Stoughton Historical Society Newsletter Online Edition
VOLUME XLVIII NO. 2 OCT-NOV-DEC – 2018
Upcoming Events
November 18, “The Great War Ends” at the Lucius Clapp Memorial, 6 Park St. One hundred years ago this November, Stoughton and the rest of the country rejoiced and celebrated the Armistice on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. Alas, Stoughton’s Corporal Roy Marden was killed by an artillery shell just a few hours before the Armistice was signed. We discovered that Stoughton and many other communities across the country celebrated what turned out to be a false Armistice on November 6. There was a parade and many speakers addressed a large crowd at Town Hall. The whole process was repeated five days later, when the real Armistice was announced. The news for the next several weeks was bittersweet, as more reports of Stoughton men like Marden and Fred Larson, who had died in combat and others who had died of the flu trickled in. A few months earlier, in response to the outbreak of the “Spanish influenza,” the Board of Health had closed the Public Schools, Library and Orpheum Theater and forbidden public meetings at the Town House, the lodges, and any other public hall. By November, all these bans had been lifted. Our program was originally scheduled for 11/11, but because of possible conflicts with the Town activities, including the parade, it will be held on the 18th.
December 8, 4:00 P. M. The Holiday Parade of Lights and Open House. – The Lucius Clapp Memorial 6 Park St. We will have an Open House with light refreshments before, during, and just after the Parade. Stop by, warm up, have some hot chocolate and check out our new look.
President’s Report
Check out the Stoughton Historical Society website at stoughtonhistory.com and you will find an attractive new brown sepia home page format, which features images of the Lucius Clapp Memorial with the new doors and repaired windows. We have added several years of Newsletters, so that they are complete between 2002 and the end of 2017. There is a lot of Stoughton history in those newsletters! The search function for the newsletters and everything else is no longer on the last page, but at the top of the “Archives” page. We still have to scan and enter the NL’s from1992 to 2002, a much more time-consuming task than adding the last ten years of digital newsletters, and they will not be searchable until they are completely recopied. We will also add the diaries, or at least excerpts, of Ezra Tilden’s post-Saratoga Revolutionary War service writings, Erastus Smith, Susan Clapp, David Talbot, and William Holmes, which are already transcribed. The notes and introductions for each are at various stages of completion. We also will add the diary of WWI vet Michael Sullivan, which we are transcribing right now. The links to a few of the maps and documents are not working, but most should be re-activated in stage two of our website overhaul. Our website is loaded with great Stoughton history, most of it compiled by David Lambert, when he began the site on his own, many moons ago, but a fair amount has also been added over the last few years. Please give us your comments and suggestions. Eventually, this can be done from the website, but at this time it is more reliable to send comments or requests to stoughtonhistoricalsociety@verizon.net
On September 17, we had our Harvest Dinner at the Cedar Hill Golf course. We saw images of events from the past summer, the new look to our building, and several eras of Stoughton’s past.
October 18 saw a Fashion Show party at the Society, the result of a lot of work and preparation by Clothing Curator Janet Clough and Liz Fitzpatrick Griffin. The highlight of the afternoon was the participation of our models: Maureen Wahl, Ruthie Fitzpatrick, Riley O’Connell, Coleen Cesario, Maddie Saville, Sam and Sarah Spencer, Lucas Bryant, Evelyn, Karina, and Sean Cho, Marshall, Cassie, and Chloe Mac Kerron. One of the high points was our getting a picture of Evelyn Callanan posing with Evelyn Cho who was wearing Evelyn’s best dress from the 1930’s! Janice Carew Bryant, the mother of Lucas Bryant took many great pictures, which are now on our Facebook site. Liz Fitzpatrick Griffin put together seven pages of impressive commentary on the history of fashion from the early 1700’s to the 1970’s. An excerpt thereof can be found later in this newsletter. Joan Bryant and Russell Clough also assisted in the preparations for and/or the execution of the Fashion Show.
On two different Tuesdays in October, we have had visits from students at Stoughton high school. On October 23, we hosted sixteen students from Allison Strachan’s class and on October 30 we were visited by 48 students of American Studies, as set up by teacher Lori Cederquist.
With the help of John Carabatsos, Barbara DeVito Bourgoine, and Carol Devito Green, we have spent some time viewing the restored films of several local parades and begun to identify a number of the people in them. The transfer of the images from the reels to a flash drive was paid for by a grant from the Stoughton Cultural Council. Many girl scouts appear prominently in the parade, including one of their leaders, Mrs Fred Magee Sr. We plan to combine our showing of the parade pictures with a program on Girl Scout Camp Waluhiyo, which was constructed by volunteer local builders inside what is now the Bird St. Conservation Area on the shores of the C. W. Welch Pond. Although, alas, all that remains of that camp is a concrete slap and a few bricks, we have obtained many new pictures of their past activities to add to our files, thanks to the work of Joe and Jeanne DeVito’s daughters, especially Barbara Bourgoine. She reached out to the Girl Scout Museum at Cedar Hill, and at Barbara’s request, they emailed a number of images of activities at the camp. There have also been discussions on Facebook of past Girl Scout activities, including those at Camp Waluhiyo. Please let us know if you have pictures, documents, or just memories of the days when the Girl Scouts would go to the camp on the weekends for overnight stays.
Our Vice president, David Allen Lambert writes “My newest book the 3rd edition of A Guide to Massachusetts Cemeteries from @AncestorExperts will be out November 9th – A special offer extended for orders recvd. by 11/15 will be a signed and inscribed copy! https://shop.americanancestors.org/…/a-guide-to-massachuset…
On Oct 7, were were visited by Michael Murphy of Weymouth, who is in the final stages of writing a book on the 12th Massachusetts Infantry, the Webster Regiment, which contained many Stoughton men. He left us a copy of one of his earlier books, a biography of Weymouth Civil War officer James Lawrence Bates.
Thank you’s to Donald Interrante, who installed new weather stripping on the refurbished door out to Alice Petruzzo’s balcony. Another thank you to Maureen Wahl, who set up a spreadsheet on Excel, which will help us track members who have or have not paid their dues.
We are pleased to have Linda Weiler joining our group of trusty volunteers at the Society on Tuesdays, from 10:00-3:00. Linda has helped fill the void left by the continued absence of Brian Daley due to health problems. Linda has pitched in helping us change our exhibits and interacting with visiting students. She is also doing some of her own research on the old houses of Pine St. Our new exhibits include ladies’ reticule pocket books, fans, hats and seven mannequins with a variety of clothing from women’s gowns to police and WWI uniforms. There is an expanded section on Corcoran’s Shoe Company and Sporting Goods store and Stoughton’s ice business. Another display features Civil War rifled muskets and ceremonial swords. Our regular group of volunteers on Tuesdays now consists of Richard and Ruthie Fitzpatrick, Janet Clough, Joe and Jeanne DeVito, Evelyn Callanan, Linda Weiler, and Dwight Mac Kerron. John Carabatsos usually gives us an hour or two after lunch. We anticipate the return of Rick and Linda Woodward when their cranberry crop is harvested. We would love to have YOU join us.
Student volunteer Jahmare White-Savage has been a regular on most Thursday evenings, and he is continuing the transcription of Michael Sullivan’s WWI Diaries. We were excited to find Michael Sullivan’s dog tags in our collection; they are now on display, but we still do not know his connection to Stoughton or how we acquired the diaries and the dog tags.
Liz Fitzpatrick Griffin wrote seven pages of commentary for our fashion show. What follows is an excerpt from that commentary, which will eventually appear in its entirety on our website. A printed version will also be available at the Society for a small fee:
…As you are probably aware, fashion through the centuries has been influenced greatly by what is happened in our world—wars, weather, scientific advancement, availability of transportation and in more modern time, in the social media, movies, TV, theatre as well as individual creativeness.
…In the 1890’s, with the advent of the motor car, ladies needed clothing for their weekend trips. The cars were open-sided and so sturdy fabrics were used to make their “Traveling Suits”. Loose overcoats for men and women were made of leather by Burberry. To protect their faces from the oil blasts from the motors of these automobiles, thick face veils draped from hats that were worn along with protective goggles.
Dresses of this time were 2 pieces with the bodices heavily boned. They were fastened with hooks and eyes, sometimes as many as 30 of very small hooks. Collars came to under the chin for day time, but at night necklines were exceptionally low with sweet heart, square or round necklines. And the ladies wore quantities of fine jewelry. Gloves of suede or heavily embroidered silk were always worn. It was the era of the GIBSON girl. England’s King Edward preferred mature, buxom women with gray or white hair and so that became a trend. Children wore carbon copies of adult clothing except they were shorter.
1900-10 -is referred to as the Edwardian era. Decorations in homes and on clothes represented the luxurious living. A big change came with the onset of WWI (1914-1918) in attitudes, lifestyles, and clothing. 1912 was the sinking of the Titanic, 1918 was the Great Influenza Epidemic and the beginning of the Prohibition movement as well as the Women’s Suffrage movement. Paris was the mecca of fashion and the rest of the world followed its lead.
Men wore 1 or 3 button cut away frock coats and bowler hats, carrying a silver-capped cane. Boys wore suits for evening or dress. During the day, their pants were tight fitting and came to the knee where they were met with high stockings. We know this style pant as Knickers. In 1910 tailored suits for women, made of wool or serge, came into style. Men objected to this style as they felt it challenged their authority. Zippers, which were introduced in 1893 and called “lockers, became widely used in the 1910’s There were big changes within 10 years Now let’s jump forward to the 1920’s: Prohibition was in effect, Jazz music hit the mass media. As so many men were lost in the war, teens were given jobs and more freedom. More change came to some women’s lives in the mid 1920’s; They smoked cigarettes, visited speakeasy’s, and used swear words. This shocked the conventional thinkers. These ladies adopted what was called the “naughty school girl” look. They rolled down their stockings, and painted their knees with rouge.
In the decade of the tubular silhouette, dresses were shorter, light, and elegant in silk or crepe-de-chine, often revealing the arms or back. Beige stockings were worn to suggest bare legs and rayon which was introduced in France in 1891, provided an affordable alternative to silk. It’s also time to take your scissors to the hemlines of women’s dresses. Skirts start at the mid-calf in the early at the start of the decade, by 1925 they skim the knee and by 1926 they were the shortest they’ve ever been, coming right to the knee. However, by 1928 dress designers were trying to use more fabric and begin to show dresses that almost touched the ankles in the back, but left the knees exposed in the front. By 1929, the skirts came crashing back down to the mid-calf.
Fabrics for evening wear were luxurious, draped with beads, and cut on the bias. Furs were worn for all occasions for those who could afford them. But most people were on a tight budget and clothing for them needed to wear well and serve a variety of purposes. Slacks became used by women. This was not well accepted by many for many years.
On to the 30’s, the Wall Street Crash of 1929 was followed by the Great Depression. At about the same time, Hitler was coming to power in Germany, talking movies came on the scene with stars such as Jean Harlow, Greta Garbo, Fred Astaire, and the Marx Brothers. Again, fashion was changed. Women started sewing more of their own clothing. Clothes were mended and patched, fewer ready to wear items were purchased. The hemlines dropped to the ankles until the later 30’s. The high necklines were lowered and darts were replaced by soft gathers and a natural waistline. Yokes were added to skirts and by the early 40’s peplums were added to suits and dresses.
It was after World War 1 that Children’s clothes changed most dramatically and universally. This transformation echoed the radical changes taking place in adult fashions. Lighter, less elaborate garments, including soft collars, jerseys, and socks instead of stockings, were adopted, in contrast to the formal styles of the first decades of the century. Girls wore simple dresses with dropped waists and boys wore updated versions of the skeleton suit-brief shorts buttoned onto a shirt top. Children were taken out of their heavy, formal scaled down versions of their parents and dressed in less restrictive garments.
In the 1930’s movies played a major role in influencing fashion. Nobody has more impact on children’s clothes than Shirley Temple. After her debut at the age of three, she was for a decade one of the biggest stars in the US. She acted in films such as Dimples and Curly Top, and the dresses she wore– with puffed sleeves and Peter Pan collars– became very popular.
As the tensions of a pending war arose in 1939, access to European clothiers designs were stopped—and so again—fashion began to change. Germans gained control of the Paris haute couture. U.S had been copying the Paris styles and their access was denied and so we turned to making sports apparel. Also the war restrictions on use of wools and silks effected what would be produced. So again as during WWI and the Depression, clothes had to last a longer time.
Many options of shoe styles were available in the early 1940’s. Furs were used not only as coats but large collars, hats, trims on suits and dresses.
The cloche hat was replaced with the pillbox and wider brimmed hats. Nylon was first produced by DuPont laboratories in 1938. Nylon was named after the cities New York and London. This fine, strong, elastic, synthetic fiber was an ideal substitute for rayon or silk.
As the US enters World War II, the government decrees that to conserve fabrics, men’s suits will be manufactured without cuffs, pleats, or patch pockets. The Eisenhower jacket, a waist length, belted jacket with a turned down collar named for the general, becomes popular.
A reminder that Howard Hansen can be visited or receive mail at Life Care Center of West Bridgewater, 765 West Center Street, Rm # 120, West Bridgewater, MA. 02379. I know that he would greatly appreciate a visit or a card.
Archivists Report
Linda Weiler, who has also joined us, volunteering at the Society, donated a number of school graduation programs, a copy of a deed from Pliny Capen, et al to Albert H. Whiting, and a copy of Right of Way, from Albert H. Whiting to the Edison Electric Eluminating Company. (Re: Land located on Pine Street). She also donated several photos relating to the American Railway Express later, the Railway Express Agency. Katherine E. Ceruti, of Nouridgewock, ME, donated a Stoughton High School Class of 1940 picture and several sports Letters. Evelyn Callanan, donated several more 2018 Stoughton Library newsletters and Construction updates. We received a copy of the “Twenty-five year history of the Stoughton Woman’s Club” c. 1951, written by Constance Southworth. donated by her nephew Richard Fletcher of Braintree, MA. Several photographs, scrapbook and objects re; Stoughton Girl Scout Camp Waluhiyu were donated by Barbara (DeVito) Bourgoine of Readfield, ME. The objects, a Pin, Neckerchief slide, and Necklace were passed on to Brian. Ruth McDonald donated the paperwork from 1986 involving the commissioning of the Lucius Clapp portrait, which graces our Clapp room. It was paid for by local shoe merchant Sam Sarados, who insisted that the portrait be full length and that the shoes be visible. The framed sample sketch rendered by the artist Thomas Hallinan, also a gift from Ruth is on display beside the Lucius Clapp portrait. Ruth’s husband, Bill McDonald was President of the Stoughton Historical Society from 1984-1986.
In assisting with the changeover of displays, I made two helmet stands for police and fire helmet display, two hat stands, and a base for displaying “Fire Alarm Box # 26”. Box 26 was at the intersection of Park and Sumner Streets. Also copied, framed, and displayed the poem “In Flanders Fields” for the WWI exhibit. Ruthie and I have gotten quotes for replacement glass doors for two display cabinets. -Richard Fitzpatrick
I helped take down the “Toys of Long Ago” and got folks to pick up the items they loaned to us. I rearranged some of the items on display and added an eclectic mix of interesting things from our collections. Also added some World War l posters to the display rack. I helped Janet with the clothing for our fashion show in October, and wore one of the reproduction outfits representing 1776 in the show. We all helped with the visits of Stoughton High School classes, answering questions and adding information about our displays. -Ruthie Fitzpatrick
Curator’s Report
Acquisitions: A pair of ice tongs, a toothed ice chopper, and an apple picking wire bulb from Linda Weiler, An ice pick from Ruthie Fitzpatrick. Correction: the piccolo that Betty Maraglia gave us was owned by her father, not her grandfather.
Clothing Curator’s Report
Our clothing collection has been donated three complete outfits made and used by Virginia McGrath when she did reenactment performances for various groups. We have two outfits representing what would have been worn by Deborah Sampson and one that would have been worn in Salem in 1691. All of these items are in excellent condition and were displayed in our recent fashion show. Liz FItzpatrick Griffin has donated a pair of lederhosen that are made of suede and would fit a young boy. These were also worn in the fashion show. All of these will add interesting depth to our collection. -Janet Clough
Membership
New members: Virginia Staples, Edythe Carroll