994 ]

Soldiers Monument - What is the matter with you

Soldiers-Monument_P_08-06-1909_FR.jpg

The Soldiers' Monument, located on the northeast corner of the Worcester Common was commissioned in 1871 to honor the men (only) of the city who gave their lives in service during the Civil War. The monument was designed by Randolph Rogers and construction was funded with an appropriation of $35,000 by the City of Worcester along with an additional $15,000 raised by subscription. The monument was dedicated on July 15, 1874.

Soldiers’ Monument: June 19, 2018

Soldiers’ Monument: June 19, 2018

Athena Nike, the Greek goddess of Victory, surmounts the memorial while four bronze statues representing separate (at the time) branches of the military – Artillery, Cavalry, Infantry, Navy – stand at each corner of the granite base. Surrounding the whole are four cannons, buried barrels down, that were captured from the Confederacy during the war.

Civil-War-Memorial_DSC-8224.jpg
Civil-War-Memorial_DSC-8241.jpg

Dedication Plaque: ERECTED BY THE PEOPLE OF WORCESTER, IN MEMORY OF HER SONS WHO DIED FOR THE UNION OF THE REPUBLIC, A.D. 1861-1865

Soldiers-Monument_P_08-06-1909_BK.jpg

Postmark: 08/06/1909 - Worcester, Mass.

Sent to: Mrs. Chauncy Davis
Address: Eagleville, Conn. (R.F.D.)
Dear Rose. What is the matter with you Why don’t you write to me. What are you doing with yourself. Ella.

THE MYSTERY
What was the matter with her? Why didn’t she write? What was she doing with herself? (Perhaps, with a five-year-old running about—see below—and a rural household to manage in the early 1900’s, she was otherwise occupied.)

THE SENDER
Ella certainly expresses her frustration . . . but little else. What kind of response could she be expecting? (This message, in particular, mirrors the kind of communication (or lack thereof) so prevalent in modern day text messaging.)

THE RECIPIENT
Rose Williams Lamb was born March 7, 1869 in Exeter, Rhode Island and married Chauncey Crandall Davis on October 25, 1898. They had one daughter, Frances Beatrice Davis, who was born October 27, 1903. Rose died on December 25, 1952 and is buried in Maplewood Cemetery, Norwich, Connecticut.

REFERENCES
(1) Summary Information - City of Worcester (Official Website)
(2) Civil War Monuments Forum - CivilWarTalk.com
(3) Dedication Booklet (July 15, 1874) - Google Books [ Sign-in Required ]
(4) Family Histories - Ancestry.com

THE CARD
The Metropolitan News Co., Boston, Mass.
Manufacturers of Souvenir Postal Cards
Made in Germany
[ FRONT ] Card #5593

General Devens Statue - My Dear Annie

General-Devens-Statue_P_08-22-1907_FR.jpg

This statue, erected in 1908, honors “General Devens and the men of Worcester County in the war for the Union.” Charles Devens, Jr. was a lawyer practicing in Worcester at the onset of the Civil War and within a week of Confederate soldiers firing on Fort Sumter was appointed major in the Union Army. Despite incurring serious wounds in several battles, Devens survived the war and later served as an associate justice on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and as Attorney General of the United States.

General Devens Statue: June 29, 2018

General Devens Statue: June 29, 2018

Originally located directly in front of the old Worcester County courthouse, the Devens statue has since been moved to the northeast corner of that property at the intersection of Main and Highland Streets. The courthouse itself has been vacant since 2007, replaced by a much larger, more modern structure nearby, and is currently undergoing renovation for adaptive reuse as affordable housing.

Postmark: 08/22/1907 - Worcester, Mass.

Postmark: 08/22/1907 - Worcester, Mass.

Sent to: Miss Annie M. Longwell
Address: Bernardston, Mass
Aug 21
My Dear Annie
Sorry not to be able to accept the very kind invitation from “The Longwells.” The spirit indeed is willing - another day. My love to all.
Sincerely your friend
Mr. H.

THE MYSTERY
Given the formalities of the time and a few sparse words, it is tempting to infer something about the relationship between this postcard’s sender and recipient. Indeed, the age of Miss Longwell (23) and the content of the message suggest something more than a friendship...or perhaps not. One phrase “The spirit is indeed willing…” may indicate a physical limitation that, during the month of August in 1907, could have made the 60-mile journey from Worcester to Bernardston quite arduous. At the very least, we know from further research (see below) that the two were never married.

THE SENDER
Regarding the mysterious Mr. H., a friend, we can discern, essentially, nothing.

THE RECIPIENT
Annie M. Longwell (aka Margaret Ellen Longwell) was born on March 3, 1884 and at the time of the 1900 Federal Census was working as a servant for David and Lucy E. Chapin, who lived in Bernardston. Ten years later, according to the 1910 census, she was living with her parents, Charlie and Margeret Longwell, in Leyden, Massachusetts and working as a teacher.

On September 27, 1913 she married George H. Foster and together they had three children, Herman A. Foster (1916–1982), Ralph Longwell Foster (1917–1996) & Thelma Margaret Foster (1921–1924).

Annie died in on January 21, 1967 and is buried alongside her husband (d. 1975) in
South Leyden Cemetery, Colrain, Massachusetts.

REFERENCES
(1) Worcester County Courthouse Renovation - Worcester Telegram & Gazette [ Paywall ]
(2) Family Histories - Ancestry.com

THE CARD
Made in Germany
A. C. Bosselman & Co., New York.
[ FRONT ] Card #1944

Chapel & Gateway, Hope Cemetery - Dear Sis!

Hope-Cemetery_Chapel-and-Gateway_12-15-1910_FR.JPG

This is the companion piece to an earlier post about Curtis Chapel, which is pictured above just inside the gates of Hope Cemetery’s (now disused) main entrance. According to Bill Wallace, Executive Director of the Worcester Historical Museum, The architect "(Stephen) Earle designed the (original) fence/gates many years before the chapel. Sections of this fence survive along Webster Street to the left of the current gates.”

Hope Cemetery Gates: June 29, 2018

Hope Cemetery Gates: June 29, 2018

Today, as seen above, both Curtis Chapel and the original wrought iron gates are gone. Again according to Bill Wallace, “The ‘new’ gates are early 20th century replacements; the bequest of Mary Nixon (she and her husband lived in the house formerly occupied by the Webster House restaurant). They were built by the Norcross Brothers in the style of the chapel.”

Hope-Cemetery_DSC-8296.JPG

ADDRESS OF HONORABLE Pehr G. Holmes, MAYOR OP THE CITY OF WORCESTER, 1917 WITH THE ANNUAL REPORTS OF THE SEVERAL DEPARTMENTS FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR ENDING NOVEMBER 80, 1917:

A feature of permanent value and of special significance to every one having pride in the cemetery and its appointments, which calls for special mention in this report, is the addition of the Memorial entrance

Postmark: 12/15/1910 - Worcester, Mass.

Postmark: 12/15/1910 - Worcester, Mass.

Sent to: Miss E Blanche Poole
Address: Fall River, Massachusetts
Dear Sis! Haven’t heard from ma yet so as to know if they are coming down. Yes I will help you with the sweater(.) How much do you want? Do you want to go together on pa’s too? I thought a nice pin of his order would be nice. He has always wanted one. or a charm. Have you bought Nellie’s present? She wants a nice back (?) comb. If you want you can send me as much as you want to spend for her and I will put some with it and get her as good a one as I can for the money. I should think $1.00 ought to get a nice one. I know just what she wants. Grais  

THE MYSTERY
The limited space on a postcard and the public nature of their messages often leads senders to write elliptically. This particular card is quite the exception. We know that Grais was writing to her sister, that the two of them were planning joint gifts for Christmas (the card was postmarked on December 15th), and even what gifts they had in mind. The mystery then is whether ma got the sweater, pa got the pin (or charm) and Nellie got the comb.

THE SENDER
Grais Florence Poole was born on July 4, 1890 in New Salem, Massachusetts. The “Nellie” she mentions is apparently Nellie May (Simonds) Burrage, although the early connection between them is not clear. However, three years after Nellie died in 1941, Grais married Nellie’s widower, James Burrage, who died in 1947. Grais died in 1968 and is buried in North New Salem Cemetery, along with her mother, father, and husband.

THE RECIPIENT
Blanche Poole was born on August 19, 1880 and at the time of the 1910 Federal Census was working as a servant for Rufus P. and Sarah S. Walker, who lived at the address on this card. On March 8, 1914, at the age of 33, she married Milton M. McIntyre, a widower with one son. After Milton died in 1925, Blanche returned to live with her parents in New Salem. She died in 1965 and is buried alongside her husband in South Cemetery, Orange, Massachusetts.

REFERENCES

(1) Family Histories - Ancestry.com

THE CARD
THE HUGH C. LEIGHTON CO
MANUFACTURERS PORTLAND, ME., U.S.A. L374

Acknowledgements
Special thanks to Bill Wallace, Executive Director of the Worcester Historical Museum, for his guidance on researching this topic and for permission to use his words in the blog.

Chapel, Hope Cemetery - Mama Arrived Home

Chapel_Hope-Cemetery_LA_P_03-24-1906_FR.jpg

This little jewel box of a building, “Curtis Chapel” at Hope Cemetery, was designed by noted Worcester architect Stephen Earle, dedicated on January 1, 1891 and demolished by the City of Worcester in 1962. It was the gift of Albert W. Curtis, one of the original Commissioners of Hope Cemetery and an owner of Curtis & Marble, a local textile machine company.

Hope Cemetery Gates: June 29, 2018

Hope Cemetery Gates: June 29, 2018

According to Bill Wallace, Executive Director of the Worcester Historical Museum, "The chapel stood just inside the currently unused entrance at the top of the rise as you approach from Webster Square. The 'new' gates [seen above] are early 20th century replacements, built by the Norcross Brothers in the style of the chapel."

Postmark: 03/24/1906 - Millbury Mass.

Postmark: 03/24/1906 - Millbury Mass.

Sent to: Miss Lizzie Cullina
Address: Worcester, Massachusetts
Mama arrived home last night found everything all O.K.
Marion

 

 

 

 

THE MYSTERY
Punctuation on postcards from the early 20th century is often rather sparse. In this case, the lack of a dash, comma or period leads to some difficulty in understanding the true intent of the message. It might read, "Mama - Arrived home last night. Found everything all O.K." or "Mama arrived home last night (and) found everything all O.K." The correct interpretation is made clear by details provided below about the sender and recipient, neither of whom is "Mama."

THE SENDER
On June 19, 1900 the Federal census for that year records Marion Cullina living with her mother and five siblings in the town of Sutton, Massachusetts, roughly 10 miles from Worcester. Six years later, at the time this card was sent, she was 12 years old and, as the youngest member of a large family, was likely the one designated to communicate with her sister Lizzie.

THE RECIPIENT
Elizabeth ("Lizzie") Cullina was the sixth of ten children born to Michael and Ellen (Powers) Cullina. Her date of birth was August 11, 1874 and she died in May 1964. This card was almost certainly sent after a visit by her mother to Worcester where Lizzie (a "saleslady") lived at the time with her brother Edmund (a carpenter) and sister Nellie (a housekeeper).

REFERENCES

(1) Cullina Family History - Ancestry.com

THE CARD
Made in Germany
A. C. Bosselman & Co., New York.

Acknowledgements
Special thanks to Bill Wallace for his guidance on researching this topic, for essentially all of the basic information about Curtis Chapel (which is almost invisible on the Web), and for permission to use his words in the blog.
Also, thanks to Larry Abramoff for providing the postcard itself.

Worcester Memorial Auditorium (& Central Congregational Church)

Memorial-Auditorium_Congregational-Church_NP_FEB-2018_FR_Copyright-2018.jpg

Worcester Memorial Auditorium, officially dedicated in 1933, was built to honor the city's World War I veterans. It was designed by the architects Lucius W. Briggs of Worcester and Frederic C. Hirons of New York City. Although the columns on this building announce its Classical Revival style, the setting on a steep hill leading up Highland Street and the low extensions on the north and south sides detract somewhat from its "classic" proportions. Nonetheless, its presence on Lincoln Square is weighty and dignified.

On the upper element of the entablature are inscribed these words.
"To honor the service in war of her sons and daughters and to nourish in peace their spirit of sacrifice a grateful city erected this building." [ Chief Justice Arthur P. Rugg ]

Worcester-Memorial-Auditorium_DSC-0169_APR-2018_H-3601.jpg
Worcester-Auditorium_DSC-3562_APR-2018_4x6.jpg

Both the interior and exterior of the building are adorned with many Art Deco features, including the two examples shown above. It also houses the mighty Kimball Pipe Organ, a magnificent instrument equipped with 6,853 pipes over 107 ranks that, quite unlike so many other vintage organs around the world, has not been modified since it debuted here in 1933.

The Central Mural, 57 x 30 Feet

The Central Mural, 57 x 30 Feet

This imposing building also holds within it a stunning set of three large murals painted by Leon Kroll. It is impossible to grasp the scale and impact of Kroll's work without visiting the site, but the detail images below may give a sense of his ambition for this project.

Detail: Center Mural

Detail: Center Mural

Detail: Left Mural [ 16 x 25.5 Feet ]

Detail: Left Mural [ 16 x 25.5 Feet ]

In a tragic irony, these murals were dedicated on May 28, 1941, barely six months prior to the bombing at Pearl Harbor which brought the United States into the Second World War.

Worcester Memorial Auditorium - July 4, 2015

Worcester Memorial Auditorium - July 4, 2015

Over the course of the last 85 years, the Auditorium has hosted a wide range of events, from civic celebrations and high school graduations to Holy Cross basketball games and roller derby competitions. Among the almost uncountable number of concerts held here was Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Review in 1975 (at which Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell also appeared). Today the building sits empty, unused since 1999, with an uncertain future. However, a substantial city-funded study is now underway to determine what can and should be done to preserve it for future generations.

Memorial-Auditorium_Congregational-Church_NP_FEB-2018_BK.jpg

REFERENCES

(1) Architecture & Design - Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System
(2) Planning & Construction - Worcester Chapter, American Guild of Organists
(3) Justice Arthur P. Rugg - Memorial: Mass.Gov Website
(4) Rolling Thunder Review - Joni Mitchell Library
(5) 2017 - 2018 Feasibility Study - Worcester Telegram & Gazette [ Paywall ]

THE CARD

PUB. BY PERKINS & BUTLER, INC., WORCESTER, MASS
"TICHNOR QUALITY VIEWS" REG U.S. PAT. OFF.
MADE ONLY BY TICHNOR BROS., INC. BOSTON, MASS.
[ 63322 ]
 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Many thanks to Larry Haley for information on the proper architectural terminology.

Worcester Market - Having Splendid Time

Worcester-Market_P-09-09-1926_FR.jpg

The Worcester Market, an ornately adorned Classical Revival style building, was constructed by the J. W. Bishop Company from a design by its employee Oreste Ziroli, an Italian immigrant. It was completed in 1914 and opened for business in 1915. At that time, it was reported to be the largest food market in the United States, with 25,000 square feet of retail space on the first floor and storage space above and below connected to the each product counter by elevators.

Worcester Market: August 7, 2015

Worcester Market: August 7, 2015

Initially built for a regional grocer, Fayette Asyril Amidon, the building subsequently served as a store location for the Brockleman Bros. and Stop & Shop chains, before closing as a market in the mid-1960's. Thereafter, it was used for about a decade by Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries as a store and then, after substantial renovation, was leased to the state for various departmental offices. The building was closed in 2014 and today has an uncertain future.

Main-Street_627_Worcester-Market_DSC-4843.jpg

Still, many people remember the Worcester Market in its heyday, including Mrs. Beverly (Marsden) Strom who said recently, "(I went) there every Friday night shopping with my mother and father after having a hamburger at White Tower nearby.  It was the only market in town at the time until United Fruit opened up across the street." That was a different world.

Sent to: Miss Maude Hupper
Address: Rockland, Maine
We are enjoying a week with Belle - having splendid time - B & W send love to you and your mother.
Sincerely, Louise C. Hewett

Postmark: 09/09/1926 - Worcester Mass.

Postmark: 09/09/1926 - Worcester Mass.

THE MYSTERY

  • Who were the B(elle) & W mentioned in the message on this card? What relationship did they have to the Sender and Recipient? Were they family or just close friends? One or the other most certainly.

THE SENDER

Louise Benner Curling was born in 1872 and, at the time of the 1930 Federal census, lived in Thomaston, Maine, just a few miles down Route 1 from the Recipient of this card. She married John Hewett in 1906 and it appears that they had no children. Louise died in 1951 and is buried in the Thomaston Village Cemetery.

THE RECIPIENT

Maude Louise Hupper was born in 1880 to Sidney G. & Eloise T. Hupper. According to the 1920 Federal census, at age 37 she was single and living in Rockland, Maine with her parents. At the time this card was sent, six years later, she was still single and thereafter never married. Maude died in 1971 at the age of 90 and is buried in Achorn Cemetery in Rockland, Maine.

REFERENCES
(1) Builder, Designer & Style - Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System
(2) The New Worcester Market - The Worcester Magazine, Volume 18, Pages 53-56
(3) Recent History - Worcester Telegram & Gazette, February 24, 2018
(2) Birth, Death & Census Records - Ancestry.com

The Card

THE WORCESTER MARKET, the largest of its kind in the United States. The entire plant has an area of 90,000 sq. ft. and a storage capacity of 1500 tons. The actual floor space, all on one floor, for the convenience of patrons, is 25,000 sq. ft.

Pub. by J. I. Williams, Worcester, Mass., U. S. A. [86-19]

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to Bill Trutor for his research assistance on this topic.

The Derby Grill

This postcard is unused (never postmarked).

This postcard is unused (never postmarked).

Although the Web today is a vast reservoir of information, it is not (yet) infinite and many minor topics, along with people, organizations and other items of ephemeral or passing existence are completely missing or barely referenced. The latter characterizes what is currently available online regarding The Derby Grill at 19 Pearl Street. In fact, simply locating any trace of that specific address has proved difficult.

Richards-Standard-Atlas-of-the-City-of-Worcester_1922_Pearl-Street-Snip.JPG

The map above shows two buildings (boxed area) on Pearl Street in 1922 with addresses that range from 15 to 39. Those structures have since been demolished and the site is now occupied (if that's the word) by a parking lot. Based on the decor and clothing styles shown on the front of this card one would assume that some people with a living memory of The Derby Grill are still around. But, absent their testimony, the restaurant's original sales pitch will have to be the last word for now.

Derby-Grill_NP_NOV-2017_BK-2.jpg

The Downtown Restaurant You Like.
for excellent food . . .
courteous service . . .
reasonable prices . . .
and gay, friendly atmosphere!

Who could wish for anything more?


REFERENCES

(1) Period Map - Atlas of the City of Worcester Massachusetts, Richards Map Co., 1922, Plate 4

THE CARD

"TICHNOR QUALITY VIEWS" REG. U.S. PAT. OFF. MADE ONLY BY TICHNOR BROS., INC. BOSTON, MASS. [83039]
 

Franklin Square Theatre - F.L.C.

Franklin-Square-Theatre_P-08-20-1907_FR.jpg

The Franklin Square Theatre at 2 Southbridge Street was built by Ransom Clarke Taylor from a design by the local firm of Cutting, Carleton & Cutting and opened for business in 1904. The hall included orchestra seating for 658 people, a balcony and boxes for 459, and a gallery for 519. At that time, admission prices ranged from $1.50 for the best orchestra seats to $0.25 for the gallery.

In the first two decades of its existence, the theater hosted local and traveling performers as well as Broadway touring companies. However, in 1926 then-owner Sylvester Z. Poli developed a larger adjacent building (Poli's Palace) to cash in on the growing craze for moving pictures and this original structure was relegated to secondary uses.

2 Southbridge Street: July 3, 2015

2 Southbridge Street: July 3, 2015

Today, thanks primarily to the imaginative efforts of Ed Madaus and Paul Demoga, along with substantial contributions from many players in Worcester, this building has been restored and is now being used as part of The Hanover Theatre complex. Unfortunately, the original stained glass windows that once graced the facade of this building were lost or stolen at some point. Perhaps someone knows where they are now?

Sent to: Mr. Donald P. LyfordAddress: Hudson, Mass.Postmark: 08/20/1907 - South Berlin Mass.

Sent to: Mr. Donald P. Lyford
Address: Hudson, Mass.
Postmark: 08/20/1907 - South Berlin Mass.

THE MYSTERY

  • This card was postmarked in a town less than five miles from where the recipient lived and has, essentially, no content. Maybe it was sent, as so many postcards at the time were, simply as part of an exchange between people who collected the cards. Picture postcard collecting was a mania in the early 1900's and hundreds of millions of cards were mailed annually until the fad crashed at the beginning of the First World War.

THE SENDER

At best, given only the three initials on the front of the card, we may surmise that the sender was thoughtful . . . but he or she will probably remain forever unknown to us.

THE RECIPIENT

Donald Pierce Lyford was born on February 11, 1894 in Spencer, Massachusetts to Taylor C. Lyford and Nellie L. (Pierce) Lyford. He married in 1917 and had one son, but at the time of the 1930 census was divorced and living with his parents. Later in life it appears that he married Dorothy Avis Branigan. She died in 1969, he died in 1978, and they are both (Donald & Dorothy) buried at Prospect Hill Cemetery in Uxbridge, Massachusetts.

REFERENCES
(1) Franklin Square Theatre - The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts
(2) Seating - The The Engineering Record, Building Record and Sanitary Engineer, Volume 49, Number 13, Page 392 [ 1904 ]
(3) Admission Prices - Julius Cahn's Official Theatrical Guide, Volume 13, Page 492 [ 1908 ]
(4) Postcard History - New York State Library
(5) Local Birth, Marriage, Divorce & Death Records - Ancestry.com

The Card

Made in Germany.
A.C. Besselman & Co., New York.
[501]

Classical High School - Boys are planting the gardens ...

Classical-High-School_P-1943_FR.JPG

Classical High School was completed in 1871 from a design by the firm of Gambrill and Richardson of New York. This grand, soaring structure reflected the vision of H. H. (Henry Hobson) Richardson, whose signature style came to be called "Richardson Romanesque."

The Worcester firm of Norcross Brothers Contractors and Builders was engaged to construct the new school and subsequently worked with Richardson on many other projects throughout New England and beyond. In addition to classrooms, meeting spaces, and offices, it included a gymnasium in the basement and a large hall on the third floor, measuring 76' x 62'.

The building faced east on what is now called Maple Terrace (between Maple and Walnut Streets) but in 1966 was demolished to make way for the new headquarters of Paul Revere Life Insurance Company.

Sent to: Mrs. O. O. Wright
Address: Spencer, West Virginia
Postmark: ??/??/1943 - Dodge, MA
Dear Friend - Nice hearing from you. At last we are having some nice weather. Boys are planting the gardens at last and about time. Am feeling better but can't do much work. Cheerio
From: Mrs. H, Beauregard, Box 48, Dodge, Mass. Collector of miniature dogs & hankies

Classical-High-School_P-1943_BK.JPG

THE MYSTERY

  • In 1943, most able-bodied young men in their late teens would have been called up for service in a rapidly escalating war effort. And, at a time when the country was rationing every imaginable product, a source of locally grown food would have been very important. So what led these "boys" to put off their responsibilities? Perhaps, considering the circumstances, the discipline of a senior man in the house was absent. Whatever the reason, Mrs. Beauregard seems none too happy about the delay . . . and rightly so.

THE SENDER

Eudora Hazel Judson Button (Beebe) Beauregard was born on May 22, 1895 in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Barely a week after turning 17, on May 31, 1912, she married Reginald Ambrose Judson in Worcester, Massachusetts. However, they were divorced on October 19, 1916 and soon thereafter she married Edwin/Edward H. Button, with whom she had three children, Edward, Lillian and Phyllis. Edward Sr. died on July 18, 1925 and she then married Harry Joseph Beauregard in Boston on May 8, 1926. Eudora died on February 12, 1993 (at age 97) and is buried beside her second and third husbands in Hope Cemetery, Worcester, Massachusetts.

THE RECIPIENT

Onnie O. Wright married Edna McKown in 1916 and at the time of the 1920 census they were recorded as having one son, Herbert. However, the West Virginia Marriages Index shows that on October 29, 1923 he married Anna A. Hawkins and at the time of the 1940 Federal census the two were living in Spencer, West Virginia with their son, 15-year old Olsten. It seems very unlikely that there were two Onnie O. Wrights of the same age at the same time in that area, so one must assume that Anna was the second wife to whom this card was addressed.

REFERENCES

(1) Classical & Worcester High School - WorcesterThen.com
(2) Worcester Illustrated: 1875 - James A. Ambler [ Page 26 - 27 ]
(3) Federal Census & Social Security Records - Ancestry.com
(4) Local Birth, Marriage, Divorce & Death Records - Ancestry.com

THE CARD

Published by A. P. Lundborg, Worcester, Mass.
Valentine & Sons Publishing Company Ltd. New York
Printed in Great Britain
[02,282]