Thanks to Lisa DuBois for this picture of Draper Field. I have another one dated August 10, 1948. That one was taken from a different angle, but based on the cars in the parking lot and a few other little details, such as the sprinklers in operation in both photos, I'd say they were probably taken no more than a minute apart. Click here to see more pictures of Draper Field. |
Photo sent by DJ Malloy. He said, "The commuter rail drawbridge from North Station had opened for a boat on the Charles." |
General, Princess, Artist, Murderer. (I used the capitals because it sounds like it could be a book title.) Yes, all of them and more are in the General Draper tomb at Hopedale Village Cemetery. In addition to the four mentioned above, are the general's first wife, Lilla, of the Nantucket abolitionist Joy family, and his second wife, Susan, of the slave-owning Prestons and Wickliffes of Kentucky. |
The house on the left, 120 Dutcher Street, was the Durgin home in 1936 and for years before and after that. The next house was the home of George, Hannah and Annabelle Jenkins. Beyond that, there were no houses for some distance in 1928, so that may be what the Milford News article referred to as "Durgin's grounds, Dutcher Street." Click here to read more about the Our Gang circuses. |
The G&U yard used to be filled mainly with stacks of drywall. There is still a lot of that, but now there are also stacks of stockade fence sections and other (vinyl, I think) fence sections. |
Model A Fords in the Willow Brook parking lot, Mendon. |
Hopedale in June 2016 Hopedale history ezine for June 1 - Hopedale's Early Homes Ezine for mid-June - Adin Ballou's School Days Ezine Menu HOME . |
Votalato house a half-mile away in Milford was taken down. Milford News article. |
to Cesare Comolli for sending the picture which is from the Robin Philbin collection. Cesar said of the house, "Here is a nice old photo of Dr. John Votolato's home. Originally the residence of Frederick Ellis, corner of Main and Prospect streets ca 1904. Current home of Dr. Votolato [2013] Robert Allen Cook, Architect." |
G&U yard - June 3. |
Hopedale Pond - June 4. |
I was in the front yard making a new door for under the front porch, when this little guy came along to join me. |
this mural of The Greatest in a graffiti-filled alley in Central Square in Cambridge. Another artist was adding something to the wall to the right as I took this." |
and taking a look. Click here to find who is in each of the five Draper tombs at Hopedale Village Cemetery, plus a few more of the prominent early Hopedale residents. |
They're back! Just as the winter moth caterpillars had finished eating all they could hold, the gypsy moth caterpillars arrived. The pictures show them on one of my apple trees. It hasn't been as bad around here as it was one year in the '80s, (1981, I think) but there are places where some trees have no leaves left. Here's a New York Times article about the damage done by them in 1981. |
June 29 Blackstone Valley Community Concert Band *MCC Grant Recipient July 13 Fantasy Big Band Swing to contemporary July 20 Fourcast Acoustics from the 70’s to today July 27 Nowheremen Beatles tribute band August 3 Whiskeytone Rockin’ country blues August 10 Mahrud Contemporary big band jazz
Parks Department Kayak and canoe rentals on the pond from Fin and Feather Outfitters Join us on Facebook: Hopedale Cultural Council – Community Organization |
2016 Summer Band Concerts Hopedale Town Park Wednesdays 7-9pm Rain dates on Thursdays |
You can now dispose of unwanted prescription drugs and OTC medications at the Hopedale police station. |
House by the Gannett family. Ira was Bill Gannett's great-great grandfather. The object he's holding in his left hand is the loom temple that he invented in 1816. It became the starting point for the whole Draper business. Click here for more on the temple. |
There was a fire at the Haywagon on the morning of the 16th. Evidently there wasn't too much damage. I saw a family leaving there eating ice cream cones a few hours later. |
The new Community House bowling alleys. Click here for information on bowling. Click here to go to the Community House homepage. |
The page above is from Cotton Chats, May 1939, from a collection of the Draper monthlies saved by Joseph P. Calagione, who saved them during his 42 years of employment with Drapers. Thanks to Lisa and Joe Calagione for them. This is the only edition of Cotton Chats that I've seen written in Spanish, although after World War II Draper Corporation published a book about the company in Spanish. Seda artificial translates to artificial silk, which usually meant rayon.The title of that issue was El Grupo "X" Se Ha Aumentado El Telar Modelo "XD" es el Recien Llegado. |
The old town dump looks better now than it did 50 years ago. |
My daughter, CeCe, often gives gifts that are a bit out of the ordinary. When I opened a package this morning that she sent for Fathers' Day, it contained a book of Soviet Union propaganda posters, Movie Stars,1959, and a Baltimore Catechism from 1941. A mixed bag, you might say. Lots of fascinating stuff from the past. Here's the message from the poster: The Machine-Tractor Station is the Linchpin of Collectivisation. Get a Tractor! Let's Double and Triple the MTS. Artist unknown, circa 1930 The Machine Tractor Stations were first set up in 1929 as marshaling yards for the maintenance and distribution of agricultural machinery at the start of Stalin's notorious campaign of collectivisation. Russian Revolutionary Posters: From Civil War to Socialist Realism. From Bolshevism to the End of Stalinism. David King |
Linda Hixon's 2015 lecture for the Friends of Adin Ballou, taped by Hopedale Cable, is now on YouTube. The subject is the women's sewing circle of the Hopedale Community. Actually it's not about sewing. It's about what was evidently a more important matter to the ladies; abolitionism. It's difficult to hear for the first few minutes, but then it gets much better. Click here to see it. |
On the first day of summer, after bringing Elaine to Green Airport, DJ and I went to Cambridge and paddled a few miles along the Charles.Click here for more views of the river between the cities. |
DJ took this picture looking out his window at about 4 AM on the night of the 21st. No, he doesn't have a really great flash. We had quite a thunderstorm at the time, and he clicked the camera just as the lighting lit up the area. |
Leon and Flora were Robert "Zeke" Hammond's parents. |
Family Fun Night - June 22 |
third grades for speaking to them about Hopedale history. |
Turkey vultures love Woonsocket. Whenever we paddle along the Blackstone River there, a flock is usually circling overhead. Hmmm. This time, later in the day, they were on the ground and in the trees. |