August 1, 2008 Hopedale History No. 113 New Streets, c. 1950 At last it has happened. The Little Red Shop is red again. After considering several possibilities, we received a generous offer from Eric Shermerhorn and David Farrer, co-owners of D & E Painting, to do the job for free. The paint was donated by the Benjamin Moore Company. Click for pictures. Hopedale in July              Moving the Little Red Shop, 1951   Planting trees along Dutcher and Hopedale streets, c. 1981                                                     <><><><><><><><><><>                                          New Streets – Mid-century                                             Dana Park Project in Hopedale HOPEDALE - The development of the Dana Park project on Greene Street, is being watched with interest as the houses being erected there near completion. The land was once part of the farm of Samuel Gaskill, early settler, who owned between six and eight hundred acres in the southern part of this town and Milford. Later this land and buildings were purchased by E. Dana Osgood, who erected a home on one section and sold some the land, house and barn to the late Walter F. Durgin. When Mr. and Mrs. Osgood departed to live in Charleston, S.C., the Osgood property was purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Louis McVitty, who have since disposed of many house lots fronting on Greene Street. It is this tract which constitutes the development and which has been named Dana Park in honor of Mr. Osgood. [Osgood was the grandson of George and Hannah Draper and the son of Edward Louis Osgood and Hannah Thwing (Draper) Osgood.  Edward and Hannah’s house was on the corner of Hopedale and Draper streets, on the block where the Community House is now. The house was originally the home of Mrs. Osgood’s parents, George and Hannah Draper. Dana Osgood’s mansion, off of Greene Street, later became a furniture store called the Harel House.] Homes are being built there by Mr. and Mrs. Roy Massey, Mr. and Mrs. Victor Kaizer, Mr. and Mrs. Camille Gregoire, Mr. and Mrs. Elmo Lataille, Mr. and Mrs. Donald Wells, Mr. and Mrs. John Duffy, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Hauser, P.F. Mancini, A.J. Mancini and Rael DeLoia. All of the homes are attractive and all have been roofed over, the inside finish now being completed. Scarcity of material plus the high cost has necessitated the work being done by the builder in most cases but expert labor has also been used. The consequence has been that the sound of the hammer and saw have been heard late at night and on Saturdays, in fact whenever the men had an opportunity to put in a few hours. When the homes are completed the settlement will be auspicious and will demand attention from tradesmen as it will represent nearly 20 homes. Milford Daily News, November 25, 1947 A brief article printed in early June 1948 told of continuing work on the project.                                                 New Streets Created in Hopedale HOPEDALE – Workmen from Rosenfeld’s Washed Sand & Concrete Co. have completed bulldozing a new roadway off Hopedale Street in Hopedale. The new street is about 300 yards long and begins at a point near the G & U railroad bridge, goes along the old Moore property and comes out at a point further down Hopedale Street. John P. Hynes of Rutland, formerly a Milford resident, was responsible for the private roadway. The short stretch near the bridge is to be called Cook Street; the long stretch in the rear running parallel to Hopedale Street will be Nelson Street, and the short way coming out further down is named Thwing Street. Land on this newly created roadway is owned by Mr. Hynes, who has been selling lots there through an agent, William J. Donovan, 184 Hopedale Street. The lots, about 19 in number, are nearly all sold, and it appears that at least five houses will be erected there shortly. Milford Daily News, 1948.                                                           Five-Year Check A check made by the Daily News in recent weeks, reveals the following number of homes built [in Hopedale] from January 1945 to May 1949. 1945, 45; 1946, 11; 1947, 37, 1948, 14, 1949, 6. Hopedale’s biggest home construction area the past four years has been in the South Milford section, with a prefabricated home development on Mendon Street falling into second position. This latter project was for the Draper Corporation. [Hammond Road] Milford Daily News, June 1, 1949                                                            First to Move In Mr. and Mrs. Arthur C. Rockwood and son, formerly of 469 Purchase Street, Milford, have moved into their new home in the Norman S. Henry development off Dutcher Street. They are the first to occupy a house in the development, though other houses are nearing completion close by. This area is entered by a roadway referred to in Adin Ballou’s book, History of Milford, as Driftway. In the early days the road crossed the present P. E. Casey farm on West Street, continued through to what is now Dutcher Street and entered what is now the development. The road then crossed a bridge on Mill River below the present Rustic Bridge, that was known as Cutler Bridge. [A 1913 map of the Parklands shows the location of the bridge, gone by that time. It was about halfway between Freedom Street and the Rustic Bridge. The approach to Cutler Bridge is still there, on the east side of the pond.] The road continued on through the woods though the present Clark estate on Overdale Parkway and the Harvey Trask farm to Mendon. The new road has not been named, but due to its early history, might well be called Driftway. Milford Daily News, August 1950 The dictionary definition I found for driftway is, “A common way, road or path for driving cattle.” Click here for more on Hopedale’s streets.                                           <><><><><><><><><><> Recent deaths: John E. Power III, 46, June 27, 2008, HHS 1979. E. Jane (Newell) Marso, July 8, 2008, HHS 1945.