Stoughton Historical Society Newsletter Online Edition
VOLUME XLX NO. 2 JAN-FEB-MAR – 2021
Upcoming Events
Given what it happening with Covid 19, we have not had events scheduled, but the Society has been open during the usual hours when the weather has permitted.
To celebrate this year’s Earth Day, in April, we will publish a document on the history of the Town’s Conservation, Open Space, Historical, and Community Preservation Commissions as they have contributed to Stoughton’s green spaces. We will also include guides, maps, and histories of the Bird St. Conservation Area and Glen Echo.
Dues for 2021 were due as of January 1. Thank you to those who have already paid.
President’s Report
Alas, COVID-19 has taken a heavy toll on our programs and dinners in 2020. A few of us have been at the Society on Tuesdays and Thursdays, entertaining several visitors, most of whom had made appointments.
Selectman and Board of Directors member Joe Mokrisky made a convincing case to the Community Preservation Committee to approve the grant of $175,000, subject to approval by Town Meeting, to completely overhaul the Maxim fire truck, owned by the Society. We look forward to seeing it in many future parades, including the big one, which will honor the Town’s 300th Anniversary in 2026.
The Stoughton Historical Society has now gotten access to all the documents in the Canton Historical Society’s D. T. V. Huntoon collection, which provides invaluable information about various aspects of Stoughton history, before the two Towns separated. Soon, we will get a hard drive with all the files, but for the moment we have access to a Dropbox file of all 800+ images from the Huntoon scrapbook Vol I. Thank you’s to the Community Preservation Committee and Town Meetings of Stoughton and Canton, whose financial support made this acquisition possible.
In this collection there are images of several documents signed with Native-Americans of the Massachusetts Indian tribe. They may be copies of copies, but they are handwritten and many were originally recorded by Deacon/Clerk John Capen of Dorchester, on whom we had a program several years ago. We have only explored a fraction of the documents, but noted that some describe the (re)building of the road to Dorchester Swamp, essentially Pleasant St. in Canton, Pearl and Sumner Streets in Stoughton. The problems were on the Canton end of the road, where first Jabez Searle and later owner David Tilden requested that the Town move the location of the road, which was cutting their narrow property in half, increasing the need for fencing etc. As some of you may know, the David Tilden house just off Pleasant St in Canton, is possibly the oldest house still standing in the original Dorchester South Precinct and has recently been extensively renovated and restored due to the efforts of the Canton Historical Society. The requested relocation on the Canton end is quite specific, involving the skirting of the Tilden property, but on the Stoughton end, where there are no houses yet built, the road is marked by various trees, mostly white and black oaks.
A number of the documents are requests by citizens to attend a church more convenient than the one they are being taxed to attend. Moses Curtis, who lived in the current Avon in 1728, describes the difficulty of getting up to the meeting house at Canton Corner and asks to be permitted to go to one that is closer in “Brantrey” and pay his ministerial taxes there, not in Stoughton
Huntoon created a hand-written index, which is helpful, but there are many names and places which are not in the index and the page numbers he records are not the same as the pages of our document. That indexing task awaits us.
Two Stoughton women with family ties to the Historical Society have recently published books: Barbara DeVito Burgoine, daughter of former Historical Society President Joe and our corresponding secretary Jeanne DeVito, has written an illustrated children’s book on the history of Baxter State Park in Maine. Percy’s Patience: The Story of Governor Baxter and Baxter State Park- is new picture book for children ages 8-12, a biography about Maine’s former Governor, his perseverance and gift to the people of Maine. The book is illustrated by Jemelie Deering Bessette. From the Percy’s Patience website: “Vignettes from the archives highlight the perseverance of young Percy, revealing his “growth mindset,” and how he learns to wait for rewards. We also see how his dreams for a better world shaped his life and civic career. Each page of Percy’s Patience is footnoted, so that one could choose to read the narrative for its own sake, or slow down to absorb “fun facts.” This book could appeal to a six-year old or a sixth- grader. Back matter includes timeline, maps, portraits, and references.” We now have copies of this book for sale at the Society. Kathy Sidebottom Gilchrist has written a book It’s in My Genes with a strong local angle, which describes her attempt to identify her birth parents, having been adopted by the late Jack and Norma Sidebottom at a young age. Jack was our curator for many years and Norma a loyal member for some years after Jack’s passing. Kathy’s search led her to realize that she is apparently the biological daughter of William Bishop, a man who murdered his entire family! As she discusses the nature vs nurture aspects of her life, Kathy recounts having been raised in Stoughton by Jack and Norma, and includes many of her recollections of her Stoughton childhood and schooling. “Norma used to tease Kathy because she was so different from the Sidebottoms. From the very beginning, it was clear she was a Type A, show off, theatrical, adventurous, competitive, driven, bright person.” Her book is available on Amazon and we will try to have a few copies for sale at the Historical Society soon.
We recently purchased four account books of Leonard Hodges businesses from 1818-1837. The books were from the estate of a collector, which was being disposed of by the Marion Antique Shop. They recognized the Stoughton connection and informed us, gaving us the right of first refusal, and sold them to us for a very reasonable price. Joan and I drove to Marion to pick up the books, and, of course, I had to get right to reading the first one, which covered 1818-1823. At that time, Leonard Hodges was trying to salvage the fortunes of the factory that had been the Gay Cotton Manufacturing Company, Stoughton’s first cotton factory, which had been incorporated in 1814 and was sited at the sharp bend in the road on what is now Mill St. The site also contained a boarding house for workers and a company store. I cut my teeth on Stoughton history by reading extensively the account books of the GCMC, which the Society had acquired many years earlier, but no one had ventured into them. To some degree, reading the first volume of these account books was like re-uniting with old “historical” friends.
The GCMC had declared bankruptcy within six years, not an uncommon occurrence for New England cotton mills, many of which sprang up and thrived briefly during the trade embargo with England during the War of 1812, which had kept relatively inexpensive cotton from England’s more technologically advanced factories from the American market. When the War ended and the Embargo lifted, the influx of the cheaper and better-woven cloth was difficult to overcome. The company/factory was purchased by Samuel Hodges Jr. and his younger brother Leonard. SHJ had been a book-keeper for the GCMC, but had since gone to Cape Verde as an ambassador. It was a fascinating, but complicated time, as other businesses were operating in the factory and paying rent to Leonard Hodges, who was also beginning to produce satinette, a cloth which combined wool and cotton threads. Before 1823 Leonard Hodge did not own his own looms and he paid individuals to weave the cloth for him, presumably at their own looms. He paid workers to spin cotton and dealt with a local business, the Stoughton Cotton and Woolen Factory, which seemed to contain some of the same shareholders that were previously in the old Gay Cotton Manufacturing Company, such as Lemuel Gay and Nathan Drake. This company carded and spun wool, possibly on the same site. That factory had the capacity of spinning the cotton into thread, but not weaving the thread into cloth, which required a loom. Leonard charged the company for such things as a chamberpot for Nathan Drake and a stove for the meeting house, (mostly likely the newly constructed Methodist Church, which was nearby on Central St.)
He was also charging his older brother, Samuel Junior for sending him many items in Cape Verde and paying his portions of the payment for purchase of the factory, part of which they were renting out to William and John Dunbar for $220 a year and who eventually bought all of the cotton-spinning machinery for $525. This money had to be paid out to various original stockholders or their heirs like the Widow Pratt. There were payments to Simeon Presbry and Otis Briggs both of whom had run the boarding houses for the GCMC. Here is the 1822 page for Leonard’s account with his brother Samuel: “1822 (Debits) June 26 to one hat, one cocage, and Eagle (a subscription to a newspaper) $9.75 to paying James Andrews $100 on the notes that he holds aganst me for the purchases I made of him for you in 1819. Paying Daniel Wheaton 6, 3, and 3 for interest. Flo(w)age $5 tax on the factory 6.91 Widow Pratt $20 for rent of her portion of the factory, paying William Dunbar and John D Dunbar the balance due them on the note they had against you forerved by a mortgage on 1/24th of the factory 186.39. To paying widow Rebeca Pratt her proportional part of the machinery sold the Dunbars 44.25. Contra (credits)cash rec;vd of Enoch Tilsby eq Boston 333.68 your gold watches sld 50.00, 3 doubloons 45.85, a bill of exchange from James Young of 153, which I sold for 151 Aug 1822 Payments of the Dunbars for factory 220, sold the machinery for 525, recvd rent of Jona(than) Leonard for $50.
Leonard Hodges was juggling/balancing many different debts, including having to pay flowage to Col. Consider Southworth, whose factory was upstream. (It later became the shoddy mills.) Leonard sold Consider Southworth items from his own factory store, and paid him to repair some leather. We know from the Southworth acct books we already owned that Hodges will later pay Southworth for leather belts to run the satinette looms that he will buy in 1823. He paid Col. Shepherd Lisack (Leach?) for castings for the grist mill and factory, (possibly implying that a grist mill had been set up inside or close to the main factory building. If so, it was just one more example of how Leonard Hodges was hustling to find new sources of income. The process of studying the history contained in these documents can seem like the weaving process, or maybe a combination of almost all the particulars in the cloth-making process from the harvesting of the cotton from a southern plantation, a place as far away in space, as these journals are in time. There are countless individual fibers of people’s names to be picked through, the prices recorded in the ledgers at which they bought or sold their staples or their services, these same names scattered throughout our town records and our town’s cemeteries.
What we do know, is that Leonard Hodges eventually succeeded in making all the strands of the thread, albeit some wool, some cotton, bind together. He paid off the extensive debts, covered the debts and heirs associated with the death of his brother in Cape Verde, and within twenty years, was one of Stoughton’s most successful business men and one of its largest land-owners.
Recent discussions on Facebook’s “Stoughton Massachusetts Scrapbook Photos&Memories,” “The Stoughton Massachusetts Time Machine” and “Stoughton, Massachusetts Historical Society” have led us to revisit the history of several locations in Stoughton:
On Stoughton Massachusetts Scrapbook-Photos&Memories John Carabatsos posted a picture of a skater on a pond and asked if anyone could identify the pond. The large house in the background made it possible to identify Farrington’s Pond, but led many people to comment that they had grown up knowing it as Denison’s Pond. Fortunately, I had done enough research to know that Farrington preceded Denison. In 1917 it was Elijah Farrington, who owned the farm connected with the house across the street, and he is the man who let the Home Guard drill and camp on his back fields. What is less clear is the origin of the pond, as it does not appear in the aerial view of Plain St. that John Stiles took in 1927. That said, Ken Bird did locate Farrington’s Pond on the map that he drew for the Society several decades ago, when he was recalling his Stoughton childhood in the days just before WWI. Dan Mark contacted John Denison, who believed that the pond may have been dredged out by Horace Denison in the 1940’s. This post also led to the posting of a few of our photos of soldiers drilling on Elijah Farrington’s land.
Also mentioned were the War Gardens right across Plain St. on Billy White’s field. In a follow-up to the article Zachary Mandosa transcribed on the fires at the White’s downtown properties, I looked at tax records for the following years. It seems that the large White businesses and the Hall downtown were not rebuilt. Also, there was no field on Plain St owned by William White, but Priscilla D. White, Billy White’s older sister, did own 45 acres on Plain St. and seems to have been the owner of the field, at least for tax purposes, during the first two decades of the Twentieth Century.
On The Stoughton Massachusetts Time Machine David Lambert posted a plan and profile map of the stretch of railroad line between Stoughton and North Easton that was completed in 1855. This led to an extended discussion on Stoughton Junction and led to our acquisition of a new member, Dave Foley, who found some fascinating details on Stoughton Junction, especially the 1933-34 rebuilding and repaving of the bridge on Rt. 138, which passed over the eastbound railroad track. These tracks then continued east to cross Sumner St., pass under Turnpike and Central St. and pass by the North Stoughton train station on Old Page St., before continuing on to Randolph and Braintree. We happen to have some excellent photos, taken by John Stiles, and restored more fully by John Carabatsos, quite possibly at the time that the bridge had just been rebuilt and repaved. One of the pictures was a shot through the roadway on the bridge with a view of another half mile or more of roadway. There are two buildings seen in the photo, which no longer exist. Apparently, they were the farm-house and barn that formerly stood on the current Stoughton Fish and Game property. We have photos from huge Stoughton Fish and Game cookouts, back in the day, that show many people and many cars near an unpainted barn. Howard Hansen told me that he remembered camping on the concrete foundation left from that barn when he was a boy scout.
Someone had noted that there was an asphalt road, running for a short distance beside Rt. 138 on the east side, just north of Atkinson Ave. Mr Foley informed us that that road had been built as a short bypass, while the bridge work was being done. Dave has located considerable specific information on those tracks in the “Right of way and track map, Old Colony R.R. Co. operated by the New York, New Haven and Hartford R.R. Co.,” as found in the UCONN Digital Collection Special Archives. There are plans and descriptions of all the track between North Easton and Stoughton Center and From Stoughton Junction out to the North Stoughton train station. These plans are invaluable for showing the locations of the various platforms, outbuildings, and even the North Stoughton Station itself. No station, per se, is shown at Stoughton Junction, but the schedules listed a stop there. Train passengers who needed to take the extension to North Stoughton and beyond, could only access that line on a train traveling from the South or would have to have gotten off a south-bound train and waited at Stoughton Junction for the train to take them East.
From Howard Hansen, a number of years ago. Who else can recall these days? “When I became a member, at that time I was sponsored by Carl Longfellow Smith, it was in 1972, it was at the last meeting of the Historical Society in the Historical Room, now the Stiles room. We used to enter through the basement back door. Above the back door, where is now a block of Rose granite, was an “I” beam with a steel fascia with a long since rusted sign with “Historical Society”. The room on right was for custodian and bookbinder Mr. Mahoney. Behind the wall on the left was the stairs that went up to the stacks. That is from where the railing around the Reynolds 2 manual organ came. The room where the framed picture had shorter length book shelves. That was the adult and rare books were kept by the library. I don’t recall any display cases. The Library Trustees met in that room. When the Society met, there were chairs that went with the library reading room, and later folding chairs to sit about 15 to 20 people. The big table in that room was a double size table with lamps and shelf to keep extra books. From 1969-1971 there was a “Youth Center” having its recreation time upstairs, with Ping Pong tables and perhaps weed smoking. There was supposed to be a Youth Director from the Brockton Y having programs, but we (Town Meeting Reps) never knew what the programs were. You might ask Dennis Ruggiero, because he was a school kid that hung around there. As it was, the Society had keys to the back door, the “Rare Books” and “Historical room” All artifacts, mostly paper were in file cabinets or on shelf where clothing rack is now.
The Youth Center kids would occasionally manage to get into this area. Things got damaged or “went” missing. In 1971, Town Meeting refused to fund the Youth Center. In 1972 Ed Meserve went to the Selectmen asking that the Historical Society, lease the entire building. His reasoning: 1. In 1905 Lucius Clapp wrote that “it was his intend that the Historical Room was for the newly incorporated Stoughton Historical and Antiquarian Society” 2. The Town’s 250th anniversary was 4 years away and should have a Bicentennial/250th headquarters to meet and sell souvenirs, organize the Grenadiers, without taking all available time in the Wales French Room at the new library.
Two articles were placed in the 1972 ATM warrant: One to name the former library, “The Lucius Clapp Memorial” and the other to allow the Selectman and Town Manger to lease the Lucius Clapp Memorial for 5 years to the Stoughton Historical Society for the sum of $1.00 and that Society would maintain interior of the building, and the Town would provide heat and exterior maintenance. The lease was renewed for another 5 years from 1977 to 1982. When yours truly was in his second year as President, I brought to the attention of Town Manager Pat Hyland that we had been there for 10 years and, although our past lease was only 5 years, he just told Selectman that “the lease was for another ten years”. Never mentioning the number 5. That’s why all our new leases are for 10 years.
Of course the usual boundary and rights of way issues with our neighboring banks, seem to haunt each new Society President. But they have been good supporters and neighbors. Jean Packard responded: I can remember entering the back door to the library basement on Saturday mornings in the 1960s to set up the library for opening. Usually, I was the only one there at that time of the morning. If there was snow to be shoveled, custodian Harry Kirwan would have come in earlier than I. I would turn on the lights, count out change for fines, set up the machine dater and its accompanying date due cards, take care of any book returns at the Circulation Desk, and start reshelving library books and magazines. At opening time – I can’t remember if it was 9 or 10 am – I would unlock the front doors and the rest of the staff for that day would arrive.
The library staff had a break room in the basement stacks area which was called “The Black Hole of Calcutta” because it was dark and reached by narrow stairs.
I remember a couple of times leaving the library by that basement door when I wanted to avoid a certain guy who was waiting by the front entrance hoping to walk me home. Other times, the basement door was used for book deliveries. – Jean Packard
Howard Hansen and A Stoughton Historical Sampler
From the first time I saw it, I have admired and respected the Sampler and all the knowledge and work from Howard Hansen that created it for the 100th Anniversary of the Stoughton Historical Society in 1995. We reprinted a photocopied version of it once, which has long since sold out. Recently, we received a box full of historical materials from the estate of Clifford and Amy Fowler. The latter of whom was an impressive compiler of Stoughton history in her own right. The box contained a number of our publications, including A Sampler, many with several newspaper clippings inside them. I began to re-read the first few pages from A Sampler, and learned at least one thing that was new to me on every page. There is no question in my mind that we should republish it and soon! Howard begins the book with a five-page chapter on the History of the Stoughton Historical Society. After covering the early years and describing the celebrations of the Towns Bicentennial in 1926, Howard writes of a sobering chapter in our history: “Like a burst of fireworks, the excitement lasted only until the celebration ended. Henri Johnson, whose influence brought forth these events, died in November1926. The Society was presided over by Grand Army of the Republic commander George W. Pratt, who, himself was aging. His term was to expire in 1927. Interest in the Society again declined to where it hibernated for nine more years.
From the 1930’s to 1945. Meetings were held in 1936 and 1941. Local barber Charles S. Stickney was listed a President. Local historical research and recording suffered another loss with the passage of the town’s first historian, William Capen in 1942. For four years with rationing and other war-time limitations on public activities, the Society had no formal activities. Library trustee John Flynn had become curious about the files in the “Historical Room” as he browsed through them seeking information to add to his own diaries. He was unaware that someone nearby had the record books of the Society.
John Flynn in 1955 described what had happened ten years before, which led to the rebirth of the Society. “On an early spring day in 1945 a little old lady of 80 plus years sent a message to the Norfolk County Trust Co. with a treasurer’s box and a key to the safe deposit box that she was the custodian of, a burden she cherished and urged Fred Leonard of the bank to deliver these items for safe keeping. The astonished Mr Leonard found himself with funds and authority in an incorporated society of which he was not a member.
With the blessing of Mrs. Helen Johnson Metcalf, the daughter of Henri Johnson and the last survivor of the regime which founded the society, Mr. Leonard on a morning soon after took his problem to Durkee’ Coffee Shop on Wyman Street where he customarily met Robert Swan and the late Jim Lehan. (Merchant Robert Swan, a descendant of one of the town’s earliest settlers had listened to Mr Leonard’s story.) With deep chagrin these worthies confessed their regret that indifference had led to the moribund state of the Historical Society.
On April 12, 1945, five hopeful souls answered the call of the clerk and newspaper reporter G. Lester Gay to meet with Mrs. Metcalf. Along with Mr. Metcalf and Mr Gay, there sat Robert Swan, school teacher Ellen Glennon, librarian Helen M Curtis, and antique dealer and woodworker named Gustav T. Winroth and Mr Leonard.” World War II was still being fought, but there was a consensus that it would soon be coming to an end. The group agreed to reorganize the Society and hold a 50th Anniversary celebration soon or right after the war-time activities ceased. They elected their youngest member, Gus Winroth, as President with a vision that the stigma of being an “old” group would end and encourage younger membership. The Fiftieth Anniversary Banquet was held in October of 1945. (Ed. note: a month before your current President Dwight Mac Kerron was born.)
From the 1950’ to the 1970’s. New members interested in local history who were valuable literary contributors joined the Society. John Flynn joined when the reorganizers came to get access to the file from the library. Presuming that he was already a member, he was elected President and then asked to pay his dues to become a member. Carl L. Smith, a musician and railway historian; Frank W. Reynolds, also a musician and family history researcher; Bertha C. Reynolds, an internationally recognized social work educator and writer were the people who determined the course of the Society and brought it back to life.
The custom of annual pilgrimages was revived as “field trips” to places of historical significance both within the town and some distance away. Meetings consisted of scholarly as well as entertaining programs.
In 1967 with the creation of the Historical Commissions and Historic Districts, Bertha Reynolds researched and updated the old houses inventory first compiled by William Capen in 1929. Shortly after the completion of the inventory about 1968, it came to the attention of the Historical Society that the 80- year-old Stoughton Railroad Station was threatened for demolition. Harold Drown, the last survivor of the Sons of the Union Veterans along with Carl L. Smith led the fight to have the station entered on the National Register of Historic Places. Their efforts were recognized in January 1974. During this same period, the Stoughton Public Library was making plans for expansion or relocation. There was some question as to what would become of the home of the Society. Copies of the expansion plans indicate that the library trustees were going to reduce the space for the Society. When Town Meeting supported the erection of a new public library, the Historical Society was not in the plans, and several proposals came forth about what to do with the 1903 structure, including that of a police station and a youth center. The later plan was accepted and from 1970 to late 1971a youth center operated on the main floor.
Planning for Stoughton’s 250th Year. There was also preliminary discussion about what would be done in 1976 when the nation would be celebrating its bicentennial and Stoughton its 250th year. That was when Ed Meserve, a newspaper compositor, stopped at a Society meeting and suggested that the organization start a newsletter to be published on a regular basis to stimulate interest in what the Society was doing and tie its membership together. The first issue was mailed in February 1970 with the skilled work of Mr Meserve. He continued as “Ye (old) Ed” in the publication most recently known as Old and New until 1992.
The difficulties that arose while sharing the former library with a youth center ended in April 1972 when President Meserve secured a lease of the entire building from the Town, which had acknowledged the bequest of Lucius Clapp, a founding member of the Society. Town Meeting voted to name the building as “The Lucius Clapp Memorial” in honor of its donor. Crews of volunteers cleaned, painted, and repaired furnishings to make it a museum. These efforts attracted more members and donations of both funds and artifacts to the Society. The Town was also gearing up for a BIG celebration in 1976. A separate Town-financed 250th Committee was organized to work in conjunction with the Historical Society.
As part of the anniversary celebration, the Society published and updated John E. Fynn’s Beyond the Blew Hills, a brief history of the Town of Stoughton.” -Howard Hansen
In Memorium
Bob Viola was a valuable volunteer at the Historical Society for several years. He served as interim archivist between the tenures of Jack Sidebottom and Richard Fitzpatrick. Bob and Tony Alfano did a great job of cataloguing the books and documents in our metal cabinets and spent months compiling a list of ALL of Stoughton’s selectmen, a portion of which now hangs in the lobby of Town Hall. Bob’s cheerful demeanor always enhanced the tone at the society when he was present.
Archivists Report
We were given a picture of a Stoughton grammar school in 1894 from Carl Weber of North Attleboro. We purchased four Account books of Leonard Hodges 1818-1837 and received a donation of a box of local historical books, booklets, and documents from the estate of Clifford and Amy Fowler. John Carabatsos donated a box of memorabilia from the Stoughton High School drama program that had been given to him. -Richard Fitzpatrick & Dwight Mac Kerron Curator’s Report
Our long-term project to inventory the artifacts in our collection continues. Within our collection of artifacts, there is a black steel lock box with “Stoughton Historical and Antiquarian Society” in gold lettering on the front. Inside this box are artifacts that are considered relics of Stoughton’s early history. Artifacts from the Isaac Stearns house (1716), a sill piece from Daniel Talbot’s house (1727) and a trunnel (tree nail) from the Town Infirmary are just a few of the relics that have been preserved in this old box.
You may be curious, as I was, about the name on the box. Reading through the earliest records of the Society revealed the origin of the box and provided the explanation of the name. At the meeting on December 8, 1896, the Hon. Newton Talbot spoke of the “necessity of preserving ancient papers and pamphlets and depositing them with the society”. Mr. William Curtis proposed that the society “procure a suitable box as a receptacle for such papers as may be donated to the society.” It was voted to have such a box and Mr. Ward (the Treasurer) and Mr. Curtis were appointed a committee to attend to it. Just one month later, at the January 12, 1897 meeting, Mr. Curtis reported that the receptacle for valuables had been procured. At the March 9, 1897 meeting, it was voted to change the name of the Society by dropping the words “and Antiquarian” from the name. -Richard Pratt –
Clothing Curator’s Report
My time during this pandemic has been fragmented as far as being very productive. I have finally completed entering into our computer files the information on the donations from Liz Griffin and her mother, Ruth Parent Fitzpatrick. They brought them to us in February of 2020. There are approximately 24 items ranging in dates from the 1920’s to 1970. Most of the items are women’s clothing ranging from wedding attire to prom dresses, to business wear, to cocktail party dresses, to a flower girl dress. All are in very good condition. Three of these items are presently on display and I look forward to being able to show you some of the others in the near future. I hope you will enjoy glancing back to the day when you wore a dress similar to one of these.
We have also received a t-shirt with the logo of Recreation Department, Stoughton on the front and the word Volunteer on the back. It is in excellent condition and was donated by Jon Ledin. If anyone can help supply the years during which such t-shjrts were worn, please let me know. -Janet Clough Donations
Steve and Geraldine Farrell
Membership
New members: David Foley
Membership dues for 2021 are now due. Thank you to those who have already sent them in. You might consider giving a membership as a present and/or becoming a Life member: $200 for an individual, or $300 for a family, including children up to age 21.