1975

    Adjusted for inflation, 55 cents in 1975 had
    the purchasing power of $2.51 now.

Hopedale in July


Ezine for July 1 - Hopedale Mansions   

Mid-July ezine - Hopedale's Early Streets   

Hopedale in June 2018

Hopedale in July 2017

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    This device was manufactured in Hopedale by the Dutcher
    Temple Company. What is it? You may have a less industrial
    looking one in your home. Click here to read about it.

    This information on Hopedale Pond above is from massachusettspaddler.com.
    Click here to see more of what it has about the pond.

    Here are two of Hopedale's stone masterpieces shown on post cards. The Statue of
    Hope card was sent in 1904 (the year the statue was erected) and as you can see,
    the Unitarian Church card was sent in 1906. All that was needed to get the card to
    the intended recipient in small towns in those days was name, town and state.

    These pictures give a hint at what it
    looked like inside the Draper plant in
    the years before it became an empty
    shell. Click here to see more views.
Hopedale Pond

    There was a bit of a scandal going on at the time when
    the Statue of Hope was expected to arrive from Rome,
    where it had been created. The sculptor, Waldo Story,
    left his wife and took up with an opera singer. Gen
    Draper feared the preoccupied Story might not
    complete the statue. Click here for more on the statue,
    including a letter written to Story by the general.

    Above - the Howard and Lilla (Bancroft) Bracken house on
    Hopedale Street - a post card view from eBay. Click here  to see
    more about the Brackens. Below - a current photo of the house.

The south end of the remains of the Draper plant - July 3.
National Register Nomination, 2001
Park schedule from localtownpages - Hopedale. Click here to go to
the July issue, which also includes articles on the HHS boys tennis
team, girls tennis, softball, Youth Baseball, Bancroft Library news,
Senior Center news, and more.

Click here to read the complete articles (July 6 and July 7) and other related articles.

Draper Menu
These items are from the Park Commission Facebook
page. Someone added, "Don't feed the geese at all.

    Above - The two faces of Janus on the Hopedale Town Hall.

    Below - Janus at the entrance to Memorial Hall in Milford.

    Since both buildings are of Romanesque architecture I figured the faces must be of Roman gods, but
    had forgotten about Janus. Thanks to Dick Grady for the story. Here's a bit about Janus from Wikipedia:

    In ancient Roman religion and myth, Janus (/ˈdʒeɪnəs/; Latin: IANVS (Iānus), pronounced [ˈjaː.nus]) is
    the god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways, passages, and endings. He is
    usually depicted as having two faces, since he looks to the future and to the past. It is conventionally
    thought that the month of January is named for Janus (Ianuarius),but according to ancient Roman
    farmers' almanacs Juno was the tutelary deity of the month.

    Above - Hopedale Town Hall

    Below - Memorial Hall, Milford.

    Both buildings were designed by architect Frederick Swasey.

    And here's another place built in Richardsonian Romanesque style -
    the Harvard Epworth church on Mass Ave in Cambridge. Cambridge
    City Hall is also done in that style. Thanks for the picture, DJ.

This is for those of you who remember Don Kent.

    Here are a couple of sights we saw while walking
    along the rail trail in Blackstone on July 15. You can get
    to the parking lot at the beginning of that section of the
    trail by taking Bridge Street off of Route 122 in the
    center of Blackstone. Go through Monument Square
    and continue about another 100 yards to the parkling lot.
Here are a few of the cats at the Milford Humane
Society shelter on Route 140. They're well cared
for there, but they're all looking at you with that
"take me home with you" look The picture below
is from their website. Even stray cats have
websites.
Drop in at the Bancroft Library this summer and help to finish this jigsaw
puzzle. See your favorite rock stars from the '60s and '0s come to life (or
maybe recover from an overdose) as you pop dozens of pieces into place.

    Hopedale Selectman Tom Wesley. Click here to listen to what Tom
    has to say about the plan for development of the Draper property.

    Revere Beach Sand Sculpture Festival.
    Click here to see more photos.

From the Cultural Council

On the Hopedale bandstand this week (July 25) is the cool jazz sound of Mahrud. 7pm.

DJ Mike will be entertaining the kids 6-7pm.  Rain date: Thursday

Food concessions: pizza, popcorn, ice cream, snacks, and drinks.  Glow necklaces and bracelets.

Canoes and kayaks  from Fin and Feather on the pond.

This is the last concert of the season. Please join us!

Hopedale Ave in the view above is in Jamaica.

    Here's a interesting page done by an observer from the Visiting New England site. It begins
    with the Town Common, but continues with much more, including a lot on the "Hopedale
    River."

    The article begins: The Town Common restaurant in Hopedale, Mass., has a very uncommon
    feature: it's located within the historic 1887-built Hopedale Town Hall building that features
    grand Romanesque brownstone architecture.

    The restaurant's location suggests a dining spot that's about as "townie" as one could get. We
    see standalone townie restaurants in our downtown districts, at the strip malls, and as
    roadside shacks on remote streets, but I can't ever recall seeing a restaurant located in a
    town hall.

    The Town Common restaurant is one of my local favorite places to eat -- an excellent
    breakfast and lunch place with the pleasing, old-fashioned combination of counter, tables,
    coffee brewing, and quick, efficient diner-like service. It's a terrific stop for comfort food meals
    like burgers, club sandwiches and pancakes (that are as wide as the plate!), etc.

    Click here to read about the Town Common when it was the Town Hall Spa.

Looking at Boston from across the harbor in East Boston.

This is very unusual for Hopedale Pond.

    From National Weather Service chat:

    TORNADO IN UPTON, MA...

    START LOCATION...WESTERN UPTON IN WORCESTER COUNTY, MA
    END LOCATION...WESTERN UPTON IN WORCESTER COUNTY, MA
    DATE...JULY 26, 2018
    ESTIMATED TIME...241 AM
    MAXIMUM EF-SCALE RATING...EF-1
    ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WIND SPEED...100 MPH
    MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH...100 YARDS
    PATH LENGTH...1.0 MILE
    BEGINNING LAT/LON...42.167 NORTH, 71.627 WEST
    ENDING LAT/LON...42.181 NORTH, 71.620 WEST
    * FATALITIES...NONE
    * INJURIES...NONE

    ...SUMMARY...
    THE SAME PARENT STORM DROPPED A SECOND TORNADO IN THE TOWN OF UPTON, MA.
    IT TOUCHED DOWN ON HARTFORD AVENUE SOUTH, JUST SOUTH OF THE RAILROAD
    TRACKS IN WEST UPTON. THE TORNADO CROSSED ROUTE 140 AND PRODUCED MOST OF
    ITS DAMAGE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF EPHRAM'S WAY, BETWEEN JONATHANS
    WAY AND WARREN STREET. THE TORNADO TRACKED A LITTLE FARTHER TO THE
    NORTHEAST INTO THE SOUTHWEST PORTION OF THE UPTON STATE FOREST BEFORE
    IT LIFTED.

    WINDS WERE ESTIMATED AT 70 TO 80 MPH NEAR THE RAILROAD TRACKS WHERE IT
    BEGAN, OR EF-0 ON THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE. HOWEVER, IT INTENSIFIED TO
    APPROXIMATELY 100 MPH WHEN IT APPROACHED EPHRAM'S WAY, WHICH IS
    EF-1 ON THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE. LARGE OAK AND MAPLE TREES WERE UPROOTED
    AND SOME WERE SNAPPED. SOME TREES FELL ONTO HOUSES, CAUSING SOME ROOF
    DAMAGE. ONE ROOF ON ROUTE 140 WAS DAMAGED WHEN THE STRONG WINDS GOT
    UNDERNEATH IT AND FLIPPED A PORTION OF IT OVER. NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED.

    THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NORTON, MA WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS ITS
    SINCERE APPRECIATION TO ALL OF THE TOWNS' FIRE AND POLICE DEPARTMENTS
    FOR THEIR HELP WITH THIS SURVEY AND TO THE MASSACHUSETTS EMERGENCY
    MANAGEMENT AGENCY FOR ALL OF THEIR ASSISTANCE WITH THIS SURVEY, INCLUDING
    PERSONALLY ESCORTING US TO THE MOST SEVERELY DAMAGED AREAS. WE THANK
    THE RESIDENTS WHO ALLOWED US TO VIEW THE DAMAGE IN THEIR BACKYARDS AND
    LISTEN TO THEIR ACCOUNTS OF THE EVENT. AND, WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK OUR
    SKYWARN AMATEUR RADIO COORDINATORS FOR THEIR DETAILED INFORMATION IN
    HELPING TO PINPOINT THE DAMAGE LOCATIONS.