Most Blackstone Valley residents arefamiliar with Samuel Slater who broughtthe highly coveted Arkwright technologyfrom England in the early 1790s to trig-ger the American Industrial Revolution.However, a less familiar Slater legacy isthe generous gift from Samuel’s brotherJohn’s son, John Fox Slater. John Slaterhad emigrated to the United States a fewyears after Samuel had emerged as a keyfactor in the rise of industrialization inPawtucket. Together, they formedAmerica’s first planned mill village in asection of North Smithfield, namedSlatersville. John’s sons, William andJohn, eventually took over the manufac-turing in Slatersville as well as venturedsuccessfully into Connecticut textile

The Gift

Surely they hitched their wagon to a star And though it fell to earth It left a pathway so bright

That it still points the way to perfection. ~Susan Thwing Whitney

One of America's most ardent paci-fists and abolitionists lived, taughtand preached in the BlackstoneValley. In fact, he and up to 200members created a "practicalChristianity" community called the"Dale of Hope" which far outlastedany of the more familiar social reformutopian communities, such as BrooksFarm or Harvard's Fruitlands. His mastery of answering the hard ques-tions while holding firm against theCivil War when he was such a strongabolitionist influenced many, includ-ing internationally renown LeoTolstoy, Mohandas Ghandi andMartin Luther King, Jr.

The relatively unknown AdinBallou was born in Cumberland, R.I.in 1803, a descendant of founders of

that community. He sought a collegeeducation, but his parents wished himto work the family farm. By age 19and already married, Ballou acted onhis "call to ministry" by taking a fel-lowship with the Universalists underthe prompting of cousin HoseaBallou. By December 1824, he wasordained rector of Milford'sUniversalist Church.

The country was in the midst ofgreat change during the early 19thcentury. Born when the country hadonly six million residents underPresident Jefferson, the great wave ofimmigration and changes in life froman agrarian to an industrial societybrought forth many debates on socialand religious issues as the populationgrew tenfold during Ballou's lifetime.

Ballou's vocal Restorationist opin-ions on punishment for misdeedsbefore attaining universal salvationconflicted with the more liberal main-stream Universalist opinion of univer-

sal salvation, regardless of being heldaccountable for misdeeds. Thus, hewas fired from his Milford Church in1830 soon after he began publishingThe Independent Messenger, aRestorationist weekly newspaper.Before long, Ballou was appointed asminister of the First Congregational(Unitarian) Church in Mendon. Foralmost a decade, he published thenewspaper at the still-standing 9 MainStreet, Mendon building while contin-uing to pursue the ideals of women'sequality, anti-slavery and several

continued on page 6

Peace On Earth

Chain of Lights Pull-Out

Christmas Celebrations

The Magic of Our Woods

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Page 2Journeys

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Page 3 Journeys

The Warrior SachemBlood On the Blackstone, Part 7

Published six times yearly, Journeys reaches over65,000 readers each issue and is distributed atover 700 sites throughout the Valley and beyond.Thousands of readers weekly also check out one ofthree, local informative websites:

www.BlackstoneDaily.com - Daily news, events,community info, history and great shopping! Rated#4 traffic, highest traffic threshold available!

www.theBlackstoneValley.com - A guide torecreation, attractions, historical itineraries andmuch more.

www.CheckMenus.info - An emerging guide torestaurant reviews, menus, restaurants, caterers andwedding and event specialists in the region.

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Publisher: Ellen Onorato 508-839-8885 /BlackstoneDaily@aol.com

Writers: Joe Doherty, Bob Haigis, LisaOlinger, Mary Romaniec, Jane Keown, SusanHolden, John LaPoint, Brennan Gauthier,Diane Marie Mariani

Sales: 508-839-8885 Main OfficeSue Cayford 508-523-9197Cyndy Rogers -508-529-4437Sue Kelly - 508-612-4777Diane Marie Mariani - 401-744-8321

“Peirce’s Fight” was one of thebloodiest and most important battles ofKing Philip’s War, and it was foughtright here on our own BlackstoneRiver. This is Part 7 of a series aboutthe battle and its aftermath. You cancatch up on earlier chapters atwww.blackstonedaily.com/ourriver.htm.

Like all memorable battles,Peirce’s Fight was a mortal clashbetween two opposing factions, eachunder the command of a militaryleader.

On one side, a colonial militia of50-70 soldiers and scouts led by theman whose name will forever be tiedto the battle, Captain Michael Peirce ofScituate, Massachusetts. On the other,a furious horde of 600-900 Indians,mostly Narragansetts, with Nipmucks,Wampanoags and others filling theirranks.

By means of a ruse, the Indianslured Peirce and his men into anambush. Native warriors were strate-gically deployed so that once engaged,the white men found themselvesflanked on both sides of the river withno possibility of retreat. Hopelesslysurrounded, Peirce and his party madetheir stand. One by one, they werecut down, dead.

There has never been any questionthat the Indians followed a premeditat-ed battle plan that day. As George M.Bodge wrote in Soldiers in KingPhilip’s War (1906), “There is nodoubt that Capt. Peirse was out-gener-alled, as well as vastly outnumbered,and, like the brave man that he was, he

fought it out till he fell, with his bravemen around him.”

Less certain is the identity of theIndian “general” who orchestrated theattack. Historians have long speculat-ed about Peirce’s Indian counterpart.Obviously he was skilled in the art offorest warfare. He manipulated Peircedown to the river’s edge, where theriver itself would hinder the soldiers’movements even as his own warriorssurrounded them. But who was he?

Most histories credit the victory toCanonchet, warrior-sachem of theNarragansett Indians.

Sachem was an Algonquin titlegiven to tribal chieftains. TheNarragansetts had six sachems spreadthroughout the “Narragansett Country”of Rhode Island and parts ofConnecticut. They included Pessacus,Canonchet’s uncle; Ninigret, sachem ofthe eastern Narragansett or NianticIndians; Quaiapen, a female sachemwhose stone fort lay in the woods nearWickford; Pomham, sachem of the ter-ritory now occupied by Warwick; andQuinnapin, who was Canonchet’scousin.

Canonchet (or Nanuntenoo, as hewas also called) was recognized as thewarrior-sachem and leader of the tribe.He reputedly rose to this position oneyear before the war broke out.

“In the year 1674 Canonchet helda great dance,” recorded WilliamHarris, a neighbor and rival of RogerWilliams, “which among the Indians isa kind of religious ceremony whereinthey customarily give away all themoney they have and bid those towhom they give it to go and pray forthem. So accordingly out they go andmake a kind of shout that signifies asmuch, and their women dance aroundin a ring. At the above-mentioned

dance were all but a few of the Indiansfrom far and near. At that time it wasdecided that Canonchet should be theleader in the plot against the English…”

He was a natural choice to lead hispeople. Approximately 34 years old atthe time of Peirce’s Fight, Canonchetwas the youngest son of the deceasedNarragansett sachem Miantonomi.Physically in his prime and endowedwith both a keen mind and an unbreak-able spirit, he was the embodiment ofNarragansett tribal power. In Flintlockand Tomahawk, Douglas EdwardLeach describes him as “the sturdyyoung warrior-sachem Canonchet, aman with a proud fighting heart, and arelentless foe of the English.”

In the aftermath of the UnitedColonies’ surprise attack on theNarragansett swamp fort (December19, 1675, three months before Peirce’sFight – see Part 1), Canonchet and hissurviving tribesmen reportedly tookrefuge in the frozen woods ofMishnock Swamp, at what is nowCoventry, Rhode Island. ReverendIncrease Mather wrote that the dis-placed Narragansetts were left so desti-tute that they were forced to subsist onground nuts. However, there are indi-cations that Canonchet’s men returnedto the charred ruins of the fort and mayhave salvaged quantities of corn andfish which had escaped the fire.

Four days after the Great SwampFight, the Narragansetts sent represen-tatives to Richard Smith’s trading postat Wickford, where the English sol-diers who survived the battle werequartered. The Indians expressed adesire for peace between the Englishand the Narragansett, “but we soonperceived it was only to prevent ourfalling upon them, and to gain more

Time to remove their Army andProvisions twenty Miles farther intothe Country, to some Rocks where wecould not get at them without muchDanger,” wrote Boston merchantNathaniel Saltonstall.

The English humored the Indianambassadors, if only to conceal thefact that they were in no position tolaunch a follow-up attack. Heavycasualties, scarce provisions and awilderness smothered in deep snowhad effectively paralyzed the colonialarmy.

“… both Sides being well weariedwith the late desperate Fight, werewilling to refresh themselves theremaining part of the Winter, with theshort Slumber of a pretended Peace, atleast with a Talk or Dream thereof,”wrote Reverend William Hubbard inhis 1677 narrative of the war.

On December 28th, PlymouthGovernor Josiah Winslow, who led theassault on the swamp fort, set free aNarragansett squaw taken during thebattle. He gave her a message forCanonchet – an offer of peace, contin-gent upon the surrender of allWampanoags who might be among hispeople. It was the same demand thatCanonchet had refused throughout thesummer and fall. “No, not aWampanoag, nor a paring of aWampanoag’a nail,” he had vowed.

The squaw never returned toSmith’s trading post, but on December30th, a Narragansett messenger camein. He relayed his sachems’ thanks forthe proffer of peace, but also admon-ished the English. He “complained wemade War upon them, and gave themno notice,” wrote Reverend WilliamHubbard. “The Messenger that wassent was fairly dismissed with the

continued on page 8

Page 4Journeys

A Magical LandscapeFour hundred years ago, our forests

looked very different. Unlike the vastundergrowth and accumulation ofleaves, broken tree limbs and otherobstacles that offer challenge whenwalking through the woods when noton a cleared path, pre-colonial forestswere passable and very aesthetic.

Hunters and hikers know the diffi-culty of getting a clear shot or travers-ing heavy brush. Also, trying to imitatethe well-known silent tread of NativeAmericans remains elusive. Why isthat? The Native Americans had theingenuity to solve these problems by

setting fires, once or twice a year to ridthe forests of jutting branches, remnantleaves, brush and undergrowth. Theirlives depended on it, for defense aswell as food. After the fires, bushes ofblueberries and cranberries becamebountiful replacement crops and quietpassage allowed better stalking andhunting of wildlife.

According to Thomas Morton's1632 New English Canaan trilogy,"The savages are accustomed to setfire of the country in all places wherethey come, and to burn it twice a year,viz.: at the spring, and the fall of the

leaves. The reason that moves them todo so, is because it would otherwise beso overgrown with underweeds that itwould be all a coppice wood, and thepeople would not be able in any wiseto pass through the country out of abeaten path.

For, when the fire is once kindled, itdilates and spreads itself as wellagainst, as with the wind; burning con-tinually night and day, until a showerof rain falls to quench it. And this cus-tom of firing the country is the meansto make it passable; and by that meansthe trees grow here and there as in our

parks; and make the country verybeautiful and commodious."

www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1637morton.html

Tree Stumps and Whorled LimbsThroughout central Massachusetts

and northern Rhode Island, historygraces our landscapes, but often, wemiss the stories that they reveal. Weare all aware that our landscapes aremuch more forested than in the 18th -19th centuries, but what else might welearn about a particular spot?

An exciting winterproject can be to deci-pher some tell-tale signs,from tree stumps to treetype or whorled limbs.Clues are often in evi-dence but understandingthese landscapes needsus to open our eyes andlearn how to begin iden-tifying new clues and theimpacts creating this natural canvas.

Many disturbances of the past canbe found from logging, blights, fires,farming, hurricanes and other impacts.

Yet, looking at an even broader pic-ture, this region used to be part of theLaurentide Ice Sheet for thousands ofyears. This was a tundra similar to thatof the frigid Artic we know today. It’s

hard to believe, but many of the largegranite boulders we see today werepart of the “boulder trains” that stretchfor miles and miles, mostly from northto south, that were left in place as theice receded. Often, these bolders arecovered with earthen mounds now,even allowing the growth of some

trees. What are some easi-

er clues that we candecipher?

~ the Eastern redcedar is dominant alongRI & CT roads, yet thecommon juniper is moreprominent in MA

~coppiced treetrunks are sure signs of

disturbance~basal tree scars point to intrusion~stone walls offer substantial clues~stumps can be aged accuratelyAs little as 20 miles, north to south,

can alter the landscape where the redcedar strongly outnumbers the com-mon juniper, found a bit north withjust a small differential of colder

weather. Coppiced tree trunks are multiple

trees sprouting from the trunk of a for-mer, larger tree. They usually fill thediameter of the downed tree, whether itwas blown down, lost to fire or cut.Take a moment to find other clues bylooking at surrounding trees.

Are there basal scars near the cop-piced tree? These scars could point tologging activity that bumped into othertrees when being moved. The scarscould also come from fire. Was this alarge tree, with thick bark, that couldsurvive the fire, yet was injured slight-ly while a smaller tree was burned?

The appearance of stone walls canbe very telling as you detect whetherthey are built of merely larger stones(grazing lands) or do they have lots ofsmaller stones scattered on them whichpoints to a gardening or farming areawhere stones rose up over winter andwere thrown on the wall while plant-ing/tilling.

The aging of stumps gets a littlemore complex as tree type determines

continued on page 17

To get more details on deciphering ournatural landscapes, the best source isTom Wessels, Reading The ForestedLandscape, A Natural History ofNew England published in 1997 andavailable via CWMars libraries.

Additional books which are helpfulinclude:North Woods by Peter MarchandA Sierra Club Naturalist’s Guide toSouthern New England by NeilJorgensen

Photo depicting a large basal scar on tree

Coppiced tree trunks

Page 5

Part Twoby John LaPoint

In the October - November issue ofJourneys, we began a three part seriesof articles about the historic 1828Blackstone Canal and its potential newrole in tourism promotion and econom-ic development of the BlackstoneValley region. During the last fouryears there has been a renewed focuson the Blackstone Canal by theBlackstone River Valley NationalHeritage Corridor, its partners and ourlocal and regional planning agencies.Maybe at no time since the last canalboat moved on this extraordinarytransportation link way back in 1848has “canal fever” so captured the atten-tion of historic preservationists, eco-nomic development specialists, politi-cal leaders and those who live in thecommunities of the Blackstone Valleyregion.

In this issue of Journeys, we take atrip outside of the Blackstone Valley tovisit a canal system long linked withthe history of the Blackstone Canal. Aswe know from the 2006 BlackstoneCanal Symposium and the variety ofPark Ranger Walkabouts highlightingthe Blackstone Canal, the history ofhow the Blackstone Canal was built isvery much linked to lessons learned byengineers and Irish immigrant canalworkers on an earlier project, the ErieCanal in upstate New York. The ErieCanal, opened in 1825 and stretching360 miles from Albany to Buffalo, wasmore than just a transportation system.It was an extensive and important eco-nomic engine in its days until it wasreplaced in 1918 by the New YorkState Barge Canal.

Since the early 1990's, as a result ofa focused effort by state and localinterests, the Erie Canal has againspurred economic rebirth through localand regional tourism. However, a clos-er look also shows that the canal sys-tem in New York State, which remainsa fully navigable waterway, has a veryhigh operational cost when comparedwith actual revenues. As the future ofadditional restoration the Blackstone

Canal and potential expansion of theBlackstone River and Canal HeritageState Park in Massachusetts is consid-ered, one can find many parallelsbetween preservation and planningactivities in upstate New York and theactivities taken on by the BlackstoneCanal Commission that we are morefamiliar with here in the BlackstoneValley.

Here then is a snapshot of the ErieCanalway National Heritage Corridorin upstate New York.

The Erie Canal linking Buffalo andAlbany has been the focus of local,state and fed-eral economicdevelopmentefforts sincethe early1990s. At 363miles, theErie Canal isthe longestsegment ofthe New YorkState CanalSystem,which com-prises a totalof 524 milesof navigablewaterway,including theErie,Champlain,Oswego, andCayuga-SenecaCanals. Nowa major recre-ational water-way, a 2002 study commissioned byNew York State estimated that canaltourism generates $384 million a yearin economic impact for upstate NewYork. Since that study, the number ofcanal tourist festivals which are a mainattraction in many canalfront commu-nities has risen by more than 30 per-cent.

The entire canal system was placedunder the operational authority of theNew York State Thruway Authority in1992 as part of a plan by then

Governor Mario Cuomo to balance astate budget deficit. The Canal systemhad previously been under the NewYork State Department ofTransportation. According to theThruway Authority, canal expenseswere $53.9 million in 2006 againstcanal revenues of $1.6 million.Thruway tolls generated $554 millionin revenues in 2006. 2006 could beconsidered an extraordinary year in theSyracuse-Utica-Albany stretch of thecanal where much of the canal systemwas closed due to extensive flooding.

As with Blackstone Valley residentswho travel up and down Route 146

and nevereven see theBlackstoneCanal, thosewho drivealong theNew YorkStateThruway in2007 mightfind it hardto imagine,but the ErieCanal wasfor much ofthe 19th cen-tury the trueeconomiclifeline forupstate NewYork. Butwhen meth-ods of trans-portationchanged,manyupstate New

York communities lost their economiclivelihood because of their locationalong the canal and turned their backson these valuable waterfront assets.

In 1992, the New York State legis-lature also created the New York StateCanal Recreationway Commission,with a mandate “that the beauty, his-toric character, and environmentalintegrity of the canals be preserved forfuture generations.”

The Commission prepared a NewYork State Canal Recreationway Plan,

completed in 1995. The CanalRecreationway Plan presented a thennew vision of the canal system as alinear park. Some recommendationsincluded programs for improvementsto water quality, specific waterfrontcapital investments to enhance recre-ational boating activities, and a multi-use 500 mile Canalway Trail. Otherimportant recommendations includedimproved access to the canals from theNew York State Thruway and area airand rail terminals along with designa-tion of the canal system region as aNational Heritage Area.

This Canal Recreationway Plan wasnot just a paper exercise with the 1995study sitting gathering dust on a shelf.One result of the Canal RecreationwayPlan was the New York State CanalRevitalization Program, a ten year pro-gram of state investments totaling over$80 million. In addition to canal, har-bor and lock projects, more than 245miles of the Canalway Trail was com-pleted and made available for publicuse.

The Erie Canalway NationalHeritage Corridor was created byCongress in 2000 and includes 234municipalities linked by the canal sys-tem. The Corridor designationincreased visibility of the Canal. Manyobservers feel the Heritage Corridoralso brought a new level of energy to existing plan-ning. The Heritage Corridor’sPreservation and Management Plan,completed in 2006, is the documentthat guides planning across the entirecanal system region.

Another major goal of the 1995Canal Recreationway Plan was to helpchange local perceptions of the canalsystem. The new attitude that resultedis highlighted by events such as theCycling the Erie Canal bicycle tourand numerous local and regional“Canal Days” celebrations. Once per-ceived as an industrial relic, the canalsystem is now championed by manyresidents, business owners, and politi-cians as an important recreational

continued on page 16

The Blackstone Canal - Our (Still) Hidden Asset?Journeys

Page 6Journeys

other moral issues. In 1839, at WilliamLloyd Garrison’s urging, Ballouaddressed reformers at meetings of theNew England Non-Resistance Society,whose tenets included “We cannotacknowledge allegiance to any humangovernment; neither can we opposeany such government by a resort tophysical force. We recognize but oneKING and LAWGIVER, one JUDGEand RULER of mankind.” The gov-ernment, to many of these abolition-ists, defied God’s law and was often,evil.

By 1841, Ballou’s convictions andideals led to the formation of theHopedale Community. The HopedaleCommunity was thefirst and longest lastingutopian society to“establish an order ofhuman society basedupon the sublime ideasof the fatherhood ofGod and the brother-hood of man, as illus-trated in the Gospel ofJesus Christ.” Womenwere equal, blacks werefed and housed as run-aways and Ballousought to put into actionthe beliefs and ideals he and many oth-ers, such as Garrison, FrederickDouglas and Samuel May spoke outabout as abolitionists.

"A few of us had enjoyed personal,social, educational and domesticadvantages ... but the larger numberhad lived and moved on a humblerlevel. There was naturally a diversityof manners, habits and tastes, in addi-tion to the personal peculiarities ofeach... Yet we were all domiciled underone roof, lived as one family, stocked acommon larder, spread and sat at acommon table, organized commonactivities and constituted to all intentsand purposes a Community in fact aswell as in name."

Adin Ballou, History of theHopedale Community

"Annually in August, in a small,pine grove... Hopedale had an Anti-Slavery meeting. I remember manyearnest men and women who spokefrom that platform. William LloydGarrison was always present.Frederick Douglas, a colored man whowas an escaped slave, was an interest-

ing speaker. I well remember theblack, black man of large stature whowas called Henry Box Brown. He wasa slave and had come all the way fromthe South, sent by friends in a drygoods box with holes in the cover, andlabeled, 'This side up. With care.'

Many escaped slaves lived with thefamilies of Hopedale. My father had acolored man called John who did somework about the place, but never wentalone from the house. Several otherswere there who lived among us forweeks or months. They were fed,clothed, and sheltered. We knew themand saw them moving in and out, oneday here. The next gone." Anna

Thwing Field,HopedaleReminiscences

The HopedaleCommunity (1841-1856+) was basedupon pacifism andthe ideals and com-mitment to temper-ance, anti-slavery,marital fidelity andnonviolence.Whereas there wassome discussion ofuniting with the tran-

scendentalist community of the moreelitist, Brook Farm, the hard work andmore rigid approach of Ballou’s com-munity was in conflict with the wealth-ier, shorter lived community of tran-scendentalists.

Ballou faced many personal strug-gles, yet never faltered in his profoundbeliefs. He lost his first wife shortlyafter his second child was born, losttwo very young sons to scarlet fever,became gravely ill, remarried, and thenyears later, faced the loss of his mostbeloved son at age 16 when he fell illwhile studying and teaching inBridgewater.

His only surviving child, Abbie,became known as an exemplaryteacher for hundreds of children,including Samuel May’s and WilliamGarrison’s sons. His second wife,Lucy, was truly his equal partner in allthat he created and published, includ-ing his book, Practical ChristianSocialism in 1854.

For almost 20 years, theCommunity existed as a “presage anda world ultimately regenerated and

Edenized.” At the time, there was anongoing, almost ubiquitous, discussionfar beyond the Community, in manyreligions and thought, of the approach-ing millennium. This was the thousandyears stated in Revelation 20 duringwhich holiness is to prevail and Christis to reign on earth.

By 1852, the Community had up to200 inhabitants, though figures are notexact. The Community had undergonemany changes, but it had alwaysallowed private property and profitsthrough shares. This sometimes droveaway advocates of shared ownership,yet discrepancies in work habits andproduction outcomes were appreciatedand understood. Ebenezer Draper, theCommunity’s second president, wasvery actively involved along with late-comer brother, George Draper.

Finally, the persistent urging bybrother George to Ebenezer to with-draw their majority shares from theCommunity in 1856 led to its eventualdemise. The Drapers went on tobecome well-known industrialists, cre-ating the paternal mill town ofHopedale that is mostly known today,even though its mill buildings nowstand empty or demolished.

However, Ballou continued tobelieve that this Community, thougheventually disbanded, would establisha protoype for the future, exclaiming“ So shall the Hopedale Communityhave a glorious resurrection, an apote-hosis, of which its earlier manifesta-tion was but the harbinger and proto-type.”

Ballou’s Practical Christianityinfluence continued until his death in1890 as he became minister of themajestic Draper-built Unitarian churchin Hopedale. Ballou continued to writemany sermons preserved today at

continued on page 20

Adin Ballou, continued from page one

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"One member of the old community,Harriet N. Greene, declared that the peo-ple of the village were indeed a ratherpeculiar people, peculiar in that they dis-avowed violence in any form and openedtheir doors to the fugitive slave; peculiartoo in that there was no poverty, unem-ployment, drunkenness, or wasted lives intheir midst." Edward Spann, Hopedale:from Commune to Company Town

"I can sincerely say that in my moral andspiritual nature I owe more to Mr. Ballouthan to all the ministers and men withwhom I have ever come in contact." Rev. Charles H. Eaton, D.D. (adopted sonof Ebenezer Draper)

"I read in the papers here (in Europe) ofthe death of Mr. Ballou. Notwithstandinghis extreme age, the news came like ashock to me. I admired and respected --nay, revered him more than any other manI ever met. To me he combined a perfectlyblameless life with the most extraordinaryreasoning powers. I feel that he has donemuch to develop the best that there is inme." Gen. William Draper (son ofGeorge)

"It was our custom at Hopedale, as radi-cal Abolitionists, to celebrate from year toyear the Anniversary of the Emancipationof 800,000 slaves in the British WestIndies. This was done in a pleasant grovenear the southerly borders of our domain,half a mile from the central part of ourvillage." Adin Ballou, History of theHopedale Community

"The Hopedale Community made a deter-mined effort to keep itself informed ofintellectual progress. In 1842, while itwas still struggling to get started, thecommunity began a small public library,one of the first in the country." EdwardSpann, Hopedale: Commune to CompanyTown

"We cannot employ carnal weapons norany physical violence whatsoever," theyproclaimed, "not even for the preservationof our lives. We cannot render evil for evil. . . nor do otherwise than 'love our ene-mies.” Adin Ballou

Page 7 Journeys

As the warm weather makes itsexit, we move into the frantic holidayseasons. At the farm, this means ship-ping apples all over the country, stock-ing up on jams and salsa and otherpopular gift items, making wreaths,selling Christmas trees, and generallydoing our best to make the last fewweeks of retail selling profitable.Daylight is at a premium, but most ofthe outdoor work is finished, and a fewhours is about all anyone wants tospend out in the chilly air. Wood willbe stockpiled for the winter months, aswe need to keep a fire going in thebarn to assure the pipes won't freeze.It is a time of wrapping up, cleaningup and winding down. And it seems tome to be a good time to think.

As a farm, we are expected tokeep track of all the crops we harvest-ed and report our yield to the federalgovernment. We filed an acreagereport in July, and the governmentkeeps track of average yield per acrefor calculating disaster relief [if thereis to be any] as well as cut-offs for col-lecting insurance benefits. This year Idoubt there will be any ‘extra' fundscoming our way, despite the obviousreduction in production caused by theprolonged drought. But file we must,and it is important for us as an individ-ual farm to know how we did andwhere there is room for improvement.We need to see where our productionwas weak and try to think of a way toboost it for next year. When we exam-ine our yield on each individual cropwe grow, we can see places where wegrew too much of one thing and not

enough of another. Talking to ourfarmer's market people and stand helpalso gives us an indication of how theseason went and how they think wecould better serve our customers'needs. It is a complicated, time-con-suming job, but a necessary one.

As an individual, I need to reflecton how my job as a farmer fits into mygeneral life. There is no question thatthe energy expended during the sixmonths of our ‘busy' season canbecome quite draining to a person nolonger in the bloom of youth. I can'tdo my bookkeeping at night anymore,having to get up before the sun whenmy mind is fresh to keep everythingstraight. On some of my long-termreports, I am at this point hopelesslybehind, and will spend the first monthsof winter playing ‘catch-up'. I certain-ly made a good decision to forgo rais-ing flowers for wholesale. My gar-den, cut at least in half, was much eas-ier to pick and bunch for the stand andfarmer's markets, and left me hourseach day to do other things. The flow-ers I did have were utilized more fullythan in other years, and I didn't spendnearly as much time dead-heading. Asfor plans for next year, I still need timeto think.

Time to think...it is something weall need but often neglect to do. Werace around doing our job, shopping,cooking [some of you even find timeto clean!], and generally keep busy, butdo we give any thought to what we aredoing, why we are doing it, and how itreally affects our lives? When I sitdown at the computer to write an arti-

cle like this one, I spend a great deal oftime thinking about what I want to say.By the time I am seated at the key-board, I basically just type it in andsend it along to the editor. The doingis often far less important than thethinking about what to do. This is notto say that going to our jobs and takingcare of our families is unimportant, butif it becomes the focus of who we are,I think we are in danger of losingsomething very important in ourhumanity.

My cousin's husband, Paul Raffa,died this past week and we celebratedhis life in an inspiring service this pastweekend. He had worked on the farmyears ago as a truck driver, takingloads of apples into the wholesale mar-ket in Boston for several years. Bothhis sons have worked for us for manyyears. Karin grew up packing appleswith us and generally being around tohelp out whenever needed. Peoplecame to offer their support from manyplaces: the family, long-time friendsand co-workers, teachers and studentsfrom Millbury High School, whereKarin is a teacher, veterans [Paul was aveteran of Viet Nam and had workedin veteran affairs for many years], theMillbury Fire Department [whereAndrew is a call firefighter], and ofcourse many of the people who workon the farm. It was wonderful to seeso many people who took time out oftheir busy schedules to pause and thinkabout what this single man had meantto them. Paul faced the awful truth ofhis illness with a determination to get

the most out of everyday: to live in themoment. The time of making planshad ceased, but the attitude to makethe most of the time left to him wasapparent. And it made me think: yes-terday is history and tomorrow is amystery, but today is our gift...andthat's why we call it the present. I readthat on an e-mail one time, but saw thephilosophy in practice during the pastfew weeks. Nothing can stop time,and there is nothing wrong with mak-ing plans for the future. But let'sremember that today is ours, and wemay not get to see the crops of nextyear.

When I walk through my gardencutting flowers, I do some qualitythinking. It is so beautiful on the hill-side in the sun, and sometimes I wishthe day would never end. But we mustall face the frost [on the farm, ourscame on October 29th this year], andwe must all take stock of where we areand where we hope to be. An earlyfrost claimed my cousin Paul, but thememories we have of his blooming inour midst will remain with us always.So, too, will the works of our handsand our minds as we fashion our ownlives into something worthy of thetime we spend here on earth.Thanksgiving is coming soon, and it isa good opportunity for us all toremember our blessings, not the leastof which are the people with whom weshare our lives. Let's all take time thisyear to think, to remember, to plan,and to be thankful for every day.

Time to Think by Jane Keown Oliver

Please support our local advertisers. They are the core ofour communities and help each of our communities.They offer excellent customer service and wonderful

products. Happy Holidays!

Page 8Journeys

express mention of what Terms theymust expect if they desired a Peace.”

On January 5th, Canonchet sentthe English a peace offering — notWampanoags as they had demanded,but a little English girl of only three orfour years old. She had been capturednear Warwick. The Indians whodelivered her remained at Smith’s untilJanuary 8th, when they were “sentback, and told what they must trustto.”

In the meantime, on January 7th,two more Narragansetts came forward,ostensibly to “make way for a Treatyof Peace.” Was this another attemptto stall the English while the Narra-gansetts reassembled their fightingforce?

The Indians complained thatCanonchet had misinformed his peopleabout the terms regarding the surrenderof Wampanoag fugitives. Theyclaimed they had not given over theWampanoags because Canonchet hadtricked them into believing “That theywere not by the former Treaty to havedelivered up the Wampanoogs, orPhilips Indians, until the said Can-onchet’s brother, one of the Hostagesat Hartford was released.”

But the English saw through thecharade. Hubbard explained, “Thiswas a mere Pretence, for he and theytoo, better understood the Particularsof the Agreement …” According toHubbard, when the colonials raided theNarragansett fort, they found an opencopy of the treaty in one of the wig-wams, therefore “they could not beignorant of the Articles of theAgreement.”

On the 8th, a Niantic Indian mes-senger arrived at Smith’s trading post.He carried a letter from RobertStanton, an interpreter, who had writ-ten on behalf of the aging sachemNinigret, “signifying the Reality of theSaid Ninigret his Friendship to theEnglish, and the Streights of theEnemy.” Ninigret further warned,“that young insolent sachemCanonchet, and Panoquin [Quinnapin],said they would fight it out to the lastMan, rather than they would becomeServants to the English.”

After so many back and forthattempts, it began to seem to both sidesthat the other’s offers of peace wereinsincere. The final overture wasmade on January 12th. Pessacus, one

of the Narragansetts’ older sachemsand the uncle of Canonchet, sent amessenger to the English asking for“the Space of a Month longer whereinto issue the Treaty.”

But Governor Winslow’s patienceran out. The sachem’s request so pro-voked him that he resolved “to have nomore Treaties with the Enemy, but toprepare to assault them, with GodsAssistance, as soon as ever the Seasonwould permit.”

The Governor got his wish. Aboutthe second week in January, wintersuddenly and unexpectedly released itsgrip on New England. “A fortnight or3 weekes since it was bitter cold,”Boston minister Increase Matherrecorded in his diary on January 28th.“Now it is like April (some that havebeen in the country above 40 years 50years professing they never knew thelike at the time of year),” he added.

The mid-winter thaw melted thedeep forest snow that had frustratedthe English in their desire to pursue theremaining Narragansetts and finishthem off once and for all. Afterweeks of being stranded at Smith’strading post, Winslow could finallymake preparations to advance on theenemy.

By the 27th troop reinforcementsfrom Plymouth and Connecticut hadarrived at Wickford, along with somefriendly Mohegan Indians. Freshlyequipped and provisioned, Winslow’scommand was ready to embark. Heand his troops marched from Wickfordon the morning of the 28th.

But they were too late. SomeIndian prisoners had been capturedprior to Winslow’s departure, probablyby one of the horseback scouting par-ties that routinely patrolled the coun-tryside. The prisoners informed theEnglish that “the Enemy were gone,or going into the Nipmunk Country” ofcentral Massachusetts.

The Narragansetts’ escape wasconfirmed by messengers fromProvidence. On the 27th, whileWinslow still making preparations, theNarragansetts had launched an earlymorning assault on the village ofPawtuxet. Details of the attack appearin Saltonstalls’ account:

The winter now being broken up,and the Snow and Ice all gone, ourArmy, consisting in all of 1600 Men,began their March to the Rocks, where

the Indianswere fled forprotection; butin their Waythey hadIntelligencethat 300Indians hadbeen atPawtuxit, anEnglishPlantation on the Narraganset Bay,where they burnt Mr. Carpenter’s Cornand Hay, and all his Houses except hisDwelling-house, which likewise theyhad set on Fire, but it was againquenched by some English that were init. They likewise drove away withthem 180 Sheep, 50 Head of largeCattle, and 15 Horses. Besides theytook much Cattel from young Mr.Harris, and killed a Negro-servant ofhis.

Winslow’s batallion started northfrom Wickford. Shortly before leav-ing, Winslow recruited the famousIndian fighter Captain BenjaminChurch to join the mission. Church,who was wounded in the Great SwampFight, had originally gone to Smith’strading post to formally take his leaveof the General but somehow allowedhimself to be talked into joining thehunt for Canonchet, notwithstandingthat his wounds had not completelyhealed.

The Winslow expedition sooncrossed into Warwick, domain of thesachem Pomham. “Winslow movedforward through the Narragansettcountry burning the wigwams andseizing supplies where they were to befound, capturing here and there a fewIndians stragglers, the sick and the old,women and children, whose strengthhad failed them,” write George W.Ellis and John E. Morris in KingPhilip’s War (1906).

The troops camped five miles out-side Providence on the evening ofJanuary 28th. Benjamin Church’smemoir of the war describes a briefbattle and the capture of an Indian,afterwards executed, at an “Indiantown, where there were many wig-wams” and “an icy swamp.” Possiblythis occurred at Pomham’s village.

The march resumed the followingmorning. During the night of the29th, some of the Plymouth soldiersdeserted, but not enough to materially

affect the mission. Following theNarragansetts’ trail, Winslow and hissoldiers trekked into the northwest cor-ner of Rhode Island, aiming for theConnecticut border.

Canonchet and his people wereevidently moving too quickly to beconcerned about covering their tracks.In their wake they sometimes left grimevidence of their passage. “As theymarched after the Enemy,” Hubbardwrote, “they found a good houseburned, with a Barn belonging to it.”And at an unspecified location 25miles north of Mr. Smith’s and 10miles north of Providence, “They per-ceived also that the Enemy dealt muchin Horse-flesh, meeting with no lessthan sixty Horses Heads in one place.”

The fugitive Narragansetts crossedinto Connecticut and raced towardsMassachusetts. For days Winslow’stroops hounded them, sometimes draw-ing so near they could see the Indiansfleeing in the distance. At one point,the colonials managed to catch up witha small portion of the group. “Our sol-diers in their Pursuit came upon theirReer, killed and took about seventy ofthem,” Hubbard reported, “yet couldnever come to charge them, for theywould presently betake themselves intoSwamps, and not two of them runtogether, so as they saw it was an end-less work to proceed further in theChase of such an Enemy.”

But Winslow persisted, despite thathis army’s rations were nearly exhaust-ed. The deeper his forces penetratedinto the Nipmuck Country, the sorerthe hardships became. “ … theypushed their way over frozen streamsand swamps or along the exposeduplands, foraging for whatever theycould procure,” write Ellis and Morris.“Their camps were pitched in the snowunder the shelter of a hill or in thewoods, and they warmed their numbedbodies over the open fires. Still theypressed on, footsore, wet and hungry,

Our River, continued from page 3

continued on page 17

Page 9 Journeys

www.CheckMenus.info - An emerging Guide to Dining and Specialty Foods & Services

As the daylight hours grow shorterand the temperatures drop, we often eatmore robust foods, more red meats androot vegetables. This type of foodmatches best with more concentratedfull-bodied red and white wines. Lightwines like Pinot grigio, dry reislingsand Roses’ are excellent aspertifs butwinter foods require full bodiedSyrahs/Shiraz, cabernet Savignon, RedZinandel, Merlot and Pinot Noir,Italian Barbers, Barolo, Rosso andChiantis.

White wines like someChardonnays, Viognier, Rousanne andMarsanne are the best choices forchicken, veal and fish dishes.

We have an excellent selection ofthese wines and Jay and I will behappy to select the best wine to matchyour meal.

Among our favorites are winesfrom the Curtis Winery, HeritageCurvee (a blend of four grapes) andHeritage Curvee Blanc (50% Viognierand 50% Rousanne). These grapesoriginated in the Rhone Valley ofFrance but were grown and vinted inSanta Barbara, California. At $13.50,they are one of the best and affordablewines for this season. What is yourcomfort level for wine prices? Let meknow and we’ll help you select the bestwine at that price.

Chuck & Jay Lynch

by Diane Marie Mariani

"There's one day,just one December day in a year,a day, otherwise a normal one, but on that day all quarrels disappearand everybody sends wishes to every-body else, Heaven to Earth, and Earth to Heaven." (A Polish Song)

Christmas – Natale- Noel- BözeNarodzenie.

This December holiday celebratingthe wondrous birth of Jesus is observedby many cultures throughout theworld.

The fashions in which cultures cele-brate vary. From attending holy servic-es to lighting a colorful Christmas tree,the ways to be festive are numerous.

Yet, Christmas Eve and itsMidnight Mass are wrapped in a tradi-tion that many cultures have in com-mon. The Italians, French, and Polishfeast!

For Italians, la vigilia is the meal onChristmas Eve. It means the vigil; towatch on the eve of a feast, wakeful-ness. It is held early in the evening soit ends in time for Midnight Mass.

Since Christmas Eve is a fastingholiday, the meal consists of pasta andfish dishes, without meat. Seven selec-tions of fish are traditionally served,

although, the choices of fish may varyaccording to each family.

Why seven selections? Seven mayrefer to the seven days of creation,seven pilgrimage churches in Rome, orthe seven sacraments of the CatholicChurch. The latter is the most widelybelieved explanation. Yet, it is alsobelieved, that in biblical numerology,seven is a number representing perfec-tion.

Some families may serve nine,

eleven, or twelve selections. Nine mayrepresent the Holy Trinity times three,and the number eleven stands for thenumber of apostles minus Judas. Inopposition, the number thirteen repre-sents the twelve apostles, plus, Jesus.

The feast of the seven fishes is thela vigilia tradition that my aunt in EastProvidence, Rhode Island has cookedfor fifty-seven years, starting when shewas twenty-one. My parents, my sisterand I have enjoyed this feast manytimes at my mother’s sister’s home.

Her traditional dinner would com-mence with appetizers, includingstuffed quahogs and a champagnepunch. The fish dinner would include:Anti Paste consisting of scungilli(snail) salad, calamari (squid) salad,and Baccalá (cod fish with pickledpeppers and olive oil) salad. All ofthese flavorful dishes are served cold.

After the Anti Paste, the friedsmelts, the fried shrimp and in myaunt’s tradition, eel would be served.Eel? Yes, eel flavored with orangerind, and marinated in oil, vinegar andspices. And lastly, the pasta alia olio(thin spaghetti, black olives, andanchovies tossed in garlic and oil).

Spumoni (ice cream) and torrone(nougat) are served for dessert amongothers. Drinks with dinner, of courseinclude, red wine and after dinner,espresso with anisette, Galliano orsambuca!

La Messe de Minuit on ChristmasEve is very important to the FrenchCanadians, as it is to Italians andPoles. Yet their meal isn’t before the

continued on page 10

Christmas Eve Culinary Feasts

Page 10Journeys

mass, but after. Le Réveillon is derived from the

verb reveiller meaning to wake up or revive. It “is a symbolic awakening tothe meaning of Christ’s birth.” Thismeal is the most important of theChristmas season.

After Midnight Mass, folks will goto a relative or friend’s home to feaston Ragout de Patte de Couchon, peasoup, and meat pies, until the “wee”hours of the morn-ing.

The mother ofsomeone dear tome, from CentralFalls, RhodeIsland shared thedetails of hermother’s Ragoutde Patte deCouchon with me.

Ragout meansreux, sauce. Pattemeans feet, de, of. And, couchonmeans pig.

This dish basically consists ofmeatballs (hamburger rolled in flour)that are put in the pan that the hockshave been boiling in. The FrenchCanadians use hock (ankle of the pig)instead of the traditional pig’s feet.These hocks are used to add a goodtaste to the gravy. The gravy is madeby adding browned flour to the boilingwater and seasoning it with salt, pep-per, and onions. Some people eat themeat inside the hock as it cooks well.

Meat pies can be made of all pork,beef, or both. Most people make porkpies. Yet, French Canadians make it alldifferent. This particular family makestheir meat pie with beef, pork, veal,celery, onions, potatoes (crackers maybe used) and some cinnamon. And, ofcourse, the pie is dressed with ketchup.

Once the children are in bed, somefamilies wrap Christmas presents to beopened on Christmas morning. After

Reveillon, a trueFrench tradition is toleave a candle burn-ing. This is for theinstance that VirginMary passes by.

Wigilia comesfrom the Latin termvigilare; to await. Thisis the Polish name forChristmas Eve and

until the first starappears on this evening, it is also rec-ognized as a day of fasting.

Traditionally, dinner begins afterthe first star appears in the sky and theChristmas tree is lit. But, this may varyin modern households. Often, themeal begins with a prayer. Then, themale head of the family begins thesharing of the blessed oplatek (theoplatek is a consecrated bread waferwith a sacred picture imprinted on it).He takes the wafer and turns to thenext person seated (traditionally this ishis wife), offers the wafer to her while

expressing goodwishes for her.The action isreciprocated andthen continuedwith the othersdining at thetable.

The servingof twelve or thir-teen dishes is a tradition in Poland.This may differ in the BlackstoneRiver Valley. But, again, this is thenumber of the apostles, and Jesus maybe included as well.

The Wigilia dinner is traditionallymeatless, as la vigilia. The first courseusually consists of soup such asbarszcz with pastries or small noodlescalled “ears” (because of their shape).Barszcz is a clear beetroot soup (it isclear because all the vegetables aretaken away after being boiled and justa red color soup extract is left). Theears are little dumplings filled withboiled, dried wild mushrooms.

Fish is important to the ChristmasEve meal. Some may have pickled her-ring, yet, carp is the most importantChristmas fish and it is the fish tradi-tionally served in Poland.

Served either fried or boiled is thedelicious pierogi. It is made in a pas-try, shaped like tortellini, or large ravi-oli and are filled with sauerkraut andwild mushrooms.

Sauerkraut and mushrooms are con-sidered to be difficult to digest. The

foods served at the end of Wigilia mayaide in digestion. These traditionaldesserts are made of poppy seed as inkutia, a very crunchy dessert made ofpoppy seeds, cooked wheat, nuts,almonds, raisins, figs, dates, honey,cream and some rum. Makowiec,poppy-seed rolls as well as dried fruit(especially prune compote) and nutsare also served.

With traditional Polish families, thetable is set in a certain way. Somefolks may put some hay under thetablecloth, symbolizing the manger.And some set an extra dish. This dishis there for a stranger who may pass byor for someone who has passed on andcan no longer be at the meal with you.

After Wigilia, it is time forMidnight Mass!

Merry Christmas! Christmas is a contraction meaning

Christ’s mass. It is derived from theMiddle English Christemasse and OldEnglish Cristes maesse, a phrase firstrecorded in 1038.

Laura, K. Lawless, Your Guide toFrench Language

Christmas Eve, continued from page 9

A Polish Wilgilia family dinner sharing oplatek

French meat pies

"As a huge Stone is sometimes seen to lieCouched on the bald top of an eminence;Wonder to all who do the same espy,By what means it could thither come, andwhence;So that it seems a thing endued with sense:Like a Sea-beast crawled forth, that on ashelfOf rock or sand reposeth, there to sunitself."

~ W Wordsworth 1807

A recent hike in Upton onthe town-owned Stefan’s farmproperty, part of Peppercorn hill,was just enough of a mystery toseek a better understanding ofits unique landscape. The terrainwas very rocky and difficult toimagine grazing cattle or farm-ing of any sort. According tolocal historians, this was anIndian path of great spirituality,standing at the highest peak andeasily seeing Milford.Meandering stone walls, stonecairns, glacial erratics weremixed with lots of wild grapes,berries, yet very few noticeable inva-sive species, such as poison ivy, oftenseen in open fields.

Perhaps the most startling mysterywas the vertical stones, positionedsecurely in some stone walls, that hadbeen hand carved in a semi-circle. Orperhaps, the large glacial erraticsformed in almost a line, along the oldIndian path, and bearing three distinct

shapes of triangle, rounded and flattops was even more compelling.

What did this all mean? Anotherclue yielded some barbed wire, nowdating part of the scene to at most, the1870s, yet other mysteries certainlyremained.

Soon an opportunity to questionmany erudite scholars at a WorcesterHistory group dinner at AssumptionCollege arose, yet, no answers were

forthcoming, though one researcherhad seen these vertical shapes before -in Pennsylvania. However, TomWessels Reading the ForestedLandscape finally gave tremendousinsight as to the clues within the lay-ers of the natural world that we oftendon’t understand or consider.

His expertise on several of the mys-teries revealed the prolific, though rel-

atively short-lived fanaticism for rais-ing merino sheep, a coveted, high-quality wool, that was enhanced by theconfluence of the tariff on Englishwool (and other goods) after the Warof 1812 amidst the growing demand bythe textile industry along the powerfulrivers throughout New England.

These sheep were imported fromPortugal and millions could be foundgrazing on steep hillsides or heavily

bouldered acreage in MA, NHand Vermont from the 1820s-40s. Stone fencing was used asforests disappeared, yet thewalls had to be 4-5 feet high tocontain sheep who could quick-ly ruin crops, if not contained.

“Often wooden rails or evenbrush was laid on stones to addto the wall’s height” statesWessels. Could this explain thecarved semi-circle along someof Upton’s stonewalls?Absolutely! It could alsoexplain the “extensive exposedbedrock” we observed alongour hike. Wessels points out

that raising these sheep was so short-lived because they ate almost every-thing in their path, often exposing thebedrock underneath which preventedany recurrent growth on these ledges.

A Great Place to Cross-Country Ski

This Upton town-ownd land isfilled with intrigue but also had wide

paths for hiking and cross country ski-ing. It has hills and dales as well assome great views to Milford and yon-der, but it will keep you intrigued withits criss-crossed walls and glacial errat-ics from thousands of years ago.

“Take in the views, walk the his-toric cart paths, pastures, meadows,and explore the natural features, whichinclude fields, forests, vernal pools,ancient “wolf” trees, stone walls, andwildflower, butterfly and box turtlehabitat” according to the Town ofUpton website.

Its 238 acres has a National Gridpowerline running through the proper-ty but it barely inhibits the wonderfulvistas and intriguing sounds and sightsyou’re sure to enjoy!

A map can be found on theConservation Commission’s depart-ment at http://www.upton.ma.us/.

A Mystery Solved on Peppercorn Hill

Enjoy the Season

You are invited...

Saturday, December 1, 2007 Sutton, MA 10 am - 4 pm

Uxbridge, MA 4 pm - 8 pm

Sunday, December 2, 2007 Grafton, MA 12 pm - 4 pmMillbury, MA 10 am - 4 pm

Enjoy this pull-out insert schedule to facilitateyour holiday Chain of Lights fun!

www.BlackstoneDaily.com/Chain.pdf

Saturday, December 1, 2007 10-4Welcome to our Grand Celebration of the Christmas Season in HistoricSutton.

Each year the community of Sutton comes together to celebrate small-town New England at its best. You can travel free to all of the day'sevents by trolley . Enjoy caroling and learning some Sutton history asyou travel through one of New England's most picturesque towns. Weencourage you to start your day early to insure you don't miss any ofthe wonderful stops. Trolley service begins at 10:00AM.

(R-restroom, P-parking L-lunch, H- handicap access)*

Trolley Route One: School Complex - Boston Rd; Whittier Farms,Douglas Rd; St John's Church - Rte 122A; First Congregational Church- Boston Rd.

Puckihuddle Preschool - Right at the Church, children cancreate a holiday craft for home!

The Brick Block - Artist Linda Sinacola will offer original water-color, oil paintings and prints of Sutton Scenes.

Sutton Historical Society at the Blacksmith ShopBlacksmith demonstrations throughout the day. "Silent AntiqueAuction", raffles, and children's activities and games with prizes.

St. Mark's Church Holiday Fair Raffle table including homemade items, gift baskets, unique crafts &area crafters and artisans.. Kids crafts in the Children's Corner.Homemade cookies for sale. Calming music.

Whittier Farms - Experience Christmas on the Farm. Enjoy ahorse drawn wagon tour of the farm, kids games, petting zoo and ponyrides. Taste samples at the milk bar. Bring your camera and have yourpicture taken with the Reinsteins. Hop on a trolley. (restooms/handi-cap/lunch/parking)

Sutton Schools - A Gingerbread House Spectacular - vote foryour favorite House; enter to win the GIANT Raffle Baskets; participatein the Cake Walk, Kids Activities & crafts, games and moon bounce; pur-chase Sutton apparel, win cakes or pastries or browse local vendors hol-iday gift ideas. Enjoy hot coffee or cocoa & our bake sale. Sponsoredby Sutton Elementary School & Simonian Center for Early Learning PTORHP

Keown Orchards Take a step back in time - tour the farmstand & taste freshly baked apple crisp. Freshly cut Christmas trees &custom made wreaths. Sample over 25 varieties of apples, including thefamous Sutton Beauty. (handicap access)

St. John's Episcopal Church "Holiday Shopping that Makes aDifference" Find unique holiday gifts while supporting those in need atSt. John's Fifth Annual Mall for Humanity. Hand made jewelry, textiles,ornaments, home decor and much more. RPLH *

Eaton Farm Confectioners - One of America’s oldest candymanufacturers (1892). Enjoy candy at the big white barn on top of thehill at Eaton Farm or take a horse drawn wagon through thefields.RH

Trolley Route #2: Connector Shuttle between First CongregationalChurch and St. Anne's Church.

Trolley Route #3: Sutton Senior Center - Hough Rd; St. Anne'sChurch - Main St; National Gallery - Putnam Hill Rd.

National Gallery - Hands on make and take holiday activitiesfor children to create while parents browse our wide selection of gifts& collectables. Outdoor bargain tent, most items under $5. (weatherpermitting). Bring the family! RHL

Oldies 98.9 North Pole at Manchaug Fire StationEnjoy Great Music of the 60's & 70's while skating on the OldFashioned Skate Park. GREAT Prize giveaways...including a Fender Guitarpackage ($332 Value). Visit Millbury Guitar Center or local businesses atour North Pole. Enter raffles. LH

Rebecca LeCouteur Interiors - A charming, eclectic shopfilled with lovely surprises from dinnerware to designer furniture. Comemeet & view the art work of Linda Whiteman, resident Dolly Worldcraftsperson or portrait & rural painter Leonora Guguere. Wassail Bowl,Hungarian pastries and Brazilian candies. Stroll through a decorator'shome enjoying the season's adornments. Children can enjoy hot choco-late & cookies & create a Christmas Reindeer.St. Anne's Parish - A Christmas Fair by the families of St. Anne'sParish where there is something for everyone. Raffles, games, cookiedecorating, crafts, homemade goodies and Engineer Dave with his modeltrains. RLP

Vaillancourt Folk Art - Visit one of America's best-known SantaClaus studios and see our extensive collection of Santas including thenew 2007 edition. Tour our painting studio to see where Americanartists create our collectible Santas. It is the perfect stop to look forthat special holiday gift! RH

Sleighbell Christmas Tree Farm & Gift Barn is filledwith holiday spirit! Santa will be visiting in our antique sleigh - bringyour camera for a special holiday photo! Take a hay wagon ridethrough our fragrant fields of Christmas trees - then warm up withsome complimentary hot chocolate. Our gift barn is filled with freshwreaths, kissing balls, swags, greenery, unique ornaments and gifts! RH

Sutton Senior Center - Join us to share in the holiday hospi-tality as local children sing Christmas Carols. Enjoy homemade bakedgoods prepared by Sutton Seniors; shop for elegant and affordable giftbaskets for the whole family and don't miss all the jewelry the elveshave been busy making! Trolley on over to the Senior Center for a lit-tle taste of hometown holiday spirit! *

Santa on the Common for Caroling and TreeLighting at 5:30PM Join the Sutton Memorial High School MarchingBand as they welcome Santa to the Common for the Annual TreeLighting Ceremony. This is a highlight of the day's events as we lightthe tree and enjoy the SHS spectacular music!

Chain of Lights Dinner - First Congregational Church will behosting a Roast Beef Dinner served with mashed potatoes, vegetables,rolls and dessert.Dinner seatings: 4:30PM and 6:30PMCost: Adult: $8.00 Child $5.00 Under 4 - FreeMaximum/family: $25.00 Tickets will be available for purchase onDecember 1st at the First Congregational Church.

SPONSORS: Oldies 98.9 - C. D. Whitney Insurance - Central Massachusetts Convention and Visitor's Bureau - John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor CommissionMillbury Federal Credit Union - Millbury Savings Bank - UniBank for Savings - Herlihy Insurance Group

Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce - Special Thanks to the Amateur Radio Emergency

www.suttonchainoflight.com

Delight in a huge Scenic Light Display andHorse and Carriage rides at Blackstone River& Canal Heritage State Park-Sponsored byIronshoe Farm. Two Old Town Trolleys willprovide transportation to and from town centerto Blackstone River & Canal Heritage StatePark.

Evening Activities are:-Strolling singers from the Blackstone Carillons- Ice Sculptures by the Johnson & WalesChippers Club-Toys for Tots - please bring unwrapped gifts.

The parade departs from Elm Street, NorthUxbridge, starting at 4:30pm. The DouglasHigh School Marching Band will lead theParade and stop at the Common, where Santawill turn on the Christmas Tree Lights. Santawill then proceed to the Center Fire Station,where he will greet the children and hand outpresents until 8pm.

Town Hall: Blackstone Valley CommunityBand will perform, Uxbridge Support OurTroops and the AA Sherman Camp 25.

On the Common: 4:15-5pm. Blackstone ValleyCommunity Chorus, refreshments byHannaford Supermarket & Petting Zoo byIronshoe Farm. Uxbridge Food Pantry willoffer hot cider and baked goods (please bringcanned goods), popcorn and cotton candy bythe Uxbridge First Holiday Night Committee,hot dogs by the Uxbridge FirefightersAssociation, refreshments and crafts by the2008 Parents for a Safe Graduation, children

activities by Dean Bank, Christmas selectionsby Karaoke R-Us, french fries by the Knightsof Columbus, baked goods, coffee & tea byHMEA.

Masonic Hall: Jungle Encounters 4-8pm withfree eggnog & cookies.

Community House: Post Road Singers,Worcester Men of Song Performances at5:45pm & 6:45pm.

Uxbridge Congregational Church: BellRingers.

UniBank for Savings: The Vocal Guys BarberShop Quartet will perform, free raffle andrefreshments.

Unitarian Church: WhitinsvilleCongregational Church Bell Ringers, LowerLevel-refreshments by the First Holiday NightCommittee (nachos & cheese, chowder anddrinks) and free children’s crafts by the VisitingArtist Studio.

Deborah Wheelock House: Christmas decora-tions, 5-7pm. The Buxton Fife & Drum willperform.

Coronet Farnum House: Christmas decora-tions and free hot cider.

Uxbridge Public Library: Reindeer Fun! WildReindeer written by Jan Britt, crafts andrefreshments.

Uxbridge Senior Center: 5-6:30pm. TheUxbridge High School Band & Chorus will per-

form, 6:30-8pm. The Honky Tonk Piano Manwill play, raffle and refreshments. The UxbridgeEdlery Connection, Inc. on behalf of theUxbridge Senior Center and the UxbridgeCouncil on Aging Board will be selling "Hope"friendship bracelets for $15.00 and sales of thebracelets will help benefit the Senior Center.

Uxbridge Fire Station: See Santa!

Alternatives Unlimited: Art Gallery Tours,light refreshments, a caricature artist from 4:30-8pm. and entertainment.

Savers Bank: The Molly Bish Foundation,Lion’s Club Vision Van, refreshments by theLydia Taft House and Blackstone Valley BarberShop Quartet will perform.

Jumbo Donuts: Free treat for all kids under 12years.

Lynch’s Riverview Wine & Spirits: A carica-ture artist 4:30-8pm., samples and snacks.

Blue Duck: Light refreshments and a comple-mentary gift.

M & B Candies: Free raffle basket drawinguntil 8pm.

Harmony Wellness Center: Free hand paraffin& massage and light refreshments.

Bliss Salon & Day Spa: 4-6pm. free raffledrawing for products and services, snacks.

Uxbridge Dental Center: 2 free raffle draw-ings for; Red Sox tickets and Zoom TeethWhitening Service, goodies bags for the kidsand light refreshments.

REMAX American Dream:Come visit Santa’shelpers in the Savers parking lot.

Dynasty Cafe: free hot chocolate, entertain-ment.

Gig Stop: Music and refreshments.

Noni’s Things: 4-8pm. Light refreshments.

Books & Books: Come meet Diego and Bootsfrom 5-8pm. and refreshments.

Blackstone River & Canal Heritage StatePark: Festival of Trees, Horse and CarriageRides by Ironshoe Farm,light displays, refresh-ments,children’s crafts with ,music by the Pike100 FM, Children’s crafts and popcorn byPrudential Prime Properties & BlackstoneValley Sugaring Association showcases theirSugar House with demonstrations. FaithFellowship Church presents “A Puppet’sChristmas”. Light refreshments by theBlackstone Valley Heritage HomecomingCommittee.

In partnership with the Blackstone valleyChamber of Commerce

In 1915, the Worcester Suburban Electric Company lit the first Christmas tree on the Uxbridge Town Common. Then, the UxbridgeFirefighters Association assumed the responsibility and delighted children with their annual appearance of Santa Claus. The FirstHoliday Night Committee and the Firefighters Association have joined together to expand upon this holiday tradition.

www.uxbridgeholidaynight.com

[From "The Spirit of Christmas."]

It is a good thing to observeChristmas day. The mere marking oftimes and seasons, when men agree tostop work and make merry together, isa wise and wholesome custom. It helpsone to feel the supremacy of the com-mon life over the individual life. Itreminds a man to set his own littlewatch, now and then, by the greatclock of humanity which runs on suntime.

But there is a better thing than theobservance of Christmas day, and thatis, keeping Christmas.

Are you willing to forget what youhave done for other people, and toremember what other people havedone for you; to ignore what the worldowes you, and to think what you owethe world; to put your rights in thebackground, and your duties in themiddle distance, and your chances todo a little more than your duty in theforeground; to see that your fellowmenare just as real as you are, and try to

look behind their faces to their hearts,hungry for joy; to own that probablythe only good reason for your exis-tence is not what you are going to get

out of life, but what you are going togive to life; to close your book of com-plaints against the management of theuniverse, and look around you for a

place where you can sow a few seedsof happiness-are you willing to dothese things even for a day? Then youcan keep Christmas.

Are you willing to stoop down andconsider the needs and the desires oflittle children; to remember the weak-ness and loneliness of people who are

growing old; to stop asking how muchyour friends love you, and ask yourselfwhether you love them enough; to bearin mind the things that other peoplehave to bear in their hearts; to try tounderstand what those who live in thesame house with you really want, with-out waiting for them to tell you; totrim your lamp so that it will givemore light and less smoke, and to carryit in front so that your shadow will fallbehind you; to make a grave for yourugly thoughts and a garden for yourkindly feelings, with the gate open-areyou willing to do these things even fora day? Then you can keep Christmas.

Are you willing to believe that loveis the strongest thing in the world-stronger than hate, stronger than evil,stronger than death-and that theblessed life which began in Bethlehemnineteen hundred years ago is theimage and brightness of the EternalLove? Then you can keep Christmas.

And if you keep it for a day, whynot always?

But you can never keep it alone.

Keeping Christmas by Henry Van Dyke

10th Annual Uxbridge First Holiday Night Santa ParadeSaturday, December 1, 2007 - 4-8 PM

II SSAABBEELLLLEE '' SS DD RREEAAMM, 330 West Main Street, (508) 865-3777. A Victorian and Country gift shop, with a wide array ofgifts, home decorating and unique personal items, and filledwith wonderful Christmas treasures. Refreshments.

PPEEAARRSSOONN''SS CCHHRRIISSTTMMAASS TTRREEEE FFAARRMM &&EE LL MM HH UU RR SST DD AA II RR YY, 4 Fjellman Road, (508) 865-2158.Bring the kids to enjoy activities at the farm. Select a tree fromhundreds, tour the dairy, visit the maple syrup house. Bringyour camera for a picture with a cow or sitting on a tractor.SANTA will arrive by oxen around 2:30 P.M.

FF IIRRSSTT CCOONNGGRREEGGAATTIIOONNAALL CCHHUURRCCHH,148 West Main Street, (508) 865-9737. Snow Flake Fair -Homemade goodies, Baked Beans, Free Kids crafts, Books,Holiday Crafts, Jewelry, Gift Baskets, White Elephant Table, FreeFace Painting and a Special Raffle - Xmas Stocking filled withtoys. Hot apple pie alamode.

EE AA RR TT HH SS OO NN GG SS, 55 West Main Street, (508) 865-4757."OLD Time Christmas" in a home built in 1848. Enjoy sweettreats, dips spreads and mulled cider served in the original"ENCHANTED" barn. FREE picture taken with "GINGERBREADMAN" and get a "KISS" too. We feature unique hand craftedgifts, snowman, ornaments and much more. Register for sur-prise drawing.

AASSAA WWAATTEERRSS CCHHRRIISSTTMMAASS FFEESSTTIIVVAALL, 127 Elm Street,(508) 865-5248. An old fashion Celebration, including a visitfrom Santa and Mrs. Claus. 11:00 The Patty Morris Dance Unlimited Performers12:00 R.E. Shaw Elementary School Chorus 12:30 The Dynamic Duo with David Bourdeau1:30 R.E. Shaw Elementary School Wind Ensemble2:30 The Greendale Retired Men's Chorus4::30 Christmas Tree Lighting & Elmwood St. Chorus5:00 Grand Raffle Drawing

.MMIILLLLBBUURRYY HHIISSTTOORRIICCAALL SSOOCCII--EE TT YY ,, Inc., 127 Elm St upstairsat Asa Waters Mansion. open 12-4. The

"Grass Hill" school on West Main St. in West Millbury will be open from 1- 4 PM.School children will present a Christmas program.Refreshments.

PPAAUULL ’’SS CCEENNTTEERR BBAAKKEERRYY,, 75 Elm Street, (508) 865-0055. To get you started, join us for breakfast from 5 AM to12Noon or come rest your weary feet. Fried dough churros & hotbeverages will be served from 1p.m. - 4 p.m.

EELLMM DDRRAAUUGGHHTT HHOOUUSSEE CC IINNEEMMAA, 35 Elm Street, (508)865-2850. Enjoy our complimentary "Famous" popcorn andview a continuous Special Holiday Feature in Millbury's historicmovie house. Serving beer, wine, soda, pizza, and more. Thefeatures will run continually all afternoon.

BBOOSSSSEENNEELLEE '' SS PP IIZZZZAA, 198 Millbury Ave., (508)581-8885. Stop by, bring the kids! Open at 11 AM. Sample a pastabuffet and enter our Italian Pasta Gift Basket raffle. Kids activi-ties, too. We offer a full menu, take out or dine in. Deliveryavailable.

MMIILLLLBBUURRYY BBAAPPTTIISSTT CCHHUURRCCHH, On the Common,Millbury, MA (508) 865-6321. Sign a huge Christmas Card forour troops in Iraq. Mix & match cookies by dozen or 1/2, sin-gle, lunch, crafts. We will be open 12 noon to 4 pm.

MMIILLLLBBUURRYY FFEEDDEERRAATTEEDD CCHHUURRCCHH,, 20 Main Street,Millbury, MA (508) 865-6274. View the live nativity at theWhite Church on the Common or stay for lunch or an early sup-per and warm up in the vestry. Performances are at 1:30, 2:30& 3:30 for the Live Nativity (including animals) 12 - 5.Homemade Soups, Chili and Sandwiches. Holiday Gift Boutique.

MMIILLLLBBUURRYY FFEEDDEERRAALL CCRREEDDIITT UUNNIIOONN, 50 Main Street,(508) 865-7600. Begin your Tour here and enjoy light refresh-ments and take a chance on a raffle, while your children partici-pate in seasonal craft activities.

MMIILLLLBBUURRYY FF IIRREE HHEEAADDQQUUAARRTTEERRSS ((LLAADDIIEESS AAUUXX--II LL LL AA RR YY)207 W. Main St. Join the Millbury Fire Department LadiesAuxiliary and Mrs. Claus for an All American Christmas with hotdogs, popcorn, desserts and refreshments. Raffles and free bal-loons for the kids.

MMIILLLLBBUURRYY PPUUBBLLIICC LL IIBBRRAARRYY, 128 Elm Street, (508)865-1181. Celebrate 10 a.m - 4 p.m. with stories at 11 AM,12:30 & 2:30 PM. At 2 PM, Blackstone Valley ChamberChorus will perform. Holiday crafts for children. Refreshments.

MMIILLLLBBUURRYY TTOOWWNNEE FFLLOORRIISSTT, 4 South Main Street,(508) 865-5831. One stop shopping is here at Millbury TownFlorist. Decked for the Holidays, our shop is bursting with giftitems and country collectibles. Our talented design staff can cre-ate a unique holiday arrangement just for you. Register for doorprizes and complimentary gift.

MMIILLLLBBUURRYY SSEENNIIOORR CCEENNTTEERR, 1 River Street, (508) 865-9154. Embellished with holiday attire provided byIsabelle's Dream, a Victorian Tea with special sand-wiches and homemade pastries will be on sale. IrishStep Dancers at 1:00 pm, HS Band at 2;30, CraftVendors, Hand Knitted Items, Women Club's Big Raffle, Freeface painting by Millbury Health Center. Decorate a gingerbreadman cookie in the old RR car, handmade knit items.

TTHHEE CCAANNDDYY SSHHOOPPPPEE ,, 19 Main Street, (508) 865-0085.Santa Claus will be here 1 PM to 5 PM, bring your camera.Raffle: 1st prize a 20 lb solid Santa, 2nd prize a $25. gift cer-tificate. Raffle proceeds to benefit the Cam Neeley Foundation.

CCOOUUNNTTRR YY CCAANNDD LLEE ,, 22 West St.,Open 10-5.. (508) 865-6061. New England’s most complete candle factory outlet witha wonderful assortment of new and unusual candles. There willbe Special Candle Dipping for children. Horse and buggy rides11-4 in Parking Lot. Shop open 10-5.

MMIICCHHAAEELL GGRRAAVVEESS SSTTUUDDIIOO, 10 Hayward Lane, (508)865-3183. Mike is a local Pleinaire artist, which means hepaints outdoors in all kinds of weather and all over the UnitedStates. From Wyoming , the coast of Maine and Central Mass,his art is spectacular. His studio and home will be open to dis-play his oil paintings from 1- 4 pm.

TTHHEE FFLLOORRAALL BBOOUUTTIIQQUUEE ,, 242 Millbury Ave.Celebrate the magic of Christmas while browsing our fes-tive displays of unique arrangements and collectable gift-ware. Complimentary hors d'oeuvres. Holiday door prizes.

MMIILLLLBBUURRYY YYOOUUTTHH CCAAMMPP,, 23 Herricks Lane,(508) 865-5061. Visit the Gingerbread House. Kidsgames, craft fair & baked goods. Come for lunch with BBQpork rolls, home made ginger breads & more. Do yourholiday shopping, too! A visit from M/Mrs Claus - bringyour camera!

RROOBBEERRTT && CCOO.. AANNTTIIQQUUEESS//GGIINNAA''SS AANNTTIIQQUUEESSAAUUCCTTIIOONNSS && AAPPPPRRAAIISSEERRSS, 379 GreenwoodSt.,(508) 755-1377. In the wonderful oldsetting of the 1830 Elias Hull House, makethe holidays exciting with unique and afford-able accessories from years past. These precious and per-fect antiques and collectibles are the sure cure for thecookie-cutter Christmas and seasonal gifts.

RRAADDIIUUSS HHEEAALLTTHH CCEENNTTEERR OOFF MMIILLLLBBUURRYY29 Main St., (508) 865-6106. An afternoon of fun filledevents, pictures with Santa, face painting and entertain-ment. Fruit platters & healthy snacks will be served.

PP AA RR EE NN TT TT EE AA CC HH EE RR GG UU II LL DD OO FF AA SS SS UU MM PP TT II OO NNSS CC HH OO OO LL ,, 17 Grove St., 508-865-5404. Local vendors& crafters presenting handmade jewelry, centerpieces,Tastefully Simple foods, Red Barn candles, Stamp-it-upcards & more. Baked goods and Pampered Chef items.Coffee, cocoa and homemade goodies from Puffin’sRestaurant.

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We live in an era when plastic oftenreplaces greenery and when somesenses are overworked, yet others arelost along with the memories they canreveal from merely a whiff.Remember to experience the holidaysfor their intrinsic values by creatingmemories for all the senses that willleave imprints long past Christmas.Fill the house with pine scents, thesmell of gingerbread or cookies alongwith your main dinner.

Additionally, you can make a scent-ed sachet ahead of time to simmer dur-ing a special event or on ChristmasDay.

Gather: 3 cinnamon sticks / 3 bayleaves / 2 orange slices / 2 lemonslices / 1/3 cup whole cloves

Combine ingredients in a mesh bagand secure with string (not ribbon).

Place in ziplock plastic bag; refrig-erate until ready to use. Place 1 quartwater in saucepan; remove from plasticbag and place in water. Simmer allday, adding water as needed.

Note: When given as a gift, first drythe orange and lemon slices.

Another great project is to makecopies of treasured family recipes,along with a brief history or photo ofGrandmom, your aunt or whomeverand from where the recipe came. Thiswill become one of the most treasured

gifts as it is handed down through gen-erations even though the young onesmight not get too excited initially.

Think back to your Christmases asa youngster...I would bet that very fewactual presents can be remembered.Sure, there was that favorite doll or

train set you’d been hoping for or per-haps some high tech item for theyounger generation. But usually thememories go to the scents, sights andgood cheer of family members whogathered together.

Make sure the pine scents permeateyour house along with the other holi-day smells of baking pies, turkey orbeef. What will you prepare to appealto the different senses? Take a fewmoments to make sure that the bountycomes not from the presents but from

the wonders that fill all your sensesand soul on this special day.

Surprise the kids with a piece ofcoal and perhaps an orange in theirstocking so that they understand thepast traditions with humor. Learn thetraditions of Christmas stockings, thewreath or Christmas tree, why we kissunder the mistletoe, or how Christmascards began.

How did candy canes and poinset-tias become so significant atChristmas? Why do people go car-olling? In other words, understandingthe first traditions and then your fami-ly’s ethnic interpretations and additionscan help connect to the truer meaningsof Christmas.

Or if of a different faith or custom,what are the traditions of Kwanza orHannukah? Personalize your holidayinstead of commercializing it intohomogeneous complacency.

It’s all about the spirit of sharing,community and love with your fami-ly’s unique twist. Enjoy.

Now remember, find those oldrecipes, get outside and pick some pineand red berries....

Lost Scents of Christmas

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1. Willard House and Clock Museum, 11 Willard

Street, North Grafton. The historic Willard House

and Clock Museum will be decorated for the holidays

in the Colonial tradition for the museum's Annual

Christmas Tea from 2 pm to 4 pm. Enjoy tea and

pastries, children's activities and a clock-making

demonstration. Free admission~ (A.G. Edwards)

2. North Grafton United Methodist Church

30 Overlook Street, North Grafton.

Stop by North Grafton United Methodist Church, and

browse through our craft fair from 12-2. See what

surprises may be in store for you!

3. Our Glass Studio, 40 N.Main St, N. Grafton

Dance It Up!Dance Center & Sugarplums, 36 N. Main

Stop by Our Glass Studio and meet several local arti-

sans while enjoying beverages & light fare. Gift

gallery will be open.

At Dance It Up! Dance Centre & Sugarplums, “Clara”

from the Nutcracker will be signing autographs from

12-2. Special discounts on selected merchandise.

Unique Nutcracker and holiday gifts.

4. North Grafton Shopping Center

215 Worcester Street, North Grafton.

Visit the traveling petting zoo.

At Sir Loin's Butchery & Deli, you can order your

holiday dishes while children decorate Christmas hol-

iday cookies.

At Wild About Birds, kids can build their own bird

feeder. Limit of 50.

5. Join Princess Nails, 200 Worcester Street. for

some holiday pampering. Free polish & design for

children under 10. Special - $5 Off Any gift certifi-

cate $35 or more.Spirit of Wellness, 202 Worcester

Street. $10 off any gift certificate sold 12/2. A 20%

discount on any organic skin care product. Free skin

analysis/chair massage. Christmas cookies. At

Floral Elegance, 204 Worcester Street, stop in for

refreshments. Get inspired by our holiday designs &

gift items. Enter to win a fabulous door wreath. Free

make your own flower arrangement kit for the first

200 childen(free under 12 years). Grafton Pizza,

204 Worcester Street. S1 off small pizza /$2 off any

large pizza all day. Unlimited.

Stop by DeKroon Salon, 1 Hollywood Drive, from

11/24 - 12/1 to receive $10 off any service gift cer-

tificate with our thanks.

6. Brigham Hill Community Farm/Grafton Land Trust

/Grafton Shakespeare Club/Grafton Garden Club/

Apple Tree Arts, 37 Wheeler Road, North Grafton.

Horse-drawn wagon rides, music, and refreshments

will be featured at this working farm, along with

activities and exhibits from many of Grafton's non-

profit organizations including Community Harvest

Project, GLT, Grafton Shakespeare Club, Garden

Club, and Apple Tree Arts.

7. Country Plaza/Stop & Shop, 100 Worcester Street.

Visit Stop & Shop. for free refreshments.

At Citizen's Bank, make a craft with holiday themes.

CVS Pharmacy will have free make & take Christmas

ornaments for kids. At Supercuts, get $1 off a haircut

this day only.

At Supercuts, get $1.00 off a haircut this day.

At Re/Max Executive Realty, kids can have their faces

painted, see demonstrations by Jason Kallio from Say

It With Magic from 12-3 & receive a free frisbee.

Stop by Subway Sandwiches for a free cookie.

8. Santa's Village at Grafton Suburban Credit Union

86 Worcester Street.

Santa is stopping by Grafton Suburban Credit Union

for a free Polaroid and gift for boys and girls from 12

to 3:30 pm. Light refreshments will be served. Drop

off site fro Toys for Tots 11/23-12/14. Choose a

fresh holiday tree from the Grafton Lion's Club annual

tree sale.

9. Commonwealth House Plaza, 80 Worcester St.

Visit Santa's Toy Workshop at O'Malley Family

Chiropractic and enter a free raffle to win a kid’s

bike. Drop off letters for Santa for mailing. Free

stress evaluation for adults.

10. Municipal Center/Food Bank Craft Fair

30 Providence Road, Grafton.

Over 30 artisans and crafters bring you the finest

crafts from 10 am to 3 pm. Pastries, soup and sand-

wiches will be available with proceeds benefiting the

Grafton Food Bank. Children can ride the trackless

train around the Municipal Center. Drop off site for

Toys for Tots from 11/26-12/7.

11. Grafton Police Station, 26 Providence Road

Tours of the building will be conducted. Light refresh-

ments. While at the station, cast your vote at the gin-

gerbread contest organized by Girl Scout Troop 219.

Next door, visit the Massachusetts Chief of Police

Association for their open house, free key chain and

dedication of the building.

12. Farnumsville Firehouse, 3A Main Street. Open

house. Guided tours/light refreshments 12 to 3. pm.

Grafton Community Television, 296 Providence Rd.

Stop by for a tour of the studio and see how access

television is made. Bring a blank VHS or DVD and

record a 5-minute holiday greeting for military per-

sonnel overseas or for friends or family. Coffee and

Vienna fingers.

The Community House, 25 Main Street. Open house

from 12 pm to 3 pm. Light refreshments.

13. Gibson Kennels, Inc. ,139 Upton Street, Grafton.

Come down to Gibson Kennels for pictures with

Santa, presented by Dog Orphans. Bring your 2 & 4

legged kids for some cookies and cookies. Then sit

with Santa for some holiday photos.

14. Businesses on the Common, Grafton.

Ice sculpture demonstration on the Common from 12

to 3 pm.

Visit the open house at Antiques on the Common.

Stop at Peggy's Place for a “ free surprise gift”

w/every purchase while supplies last.

Unitarian Universalist Society of Grafton & Upton is

having a Stone Soup Faire, including lunch from 12 to

4 pm.; a children’s craft activity, a family concert at 1

pm featuring the hand Bell Choir & special guests

and Trade & Artisan Market.

Pick up reindeer food at Grafton Center Playschool.

Apple Tree Arts will present a holiday concert at

2:30 pm at the Evangelical Congrega-tional Church,

featuring our Community Chorus and several talented

local musicians. LeClaire Properties will have hot

chocolate, cookies, and a children's craft table.

The Grafton Center Library will have Diane

Edgecomb, storyteller, present "Once Upon a

Wintertime" at 3:30 pm. Grafton Historical Society

will have its Christmas Open House from 1 to 3 pm.

Historical displays and refreshments. At the Grafton

Country Store, Kelly Clark and Donna Blanchard from

Apple Tree Arts will perform from 11:30 a.m. to

12:30 p.m. Refreshments and apple cider.

The Baptist Church of Grafton will display nativity

scenes in the sanctuary. Warm drinks and cookies.

A small boutique with hand-crafted items available .

At St. Phillip's Church, enjoy cider and doughnuts

while children decorate an ornament for the holiday

tree on the Common with Brownie Troop 261.

At The Grafton Inn, Mr. Kim to perform at 1:30 pm.

Children will also make a "marshmallow snowman."

Finale Events

Santa will be leaving the Grafton Credit Union at 4

pm on Grafton's own ladder truck. Join Santa for the

tree lighting and sing-along beginning at 4:30 pm on

Grafton Common.

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1. Willard House & Clock Museum

2. North Grafton United Methodist Church

3. Our Glass Studio/Dance It Up!

N. Grafton

4. North Grafton Shopping Plaza,

215 Worcester St, N. Grafton

5. 200-204 Worcester Street, N. Grafton

6. Brigham Hill Community Barn

7. Country Plaza, 100 Worcester Street

8. Grafton Suburban Credit Union/

Lions Club

9. Commonwealth Plaza,

80 Worcester Street

10. Grafton Municipal Center

11. Grafton Police Station

12. Farnumsville Firehouse Etc.

13. Gibson Kennels

14. Grafton Common Businesses

Page 15 Journeys

by Brennan Gauthier

Two dark eyes shot upward fromthe desk of retired Massachusetts StateGeologist, Joseph Sinnott. They didn'tbelong to any living creature; theywere made of stone. That same morn-ing, a local resident of the Worcester,MA area had brought Sinnott a bowl-ing ball bag with a strange request;"Tell me what this is."

The resident who brought forth thisoddity claimed to have been hikingalong the Quinnebaug River inSouthbridge, Massachusetts when hisdog began barking and broke his grasp,sprinting into the woods. While hisdog was busy chasing a black sheepfrom a local pasture, a dilapidatedstone wall caught the hikers' eye. Itwasn't the wall that was calling him; itwas the strange skull thatseemed to be protrudingfrom its base. As heapproached the wall, herealized that it did notactually contain a skull,but a granite boulder. Hepicked up the hefty arti-fact and placed it into hisbackpack.

After storing the facein his barn for nearly tenyears, he decided to have the curiositychecked out by an expert in localstone. Joseph Sinnott was intrigued bythe piece and was even more beguiledupon the realization that no metal toolshad ever been used on the stone. Howcould something so deeply cut intogranite be made without metal tools?This was the question that played atthe back of Joe's mind until, almost bychance; another face was brought for-ward to his desk.

One day, the owner of the first facebegan to show photos of his find to agroup of bar patrons at a local pub.When the photograph circulatedaround the bar to the last patron, hisjaw dropped. The face that lookedback at him was almost identical toanother he had found. He soon con-tacted Joe and loaned the artifact forfurther research. The owner, whowishes to remain anonymous, receivedthe head from his father. It was foundin the 1940's while on a hunting trip inthe woods of Southbridge. It was keptas a curiosity until 2003 when itsimportance became evident. Althoughthis stone weighed 25 pounds, it stillhad many of the same characteristicsas the first recorded face. Both arti-facts had two deeply set eyes and alunate mouth.

Was this alla strange coin-cidence? Howwas it that twototal strangersliving in thesame towncould own twoof the samestrange stone?Hoping to findother residents

with similar stones, Joe decided toplace an article in a local paper aboutthe faces. The article paid off, bring-ing forth another set of artifacts intothe spotlight.

Within days, another report sur-faced concerning a set of artifactsfound during the demolition of aSouthbridge livery barn. Again, a facewas found with all the same features asthe others, but the difference in thiscase was with an accompanyingground stone artifact. Never before

had a stone face been found in con-junction with another artifact. Thesecond piece, a stone bowl, was foundwithin a few feet of the face. Thebowl exhibits a shallow depressionwith four distinct grooves along the lipof the bowl. The bowl is one of manyclues that may help us better under-stand the stone faces.

The third face to surface came inthe town of Sturbridge, only a fewmiles to the West of the previous dis-coveries. Along the shores of EastBrimfield Pond, a teenager came forthwith a stone that he had kept for overnine years. Currently being used as acandle holder, the stone is identical tothe others. It weighs six pounds, mak-ing it the lightest so far. This face isalso one of the most interesting. It hastwo distinct cut marks in the corners ofits mouth. The boy remembered exact-ly where the head was found, and thisspot has been sampled with no artifactsrecovered from a small excavation.

Since the original faces werereported, artifacts of similar make andlocation began to show up from peoplewho collected oddities all their lives.It seems that every town in theQuinebaug watershed had reports ofanalogous stones. In all, nine artifactsof extreme likeness fell into the handsof Mr.Sinnott, including a stone bowlfound by the author. With all thesepieces of the puzzle coming together itseemed only a matter of time before adetailed analysis would be undertaken.

After looking for resources to turnto, Mr.Sinnott found a unique opportu-nity on the west coast. A new type ofstone dating had become available tothe public, and Joe jumped on thechance to travel to New Mexico andhave his pieces looked at. A groupwho identifies artifacts for a fee began

analyzing one of the faces. Unfortunately, due to dissemination

laws, the proceedings of those findingsare not allowed to be published at thisdate. Things seemed to be going wellfor the research, but a tragedy hit inSeptember 2004. Joseph Sinnott, headresearcher, passed away by means ofheart problems. With his passing, awealth of knowledge and insightpassed as well.

A number of questions were leftunanswered in the months followingJoe's death. Mainly, the answer thatseemed to defy every attempt at deci-pherment revolved around the originsof the stone faces. Were they NativeAmerican? Or had some cleverprankster hoaxed the whole thing?Ongoing research will hopefully shedlight on these truly anomalous piecesof art.

More photos can be found at:www.BlackstoneDaily.com/stoneworks.htm

Brennan is a UVM student who hasstudied with the late Joseph Sinnott.Email: spamman05@aol.com

Faces in Stone

Support our Advertisers

In the past issue of Journeys, twophotos of Church’s Blackstone-Millvillearea were misnamed. The Tower is theUdor Tower, an old water tower dis-guised as a windmill. Having an elabo-rate system of piping, it is believed tohave serviced a home that once stoodthere. The owner, Charles Fletcher,later moved the house, leaving thetower standing alone in the yard. Inone of his deeds, Fletcher appears tohave referred to the tower as "BlarneyCastle." An 1850s panoramic map ofMillville shows the tower complete

with a woodentop and windmillpaddles. Udoris thought to be aLatin counterpartfor the Greekword for water.

The "MillvilleSilo" is a fallenwater tank in thecenter of the millyard complex,not a fallen silo.

We regret the errors.

Corrections

Page 16Journeys

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“now destroyed the breed, so that‘tis very rare to meet with a wild turkiein the woods.” (Joselyn 1865)

According to wildlife biologist JimCardoza in his Wild Turkey: AnAstonishing Success Story, the easternwild turkey that was once prevalentthroughout New England, central andsouthern U.S.A and Canada, wasalmost wiped out by the late 19th andearly 20th centuries, due to habitatloss, excessive hunting of the speciesand flooding or destruction of foods,such as nuts.

Farming, construction and the con-stant need for wood as fuel had deci-mated the forests and by the 1930s, itwas estimated that only about 320,000

turkeys remained anywhere in NorthAmerica. Turkeys did not exist else-where, so the crisis of possible exter-mination was severe, especially sincemore than an eighth of the total werelegally hunted every year.

Between the 1880s and 1900, feebased hunting laws became standardthroughout most of the United States.The revenue derived has been usedexclusively for wildlife restoration andresearch under the 1937 enacted USFederal Aid in Wildlife RestorationAct. Yet, for almost two decades,restoration projects failed due to theuse of domesticated turkeys whichoften were illness-free, yet carriers ofvirus and bacteria to the wild turkey.

Grafton’s Ted Williams,wildllife expert, avid fishermanand hunter tells a humorous taleof the difficult task of trappingwild turkeys for stock restorationin his book, InsightfulSportsman: Thoughts on Fish,Wildlife & What Ails the Earth.

Yet in less than five decades, thenumbers have grown very successfullyto over 5.4 million turkeys found in all49 states. By 2001, over 2.6 millionhunters were hunting over 740,000turkeys, also known as genus melea-gris gallopavo, annually.

The wildlife restoration of turkeyshas been extremely successful, yetthere are future threats, such as: exotic

illness strains, mounting global popu-lation, annual fluctuations in nesting &climate change impacts and socialimportance of wildlife managment

Wild turkeys are thinner thandomestic turkeys and taste a bit differ-ently, but certainly worth a try!

Evidentiary studies and info foundat: http://www.manwtf.com/docu-ments/JimCardozaPaper.pdf

amenity, as a link to the region’s histo-ry, and as a natural resource worth pro-tecting.

As recreational use of the canalsand of the refurbished trails and parkssystem has increased, bikers using thecanal towpath system have joinedboaters as a growing segment of newcanal users, second only to hikers. Thestatewide advocacy group Parks &Trails New York has helped to promotethe canal pathway system. In 2006 and2007 they sponsored a series of"Bicycles Bring Business" seminars inkey communities along the waterway.

Parks & Trails New York alsoorganizes Cycling the Erie Canal,

which cele-brates itstenth anniver-sary in 2008.(July 6-13) Itis an eightday, 400 milebicycle tourwhich specifi-cally pro-motes theCanalwayTrail throughout the entire length ofthe Erie Canalway National HeritageCorridor. Starting with 30 participantsthe first year, 500 bicyclists took partin the 2007 event pedaling mostly on

the old canaltowpaths onceused by mules.An averageday's bicycleride is 50 miles.The majority ofthe tour route ison relativelyflat terrain, asthe historictowpath of hard

packed gravel has just a one percentgrade. These towpaths also pass closeby to canalside towns which makes theweek long event ideal for bikers look-ing for something different.

For further information:Erie Canalway National HeritageCorridorwww.eriecanalway.gov/www.nps.gov/erie/

Parks & Trails New Yorkwww.ptny.org/www.ptny.org/canaltour/index.shtml

To read Part One, go towww.BlackstoneDaily.com and click onJourneys.

Canal, continued from page 5

Wild Turkeys Back On Track

Page 17 Journeys

in pursuit of the Narragansetts everretreating before them and out of reach… “

Soon the reality of the situationcould not be avoided, and the Englishthemselves were constrained to “dealmuch in horseflesh.” They killed andate many of their own mounts. Forthis reason, Winslow’s pursuit ofCanonchet has ever since been knownas “The Hungry March.”

By early February, Winslow’scompany had tracked the Narragansettsfor more than sixty miles. They fol-lowed their elusive quarry into theMassachusetts woods betweenMarlborough and Brookfield. Butupon coming to the “Road towardConnecticut,” Winslow halted. Heinstructed the Plymouth and Mass-achusetts men to turn east and start forBoston, while the Connecticut troopsand Mohegan scouts were told torepair to their own colony. Winslowknew that “for want of Provision forthemselves and their Horses,” he hadno choice: the chase must be aban-doned.

Now at liberty in the woodlands ofcentral Massachusetts, Canonchet andhis people joined forces with NipmuckIndians already prosecuting the war forPhilip. Quinnapin, one of the sixNarragansett sachems and husband toPhilip’s sister-in-law Weetamoo, par-ticipated in a merciless raid onLancaster, February 10th, in whichMary Rowlandson and her child weretaken captive. It is reasonable toassume other Narragansetts had a handin it as well.

Hubbard described theNarragansetts’ new alliance in the fol-lowing manner:

… the Narhagansets having beendriven out of the Country, fled throughthe Nipnet [Nipmuck] Plantations,towards Watchuset Hills meeting withall the Indians that had harboured allWinter in those Woods aboutNashaway; they all combined together

against the English, yet divided theirNumbers, and one half of them wereobserved to bend their Course towardsPlimouth, taking Medfield in their way,which they endeavoured to burn andspoil, Feb. 21, 1675, as their Fellowshad done Lancaster ten Days before.

The sudden appearance of theNarragansetts in Nipmuck Countryimposed a heavy burden on alreadyweakened food supply. “Such was thecondition of the hostiles, when, in thedead of winter, several thousandNarragansetts, destitute of supplies,poured in upon them,” write Ellis andMorris. “The already slenderresources of the Nipmuck tribes wereimmediately exhausted, and though thetrees were bare and the ground deepwith snow, raids upon the English vil-lages for the purpose of securing foodbecame imperative.”

The worsening food crisis musthave been a focus of concern at a greatIndian war council convened nearSquakheag (Northfield, Massachusetts)on March 9th, just two weeks beforePeirce’s Fight. At this historic confer-ence, Philip and Canonchet lookedeach other in the eye for the first timesince the war started. Narragansettsachems Pessacus, Pomham andQuinnapin were also on hand. Otherdistinguished Indians included“Sancumachu of the Pocumtucks,Annawan, several other chiefs of theWampanoags, Queen Weetamoo andrepresentatives of the various tribes ofthe Nipmucks, dressed in all the gloryof wampum and deerskin.”

Successful raids in central andwestern Massachusetts may haveemboldened the Indians to believe thatthey would enjoy some degree of free-dom in that territory, at least enough toplant fields for the coming season.“There is little doubt that the confeder-ated tribes determined to drive theEnglish from the Connecticut valley,and to hold it,” Bodge writes inSoldiers in King Philip’s War.

“After locating his people in saferetreats,” Bodge continues, “Canonchetwith a large party of his warriors,returned towards his own country, inorder to recover some of the largequantities of corn secreted there, andespecially for seed-corn to plant theEnglish fields, from which they haddriven the owners. A large raidingparty from the various tribes camesouthward also. It is probable that thetwo companies were not far from eachother, when Capt. Peirse arrived atRehoboth, and they probably united inhis destruction …”

If Bodge’s surmise is correct, itwould serve to explain why Indians ofdifferent tribes were mixed in amongthe Narragansetts who ambushedPeirce.

There is an old tradition in theBlackstone Valley that on the eve ofthe battle, Canonchet and his warriorsretired to a favorite haunt of theIndians called Quinsnicket, which issaid to mean “a rock house” or “stonehuts.” The site is located in a tranquilglade of the Moshassuck River valley,off of Breakneck Hill Road in what isnow the town of Lincoln, RhodeIsland, formerly part of Smithfield.

“The name is now attached to ahuge mass of rocks which caps the hilljust back of the ‘Butterfly Factory,”Providence antiquarian Sidney S. Riderwrote in 1904. “It overhangs otherrocks, thus forming a sort of room orspace which it covers. Tradition saysthat beneath this rock, or in this rockhouse, slept Nanuntenoo, otherwiseCanonchet, the night before hedestroyed Captain Peirce and all hissoldiers.

“It may be true, for certainly itmight have been,” Rider observed.“On the green sward to the southwardof this immense rock, he may havelighted his council fire and planned thefatal ambuscade. [At] Quinsnicket thebountiful hand of nature had broughttogether everything which could

delight the eye of the Indian – a mag-nificent view; security from enemies;luxuriant foliage; rare plants; and thewaters of the bright Moshassuck forhis beverage.”

Quinsnicket was part of a largetract of forested land acquired by theState of Rhode Island in 1909; whichin turn became Lincoln Park For thisreason alone, Quinsnicket has survivedto the present day.

In 1908, Edwin C. Pierce, a linealdescendant of Captain Michael Peirce,referred to Quinsnicket in the text ofan address he gave at a ceremony tohonor his fallen ancestor:

As the ambuscade was nearQuinsniket, there can be no doubt thatCanonchet with perhaps seven hundredwarriors of the brave and now utterlydesperate Narragansett nation hadmade this rocky fastness his base ofoperations. There, under the over-hanging rock of the hilltop, the savageChieftain held his council fire and theplan for the ambuscade was laid. Thesortie of the colonials from Rehobothon Saturday must have been reportedto Canonchet, and he must havejudged that encouraged by their suc-cess, the English would continue theiradvance and accordingly he preparedto ambush, overwhelm and annihilatethem …

Of course, there’s just one littleproblem with Mr. Pierce’s colorful sce-nario:

There’s reason to believe thatCanonchet, warrior-sachem of theNarragansetts, was never at Peirce’sFight …

NEXT: CANONCHET CONTINUED

© 2007 by Joe DohertyPO Box 31

South Salem, NY 10590-0031riverwritr@aol.com

Reading the Landscape, continued from page 4

how quickly stumps or fallen treesbegin to degrade and whether they rotfrom inside out or outside in. Certainspecies, such as all coniferous trees,rot from the outside in, often taking upto a hundred years before decayingfully.

Yet, most hardwoods rot from theinside out, often totally decaying in aslittle as 25-30 years. These are verycompelling clues to interpret the histo-ry of the forest near you. The forests

we see today are very different thanwhat colonists witnessed. They viewedwhite pines up to 5 feet in diameter inhuge, cleared groves majestically ris-ing 50 feet taller than other groves.

But the landscape has even changeddrastically in the last fifty years asDutch Elm disease or an importedAsain parasite killed species, such aselms and the American chestnut tree.In addition, many invasive specieshave grown rapidly, replacing native

plants.So open your eyes to the clues that

surround us. Read Wessels orMarchand’s informative books thatgive profound insight into the tell-talesigns that will enhance every walk intothe woods or even identify the stonewalls that line our yards.

Find out about stunted apple trees,the difference of swamps vs. bogs andso many other enlightening tools to

identify the natural history of NewEngland, and more specifically theBlackstone Valley’s landscapes. Ournatural landscape is a mosaic of histo-ry. Open your eyes to the wonders ofwildlife, fauna, flora, stone walls, rockstriations and other clues that can givemeaning to the life and past around us!

See page 23 for a mystery solved byreading a unique Upton landscape!

Our River, continued from page 8

Page 18Journeys

In April 2002, a small group of writers gatheredfor a three day workshop at the Center for Arts &Spirituality at the First Universalist Church ofWoonsocket. This workshop was so highly extolledthat the decision was made to continue meeting ona bi-weekly basis as an outlet for writers of allleanings: poetry,journaling,prose, shortstory, sermon,script writing,puppets, come-dy and more.

After a year,changes weremade to accomo-date a weeklyschedule and asite change toWoonsocketHarris Public Library. The group has thrived eversince. A small group of 8-10 weekly participantsconsistently share their works, ideas and passionfor the written word.

On a Thursday night visit in October, writersread several haikus, generally a three line poemderived from Japanese culture that doesn’t rhymebut which follows strict rules using 17 syllablesover three lines (5/7/5). Simple words in a verycompact form must paint visual imagery in thereader’s mind. Certainly, a tricky but intriguingquest!

A well-written and amusing short story aboutdining on an airline trip came next followed by avery compelling piece on an old cowboy whose

way of life had died long before he did. This writerhails from Texas, enhancing the imagery into avery powerful reality.

Ezra Pound’s oft-used definition of imageryas “an intellectual and emotional complex in aninstant of time" bore success within several genres

of creative work bywriters in thisgroup as workscontinued to beread and discussed.

Linda Hill, whoworks at PowderMill LedgesWildlife Refuge inSmithfield, is theinformal leader ofthe group, offeringassignment sugges-tions as a way to

get creative thoughts flowing. Each member readsone to several pieces of varying styles of creativework each week, often eliciting strong praise fromlisteners. Critiques are not part of the meetingthough members stated that they often see self-improvement as time goes on.

The members were very jovial and interested ineach other's creativity, all for the love of writing,though of course, some look forward to or arebeing published one day.

All are welcome to share their creative energyand the lovely spirit of the Written Word WritingGroup which meets at 7 p.m. on Thursdays at theWoonsocket Harris Library, 303 Clinton Street,Woonsocket. 401-232-3307.

About the Woonsocket Harris Public Library

“The Woonsocket Harris Public Library was originallyknown as the Harris Institute Library. Situated on the secondfloor of the Harris Institute Building in the Harris Block onMain Street, the Harris Institute Library opened its doors to thepublic on October 3, 1868. The Harris Institute Library has thedistinction of being the first public library in the state of RhodeIsland. The library was located directly below Harris Hall,where Abraham Lincoln delivered an anti-slavery address in1860. The founder of the library was Mr. Edward Harris, whowas a noted Woonsocket woolen manufacturer and philanthro-pist.

The first branch library in the city was the Social BranchLibrary, which opened on January 13, 1927. The Social Branchwas located on the second floor of the Dulude Building nearSocial Corner, in the heart of Woonsocket 's most densely popu-lated district at the time. The Social Branch Library remained inoperation until 1974.

After it was decided that the library had long outgrown itsspace in the Harris Institute Building , a new building to housethe library was constructed in the Social Flatlands on ClintonStreet beginning May 17, 1973. Construction was completed in1974.”

Renovations and a major expansion were completed in 2001.The Fairmount Branch was opened in January 1998 to serve thechildren of the Fairmount section of the city who might nothave regular access to the Main Library on Clinton Street. Formore information, go to www.woonsocketlibrary.org

About Edward Harris

Harris, born in 1801, worked his way up to become ownerof six mills producing satinets and high quality cashmeres. In1856, Harris constructed the Harris Block for community useand he also donated land for Woonsocket’s first high school andthe majestic Oak Hill Cemetery.

He was an active anti-slavery advocate and was a StateRepresentative. He employed up to 1000 workers and builteighty brick tenement houses to serve his immigrant workersworkin for the Privilege Mill. Many houses still stand on Farmand North Main Streets. He died in 1872, truly loved by all.

The Written Word

Gov. Deval Patrick expressed hope for strength-ening Massachusett's future as he spoke before hun-dreds at the Blackstone Vally Chamber of CommerceAnnual Meeting held at Pleasant Valley CountryClub in Sutton on November 14th. He recognizedlocal businesses for their "spirit of partnership" afterthe devastating fire at Bernat mill in Uxbridge andthanked community banks for stepping up to loanalmost $500,000 to local businesses in need.

Governor Patrick expressed the need to pushinnovative ideas and not just money to strengthenour educational system and marketable skill setsfrom kindergarten through higher education. Hespoke of the 125,000 unemployed, while 90,00 jobsstand unfilled..a skills gap that needs to be addressedby collaborative efforts of schools, business and

political leadership. He spoke of the major opportunities in the life

sciences and alternative energy that could establishMassachusetts as a leader throughout the world inthese growing industries.

"The proposal for resort casinos is fundamentallya job proposal," said Patrick as he continued thatthere is a social downside, yet the effects are smallerthan allowing drinking while potentially creating20,000 jobs and up to $2 billion to the state's econo-my.

Jan Reitsma from the John H. Chafee NationalHeritage Corridor presented Governor Patrick with aone-day pass to visit the region and tour BlackstoneValley with a Ranger. A basket of Sutton Beautyapples from Keown Orchards was given to the

Governor.Joseph Deliso, the Chamber's executive director,

called it a thrilling day for the Blackstone Valley,noting that it has been a long time since a Governorspoke at a Chamber event.

Several awards were given by the Chamber'sBoard Director, Joe Barbato of Millbury CreditUnion, before the Governor arrived, including: theGerry Gaudette Extra Mile award to Paul Metzger ofSutton and Cornerstone Awards to Unibank andAlternatives of Whitinsville. Charles Thompson, whois retiring, was also recognized for his 34 years ofwork as Executive Director of the Whitin Center.

Photos can be found on page 24.

Governor Patrick Speaks At Chamber’s Annual Meeting

Page 19 Journeys

YouTube, the online video site, rev-olutionized U.S. presidential debatesthis summer by using Internet technol-ogy to bring voters and candidatescloser together. Now, Alternatives, anonprofit organization in theBlackstone Valley, is transforming itsfundraising by using online video toraise the last $600,000 needed toachieve its $4.2 million capital cam-paign goal to complete the renovationof the original Paul Whitin Mill.

The Whitin Mill project will turn anout-of-work mill into an inclusivecommunity treasure, featuring a the-ater, restaurant, riverfront plaza, artisanstudios and an employment programand affordable apartments for peopleserved by the organization. The com-plex also features cutting-edge greentechnology through hydro, solar andgeothermal renewable energy sources.

The movie, viewable onAlternatives' website, highlights the

organization's mission, the Whitin Millrenovation project, and also provides alink to "Help Pave the Way!" This isan opportunity for the community tobecome personally involved in theproject by purchasing an engravedpaver stone that will be placed withinthe riverside community plaza. Byhaving a favorite quote, family or busi-ness name inscribed on a paver stone,people will be supporting the WhitinMill project while leaving a legacy forgenerations to come.

Historian Don Gosselin was thefirst individual to buy a tax deductiblepaver. "We added it up and discoveredthat between my family and my wife'sfamily," says Gosselin, "we have over250 years of service in The Shop. Thisis a terrific opportunity to honor theirmemory and the Whitin name."

Recently the Northbridge HighSchool class of 1957 held their 50threunion. There were forty-four people

in attendance, some from as far awayas Florida. As part of the celebration,they toured the complex they knew asthe Spinning Ring Shop. WalterConvent, speaking for the ReunionCommittee said when buying theirpaver, "Everyone was very impressedwith the history of the complex and theimportant work being done there. Ourcommittee voted unanimously to pur-chase a paver with 'Class of 1957'engraved on it."

"Using this new video, email, ban-ners, and special inserts are just someof the ways we're getting the word outabout the 'Help Pave the Way' cam-

paign," said Lee Gaudette, volunteercampaign chair. "We need communityinvolvement and support to completethis exciting project that the entireregion will enjoy."

Alternatives is a non-profit agencyserving more than 550 adults withdevelopmental and psychiatric disabili-ties in 45 programs throughout centralMassachusetts.

To see the movie, visit www.alter-nativesnet.org and click on Buildingthe Dream.

To read over 30 articles on Whitin his-tory by Don Gosselin, go to:www.Blackstonedaily.com/whitinintro.htm

Building the Dream

Golfers brave cold forfamilies in need atBlissful Meadows GolfClub

On Thursday, November 8, 2007,"Mr. Turkey" made a visit to BlissfulMeadows Golf Club to commemoratetheir annual "Turkey Day" event.

Each year on "Turkey Day",Blissful Meadows offers a free roundof golf to any players who donate a12+ lb. turkey, or a $25 gift certificateto a local grocery store.

Despite the chilly weather, nearly60 turkeys were collected, along withvarious canned and boxed foods, andover $175 in gift certificates and cash.These were all donated to the localfood banks to help those families inneed to enjoy a delicious holiday din-ner.

A special thank you to those whocame out to play and support our localfood banks!

Girl Scouting is aliveand well

Girl Scouting is alive and well inthe Northbridge Community. The2007-2008 year is underway with 12troops registering with more to come.

The Daisy Girl Scout troopserves girls in Kindergarten, withBrownies being enjoyed by girls ingrades 1,2 & 3. Junior Girl Scoutingencompasses grades 4,5 & 6. Cadetteand Senior Girl Scouting is for girls in

grades 7-12.As long as space and leadership

are available, girls are welcomedthroughout the year and prior andongoing membership is not necessary.Girl Scoutingbuilds charac-ter, confidenceand leader-ship. Girlsprofess theGirl ScoutPromise andLaw; they arewilling to helpall and arevery visible inserving thecommunity.

In September, 120 girls and 30adult leaders enjoyed a camping week-end at Camp Green Eyrie, in Harvard,Massachusetts. The experience provid-ed girls with silly fun and games,laughter and giggles, outdoor cookingand mounds of spaghetti and meat-

balls. They slept in tents and hiked thetrails. They built campfires, sang a lotof songs and they especially made last-ing friendships.

Leadership is always needed.Training andsupport arenecessaryand avail-able. If youare lookingfor a mean-ingful expe-rience foryourself andyou daugh-ter, pleaselook into theGirl Scout

Community.Join Girl Scouting! For further

information, kindly contact FranGauthier, Service Unit Manager,Northbridge Girl Scouting at 508-234-8194.

Snapshots:Building Community

A Letter to The Editor

As the United States military isdeployed around the world, hardshipsare touching more and more of ourfriends, neighbors and relatives. Yet, Iwonder if many think the blood, bat-tles and body bags are what happens toothers or that it’s just an interruptionon the evening news. This VeteransDay, I had the honor of marching inMilford’s parade with family memberswho have loved ones in harm’s way.As we walked along, we were trulytouched by the size, enthusiasm andapplause of the crowd. Larger andlouder it seemed than in years past. Itmeant so much to families to knowthat people do care; a moment of peaceand pride for those who live every daywith the fear of the dreaded knock onthe door or the ring of the phone.

My sincere thanks to all whowalked and watched. The veterans,

bands, local politicians, public servicegroups, John Pilla and everyone whomade the effort to be there on that spe-cial day. Also a thank you to MilfordSign-A-Rama whose policy of free“welcome home” signs for militaryfamilies is an act of kindness thatmeans so much to so many.

So who cares? It seems that manylocal people do. No matter your opin-ion of the war, it is important that wealways respect, revere and remembernot only those who have volunteeredto defend us but the families they leavebehind. Rest assured that I care and Ifeel blessed that my friends and neigh-bors do as well.

Mike Shain

Who Cares?

Please send letters to the editor to:Blackstonedaily@aol.com or BD News, 23Fay Mt Rd, Grafton, MA 01519.Depending on space, they will be printedin Journeys or www.BlackstoneDaily.com

Alternatives' Whitin Mill Artisan/Restaurant Space Available

Alternatives seeks tenants for their newly renovated Whitin Mill abutting theMumford River and Ring Shop Dam. This is an exciting opportunity to become

part of an important new project in the Blackstone Valley.

Spaces include a riverside restaurant, artisan/retail space in the historic Brick Milland the historic Forge, a space that would be perfect for a glass blower or black-smith. Square footage varies from 330sf to approximately 900sf for artisan space.Restaurant space is 1300sf. For rates, additional information and a tour contact:

Tom Saupe or Phil Ingersoll-Mahoney at Alternatives (508) 234-6232.

Page 20Journeys

There is a wonderful tour for biking or walking, cre-ated with funding by the John H. Chafee NationalHeritage Corridor years ago which highlights:

1. Adin Ballou Park - site of the statue and originalsite of Ballou home 2. Community Square - site of former school /meeting house 3. The Adin Ballou House - moved but current siteof Ballou home (privately owned) 4. The Little Red Shop - currently undergoing ren-ovations - one of the early Community shops 5. Hopedale Village Cemetery - burial site of com-

munity members 6. Nelson’s Grove - site of the annual Abolitionistpicnic / gathering 7. Current Town Center - with Draper builtUnitarian Church Draper built Town HallBancroft Memorial Library, repository of the EarlyCommunity newspaper plus artifacts and writings ofAdin Ballou

This walk, with map, can be found online:www.adinballou.org/walktour.shtml

(Photos by Ellen Onorato - family gravestones - son Augustus’s stone at right.)

Adin Ballou Walking Tour

Business & Professional Directory

Hopedale’s Bancroft Library. He alsowrote "The History of Milford" in1880 to honor the town's Centennial.

Though it is mostly recognized byhistorians that American abolitionismevolved from religious origins, ofwhich Ballou and the HopedaleCommunity were key figures, the dis-position of the slavery issue throughviolence and war, forever changed theway in which history was recorded.Ballou’s distinction of “living” in away that would end slavery by conver-sion, guided by the majesty of God,creating a network of communities thatcould change the world for the newmillennium, fell victim to the the histo-

ry of the Civil War. However, Tolstoy and others of high

repute speak of Ballou’s writings as“distinguished by the clearness of theirthought and eloquence of exposition.”In an interview of Tolstoy by AndrewDickson White, Leo Tolstoy’sAutobiography, Vol. II, “ asked who,in the whole range of American litera-ture, he thought the foremost. To thishe made an answer which amazed me,as it would have astonished my coun-trymen. Indeed, did the eternal salva-tion of all our eighty millions dependupon some one of them guessing theperson he named, we should all go toperdition together. That greatest of

American writers was--Adin Ballou!Evidently, some of the philanthropicwritings of that excellentMassachusetts country clergyman andreligious communist had pleased him,and hence came the answer.”

The Blackstone Valley’s Dale ofHope has become famous for theDraper Corporation and their "shuttle-less" textile looms which created anempire and tremendous paternalismwithin town, but Ballou’s influence canbe seen in the street signs, the magnifi-cent Unitarian Church and writingsstill significant today.

More photos (color) and bibliography

found online atwww.blackstonedaily.com/adin.htm

For Hopedale history, visit DanMalloy’s site atwww.geocities.com/daninhopedale

Adin Ballou, continued from page 6

Former home of Adin Ballou

Page 21 Journeys

There he was, standing as a magnif-icent Norse god, as I opened the heavyrectory door. Dressed in casual cor-duroy and tweeds, he asked me, yesme, if I had wanted to help him walkhis dogs at the cabin. For many years,I had thought so kindly of this charm-ing, mustached fellow, but now I felt abit uncomfortable.

"Could my brother come, I asked?"and he replied "Of course."

So I ran to my Mom and asked if itwould be alright and I next rememberwalking down the dirt path towards thelake, with the springer spaniels leapingfrom one side to the next. I don't quiterecall if there was much conversationbut I felt honored, though a bit intimi-dated to be here at this moment.

His kindness had really beentowards my Mom, as my Dad had diedsuddenly early that morning and therewas much to tend to, as we had beenup much the night with vestrymencalled in to assure Sunday services andthe sad news would be prepared forparishioners in the morning.

But here I was, with my brother intow, enjoying a brief escape from theunstable future we understood wasahead. My beloved Dad was richerthan most in friends yet hardly hadtended to the business of life insur-ance, leaving two daughters in college,a son at Pomfret Academy and me stillat home. We all felt two immediateburdens...one of losing our mostbeloved Dad, our spiritual guide, mis-chievious friend and mentor. Secondly,we fully understood the need to leavethe rectory soon along with the entireparish family to allow a chosen rectorto start anew.

As we sauntered down the lovelypath and majestic early spring woodswith their fresh sounds and scents, mymind jumped from childlike wonders

to glimpses of the evening before. Mybrother and I had attended a Mrs.Walker dancing cotillon that Saturdaynight in Worcester, meant to add a lit-tle culture to a total tomboy for mewhile helping my brother gain a littlegentlemanly social confidence. We hadmixed feelings about attending thesedances where the gentlemen wore thewhite gloves, which seemed so oddand silly to us. But on the other hand,it was a wonderful time to see buddiesand still give a quick kick or arm twistwhen Mrs. Walker had turned herhead. It was obvious the cultural osmo-sis had not quite taken yet.

If my tomboyish wrestling wayshad been caught, it would have beenquite a disgrace for all, as my brotherand I were given free passage as chil-dren of the music director at a presti-gious private school (which paid muchless, of course, than the publicschools). We were not poor, probablymiddle income but much of it depend-ed on free housing from the churchand my Dad's additional part time jobsof teaching at Nichols College andbeing Rector in Oxford, too. We werecertainly not in the wealth circles ofthose with whom we danced, yet ourparents certainly had equal or highereducational footing which was well-received by Mrs. Walker.

As I looked out silently, in anotherworld, over the ripples of the lake, Irecounted the hours after the dancethat would forever change our lives.The evening had been so much fun,once my brother and I got over havingto dress up for the occasion. It wasmade even better knowing that my par-ents were going out on a rare datemovie while we danced, giggled, gos-siped or wrestled a bit on the dancefloor.

Everything seemed so perfect and

joyful as we headed home to Webster,even as my Dad rolled down the win-dow on a chilly April night. As thewind blew in our faces amidst the gig-gles, we hardly realized he was fight-ing for his life. Then, I heard the deepcoughing, gagging sounds and myMother demanded that he pull over tothe old Yankee Drummer Inn.

Ambulances were called while mybrother and I were shepherded off to aroom with a tv. Not the place we want-ed to be, but we were all more politeand obedient back then. I saw a ghastlysight on my Dad's face but knew hewould be alright. He always was.

After about an hour, the managercame and got us and quickly statedthat my brother would have to be theman of the house "for now". Whew,thank you, God, it was just temporary.My Mom gathered us up and it wasnot until we arrived on North MainStreet in Webster before we understoodthat there was nothing temporary aboutit. Our most beloved father was gone!

One of the springer spaniels camebounding past me, running after a stickthrown by his master. I looked downand saw the sun bursting through theleafless limbs onto some tiny budsemerging from under some old leaves.Usually, I'd be investigating further forsome lizards or other treasures, butdirty clothes would not be welcome bymy Mom today. And my mind waselsewhere, too. The memories camepouring back....this property was nextto one we enjoyed almost daily in thesummer with my Dad, yet we neverwandered over here at all because thefields and intriguing wonders, frompuff balls to wild blueberries, ladyslippers and even tennis or baseballcould keep us busy for hours afterswimming on the Bartlett cabin prop-erty next door. I do remember crossing

into the field where the dirt path wenow journeyed down starts one sum-mer several years ago. My dog and Ihad tossed around happily in the backseat as my Dad patiently taught mysister how to tackle a stick shift, withall the attendant jerks and stops.

One other time, we had been invit-ed to this unusual cabin for a cookout.It was larger than many houses of palsin the neighborhood, but I remember itmostly for its unusual interior whereyou could peek over the upstairs rail-ing and hear what the adults were say-ing.

I was glad we didn't go inside, evenwith it empty, because today was a dayI wanted to escape what the adultswere saying and Mr. Brown knew it.He probably was more determined toease the responsibilities on my Momthat Sunday as parishioner after parish-ioner came sobbing to her door, but itforever showed such a caring side tothe dashing, charming Mr. Fritz Brownthat I will never forget.

(Mr. Frederick Brown, known as Fritzwas the great, great, great nephew ofSamuel Slater. He lived with his AuntLydia in the George Basset Slater granitemansion on North Main Street in Webster.He had a large wonderful garden andraised bonsai and springer spaniels as ahobby. My sister, Susan, would stay withthe very elderly, yet very capable LydiaSlater (Samuel Slater's great granddaugh-ter) when Fritz attended dog shows,whichwas quite often.

Also, there is a wonderful storyonline about Fritz’s brother William, whowas thrown in jail in France with bestfriend, e.e. cummings during the War.Read some surprising anecdotes at:www.gvsu.edu/english/cummings/Collier6.htm by writer Jim Collier, NewburyHonor book author and relative of Lydiaand Fritz, all of whom came from the line-age of the Father of the IndustrialRevolution, Sam Slater.)

"Yippee!" I heard my sister screamas I came up from the cellar embracingtwo fluffy, six week old kittens.

"What's up? " I looked up asking. She exclaimed "No church today,

look outside...the snow is over yourhead. We can all stay home and playwith the kittens for hours."

My heart started pounding. It wasnot that we didn't like church, althoughwe always timed my father's sermonsand kidded him if they went longerthan 15 minutes, but half the pleasurewas the pure serendipidity of missingit (or school) plus we would have anextra week to play with the six kittenswho would soon be headed to newhomes or Worcester's Animal RescueLeague.

Back in the 1950s, before most catswere spayed, we had a tradition offinding good homes for our kittens bystanding behind my Rector Dad in thechurch foyer as he shook everyone'shand. We would offer the delightfulkittens to kindly members of the con-gregation and this usually assuredhomes for most of them. Plus we couldoften get updates from congregants onour very favorites as they grew up.

Just then, my Dad walked in the

back door, smiling as he wiped hiscold, wet face after pulling off hisgaloshes.

“You might be right,” he said. "Noone showed up for the 8 a.m. serviceexcept Mr. Burgess. He said drivingwas very slippery and snow was stillfalling.”

"Yippee" came in chorus whichroused my brother, usually the last tosleep in although he often read quietlyfor hours in his room before breakfast.

"No church, no church!" as my sis-ter and I danced around the hallway.Then my Dad stated "On the otherhand, there is Miss Lydia!”

No way, she's in her 90s, wethought before blurting “she won'tmake it. She’s way too old and Fritznever comes to church anyway!"

My Mom continued in her orderlyfashion preparing a full breakfastbefore reviewing the music for herchoir and church organist duties. Sheseemed unaware of the deepeningsnow outside until she left saying " I'llsee you all in about 20 minutes. Wearyour boots and coats!”

We soon marched through the snowto the parish hall next door, with ourfingers half-crossed that the church

would be empty. Soon after, my Dadcame over to the parish hall with Mr.Burgess, who had been shovelingbefore staying to usher for the 10:45service. "Church is on" exclaimed myDad. "We have one in attendance!"

As our hopes and glee fell, wewondered who it could possiblybe....as the roads were mostlyunplowed and still piling up. Wecouldn’t believe it would be MissLydia, though we knew her tenacity.But when we peeked in, there she sat,as calmly as could be.

How could she get here, we won-dered. Miss Lydia Slater, in her 90sand physically frail had done it again!She had trudged through the high,heavy snow in her galoshes and heavycoat, to wait until a snowplow came upthe main street and "demand" that hetake her to church immediately!

He did! So, the choir had only fourof us but the organist, rector and ushercarried on the communion service infull and we were all the better for it -seeing the fortitude and religious com-mitment of a ninety something yearold not falter - even with an easyexcuse so available! No excuse fromus ever came so easily after that!

Miss Lydia Slater The Best Gift Of All...Sharing Memories withLoved Ones

In the past, we often lived in the same townor community and saw extended family mem-bers. We would hear stories and share dinners,customs and recipes. We’d go to the barber andperhaps hear about our Dad or attend churchand hear stories of our Mom’s apple pie or vol-unteerism. Each day, we were getting mes-sages, sometimes subtly, of how our ancestorscomported themselves or even got into mis-chief as kids.

Today, in our mobile society, many of usbarely get a glimpse, much less a thoroughknowledge, of our extended family. Even if wedo, many stories are often left untold. Learningour roots and traditions can be sustainable dur-ing hard times, yet in our more sophisticatedlife, the feeling of emptiness often pervades,particularly for some, during the holidays.

Whether you are a grandparent, parent ortotally isolated, it is important to share by start-ing a notebook of old memories. Many of thesethoughts and stories can bring insight toyounger generations of another era in life.Perhaps a greater understanding of the sacri-fices made to make this country great willevolve and thinking back to these memoriescan make the sharer’s life enriched, too!

By considering topics such as Roots,Childhood, Teenage Years, Entering Adulthoodand so on, these pages will probably become-one of the most special presents ever received.Admittedly, it might not create immediateexcitement for a young child, but as time pass-es, they will cherish this more than any otherhigh-cost present, long forgotten. And they willforever have a fuller understanding of the pastand how your life’s stories connects to theirs.

The Dashing Fritz Brown

Page 22Journeys

The First Congregational Church inUxbridge was gathered in 1727 fromthe Mother Town of Mendon. The firstmeetinghouse was the Coronet J.Farnum House. The first church wascalled the Church of Christ and waslocated on the present town common.In 1830 during the religious orthodoxycontroversy separated many townchurches into Unitarians andTrinitarians. The First EvangelicalCongregational Church became

Trinitarians and built the present meet-inghouse in 1833.

The church has had a long historyof presence in the community and isthe oldest church. The Robert TaftCommunity House houses the town'sFood Pantry and the New MinistriesGroup who worship there in Spanishand English.

The Community House is in goodcondition but the exterior of the mainchurch needed serious attention to theSteeple which is presently underway.The remaining front façade of thechurch is a serious problem whichneeds immediate attention. Theremaining portion of the church needsto be sided.

The membership of the church hasdeclined slowly over the past 10 years.From September 2006 until thisSeptember only guest preachers pro-vided services. In June of this year,the small but dedicated group of mem-bers chose to make a "NewBeginning" as opposed to closing thechurch and selling the buildings. Theyare committed to continuing the 280years of this church in the communityof Uxbridge.

They asked the Rev. Gordon C.Merten to return to the FirstEvangelical Congregaional Church

which was his first pastorate in 1965.Now some 42 years later, he hasreturned in an effort to help the churchmake a "New Beginning."

The core group of committed mem-bers made some wise decisions thathave given the church a great start. Aspart of the Historical Center inUxbridge, they believed it is importantthat we care for our facility and returnits vital ministry to the town.

We are presently in the process ofhaving the Steeple scraped and painted($25,675) with money set aside to dothis in hand. Gifts from a LivingMemorial Fund have had theWeathervane restored and placed atopthe steeple once again. We expect thisfirst project to be completed beforeThanksgiving.

The next phase of the project is therenovation to the front of the churchincluding the pillars, fixing severalleaks and removing the front façadethat is in danger of falling on to thegranite steps. The Burgess Company ofPembroke has a storied history of help-ing churches restore and renovate withhistorical integrity and accuracy. Costof this project is $33,000. In thespring of 2008, we hope to side theremaining sides and back of thechurch at a cost quoted at $16,000.

The church is inspired and confi-dent that the commitment of those whoaccepted the challenge of this newbeginning is undaunted. With ourattendance growing each week, we arelooking to fulfill our commitments tothe community. Each Monday, folkshave gathered to work together.

There is an inspired spirit whichcontinues to bless and sustain thechurch.

Uxbridge has suffered enough loss-es this past year and these people arecommitted to making sure that thischurch remains a vital part of the com-munity. The MassachusettsConference of the United Church ofChrist is also committed to keeping astrong presence in the south centralMassachusetts.

People who have a strong interestin historical buildings being kept ingood repair are invited to stop by andview the work being done. All contri-butions to the work are tax deductibleand will be recorded as part of theNew Beginning at the church.

For further information, contact thechurch by calling 508-278-3071 orEmail: 1stevanglcongo@gmail.comor gordonmerten@hotmail.com

(Photo of steeplejack Chris Burgess courtesy ofDenise Merten)

A New Beginning by Douglas Merten

manufacturing.

Post Civil War reconstruction, USCongress was petitioned to providefederal aid for education in the Southas a “vital necessity.” Yet, another 80years passed before federal monieswere granted for public education inAmerica.

John F. Slater, in 1882 at the age of78, became the first philanthrpist tocreate a fund devoted solely to the edu-cation of African Americans, who atthe time were 70% illiterate due to thelack of opportunity and historicalopression. Inspired by the PeabodyFund which provided funding for theeducation of both races in the South,Slater’s founding letter states “the gen-eral object is the uplifting of the latelyemancipated population of theSouthern States, and their posterity.

The disabilities formerly suffered bythese people, and their singularpatience and fidelity in the great crisisof the nation, establish a just claim onthe sympathy and good will of humaneand patriotic men.”

Slater donated $1 million dollars tohelp develop private black colleges andfour-year high schools for blacks andstimulate vocational and industrialtraining. Slater also established a firmaccounting system to utilize the fundsas effectively as possible, thus creatingthe first system for public reportingwith a detailed annual listing distrib-uted each year to the Library ofCongress and state libraries.

The fund was distributed annuallyamong many schools in the South byan Agent and overseeing Trustees,including ex-President Rutherford B.

Hayes. There was resentment by somewhite southerners claiming northerninterference and since schools weresegregated, white schools, though bet-ter, were often not very highly regard-ed. Tensions and competition for fund-ing and other issues was fierce. By1990, the state of Mississippi approveda plan to use literacy and “understand-ing” tests to disenfranchise AfricanAmerican citizens. Other southernstates followed, especially as blackilliteracy fell to 58% from 70% andwhite illiteracy was at 31%.

One example of the annual dis-bursements was in 1884, when theSlater Fund appropriated $16,250 totwelve institutions to promote thetraining of African American teachers.By 1893, the Slater Fund supportedmost of the South’s Black colleges,including Atlanta University, Spelman,

Talladega College, Hampton, PhilanderSmith, Jackson College, MeharryMedical College, and BenedictInstitute.

The Gift, continued from page 1

Slater Museum

Page 23 Journeys

For an early morning treat for Thanksgiving,Christmas, New Year’s or any special day, try thisfavorite:

Ingredients:4 large eggs3/4 cup half and half1/4 cup Grand Marnier or frozen orange juice con-centrate, thawed2 tablespoons sugar1 tablespoon grated orange peel1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract8 3/4-inch-thick French bread slices (use a greatbread slightly stale for best results!)

4 tablespoons(1/2 stick) butterPowdered sugarWarm maple syrup

Directions:Whisk first 6 ingredients to blend in medium bowl.

Dip each bread slice into egg mixtureand arrange in 13x9x2-inch glass bakingdish. Pour remaining egg mixture evenlyover bread. Let stand until egg mixtureis absorbed, overnight is best, turningafter 2 hours. 30 minutes minimum.(Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Coverand refrigerate.)

Place baking sheet in oven and preheatto 350 F. Melt 2 tablespoons butter inheavy large skillet over medium heat.Add 4 bread slices to skillet and saute until cookedthrough and brown, about 3 minutes per side. Placeon baking sheet in oven to keep warm. Repeat cook-ing with remaining 2 tablespoons butter and 4 breadslices. Transfer French toast to 4 plates. Sprinklepowdered sugar and/or maple syrup over toast.

For added flavor, drizzle with:

Orange Butter:6 oz. butterJuice of one orange1 Tbsps Grand Marnier1/2 cup confectioner's sugarOrange zest from one orange

Soften butter. Add remaining ingredients and mixwell. Form a ball and refrigerate.

Grand Marnier French Toast

Get into the Holiday Spirit:Become a Fresh Air host family

This Thanksgiving, many families in theBlackstone Valley area are thankful for some-thing special: the gift of their friendship witha New York City child. Through The FreshAir Fund’s Friendly Town program, localfamilies open their hearts and homes to inner-city children as volunteer hosts for two weeksduring the summer. By volunteering as a hostfamily in summer 2008, the spirit ofThanksgiving can continue throughout theyear. One child recounts the activities he triedin Friendly Town during his visit in 2007.“We went hiking, swimming and rode horses.I wish I could spend the whole summer therebecause I never get bored!”

Since 1877, The Fresh Air Fund, an inde-pendent, not-for-profit agency, has providedfree summer vacations to more than 1.7 mil-lion New York City children from low-income communities. Nearly 10,000 NewYork City children enjoy free Fresh Air Fundprograms annually. For more information onhosting a Fresh Air child next summer, pleasecontact Elaine Melinski at 508-278-3652 orThe Fresh Air Fund at (800) 367-0003. Youcan also visit The Fund’s Web site atwww.freshair.org.

508-839-6500 • 1-877-839-6500 • www.pumpseptic.com

Page 24Journeys

For the full story of the Governor’s visit, go to page 18.

Governor Speaks at Blackstone Valley Chamber Annual Meeting