By Janice Baronian
Like “coils” unwound the long awaited season of “Spring” has begun
It’s time for a change from the dreadful contrast of the retainable weather
The freezing blast of winter has taken its leave...
A gift, we are blessed with this much welcomed interlude
For which in thankfulness and heartfelt gratitude we receive.
The “Grand Opening” is followed by the vernal equinox,
Spigots turned on the clouds begin to release overflowing bucket of rain...
Saturating the ground; creating ouzels of mud
With repetitive frequent showers we wish it would refrain.
Sometimes however we are rewarded by resplendent calorific rainbows
Stretched across the expanse of a powder blue sky,
Made manifest by the omnipresent sun that dwells on high.
Tiny buds upon the naked trees apprise of the forthcoming “born again” leaves.
Red breast robins signal the season’s entrance,
The turnstile exit not until the month of June...
The other migrating birds join in with the year-long residents, seemingly content
In their habitation, in a semi-proficient lyrical like concerto;
Chirping an unchained melody akin to a symphonic instrumental tune.
Like a heart murmur each rippling-purling stream
The frozen ice melt that had hindered their flow ...
With warmer days filtering in through the lingering chill the forsythia is starting to grow.
A habitual ritual the crocus plays peek-a-boo
As they sprout and blossom into shades of Lenten purple with streaks of egg shell white.
The narcissus-daffodil silent trumpets jutting out from within...
Elfin painted a mellow yellow; highlighted by a supernatural sprite.
Tulip bulbs imported from Holland, viable they germinate then penetrate
Through the soil producing an array of primary and secondary colors pleasing to the eye.
Loathsome weeds, these of the dandelion dot the landscapes
. With no inhibition nor permission they vie.
By Clifton (Jerry) Noble, Sr.
January 6, 1954, Wednesday. Roland C. Wilcox died. He was only 39. He became head librarian at the Westfield Athenaeum in June 1946 while I was still substituting as assistant. I could write shorthand and type so he dictated letters. I en-joyed helping him with library projects even after I started work for Massachusetts Department of Public Works in October 1947. He had spent three years with Air Force and Army Ground Forces and encouraged assistant librarian, Miriam Wolcott, to fly a plane. He was cheerful and active in many organizations. It puzzled me that so young a man could be completely bald, but I never suspected he might have cancer.
By Civil Service exams I had progressed from rodman to chief of my own party in the survey section of Mass. DPW. During early 1954 we were concerned with reconstruction of Route 5 in West Springfield at both the tunnel under approach to North End Bridge and the traffic circle at Memorial Avenue.
All men in my party smoked. I didn’t. It was bad enough to have smoke in the field office where I used the Marchand electric calculator, but the smell was in my car.
For about a quarter mile upstream from North End Bridge the river was too close to Riverdale Road to permit building a dike high enough to pro-tect hundreds of side street houses and the tunnel from flood waters. Therefore this contract included a concrete wall about ten feet high for that distance. The steep riverbank was to be protected from ero-sion by covering it with “rip rap,” large pieces of broken stone. By May and June I was giving lo-cation and elevation for both. The closest I could park to the “rip rap” operation was the sidewalk of Riverdale Road. Hence it could be a long walk around the end of already-constructed floodwall to get forgotten information or equipment. The op-erator of the big crane placing stone was helpful. As soon as he realized my need he had me get in the bucket and lifted me over the wall.
After a project was finished it had to resur-veyed to verify that it was built according to con-tract plans. “025” at start of the 16-digit work or-der number on our time sheets meant “final” work while ”024” denoted “construction.”
My daily personal accounts reveal other hap-penings. January 19 I bought a blue, vestless suit from Sears Roebuck for $24.95. Haircuts cost 90 cents and our monthly electric bill was between three and four dollars. Movie admission was 45 cents and most books of piano music such as Cz-erny were 75 cents. Heating oil (kerosene) was 17 cents a gallon. Shoes were $4.95, overshoes $5.95 and sneakers $2.69. From Fred Mueller in Denver, Colorado, I ordered denim cowboy shirts with snaps instead of buttons for $6.95 and jeans for $3.49. In July a hammock cost $5.98. A step ladder for $4.98 was added in November, and an electric flat iron in December for $14.95. As to books, I got Ted Shawn’s Every Little Movement for $3, King-ley’s Water Babies for $3.82, and Mechanics by Hodgson and Styles for $5.95.
I netted $72.82 from the state. Retirement de-duction of $4.43 and witholding tax of $11.25 added up to the gross of $88.50. A survey job for Les Weis-man in Russell earned $50, but I paid Ernie Rap-isarda $21.25 to help me
Real Estate tax was $58.80. Property insurance cost $23.50. In April I got an electric motor for my cement mixer for $39.95. This mixed concrete for footings and foundation walls for my new house. (Cement cost $1.25 a bag.) 4-inch clay drainage tile 2-feet long was 68 cents apiece
Although I made puppet heads out of wood and Hester dressed them, cat, dog, and monkey puppets could be bought for $2.98 from the toy department of Johnson’s Bookstore. Second hand green drapes, which covered my portable puppet theater were donated by Bessie Sibley’s sister, and I doubt that one-by-two-inch lumber plus hardware, wiring, lights and scenery cost more than $20.
While helping in his father’s clock and lock shop, my cousin Lester Emerson worked two days a week for a carpenter. He earned $1.25 an hour and had to clean up after others who used base-ments for toilets. Hester and I offered to pay him $2 an hour for two days a week to help with my building. He helped.
Ever since age ten I had wanted to write for pu-lication. Now from magazines such as The Grade Teacher and F. A. Owen’s Instructor I got as much as $8 for poems. Puppet shows drew $5 to $25 and kept us busy especially for Christmas parties. We entertained a church fair and visited “cousin” Rachel Allyn Love at “Glass House” in Sherman, Connecticut. “Glass house,” with one wall all win-dows, was described in a magazine.
When mother “Hester” and I had lived in Fres-no, California (1942-1945) I had been to Los Ange-les and San Francisco, but neither of us had been to New York City. Uncle Ralph Emerson wanted to take us. I wouldn’t leave my construction job but arranged for Hester to go. Uncle Ralph took her, wife Georgia, and daughter Mabel to Radio City Music Hall and other sights.
Perhaps being a bit stagestruck may have in-creased my interest in ballet. I first studied from books, but, after an interview with Marjery Field-ing Hayle, I spent Saturday afternoons for $1.25 a lesson in a class of school-age kids. A Longmead-ow doctor’s wife, Mrs Yerbury, taught singing so I invested $3 a week with her. As June approached I looked forward to participating in the Hayles’ recital, “Stars of Tomorrow” to be held at Court Square Theater. A large part of the program was based on songs from the movie “Hans Christian Anderson.” I was to be schoolmaster as well as per-form in other skits. Evening rehearsals were neces-sary. Cousin Lester had finished his new house on High Street, Southampton. I left Hester with him, saying I would pick her up about ten. Rehearsal went on and on. I didn’t get back to Hester till near-ly midnight. She was upset.
I so wanted to be in the show. What to do? I went out on the road in front of our house and prayed, “If I ought to give up being in the show, would God show lightning in the clear night sky.” Scarcely had I thought this when over the moun-taintop across the valley there was a streak of lightning. I went right in phoned a message to the Hayle’s home that I would not be in “Stars…”. Sat-urday night of the show Lester’s family sat in the audience with Hester and me.
I expected to be blacklisted from future pro-grams, but such was definitely not the case as events of 1955 will show.
April 2013
Looking Back
at 1954
Vin Penna, north approach to tunnel at North End bridge West Springfield. Flood wall at extreme right.
1950s Sears & Roebuck Catalogue
Southwick, Massachusetts was the home of powder mills from around 1800 to about 1893. The production of various types of black powder, whether used for guns, cannons, or blasting, was always a dangerous job. Consisting of salt peter, sulfur, and charcoal, the combination was highly explosive and virtually every powder mill suffered one or more explosions. Newspapers dating from the 1700’s on have 100’s of articles from around the colonies and later the country reporting explosions caused by the sulfurous mixture. A dozen or so ex-plosions occurred in or adjacent to Southwick dur-ing the 1800’s. The following are some accounts of those horrible accidents.
OCTOBER 8, 1813: [The Repertory, Boston, Mass., Oct. 21, 1813, p. 2] The earliest known pow-der mill accident in Southwick was at one owned by Fowler, Clark, and Laflin. Three men, Elisha Graves and Alpheus Dean of Granby and Reuben Clark of Southwick were repairing the mortars used for crushing one or more of the ingredients. Apparently they used a steel hammer to drive an iron bolt, a spark was generated, and dust “col-lected in sweeping the mill,” caused a massive ex-plosion. The three survived but a few hours. Dean was buried in the Old Southwick Cemetery [Carol Laun, Beneath These Stones, Granby, Conn., 2003, p. 182; no headstone]. Clark was also buried in South-wick, and his surviving headstone [#212F] reads in part: “How sudden was the fatal stroke When the Almighty summons spoke. My Friends and Chil-dren now draw near And see that you for death prepare.”
APRIL 30, 1817: [Maude Davis, “Historical Facts and Stories About Southwick,” 1951, p. 210] “Jacob Busnan was killed in the powder mill explosion April 30, 1817.” [Hampden Federalist, Springfield, Mass., May 1, 1817, p. 3) “Yesterday morning about six o’clock, the report of a heavy explosion was heard, in the direction of Westfield and Southwick. The most probable conjecture is that it arose from the blowing up of a powder mill in one of those towns.”
JANUARY 1, 1818: [Hampden Federalist, Spring-field, Mass., Jan. 8, 1818, p. 2] The mill of Doras Stiles blew up, in which his son, Anson, died a few hours after the event. Anson’s headstone [#405F] in the Southwick Old Cemetery reads: “In memory of Mr. Anson Stiles, son of Mr. Doras & Mrs. Sally Stiles, who died by the explosion of a Powdermill, January 1st 1818 aged 29 years.”
MAY 15, 1820: [Repertory, Boston, Mass., May 23, 1820, p. 4) “SPRINGFIELD, MAY 17-Explosion.-A Powder Mill at Southwick was blown up on Mon-day last, but no injury done to life or limb. The ex-plosion was distinctly heard and the smoke seen in this town [Springfield].
JULY 13, 1821: [New-Bedford Mercury, New Bed-ford, Mass., Jul. 27, 1821, p. 3, and other newspa-pers] The exact location of this incident is some-what vague. It could have been at either the pow-der mill just over the Southwick-Westfield line on Great Brook, or the powder mill on the Little River, known more recently as the “Upper Crane or Ste-vens Mill.” The multiple owners are listed as Booth and Co. of Westfield, and Campbell Lee and Col. [Enos] Foot of Southwick. One man was killed, Julius Lee, son of Campbell Lee. Be was the only person in the mill at the time, and employed in the “sifting-mill” where the explosion originated. The “pounding-mill,” located about 150 feet away, also blew up. The event was felt and heard 10 or 12 miles away. Julius Lee suffered multiple broken bones, was black from the smoke, and survived only an hour or so; “bereft of his reason,” he of-fered no explanation for the incident. In the South-wick Old Cemetery is the headstone of Julius Lee [#255FJ which reads: “In memory of JULIUS LEE, who was exploded in a Powder Mill, July 13, 1821 AE 21. How sudden was the fatal[?] stroke, When the Lord his summons spoke.”
MAY 11, 1824: [Hampden Journal and Advertiser, Springfield, Mass., May 19, 1824, p. 79; Hampshire Gazette, Northampton, Mass., May 19, 1824, p. 3, and others] Maj. [Heman] Laflin’s mill was destroyed, “only about 15 casks of powder” being in the build-ing. The only person in the mill was Luman Camp-bell, recently from New York. Sadly, he was blown 36 feet from the building into the mill pond, but he walked out. His clothing were stripped from his body, and his skin “hung about him like a tattered garment.” He lived only a few hours.
MAY 1824: [Maude Davis, “HFASAS,” 1951, p. 210] “Mr. Carmel was killed in a powder mill ex-plosion, May 14, 1824.” No gravestone or corrobo-rating newspaper account could be found.
MAY 22, 1824: [Hampshire Gazette, Northamp-ton, Mass., May 26, 1824, p. 3] “Another powder-mill explosion.-We are informed, that on Saturday last, a powder-mill, situated in Westfield near Southwick line, was blown up, but no lives lost. A man who had just left the mill, and who was only a few rods from it when the explosion took place, received no material injury, although the fragments fell thick around him.” It’s likely that this was the powder mill just north of the Westfield-Southwick line on Great Brook, which area was claimed by both com-munities. It was eventually determined to be a part of Westfield.
MAY 26, 1826: [Maude Davis, “HFASAS,” 1951, p. 210) “Ensign Hough and Harry Stocking were killed in an explosion in Southwick, May 26, 1826.” No gravestone or corroborating newspaper account could be found. Two men were killed in a powder mill explosion of Erastus Phelps & Co. of Granby on May 25, 1826 [Boston Commercial Gazette, Boston, Mass, June 1, 1826, p. 1]. The location of that mill was apparently in Connecticut, not Southwick, Massachusetts.
DECEMBER 25 [Christmas Day], 1828: [Westfield Register, Westfield, Mass., Dec. 31, 1828, p. 3, and others] “Powder Mill Explosion-On Thursday of last week, the shock occasioned by the explosion of about 200 casks of Powder, in Southwick, was felt in this village. The mills and powder belonged to Messrs. S. Smith & Co. Four buildings were de-stroyed, but no lives lost. The fire was occasioned by the boiling over of the nitre in the refining ket-tle-damages estimated at $2000.” This was one of the largest Southwick explosions documented in the newspapers.
OCTOBER 18, 1833: [Hampden Whig, Spring-field, Mass., Oct. 23, 1833, p. 2; Weekly Messenger, Boston, Mass., Oct. 31, 1833, p. 4, and others]: This explosion consumed about 100 kegs of powder, cre-ating a thunderous series of two or three reports that could be heard as far east as Brookfield, and a concussion that was felt as far north as Whately and Sunderland. It happened between 9 and 10 on a Friday evening, shortly after the workers had left. Three mill buildings were “blown to atoms,” and a nearby house had every pane of glass broken as well as all of the crockery in the house damaged and doors blown off of their hinges. The mill com-plex was owned by Col. Saul [Solomon] Smith, and the damages were estimated at between $1500 and $2000. No lives were lost. Part of the magazine, where an additional 40 kegs of the best powder were stored, was blown off but did not ignite due to the actions of “powder boys” who “kicked away the brands and extinguished the fire.”
OCTOBER 28, 1836: [Connecticut Courant, Hart-ford, Conn., Nov. 5, 1836, p. 2; Springfield Republi-can, Springfield, Mass., Nov. 5, 1836, p. 2] While the Courant reports the owners as being “Messr. Try-on & Co.,” the Republican states the owners were “Messrs. Fowler & Loomis.” They both agree the mill was in Southwick, that the laborers narrowly escaped by a few minutes, and that the loss was estimated at $600, with no lives lost. The shock was felt in Springfield.
DECEMBER 11, 1850: [Westfield Newsletter, Westfield, Mass., Dec. 25, 1850, p. 2] “EXPLO-SION-We neglected to mention last week that the Cylinder Mill of Theron Rockwell in South-wick, was blown up on the 11th. The report was distinctly heard for several miles. It is quite a length of time since a powder mill has blown up before in this region.”
MAY 1, 1866: [Maude Davis, “HFASAS,” 1951, p. 210; Massachusetts Spy, Worcester, Mass., May 11, 1866, p. 3] Maude Davis inaccurately states that four men were killed in Southwick at a powder mill. It actually happened at the Hazard Powder Co. in the Hazardville section of Enfield, Connecticut.
1893: [Maude Davis, “HFASAS,” 1951, p. 210) “After Theron Rockwell’s death on July 21, 1877 (64 years old), the business was carried on by his son-in-law, Joseph E. Rowell of Southwick, until 1893 when a terrible explosion destroyed two of the buildings. Arthur Rowell, son of J. E. Rowell, says:
It was a magnificent sight, but expensive to my father as one item was $72,000 worth of nitrate of soda which they had finished un-loading only the day before - it went up in smoke. My people were fairly well-to-do, but this fire cleaned them right out and father never really recovered. Father was working for the N.Y., N.H. & Hfd. R.R. Co. as a station agent in Easthampton, Mass., when he died Jan. 31, 1898. My mother and sister, Jeanette, went to California to live and never came back but once for a visit.”
Conclusion
A great deal of money was made in the pow-der business. The most prosperous powder mill owners lived in some of the largest homes ever built in Southwick prior to 1900. These in-cluded the so-called Doane Tavern on the site of the Town Hall (probably owned by powder mill owner Matthew Laflin, Jr.); the Graves-Smith-Keenan House at 457 College Highway owned by Solomon Smith; the grand home of Major Heman Laflin at 20 Depot Street; home of “Billy C” Honey at 18 Klaus Anderson Road, once owned by Reuben Clark; and the Col. Enos Foote House, formerly located on the site of the Southwick Animal Hospital.
There was always the risk of fire and explo-sion, bums and death. The most affluent and/or wise did not work in the actual powder mills. Still, the death of Reuben Clark who was part owner of a powder mill, as well as the deaths of Julius Lee and Anson Stiles, sons of powder mill owners, shows that in Southwick at least, some of the family members did in fact work in the “danger zone.” In other times and plac-es, the owners and immediate family members kept clear of the mills, and relied solely on hired workers to do the dangerous nitty-gritty work.
Powder production in Southwick dwindled from about four mills to just one mill prior to the Civil War. There were numerous reasons for this. Some mills were probably never rebuilt after one or more explosions. Severe floods, es-pecially one in the summer of 1826, destroyed countless mills of every description in the re-gion. The construction of the canal from New Haven to Northampton, which utilized water from the Congamond Lakes, lowered the lake level and diminished the water flowing through Great Brook which fed most of the powder mills. This limited the ability of the mills to operate. As the 1800’s marched on, large powder produc-ers like Hazard and DuPont bought out smaller concerns and cornered most of the market. The fire and explosion at Joseph E. Rowell’s mill about 1893 sealed the fate of Southwick powder production. The site of that last powder mill in Southwick now has a cottage-style home on the old foundation at 30 Powdermill Road.
Powder Mill Explosions in Southwick and the Vicinity
By Lee David Hamberg
Headstone of Reuben Clark. It reads: “In memory of Capt Reuben Clark, who was suddenly killed by the explosion of a Powder Mill Oct 8, 1813 aged 61 years. How sudden was the fatal stroke When the Almighty summons spoke. My Friends and Children now draw near And see that you for death prepare.
Headstone of Julius Lee. It reads: “In memory of JULIUS LEE, who was explod-ed in a Powder Mill, July 13, 1821 AE 21. How sudden was the fatal[?] stroke, When the Lord his summons spoke.”
By Michael Dubilo
Many of us celebrated Easter on March 31 with a well-chosen Easter Lily on board, in our home. I love watching the young buds slowly open and mature fairly rapidly. Unadulterated white with a trumpet-like shape, it’s long been associated with purity, innocence, and spring, making it the per-fect flower to welcome in a fresh new season.
A nugget of truth-- Lilies, often called the “White Robed Apostles of Hope”, grew in the Gar-den of Gethsemane after Christ’s crucifixion.
I heard from an old timer with organism resur-rection experience. He speaks:
“Lilies should be planted in a sunny window after flowering. Continue watering when needed. Fertilize once or twice a month with nutrients for living plants. Transplant the flower outdoors when the danger of frost has passed. The site you choose for planting should be in well-draining soil. Place the bulb 6 inches deep in a rich, composted earthly hole. The original plant will die back within a few weeks. Cut back old growth to the surface of the soil. New growth should emerge by summer. Restoration power, unfolding new beauty.”
The old has passed away, the new has come. April exercises its seasonal position with fresh growth capabilities, stimulated by climbing sun-light. Look and see, this productive month visions opportunities and positive action. Hop aboard and observe April’s activities.
Hey, Spring has arrived along with transitions of wind and temperatures. Clothe yourself with that available energy, found in nature’s uprisings. Susanna and I encourage you all, to create an up-to-date routine this April. Include things that you normally don’t do.
If you never exercise in the morn-ing, start doing simple 10 minutes of stretching your limbs, rotate your neck, twist at your waist, and see if it works for you. I am confi-dent you will feel better as flowing blood enriches your body. Most of us enjoy dancing to good music. Select songs with upbeat ener-getic sounds, something that fits your style. Place yourself in an open clear space. Start to move naturally, you don’t need any dance skills for this type of exercise.
Let the music digest in your heart, set your mind free, and enjoy your body flowing in its way. En-gage arms and legs in your dance. Fill your mind with positive, pleasurable thoughts. You’re on the way to stimulating rewards--mind, body, and soul. Remember to warm down--easy, slow moves are fulfilling. This is something that definitely will re-fresh your attitude and kickstart your day. Engage daily, the outcomes will enlighten your spirit.
A proven movement habit with intensity at your chosen speed. Slow, medium, or fast, the effort will get you where you want to go. Yes, I am a willful, daily participant. Following her husband’s coach-ing mentality, Susanna is also gliding along with a genuine smile. The right partner does wonders with movement activities.
Living in an uncluttered home doesn’t have to take a lot of effort. Instead of letting things pile up and having to clean your home all at once, try to do a little bit every day. A cool routine with healthy benefits. The aromas of Spring air can fuel worthy desires
April in the Northern Hemisphere is in the middle of Spring. It’s a great time to have a spring-themed party or even the perfect occasion for a garden party. Time is short, go for it.
“April showers bring May flowers” means that even after long periods of adversity, good times will follow. “Adversity” means difficulty and hard-ship. In English, there is an-other saying that means the same thing. Sometimes we simply say, “This too shall pass.” The lesson is: that demand-ing situations will not last forever. Light will over-come darkness.
This delightful saying is often heard during April. As temperatures rise, the last remnants of snow melt into the rain, and these increased rain showers mark the beginning of a beautiful trans-formation: the blooming of flowers, plants, and green buds. All for you. The phrase originates from the United Kingdom, where April is typically a soggy month.
Just as the water from April rains nourishes the soil and encourages new birth, the month I was born in, serves as the foundation for future happi-ness and joy. April 16, 1950, was my start. By God’s grace, I am energetically alive and in line with health. My wife, Susanna said, I am also not so bad on the exterior. I’ll take it, with April’s confidence.
If there’s one season that would seemingly win the title of “rainiest,” it’s Spring. In the Northern Hemisphere, there are several goings-on in the at-mosphere that increase our chance of rain. The “jet stream”—a ribbon of high-speed winds flowing miles overhead—migrates from its winter position over Mexico to its summer home over the southern border of Canada. This steers storm systems across the United States. The season’s intense sunlight also contributes to storminess. The more heat there is in the atmosphere, the more opportunity there is for convection, to spark rain and thunderstorms.
“When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once: “A shower is coming.” And so it hap-pens.
Providing you and me with rain from heaven and crops in their due seasons furnishing neces-sary food and fills our hearts with joy and multi-tudes of contentment.
Times of refreshment—you have experienced them—look back upon them, they are memories to cherish with gratitude.
I heard an old story about how the rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew with force and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. Build on the solid rock, not on shifting sand.
April is a sure-footed month, much like a Mountain Goat. Filled with 30 days of sustained energy and extended sunlight. Enjoy life, hope, and renewal in view from the mountaintop. Climb to new heights and work out your calling with ac-tive exercise. April did, so we can experience its grateful bounty as a result.
Our
Part 3
In Part 2, we saw Louise Haire and Frances Clark go to Mass State College and graduate with Home Economics Degrees, live through World War II, build their families and start their careers. Louise would teach at Southwick High School as a Home Econom-ics Teacher and we pick up the last part of this story with Fran starting her own business.
Fran’s Business Venture
It’s likely that Fran would have eventually fol-lowed Louise back into teaching public school. However, circumstances took her down a differ-ent path. Jim had started an egg layer farm in 1957 which sold fresh eggs to local stores, home milk delivery services, restaurants, and retail at the farm. By the mid-1960s, this type of farming was failing for reasons beyond this article. To Fran and Jim, that meant either finding new ways to generate income from the chickens or giving up on his poultry farming dream.
Together, they decided “value added” farm-ing was the answer. At the end of their egg lay-ing careers, the hens were worth virtually noth-ing on the wholesale market. The plan was for Jim to dress these “spent hens”, and Fran would turn them into frozen chicken pies to be sold from the back of the farmhouse. Before long, the same know-how and equipment that made chicken pies was also used to make apple and other fruit pies. Then homemade breads and more.
It wasn’t too many years before the last of the chickens were gone, and the Putnam Farm Bak-ery was well on its way to earning a reputation for “Mrs. Putnam’s homemade pies.” It was Jim’s dream to farm, but it was Fran’s home economics skills and hard work that sustained the farm busi-ness until their retirement in 1991. Today Fran’s business continues as the Blossoming Acres bak-ery. She would be proud of what it has become!
While Fran never got to teach in the classroom, a whole generation of Southwick kids (mostly girls) had their first job working and learning with her in the bakery. Co-author Jim still runs into these pie kitchen veterans, always eager to talk about how much that experience has meant to them.
Old Friends
Louise was a regular egg customer at the Put-nam Farm for many years. Anna recalled these Saturday morning visits. It was not just a cursory transaction, but a gleeful visit that often spilled into the family kitchen. There was storytelling, catching up on the news of childhood 4-H friends, and laughter. Sometimes Fran would sound Lou-sie out on a food prep issue for which she valued her advice. Also, Fran took much pride in Louise’s accomplishments at the Southwick schools.
After Anna went off to Iowa State University, Louise brought a batch of freshly fried homemade doughnuts to the farm every Saturday morning to be sold. The proceeds of this Haire Family project went into the cookie jar, to help pay for Anna to come home on college breaks. Jim recalls hoping that perhaps they might not all sell, thereby mak-ing for a tasty Monday morning breakfast!
It came natural for Louise and Fran to be in-volved in all sorts of Southwick organizations in their beloved community. Both were leaders and hard workers. This would have included South-wick Schools events involving their 7 children whose graduations ranged from 1963 to 1975.
Home Economics in Decline
The home economics discipline fell out of favor as times changed in the 1970s and 80s. The term itself was abandoned, replaced by names such as human ecology and life sciences. Sub-disciplines such as nutrition, child development, family rela-tions, and fashion design were incorporated into other curriculums at land grant universities.
Unfortunately, since the demise of home eco-nomics, most children have limited opportunity to learn “homemaking” skills in high school. Some of this continues in technical schools, 4-H clubs and through the Cooperative Extension Ser-vice in some parts of the country. It does seem that our society could still benefit from more ro-bust public-school curriculum in nutrition; par-enting; family re-lationships; family budgeting and fi-nancial skills; and other life skills areas that would develop students to become success-ful adults in our rapidly changing and challenging society.
The Hartley/Haire family has maintained a deep connection with home economics and 4-H. Evelyn Hartley, Anna’s Aunt Lyn, also became a home economist, attending Framingham State College, Cornell University, and Parsons School of Design. She became the Extension Service home furnish-ing specialist for the state of Connecticut. Anna followed in her mom’s footsteps, spending a pro-ductive career in the field. Her husband Chuck was a professor in the College of Home Econom-ics at Iowa State University for many years, do-ing research on healthy families and founding the Master’s and Ph. D. programs in marriage and family therapy. We are proud that Janet Decker Brown (Louise’s granddaughter) and husband Randy continue to be 4-H leaders in Southwick.
Our Story’s Final Twist
Co-author Anna graduated SHS in 1963 and went off to Iowa State University (ISU) to study home economics journalism and later family envi-ronment for her master’s degree. Why ISU? Well, it had long held the reputation of being one of the top land grant universities in home economics educa-tion. Co-author Jim graduated SHS in 1969. In 1973, he too trekked west to Iowa State for a master’s de-gree. Why ISU? Well, it had long had the reputa-tion of being one of the top land grant universities in agricultural economics.
We never attended the same Southwick pub-lic school at the same time. We also did not at-tend Iowa State at the same time. Anna was there both before and after Jim’s 2-year stay. Neither of us knew of each other’s ISU connection. If Louise or Fran had ever spoken about it, it had long since forgotten.
Retirement found Anna and husband Chuck settled in Louisiana. Jim and wife Terry in South-wick. Striking up a conversation about our moms was not going to happen in the aisle of the South-wick Big Y or perhaps after a Town Meeting!
On Facebook a couple of years ago, Anna no-ticed it first, probably on one of the Southwick community pages. Here was this once Putnam little guy/now old guy who was very proud of be-ing an ISU Cyclone. From Southwick! One day she messaged, asking Jim point blank. We texted about it, sharing some Iowa State memories and of course warm memories of our moms.
Thankfully, our society had opened up and young women today pursue careers as physicians, veterinarians, engineers, lawyers, even airplane pilots. Louise and Fran would be very pleased.
Telling our moms’ stories has been an oppor-tunity to put home economics in its proper histori-cal perspective while celebrating their lives. Both came from humble circumstances and worked hard to become home economists. We are proud of what they and other home economists contributed to society during their working careers. Thanks for this opportunity to share our memories of Louise and Fran’s life-long friendship.
~ In Memory and Dedication ~
As we were putting the final touches on this article, Anna Cole suddenly passed on January 27, 2024. Her love of her mom Louise, husband Chuck, the home economics profession, and 4-H shine throughout. Our love and prayers go out to Chuck and her family.
Fran in Pie Kitchen,Putnam Farms
Louise Haire with Janet Decker making english muffins
by Jim Putnam & Anna Haire Cole
When God laid out the plan for your life, He didn’t just put into it what you need to get by … to survive … to endure to the end. He put more than enough into it. Our God is a God of abundance.
We see this all through the Bible … Remem-ber when Jesus fed the five thousand? A little boy brought his lunch to Jesus – five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus multiplied it, thousands of peo-ple got fed, and yet there were still twelve baskets of leftovers.
What’s interesting is that Jesus knew exactly how many people were in the crowd that day. They had counted them beforehand. So, if He wanted to be exact, He could have made just enough so there would be no leftovers. On purpose, He made more than enough. That’s the God we serve.
David said, “My cup runs over.” David was saying, “My life is overflowing; I have more than I need; I have an abundance.”
Yes, we should be grateful when we have enough. Yes, we should thank God that our needs are supplied. But don’t settle there. He is a more-than-enough God. The key is …
You need to get rid of that slave mentality.
This is where the Israelites missed it! They had been slaves for so long that they became condi-tioned to not having enough, to barely getting by. They thought, We’re slaves. We’ve always been slaves. We don’t deserve nice things.
When Pharoah got upset with Moses, he told the foremen to require the Israelites make the same quota of bricks each day for all of his building projects … but now he said, “Don’t provide them with the materials they need to make those bricks. Make them get it themselves.”
I’m sure the Israelites prayed, “God, please, help us make our quotas. God, please, help us find the materials we need.” They prayed from a slave men-tality! Instead of asking to be freed from their op-pressors, they were asking to become better slaves!
Instead of praying for what God promised them – a land of their own, a Promised Land – they prayed that God would help them function better in their dysfunction.
How about you? Are you asking for God to help you function better in your dysfunction? Are you asking to become a better slave? Or are you asking for the abundant, overflowing, more-than-enough life that God has for you? Take the limits off God and ask big.
This is what one woman did. She wound up having to raise her four grandchildren. She wasn’t planning on it, but something happened to her daughter.
At first, she was overwhelmed and discouraged. How is this ever going to work out? she thought. Three of the kids are in a private school, which is very expensive, and I don’t have the extra money to keep paying their tuition.
She could have prayed from a slave mentality: “God, this isn’t fair. I’ll never be able to provide for my grand-children. I didn’t plan on this. I didn’t ask for this. Please just help us to survive.”
Instead, she had the boldness to pray big. She said, “God, I don’t have the money to raise my grandchildren, but I know that everything in this whole world belongs to You! And You’re a God of abundance. So, God, I’m asking You to make a way, even though I don’t see a way it can ever hap-pen.”
At the end of the children’s first school year, she owed a small amount of tuition, so she went to the school to pay. The secretary called up her records on the computer and said, “No, you don’t owe any-thing. Everything’s all paid up.”
“That can’t be,” the grandmother responded. “I have the notice right here. This says that I owe this amount.”
The secretary turned the computer screen around and said, “No, ma’am. It says right here that all three of the children’s tuitions have been paid – not only for the rest of this year, but all the way through Eighth Grade.”
What? An anonymous donor had stepped up and prepaid the bills for years to come! My point is: If God can do it for her, He can do it for you. He’s already lined up the right people … the right connections … the breaks you need … the doors to open that you could never open.
My question is: Are you asking big? Or are you letting your circumstances talk you out of it? Are you letting how you were raised – what somebody said – how somebody hurt you – hold you back?
Let me talk some reality into you today: You’ve got to know who you are. Yes, you’ve got to know who you are … and who God is!
What am I saying? No more weak, sick prayers. Say that in your mind: “No more weak, sick prayers!”
This is what a man in the Bible by the name of Jabez did. His name literally means “pain, sorrow, suffering, trouble.” So, every time someone said, “Hello, Jabez,” they were saying, “Hello, Trouble … Hello, Sorrow … Hello, Pain.”
They were prophesying defeat and failure. You can imagine how that would make him feel infe-rior and insecure. He could have let that keep him in mediocrity.
But there was something different about Jabez. Despite his rough upbringing, despite what people labeled him, he looked up to the heavens and said, “God, I’m asking You to bless me indeed.”
He could have just said, “God, bless me.” That would have been okay. But he had the boldness to ask big. “God, bless me indeed.”
His attitude was: It doesn’t matter what other people call me. It doesn’t matter what people say about me. It doesn’t matter what my circumstances look like. I know that I am a child of the Most High God.
He went on to say, “God, enlarge my territo-ry.” He was saying, “God, help me go beyond the norm. Help me carve out new boundaries. Let me see abundance. Let me see Your blessing.”
I’m sure sometimes his thoughts told him, Jabez, God’s not going to bless you. You come from the wrong family. Your own parents called you “trou-ble.” People in the neighborhood labelled you.
But people don’t determine your destiny; God does. The Bible says that God granted Jabez his request. God blessed him indeed.
Just like Jabez, you may have plenty of reasons to settle where you are – how you were raised, what people said about you, how impossible it looks. The odds may be against you, but the good news is that God is for you. And He is more powerful than any force that’s trying to stop you.
Jabez could have prayed a weak, sick prayer. He could have thought, God, I had some bad breaks. I had a rough outbringing. I’m just asking You to help me survive. But if he had done that, we wouldn’t be talking about him today.
If you’re going to beat the odds and stand out from the crowd, you have to learn this principle: The odds may be against you, but God is for you.
In fact, let me kick it up a notch! Let me enlarge your thinking even more! How about this idea?
Ask Him for your dreams. Ask Him to help you find a job you really love. Ask Him to turn your child around. Ask Him for healing. You’re not in-conveniencing God.
You say, “Well, Jeff, God has bigger things to deal with than me.” No, you are God’s biggest deal. You are His most prized possession. You are His child. God will move heaven and earth to bring about His plans for your life.
Ask Big
Lords on the Village
Lady Patryn
Festival Game by the Villagers
By Maryssa Cook-Obregon
Join the ‘Southwick Spiff Up’ with the South-wick Land Trust on May 18!
Grab your gloves and get down to the Daily Grind Café, 568 College Highway, at 9 AM Sat-urday, May 18th (rain or shine), for the first ever ‘Southwick Spiff Up’. The Southwick Land Trust is launching with this inaugural event that is co-sponsored by the Southwick Rotary Club. The ‘Southwick Spiff Up’ is a roadside clean up ef-fort that is part of the Great Global Cleanup®, a worldwide campaign to remove roadside litter, beautify our planet, and combat the more than 15 million tons of plastic waste produced in the US annually.
We’ll start at the Daily Grind with some old-fashioned community spirit served with a side of free coffee and Mrs. Murphy’s doughnuts. Volunteers will receive brightly-colored garbage bags, and from there then head over to one of our targeted areas to get busy spiffing up our mag-nificent town. DPW will collect filled bags. The spiff up will finish when you do, so the end time is flexible! SHOW YOUR SOUTHWICK SPIRIT AND HELP MAKE SOUTHWICK SHINE!
The Southwick Land Trust is a new non-prof-it and non-governmental organization formed in early 2024 by a group of volunteer town resi-dents that seeks to protect lands within the com-munity of Southwick, Massachusetts. Its mission is to conserve important ecological, scenic, his-toric, and agricultural land and to promote appreciation of open space while provid-ing accessible recreational opportunities for all, as well as the protection of South-wick’s rural heritage and its diverse ecology.
Visit www.SouthwickLandTrust.org for more information.
To include your event, please send information by the 20th of the prior month. We will print as many listings as space allows. Our usual publication date is prior to the 10th of the month. Email to: magazine@southwoods.info.
American Legion Post 338
Spaghetti Dinner
The monthly American Legion Post 338 Spaghetti Dinner will be Wednesday April 17th, 2024 from 5 to 7pm. Veteran’s cost is $7 and Guests are $10. Funds raised will support the Southwick Food Pantry. Food donations will also be accepted at the door. American Legion Post 338 is located at 46 Powder Mill Road, Southwick, MA.
Southwick High School
50th Class Reunion
Calling all Southwick High School Class of 1974 Graduates! We will be having our 50th class reunion on June 8th, 2024! For location, price and other info or to RSVP please email to Ginnie at Ginbin696@gmail.com, Brad at Young29@comcast.net or Suzanne at doughy100@aol.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
Grace Hall Memorial Library
April Events
Sheryl Faye as Ruth Bader Ginsburg – “I Dissent” Date: April 27, 1:00 PM. Renowned performer Sheryl Faye brings the iconic Ruth Bader Ginsburg to life in an engaging portrayal titled “I Dissent.” Championing fairness, equality, and civil liberties, Ginsburg’s unwavering commitment to justice left an indelible mark on society.
Cookbook Book Club featuring Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa. Date: April 25, 6:30 PM. Embrace the art of culinary exploration with our Cookbook Book Club, featuring the renowned Ina Garten, also known as the Barefoot Contessa. Delve into Garten’s culinary world as we discuss her acclaimed cookbook selections. With 12 cookbooks to her name and two James Beard Awards, Garten’s expertise and passion for food have garnered widespread acclaim. Bring your favorite recipe to share and join us for an evening of delightful discussion and culinary camaraderie. Beverages will be provided.
For either event please contact the library for information at 413-862-3894 or montgomerylibrary@yahoo.com
St. Joseph’s Church
Community Italian Dinner
St. Joseph’s National Catholic Church at 73 Main Street in Westfield is hosting a Community Polish Dinner on Sunday, April 28th at 12 noon. This community feast will feature delicious Local Hickory Smoked Kielbasa, Cheese Pierogi, Lazy Pierogi, Galumpki, Pickled Beets, and Rye Bread. The dessert selection will be Lemon Delight and the meal will be served with both hot and cold beverages.
Tickets are $18 for adults and $10 for children under 12. For tickets, contact (413) 977-2007. Deadline for purchasing tickets is April 24th. A limited number of Meals-To-Go will be available at 12:30pm (when buying your tickets, please indicate if you are eating with us or planning take-out). All are welcome! Please join us for an enjoyable, authentic Sunday Polish dinner!
Southwick Historical Society, Inc
Pork Dinner and Farming in Southwick
All are invited to join us for a delicious roasted pork dinner catered by the Southwick Congregational Church, and following presentation Thursday April 25th at Southwick Congregational Church 488 College Highway. Dinner will begin at 6:30pm, followed by Burt Hansen’s presentation about Southwick’s long history and continue legacy of farming at 7:30pm. Burt Hansen is Chair of the 12 member Southwick Agricultural Commission which was established by Town Meeting in 2006 to encourage pursuit of agriculture, promote agriculture-based economic opportunities, and protect farmland within the Town of Southwick. For those not interested in dinner, the public is welcome to join at 7:30 for Burt’s presentation. Reservations for dinner are required. Please call 413-569-0275. Cost of Dinner is $22.00, the following presentation is free and open to the public.
Copper Hill United Methodist Church
Tag & Bake Sale
Join us for a Tag & Bake Sale on Saturday April 20th, 2024 from 9am - 3pm at Copper Hill United Methodist Church 27 Copper Hill Road East Granby, CT. We will have lots of ‘Treasures’ for you to look through, as well as great baked good choices! All proceeds go to support Ukraine. For information call Susan at (860) 668-1031.
Stanley Park
Stanley Park Wedding reunion
Calling all couples who have been married in Stanley Park! As part of our 75th Anniversary Celebration this year we are holding a Stanley Park Wedding Reunion on Sunday, May 5th at 10:30 am. Please join us in front of the Carillon Tower for a group picture and to share wedding stories and pictures! Feel free to wear your wedding dress or tuxedo and relive your special day as we celebrate 75 years of love and weddings in Stanley Park!
COUNTRY PEDDLER
CLASSIFIEDS
GOODS & SERVICES
traprock driveways built & repaired. Gravel, loam, fill deliveries. Tractor services, equipment moved, York Rake. Bill Armstrong Trucking. 413-531-0498.
DELREO HOME IMPROVEMENT for all your exterior home improvement needs, ROOFING, SIDING, WINDOWS, DOORS, DECKS & GUTTERS extensive references, fully licensed & insured in MA & CT. Call Gary Delcamp 413-569-3733
RECORDS WANTED BY COLLECTOR - Rock & Roll, Country, Jazz of the 50’s and 60’s All speeds. Sorry - no classical, showtunes, polkas or pop. Fair prices paid. No quantity too small or too large. Gerry 860-668-5783 or G.Crane@cox.net
GOODS & SERVICES
Thank You
St. Jude
-S.B.
Thank You
St. Jude
-S.B.
Thank You
Blessed Mother
Lady of Lourdes
-S.B.
Thank You
St. Lucy
-S.B.
Lakeside Property management - For all your landscaping needs. Mowing, new lawn installs, sod, mulch/stone installation, bush trimming, retaining walls, snow plowing/removal, etc. Serving Southwick, Suffield, Granby, Agawam, Westfield, Simsbury. Residential and commercial. Call Joe 413-885-8376. Give us a call and let us get that property looking the way you want it! Now accepting major credit cards.
By Debbie Patryn
Once upon a time in the land of Woodland School there was a classroom that magically turned into a Medieval Village every spring. The villagers (third graders) in that classroom were watched over by Lady Patryn and her trusty parent volunteers. Ev-erything that was worked on in that village was all based on Me-dieval Life of the 1400’s. Reading was focused on fairy tales and non-fiction books of the era. During writing workshops the villagers learned about dragons and wrote Dragon Cinquain po-ems. They also rehearsed a play called The Re-luctant Dragon to be performed on Festival Day. Every afternoon the villagers were assigned a different workshop. In the Art worskshop they created castles from cardboard tubes and made a special hat to wear on Festival Day. The girls created hennins (tall cone hats with ribbons coming out of the top) and the boys made hel-mets of silver paper.
Another workshop involved playing several games that were based on the Medival theme while practicing math facts or spelling words. Did you know the iron gate that closes behind the drawbridge is called a portcullis?
The most anticipated workshop had the vil-lagers creating a carnival game for Festival Day. Games like “Storm the Castle”(throw beanbags at the cardboard castle and try to get one in an opening) or “Defend the Tower” (try to throw a ring over a tower).
In another workshop the villagers baked small biscuits that were given out to the Festival attendees as a sign of the good tidings from the village. Math lessons included measuring ingre-dients and timing the baking.
Finally Festival Day arrived. The villagers of Lady Patryn’s class were dressed in Medieval costumes. The girls wore beautiful dresses and hennins. The boys wore brown vests and hel-mets. Of course Lady Patryn donned her own special gown and matching hennin.
The day began with a performance of the play “The Reluctant Dragon”. The dragon was played by two villagers (front and back end) with a special dragon head created by a parent volunteer. Second and third grade classes were invited as well as parents and school adminis-trators. In the afternoon third grade classes were invited to play the games created and managed by the villagers. Peanuts in the shell were given out as prizes. (This would not be allowed in to-day’s world.).
At the end of the Festival all the villagers agreed it was the best day ever. Lady Patryn also agreed as she prepared lessons for the next week. She was so lucky to be able to create and teach this all-inclusive unit for many years once upon a time.
Above: The Reluctant Dragon
10-5
