The north end of the 1913 Warren Henry Manning map of the Parklands. The park shelter, now generally known as the Lookout, is circled in red. The park station, referred to in the article below, is circled in yellow. Rawson's bridge, now the site of the Rustc Bridge is circled in green, and Maroney's Grove, also known as the third fireplace, is circled in blue. Click here to see the complete map.
which would stop by request at the location circled in yellow on the map above. I suppose it was done occasionally, but except for people living close to the station at the bottom of Depot Street, it probably wouldn't make much sense to do it. Most people in town would have had a shorter walk by going directly from home to Maroney's Grove than they would by walking to the station and then from the stop to the grove on the other side of Hopedale Pond. Perhaps it was used occasionally by people from Milford, Upton and Grafton who wanted to combine a picnic with a little train trip. |
Hopedale History August 15, 2014 No. 258 Parklands and Railroad Hopedale in August Hopedale Stable, Hopedale Coal & Ice, Hopedale Hardware (Photos, articles, and a timeline, all from John Butcher.) Here's another Mendon history article by Dick Grady - Waiting for the Evening Mail in the 1890s. During the past two weeks, I've added to the following pages: Boarding Houses (MDN photo of the razing of the Brae-Burn Inn) Bristow and Queena Draper (Obituary for Bristow Draper, Jr.) Grafton & Upton Railroad Road Crossings (Information on the removal of track at Route 16 and payment to the G&U) Recent deaths <><><><><><><><><><> Union Church gutted by $10,000 blaze. Fire starts in heater. Loss covered by insurance. Milford Daily News, February 19, 1912 Game Warden Durgin has released about 25 wild Mallard ducks, from the state hatchery in Sutton, in the Hopedale park system. June 30, 1916 A very careful examination of school children has been made by the School Physician, Dr. Weymouth. After a skillful diagnosis by the physician, these cases have been followed up by the medical department and improvements for the betterment of health have been made. The statistical report is as follows: Total number of pupils examined........................................487 Number of pupils found to be in good condition..............258 Number of pupils found to be defective.............................229 Enlarged or diseased tonsils..............................................162 Enlarged adenoids................................................................160 Defective teeth..........................................................................41 Nits.............................................................................................20 Wax in ears.................................................................................6 Of the 41 pupils reported as having defective teeth, 11 have already been treated by a dentist. Dental work has been arranged for and done by Dr. Bennett during this school year. Report of Hopedale School Superintendent Carroll Drown, 1926 <><><><><><><><><><> Paths Connected Railway, Parklands By Gordon E. Hopper An old Hopedale Park Department report published in the early 1900s has revealed several unknown bits of information relative to the Grafton & Upton Railroad and the Hopedale Parklands. It is stated in the report that paths once connected the street railway station with a shelter in the park, a bathhouse, and Rawson's bridge. Darling Hill was identified as being in the Hopedale Parklands and town residents were informed that the electric street cars would stop by request, at an entrance on the west side of the Parklands property. A roadway which once joined Hazel Street continued over a bridge and through the woods to the Grafton & Upton Railroad tracks. By using a trolley car on the Grafton & Upton tracks in 1901, the public could reach Maroney's Grove from the western side of the Parklands. In 1916, the "Lookout" was purchased. This was an area 525 feet above sea level where the Blue Hills, Dean Academy, Sharon Heights, Cumberland Hill, Peppercorn Hill, Wachusett Mountain, and a lot of surrounding country could be easily seen. Today the spot has been lost to trees and brush. Two other items located involve the electric street cars in Milford and Upton During the late afternoon hours in the 1920s, portable arc lamps were placed in Lincoln Square (Milford) adjacent to the trolley tracks. As each trolley car left this point to make a run, one of the lamps would be attached to the front of the car and connected into its electrical system. These lights threw a narrow beam of light forward, but they were not too capable of picking up objects on the side of the tracks, especially on the curves. Many times during these years, Windsor Brooks of Upton would walk down a lane from his farm on Mendon Road at night to a point where the Grafton & Upton tracks crossed a private crossing. A street car traveling toward Grafton would come around a curve a short distance south of the crossing with its headlight not detecting any people waiting for the car at the crossing. As the car passed the crossing, the motorman would see Brooks and he would bring the car to a stop some 30 or 40 feet beyond the crossing. At night, this was not the most appreciated thing, but it was typical of the operation at that time. The crossing referred to was on a road which ran between two field owned by Brooks and was called "Brooks Farm Crossing." Not far from this point in a southerly direction was another crossing not used as often as the farm crossing. It was on a road that led to a small pond and was called "Brooks Pond Crossing." On June 22, 1911, the Milford Daily News reported a particular accident at West Upton when street car conductor James Cunningham of the Milford & Uxbridge electric line received a severe gash over one eye and his right arm was badly smashed. The accident was caused by the trolley rope breaking, allowing the trolley pole to ascend rapidly, only to break off about three feet from the end. This piece fell into the car vestibule, through the window, striking the conductor and injuring him. The injured man was left at Dr. Travers' office. Conductor Thomas McGee substituted for him and motorman Manning took the express car to Milford. Milford Daily News The 1916 Report of the Park Commissioners stated: "A tract westerly of the "Lookout" has been purchased. This gives the Park system the "High Point" of land in town and one that has been considered by the State Fire Warden as a location for a Fire Observation tower." Also in the report was this: "A 50-foot roadway from Freedom Street to the height of land on Darling Hill has been started, which upon completion will open the most sightly part of the park territory to the public." In the 1917 report, it was stated that work in that area was continuing. "On the tract of land covering the easterly side of Darling Hill, paths and trails are in process of construction. The roadway extending from Freedom Street to the highest point of land in town (525 feet above sea level) is well underway, more than 1800 feet having been completed." Hopedale History Ezine Menu HOME . |
The area in the Parklands labeled Park Station in the map above. (Yellow line around it.) The path seen in this picture continues on up to the Lookout. |