April 15, 2008

Hopedale History

No. 106

Billy Draper’s Store

 

Hopedale in April       

 

Town Hall stained glass windows

 

The Little Red Shop interior, 1953

 

Letter from General Draper to Statue of Hope sculptor, Waldo Story.

 

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Billy Draper’s store, on Hope Street, across from the Community House, is now a private residence, but years ago it was one of the most active businesses in town. Here is an article by Virginia Cyr, written back when the store had just been purchased by the family of Hopedale’s present fire chief, Scott Garland. The version below is a bit shortened. Click here jf you’d like to read the complete story, along with a few of my memories of delivering papers from there in the fifties.

 

                                                                              “Billy Draper’s” Is Landmark

 

                                                     Hopedale Country

                                                      Store Renovated

                                                                                        By Virginia Cyr

 

HOPEDALE – Anyone living in this town, or those taking up residence here just seem to know where “Billy Draper’s” is. The first place youngsters become aware of is “Billy Draper’s” which in reality is officially the Draper News Store.

 

            It is and always has been, an important part of life for all ages. Youngsters go to the store in droves, both before and after school to fill little brown paper bags with penny candy. For some reason, though the years, penny candy has always been sought after, and even though the price has risen in some cases to two cents for each piece of candy, the store continues to offer a variety of penny candy, including Tootsie Rolls.

 

            Adults have visited the store daily through the years to obtain the daily and Sunday paper. It is the only store in town dealing in newspapers.

 

            The store has been purchased by the Garland family of Upton, and Sunday the grand opening of the store which has been undergoing changes at a rapid pace will be held. Those adults visiting the store will be served apple-cider donuts (donuts made with apple cider). Youngsters, accompanied by their parents will receive penny candy and balloons.

 

            Arthur Johnson, who is responsible for the early shift operations at the store, will serve as official greeter for the grand opening.

 

            In conjunction with the grand opening celebration, a benefit sidewalk sale will by conducted on the lawn at the Community House, directly across the street from Draper News Store.Any non-profit organization wishing to raise money for its group is invited to attend and set up a table, from where its items may be sold.

 

            The store is a delightful trip back though the years with pickles stored in ceramic crocks, country jams and jellies, antique toys, sewing and artists’ supplies, school supplies, roasted peanuts and other similar items displayed.

 

            In addition to the newspapers and penny candy, the store has magazines and books. Soda and milk are sold and bulk products range from rabbit pellets to lawn seed, tools and hardware items. The tobacco, candy and newspaper selections have been expanded and include numerous additional brands and types.

 

            Goals planned for the store are first to continue to expand as a news agency which is the store’s primary function and secondly, like the early country store, to become a place which has a little bit of everything.

 

            The owners specialize in items produced by local small business persons. Already available is milk in returnable glass bottles supplied by Town Line Dairy, donuts, breads and pies, homemade by Bill Toby of Upton, a former Draper Corp. employee and handcrafter ceramic bells and hanging flowerpots made by potter Lawrence DeJong.

 

Walls, ceilings, and windows have been completely replaced and the old wooden floor was sanded down to its original surface. All the shelves and racks were built-in, made out of pine. A pine counter and display windows were added. Everything was hand built for a specific purpose, including the cigarette racks, which were made of wood.

 

The old oak candy case is the one piece of furniture which remains following the store restoration. An old oak-cased gumball machine, which still dispenses a gumball for one-cent has been located by the Garlands and is in operation at the store.

 

An antique brass scale will eventually be used to weigh out bulk candy. The owners have stated that they wish all their antiques to be functional.

 

The Garlands have employed their nephew, J. Dennis Robinson as store manager. Their sons, Scott and Barry Garland are also employed at the local store. Milford Daily News, October 3, 1975.

 

Through much of the twentieth century, there were three unrelated Draper families living in Hopedale. The William Draper who founded the newspaper store was not related to the Draper Corporation Drapers.

December 15, 2007

Hopedale History

No. 98

Antislavery in Hopedale

 

 

If you missed the holiday house tour, it’s too late now, but you can click here to see the houses that were on it. 

 

Hopedale in December.

 

Thanks to a large number of supporters, (individuals, businesses, organizations, the town and the state), the renovation of the Little Red Shop is nearly finished. We expect the windows to be installed in a week or so and there is some more electrical work to be done, but Whipple Construction stayed right on schedule and finished their work before the weather got too bad. The answer to the most frequently asked question about the job is, yes, it will be red. We just need the weather to get warm enough to paint. If you’d like to help, let me know.

 

 Little Red Shop Project Menu   -   Week 13   -   Week 14   -   Return of the cupola  

 

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            Some months ago, while going through the scrapbooks of Milford Daily News articles about Hopedale, I came across a series of stories written by Ernest Dalton in the late 1930s. Here’s one on antislavery in the Hopedale Community

 

                                                                   Peace Movements

Were Readily Supported

 

                                                                                                    But Anti-Slavery Campaign

Received Greatest Attention

 

By Ernest R. Dalton

 

            Because of the Non-Resistant and Practical Christian fundamentals of the Community, it goes without saying that peace movements were readily supported.

 

            Also in keeping with their feelings were such reforms as those concerned with the abolition of capital punishment. But the thing which seems to have received the greatest attention was the antislavery campaign. In August 1842, West Indian Emancipation was celebrated at Hopedale with prayer, hymns and addresses. During the ensuing years, as previously, The Practical Christian carried announcements of meetings of such organizations as the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society and the Worcester County Anti-Slavery Society. A slogan, common to many of these announcements says of the coming meeting, “Let it be filled and ruled with the true spirit of liberty.” In June 1844, Ballou and sixteen others from Hopedale attended the New England Anti-Slavery Society Convention in Boston, hearing as the chief speakers, William Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglass.

 

            That same year, on September 14^th and 15^th, Hopedale held a very successful anti-slavery meeting. The Liberator announced it in the September 6 issue, and stated that Garrison and Edmund Quincy would be among the speakers. An editorial note the following week mentioned it again, and stated, “We shall gladly obey the summons.” The meeting was attended by a large number of persons. Ballou, Garrison, Burleigh and Quincy spoke. Somewhat over one hundred and fifty dollars was collected and turned over to the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society for its work. Of this meeting Garrison wrote:

 

“I cannot possibly find room this week for anything more that the resolutions which were discussed and adopted on the thrilling occasion…..It was probably the largest anti-slavery meeting ever held in Worcester County.”

 

            Every year after that, August 1^st, the anniversary of the emancipation of the slaves in the West Indies by the British in 1834, was celebrated. These meetings gained in popularity until in 1855 over 700 persons were present. Among the speakers who appeared were: Charles Burleigh, Stephen S. Foster, Wendell Phillips, Lucy Stone, Abby Kelley Foster, Anna Dickenson, Parker Pillsbury, Henry C. Wright, and two former slaves, Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth.

 

            Anti-slavery activities led to the establishment in Hopedale of a link in the Underground Railroad. Run-away slaves often lived in the village for long periods of time. At one meeting, the members voted to allow a certain Rosetta Hall reside there for an indefinite length of time. The community also published an “Anti-Slavery Hymn Book, “ containing hymns written by Ballou, Abby Price, and other Practical Christians.

 

            Ballou and his followers were strong advocates of temperance. No intoxicating liquors were found in the village. The Practical Christian often carried announcements of temperance meetings. Accounts of rum-selling deacons and ministers, and of the evils of drink, often appeared. Modern stories of heavy drinking among lawmakers are not new in American folklore, for in 1850 there appeared the following item:

 

      “The drunkenness of Members of Congress is beginning to attract attention rather closely. One of the papers says several members of the Senate are drunkards. Who presumes to slander the Gods?” Milford Daily News, July 22, 1938.

 

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Recent death:

 

Frances R. (Belforti) Gatozzi, 97, December 5, 2007.

October 15, 2007

Hopedale History

No. 93

The Home Front

 

 

Hopedale in October  An interesting item was donated to the Little Red Shop Museum this week by Muriel Tinkham. You can see a picture of it on the Hopedale in October page.

 

The Little Red Shop Museum project – Week 4     Week 5  

 

Vehicle Fun Fair at Hopedale Town Park, October 20, ten until two.

 

Here’s a link, sent by Peter Metzke, on the history of street railways in Maynard.  If you’re interested in trolleys, you’ll find that the site has a lot of interesting information on the subject. It also has a link to a Maynard history page, which includes a section on the Boston Post cane. Someone asked about Hopedale’s cane a few months ago. According to the Maynard site, the Hopedale cane is “gathering dust.” Here’s a site with everything you ever wanted to know about Grafton, also sent from Melbourne by Peter.

 

For information on events to assist the Chambers family, whose son Kevin was paralyzed in a diving accident, go to the Kevin Chambers website

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                                                                          The Home Front - 1941 -- 1945

 

After watching The War on tv earlier this month, I thought I should ask a few Hopedale people who were born before World War II what they remembered of how it affected their lives. Among those I asked were some of my classmates, even though we were only four when the war ended. As I usually do, I’ll put what I’ve received so far on my Hopedale history website, and I hope to find more to add to it in the future. The memories below begin with those of three of us from the Hopedale High Class of 1959 and continue with the more extensive recollections of Dot Stanas.

 

I was an infant at the time of Pearl Harbor - just 2 1/2 months old!  The only clear memories I have are of:

            Saving tin cans for the war effort; although I know there were many other household use items that were also saved, I forget the specifics.

            I also remember planting a victory garden, with the help of older siblings. Unfortunately, I didn't have a green thumb then and it didn't yield a harvest.

My clearest memory is of celebrations in the street at news of the end of the war - though I don't recall if it was victory in Europe or Japan.  I had to ask my older siblings awhile back if I had dreamed that or what.  They assured me that it had been real - there we were in our nightwear, yelling and dancing in the middle of Route 140. Liz (Gaskill) Demars

 

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I remember the ration stamps for sugar and other condiments. Also, my dad pulling me around Bancroft Park in a galvanized washtub to celebrate the end of the war. It was a great noisemaker!  I think he was exempt from the draft by virtue of his weak eyes--couldn't see a darn thing without his coke-bottle lenses. Phil Roberts

 

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            My earliest memory is of my father jacking up our car, a ’39 Plymouth, and putting it on blocks. I suppose I must have asked him what he was doing, and he must have told me that he’d be going away for a while and no one would be driving the car. It remained on the blocks for the two years that he was in the Army. During that time, when no autos were being produced, my mother had offers from people who wanted to buy it. Since she was living on a private’s pay, it must have been tempting, but she didn’t sell. My father was happy that she didn’t, because it took a while after the war for car production to catch up with demand, and buyers often had long waits.

 

My mother used to save fat, another bit for the war effort, in cans that would be picked up by the Patrick’s deliveryman when he brought the groceries. Dan Malloy

 

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My father would have the radio on for the news frequently and that’s how we heard about Pearl Harbor. I remember hearing Roosevelt’s speech the next day. Years later I went to Hawaii and I cried when I went out to the Arizona.

We didn’t feel deprived. We took what was happening for granted, even though things were sometimes difficult with the rationing. I was delighted once when I had a coupon to get a pair of shoes. We had to plan our use of gas carefully when we wanted to go to the beach for the weekend. When you bought margarine then, it looked like lard. The coloring that made it look more like butter came in a separate wrapper. It was difficult to mix and didn’t always get mixed well. One weekend when we were at Matunuk, a friend was very excited about getting some good meat. It was just hamburg, but it was a better grade of hamburg than was usually available.

The men from Hopedale who were killed in the war were near my age, so I knew or knew of them. I worked at Drapers one summer. A woman named Avis worked there and lived nearby. We heard about it when her husband was killed. I remember hearing about Francis Wallace, Donald Midgley and Robbie Billings. Francis was Marge Horton’s boyfriend when they were in high school. The Hopedale chapter of the National Honor Society is named for him.

At times there were air raid drills and no light could be showing from any of your windows.

The only time my mother worked outside the home was during the war. She worked at Drapers on what was known as the “gun job.” I started teaching at the Dutcher Street School in 1943. I could go home for lunch. With no one there during the day to prepare meals, my father or mother would often make beef stew because it was convenient to heat it at lunchtime.

Near the end of the war I remember seeing the liberation of the prison camps on the newsreel at the movies in Milford. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

In the summer of 1945, I worked at Virgie Earl’s in Milford. That’s where I was when I heard about the end of the war. There was a lot of commotion in the street as people passed the news. Dot Stanas

 

 

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Recent deaths:

 

Barbara A. Mistretta, 67, September 24, 2007.

 

Angelina (Comastra) Tumolo, 82, October 4, 2007.

 

 Barbara (Creamer) Rostanzo, 76, October 7, 2007.

Josephine M. (Crivello) Creasia, 89, October 10, 2007