March 15, 2009 Hopedale History No. 128 1918 Hopedale in March Plowing Hopedale Pond, c. 1970   Wildflowers of Hopedale slideshow on YouTube   The Parklands on March 1   The Little Red Shop Museum Store – You can order by mail and many prices have been reduced. And one more time for that popular picture of the kids on the raft. There have been some more changes and additions of identifications The requests I made last time brought some helpful responses. Two people replied with information on whoopee pies, and Lisa DiVittorio volunteered to convert our videotapes to DVDs. Tom McGovern has donated a monitor that will soon be installed at the Little Red Shop Museum by Larry Macomber. We are in need of a DVD player, so if anyone could donate one, that would be a big help. We have a number of Hopedale videos and a large number of still pictures which we’ll be able to show when the museum opens. Also, we’d like to have many old Hopedale artifacts on display, so if you have anything of that sort, please consider donating it to our town museum. At our Saturday work party at the Red Shop last week, Sue Ciaramicoli and her picture committee hung photos of the Hopedale men who were killed in World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam. We have newspaper articles on most of them, but nothing on John Barr and Joseph L. Miller, both killed in World War II. I’m hoping someone remembers them or their families and can help us find information on them. My 1939 street listing book gives a John Barr (age 42, so I presume the father) of 22 Oak Street, and a Joseph L. Miller, 23, of 10 Northrop Street.                                                        <><><><><><><><><><>                                                             June-July 1918 By the summer of 1918, it had been a bit over a year since the United States had entered what is now called World War I. In the little town of Hopedale, there could hardly have been anyone who didn’t feel a close connection to the war and those who were in the service. Here are several Milford News articles from that time. MRS. WARNER IN HOPEDALE   Hopedale, June 20 – An address and demonstration was given yesterday afternoon by Mrs. Florence Warner of Worcester on “Wheat Substitutes” in the Chapel street schoolhouse, under the direction of the Home Economics department of the Quinshipaug Woman’s club. The meeting was well attended. Mrs. Warner gave many interesting facts about the necessity of wheat saving. TOWN LEADS THE STATE   Hopedale, July 2 – Postmaster Geo P. Sheldon has reported 913 pledges for W. S. Stamps, for a total value of $23,015. The town’s quota was 759. The total sale of War Saving and Thrift stamps to July 1 is $38,000. The town still leads the state. HOPEDALE HAS BIG VICTORY CELEBRATION   Hopedale, July 19 – News of the American victory in France reached here at about 2 a.m. Immediately, the fire alarm was sounded and it was responded to by fully 500 persons. Automobiles were sent out and a band was organized under the direction of Peter Gaskill of Mendon and a parade was started in charge of the firemen, with the familiar figure of “Bill” Draper, the local newsdealer, acting as drum major. A large flag was carried by about 30 men, women and children and the line of march was through the principal streets. The bell and whistle on the plant of the Draper Corp. were busy during the parade and the chimes on the Memorial church were played. It was surely the biggest “victory” demonstration ever held in the town. What was that big middle-of-the-night celebration all about? I don’t know. When I looked at the timeline in firstworldwar.com, I didn't see any huge victories mentioned for that month. The nearest event before that date was, “Allies counterattack against German forces, seizing initiative.” That evidently refers to the Second Battle of the Marne, but it would seem a bit early to be celebrating a victory. (The Great War Society’s website says of the battle, “In the Second Battle of Marne with 30,000 killed and wounded, the United States started suffering casualties on the enormous scale usually associated with the battles of the Great War.”) HONOR ROLL OF TWO FAMILIES   Hopedale, July 27 – The residents of Hopedale take especial pride in the record of one family in war service, the Ellsworth family. These members are included: Captain Frank Ellsworth at OTC, Quantico, Private John Ellsworth, Ordnance Machine Gun school, Georgia, Private Bert Ellsworth, U.S. Infantry, France, Private Fred Ellsworth, Seventh Arty., Boston Harbor. This record is equaled by the four sons of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Cyr, Prospect Heights. Their youngest son is at Camp Devens. The other sons are in the service as follows: Henry J. Cyr, U.S. Infantry in France, Simon Cyr, U.S. Ammunition Train in France, Leonard Adam Cyr, U.S. Infantry in France. LIEUT. PIPER, HOPEDALE, ACHIEVED GREAT SUCCESS   Hopedale, July 30 – Hopedale has just learned of the success of Lieut. Raymond A. Piper, who volunteered some months ago and was successful in passing examinations for the Aviation Section of the signal Corps of the Army. On passage through the Aviation schools at the Mass. Inst. of Technology, and Cornell University, he was sent to the flying schools at Camp Dick, Texas, and later to Park Field, Memphis, Tenn. Within the past month, he was graduated and commissioned a lieutenant with high standing. During his course of training Lieut. Piper had several exciting experiences, one when he went up without being strapped into his seat and his plane was nearly capsized by a sudden gust, and again when he was forced to land at a farm on a cross country flight when his supply of gasoline became low. Lieut. Piper’s work includes much machine gun firing, and his club mates in the Hopedale Rifle club believe that he should do especially well in this work, remembering his ability with the rifle as shown at the club shoot last Thanksgiving, when he was the winner. Lieut. Piper has the best wishes of his many friends in his future work, as well as their hearty congratulations on his success so far. The following report on Lieut. Piper is from The Gold Star Record of Massachusetts: Second Lieutenant, Air Service: died 2 June 1919, in Evacuation Hospital 27, at Coblenz, Ger., result of airplane accident, 25 May. Piper’s picture was among many that were once on the walls at the American Legion Home in the center of Hopedale. They will soon be on display at the Little Red Shop Museum. All of the above stories came from the Milford Daily News. These and countless other articles concerning Hopedale, printed in the Milford News, can be seen in scrapbooks at the Bancroft Memorial Library.                                                         <><><><><><><><><><> Recent deaths: James G. Dalrymple, 94, February 26, 2009 Lillian M. (O'Rourke) Small, 81, Februrary 27, 2009. Michael A. DelMonico, 84, March 10, 2009.                                       Hopedale History Email Menu                HOME