The Milford News article to the left shows that although the name Dana Park was in use in 1947, the street that was put in on the property was named McVitty Road. It was named for the developer, Louis McVitty. The people at that time who had an interest in Hopedale history thought it should have been named for the previous owner, Dana Osgood. Osgood's mother was the daughter of George and Hannah Draper. As you can see from the town report warrant for 1956, the name of most of what had been McVitty Road was changed to Dana Park. |
Above - Dana Park Below - McVitty Road |
Hopedale - November 2019 Hopedale history ezine for October - Winning Pitch Ezine for November - Letters to Her Son Hopedale in October 2019 Hopedale in November 2018 Recent Pictures Menu HOME . |
These are pumpkins that accidentally grew on the Community House lawn this year. A bit smaller than Mr. Trask's of 100 years ago this month,but nice to see them anyway. |
Massachusettite? Massachusettensian? Believe it or not, Massachusettsan lawmakers (sorry) somehow found time to take up this pressing issue. According to state General Laws Part I, Title I, Chapter 2, Section 35, “Bay Staters shall be the official designation of citizens of the commonwealth.” The name was approved by the state Legislature in December of 1990. But Massachusetts has largely always been “Bay.” “Before it’s Bay Staters it’s Bay colonists,” said Drummey. The use of “Bay State” to refer to Massachusetts dates back to the late 1700s, Peter Sokolowski, editor- at-large at Springfield-based dictionary company Merriam-Webster, said in an e-mail. The relative simplicity of Bay Stater, he said, “is doubtless the reason that it has stuck,” since other failed demonyms over the years, like the above mentioned Massachusettite, Massachusettsan, Massachusettsian, and John Adams’ unwieldy and quite frankly offensive Massachusettensian, don’t exactly “roll off the tongue.” “Some names of states simply do not lend themselves to predictable, idiomatic, or easily pronounceable demonyms,” Sokolowski added, “and Massachusetts is one such name.” But if Bay Stater doesn’t do it for you, then the more brash terminology used to refer to a Massachusetts native is also on the table: Masshole. Sure, it was intended as an insult, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, which added the word to its lexicon in 2015. But it’s become more of a badge of honor. MSN.com |
Click here for Kids React to Rotary Phones. |
Above - the Draper Main Office when business was booming. Below - when it wasn't |
Here's the last of Merriam-Webster's list of new words in use in 1969. |
Above - West foundry - early '60s, I think. You people who know cars can probably narrow it down. Below - Former West Foundry - 2019 |
The Inman Street houses between Elm and Beech were the ones built in 1920. Click here to see much more about them. |
Click here to see the rest of this article, and more on Rockwell's sale of property in Hopedale. |
Edgar Allen Poe strolling along at the corner of Charles and Boyleston streets, across from the Common, dropping some of his papers out of his briefcase. Thanks for sending, DJ. Here are a few lines from the Globe article written when the statue was unveiled in 2014. The statue itself reflects Poe’s feelings toward the city. The sculptor, Stephanie Rocknak, said he faces away from the Frog Pond to represent his disdain for Bostonians, as he walks toward his birthplace on Carver Street. Former US poet laureate Robert Pinsky said the statue was a fitting tribute. “It’s got a good cuckoo quality that speaks of Poe,” Pinsky said. The crisp air and warm sun “was the only thing that was inappropriate,” Pinsky said, referring to Poe’s gloomy nature. Nikki Siclare, 23, of Brighton, and Caroline Sipio, 22, of Brookline, agreed that the jovial ceremony was a little contradictory, considering Poe’s stormy style. “The rain yesterday would have been worse for the crowd, but it might have been better in terms of ambiance,” Siclare said. “Also, everyone’s taking pictures with the statue and smiling. Serious faces! It’s Poe,” Sipio added. Both are working toward master’s degrees in English. |
My maternal grandmother left Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia in the 1890s. She was a teenager when she got on a train and came down this way, settling in Millis for a few years, and working as a maid for the family the town was named for. Life in Nova Scotia was very tough. You can see one aspect of that above. It's part of one page on a website sent to me by my son a few days ago. There are 50 coal mine deaths listed on each page of the site, and it goes on for 51 pages! |
had, and where his "stand" was. The house that used to be the Little White Market maybe. In the railroad depot? Not many possibilites on little Depot Street. |
In the 1920s, and for some years after, Gretchen Bell's family lived here at 10 Prospect Street. |
"KEEP DOOR CLOSED" it says. No wonder the place is falling apart. Somebody left it open. |
This is one of the hopper cars parked on the track near Route 16. As you can see, it's loaded with ballast waiting to be spread along the tracks. |
G&U yard - Hopedale - November 2. |
A few of the evergreens along the Fitzgerald Drive side of Hopedale Village Cemetery have come down in recent years, so they're being replaced by 11 Norway spruce trees, the same species as the existing ones there. They may not look the same, but come back in 50 years and they should look like the big ones there now. |
Robert Reed - interim town administrator. Click here for article on Wicked Local - Hopedale. |
I answered the phone this morning and was greeted with, "Happy October Revolution Day." Oh, yes, Red October. Since it occurred under the Old Style calender I had forgotten that the date is now Nov. 7. |
G&U yard, November 7 - dropping off loaded cars, and returning empties to Grafton. |
Friends of the Hopedale Library's annual book sale, bake sale, and raffle - November 16 at (of course) the Bancroft Library. |
grandfather, Joseph Marsh is in the front row, center. Nick Narducci was identified by both Leigh Allen and Charlie DiAntonio as "the one with the sticks." Here's a page about Nick's house on Northrop Street. |
G&U Railroad - Hopedale - November 14 |
House,held on November 14, was put on by the Council on Aging. The meal was provided by Atria- Draper Place. Entertainment was furnished by the high school chorus. |
Ice on the pond - November 14. |
Highway Dept vacuuming the leaves - November 15 |
Pictures from Upton State Forest - November 17 Above and right - beaver dam. I wonder how that works. It seems that there must be a head beaver in charge who says, "Okay, guys, this is where it's going, Yes, I know; the longest one we've done, but we can do it. We're number one. We're all in this together. This is what we're about. We're a team. Like I always tell ya, there's no I in team. Let's have teamwork to make the dream work. We're livin' the dream here in this swamp. Roman dams weren't built in a day. Tree trunks, water. What else would anybody need?" Well, it must work something like that, anyway. Below - Whistling Cave. A nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. |
47 Hopedale Street, where Joseph and Sylvia Bancroft's daughter Lilla lived with her first husband Howard Bracken and her second husband, Rev. Frank Pratt. Lilla was also next door (yellow house on right) to her sister Lura, and her brother-in-law, Charles Day. Joseph and Sylvia's house was across the street from Lilla's. As long as I can remember, Lilla's house was red, but not anymore. |
Two Milford News articles about the Hopedale Rifle Club have been added to the shooting sports in Hopedale page. |
Evening rush-hour traffic - Route 16, Mendon, November 26 |
See an article about Pat by LInda HIxon titled An Unexpected Void in localtownpages - Hopedale. |