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Volume 1, Issue 1 A Snapshot of the Blackstone Valley June - July 2004

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Every school age child in the
Blackstone Valley knows the importance
of Native Americans to the heritage of our
locale. Children eagerly dig in their back-
yards hoping to find an arrowhead or a
shard of pottery from the long lost Indian
inhabitants. Locals tell the stories of the
old Indian who would come to town on
parade day all dressed up in his costume
and entertain the townspeople with his
dances. The natives in the area are per-
ceived as enigmas, not the rock em, sock
em shoot em ups of the Wild West, but
a silent presence with faint shadows of
their existence coming to light here and
there. Their culture is assumed to be long
gone, just names on restaurants and
lakeshore condominiums. But just who
were these earliest people and do they still
exist? Will their future be as vibrant and
rich as their past? Lets take a look at
these people and see their past and dream
about their future.
From the first Thanksgiving to King
Philips War, the children here in the val-
ley are taught the basic history and leg-
ends of our original inhabitants. The earli-
est people of the Blackstone Valley were
the Nipmucs (fresh water people) and their
name comes from the rivers, streams and
lakes they lived along side of. Through
their care and custodianship, the valleys
wild beauty and fertility remained pris-
tine and welcoming for the colonial set-
tlers. The Nipmucs footpaths, worn
through generations of traveling, became
the major connecting routes of the
colonies. The cedar swamps they revered
gave the raw materials for the shingles and
clapboards to build early homes. The
rivers that sustained them were the back-
bone of the industrial revolution. Local
landmarks like Nipmug Pond, Waucantuck
Mill, Chocolog Pond and Quinsigamond
College preserve names from their lan-
guage. The Nipmuc name does not refer to
a specific village or tribe, but to the
natives that inhabited almost all of Central
Massachusetts into Connecticut and Rhode
Island. The area in the center of Worcester
County through the Blackstone Valley was
referred to as Nipet. Estimates place the
pre-colonial settlement population
between 3,000-10,000 natives living in
approximately 40 villages. Archeologists
refer to the territory of the native people
as a homeland and it included living areas,
meeting areas, burial sites and memory
piles (piles of stone and brush that marked
important events or individuals). There
could have been as many as six home-
lands within the nexus of Worcester
County and these would have been tradi-
tional places that the people had used for
generations to meet, gather food, and plant
crops.
Nipmuc culture was beautiful in its
simplicity and completeness. Simple is
defined as having only one thing or ele-
ment, and the single belief principle of the
people was the foundation of all their
actions. Their belief was that all life was
interdependent; no one entity could domi-
nate the others nor could it exist apart
from the rest. The beaver, the blueberry
bush, the salmon and the seasons, all had
equal and important roles and none should
be exploited. The authority of the village
was placed in a sachem (man or woman)
and a council. The lack of inter-tribal con-
flicts allowed for this straightforward form
of authority; disputes and decisions were
handled within the tribe. The Nipmucs
stayed within their homeland traveling
from site to site with the seasons while the
Blackstone River ecosystem supported
their agricultural and nutritional needs.
From the rivers they fished the salmon,
shad, herring and alewives and on the allu-
vial flood plains they planted their corn by
the planting moon in April. Groups of
Nipmucs would stay together in the
spring for the fish runs and then they
would disperse to their own individual
farms; traveling by overland trails that led
to fishing, hunting, planting and quarry
sites. During the winter these farmsteads
were abandoned and the people would go
upland for hunting. Winter survival was
more of a challenge for the inland tribes
because they did not have a reliable winter
food source like the coastal natives. Even
with the harsh realities of survival, their
numbers remained fairly steady over the
generations, but all this was soon to
change with the introduction of the
English. The overland trails that were the
backbone of the Nipmucs existence were
what the colonists followed to settle into
their homeland. The Nipmuc territory was
well suited to colonial agriculture and ani-
mal husbandry, and the early settlers were
impressed with the overall success of the
Nipmuc villages. The natives were always
kind and helpful to the new people, never
turning away a hungry settler or denying
them a warm place to sleep or a bowl of
warm food.
When the first Puritan set foot on this
soil, his manifest destiny was to set a city
on the hill and help bring the Word of
God to the native. The General Court
passed an act for the propagation of the
Gospel among the Indians and in 1649 a
Noble Traditions, Strong Spirit
by Carol Masiello
continued on page 10
Be sure to check online daily at www.BlackstoneDaily.com, the place to be...
A Second Chance
For Golf In The
Blackstone Valley
by John LaPoint
For many years golf in the Blackstone
Valley meant just one thing, the annual
visit of the touring golf professionals to the
Pleasant Valley Country Club in Sutton.
From 1962 to 1998, with few exceptions,
there were yearly visits by either the
LPGA touring professionals or the PGA
Tour, and sometimes both, to the big,
expansive golf course carved out of the
apple orchard just off Route 146 in Sutton.
As their marketing slogan stated, it was the
Golf Capital of New England. And hun-
dreds of thousands of local spectators and
regional tourists came to Sutton to see the
golf stars and spend tourist dollars in the
Valleys local shops, restaurants, and
hotels.
Now, those big tournaments are just a
Pleasant (Valley) memory, caught in a time
warp of a sports marketing economy that
no longer applauds the efforts of individual
entrepreneurs like Cuzzie Mingolla, his
son, Ted, and his grandchildren. Today
Pleasant Valley is a thriving private golf
club, still the scene of many exciting, but
continued on page 4
Affordable Housing, page 2
Calendar, page 3
WWII Memories, page 5
Exploring the River, page 6
Sutton 300, page 7
Highfields Golf Course, Grafton
Page 2
Affordable Housing......A Challenge Throughout the Valley
by Susan Holden
The General Assembly finds there
exists an acute shortage of affordable,
accessible ...housing R.I. Low and
Moderate Housing Act
Massachusetts' 40B legislation was cre-
ated in 1969 to expedite a comprehensive
permit process heard by a community's
Zoning Board of Appeals to foster con-
struction of affordable units. 25,000 units
have been built since the law was enacted
in Massachusetts. However, all analysts
agree the need is as acute today as it was
in 1969. Twenty thousand units could
expire in the next decade, according to
John Belskis of the 40B Reform Group.
The need is undeniable, especially as
affluent houses spot the Valley landscape.
Housing availability is closely related to
successful economic development and the
sustainablity of core services within a
community. Where will our children's
young teachers live? Will we need to
import local shopkeepers or firemen
because they cannot afford to live in their
own hometown? Will a company invest
here if affordable housing is not readily
available for its workers? Then, why is
there such strong, and almost unilaterally
vociferous argument against many of
these Comprehensive Permit proposals?
How are our Valley communities impact-
ed? Is the legislation wisely crafted?
Rhode Island and Massachusetts have
been reviewing their troubled affordable
housing legislation. Rhode Island institut-
ed a year long moratorium earlier this year
when vocal concerns arose after legisla-
tive changes in 2002 allowed for-profit
developers to construct affordable housing
projects. Massachusetts has been rework-
ing regulatory changes since flaws became
apparent with the New England Fund as
appeals and denials pile up before the
Department of Housing's (DHCD)
Hearing Appeals Court (HAC). Some pos-
itive changes have occurred with more
upfront oversight for compatibility with
Master Plans and smart growth initiatives.
The long-standing issues of density over-
whelming core services, such as schools
and infrastructure, have become secondary
as marginal land parcels under intense use
begin to jeopardize irreplaceable historical
or natural resources critical for future sus-
tainability. But the easy tag of NIMBYism
(Not In My Back Yard) has sometimes
veiled real issues of unsustainability that
have been exacerbated in some cases by
less than sterling expert studies on criti-
cal issues.
Unfortunately, the Department of
Housing and Community Development's
ideal situation has fallen far short in the
Adams Road, Grafton 40B with a disturb-
ing pattern of inaccuracies, changes, and
density that conflict with forty years of
Grafton's Master Planning as well as smart
growth principles.The proponent's
experts quantified the coldwater fishery,
the Miscoe Brook, as not sustainable for
native brook trout and therefore called
pollution impacts a moot point in a
beloved coldwater fishery and headwaters
of the Miscoe watershed. Yet, the facts
are very different, according to State offi-
cials from the Department of Conservation
and Recreation or Fisheries and Wildlife
in official record. Local fishermen would
agree. Decades long, consistent documen-
tation and official planning reinforce the
more recent April 20, 2004 native brook
trout catch which should have dispensed
with the lingering falsehoods, but were
apparently ignored as the project moves
forward through MEPA (Mass Env
Protection Agency) stating that DEP will
catch it when things go wrong. Isn't that
too late?
The Department of Recreation and
Conservation and Central Mass Regional
Planning expressed serious conflicts with
Executive Order 385, the state's mandate
for smart growth initiatives. But none of
that has thus far mattered as the permits
are standing even though this is an Area of
Critical Environmental Concern as desig-
nated by the State in 2000. Taxpayers are
paying $1.5 million for abutting land to
preserve open space and limit develop-
ment. Unfortunately, this is not the only
troubling case, though perhaps it indicates
that an Area of Critical Environmental
Concern doesn't mean that much to the
DHCD. Other Valley towns have faced
environmental degradation by a few ques-
tionable developers using the State law to
overcome land constraints that responsible
professionals would never attempt.
Certainly, a collaborative approach,
seen more recently with the Local
Initiative Project (LIP) provides a much
more successful platform for achieving
affordable densities in more suitable infra-
structures. Uxbridge's recent lottery for
developer Sotir Papalilo's Liberty Estates
or the collaboration of State
Representative Marie
Parente, State Senator
Richard Moore and local
officials, including Town
Coordinator Daniel Keyes
with a private developer to
rezone 1.2 million square
feet of Hopedale's aban-
doned Draper Mills are
examples of ongoing
sucesses. However, there is
concern that industrial zon-
ing will erode. Millbury's
wonderful renovation of its
Cordis Mills is a visible achievement
along the Blackstone River as is
Pawtucket's innovative Arts district which
allows live-in studios and tax-free sales on
artwork in its special overlay district
which has transformed the hardscrabble
city to an emerging Arts mecca with over
300 artists.
40B Reform Group's Belskis continues
to ask why legislative changes continue to
disregard Maryland's successful inclusion-
ary zoning and perpetuity for 40B devel-
oped units? Belskis wonders why the cur-
rent 40B definition of consistent with
local needs has been eliminated from
recent bills? These concerns as well as
further restriction of community input
continues to sound alarm bells of a hous-
ing czar who rules from Boston with
possibly little appreciation of more rural
communities or the pattern of troubling
work seen in several Valley communities.
How can sense of place and the
Community Preservation Act espouse val-
ues apparently ignored as cases still wind
through the system after years of misrep-
resentations.
The May 2004 bill in the Mass legisla-
ture strengthens the state agency process
for determining whether a project is eligi-
ble and requires earlier and broader notifi-
cation to the community. The bill also
includes provisions to ensure that 40B
developments are consistent with smart
growth principles; that a cap is placed on
the number of comprehensive permit
applications that must be approved during
a 12-month period and that a maximum
size of a proposed development will be
limited based on the size of the communi-
ty. Sounds good, but what about lingering
poorly conceived projects?
Cities like Woonsocket with its 16%
affordable housing should not have to
carry an unfair load. Yet, the smaller com-
munities with more open land are already
struggling with tremendous growth.
Cumberland's Town Planner Katia
Ballassiano states that Cumberland has
over 700 affordable units within its 12,000
home base and several 40Bs have been
put on hold in the moratorium. Several N.
Smithfield developers, who spent hun-
dreds of thousands on upfront preparation
costs wonder if they will ever recover
these costs, so the complexities are very
challenging on all sides.
Affluent suburban and even rural com-
munities must understand the need and
help find solutions. But it is certainly
clear, that private developers are interest-
ed. It is critical to embrace the opportuni-
ties that are achievable and sustainable
and separate those that are not. That has
not always been an easy task, especially
when communities have merely reacted
and not proactively created an affordable
housing plan.
The recent legislative changes and con-
sensus are certainly better solutions, but
why wouldn't we want to ensure afford-
ability in perpetuity or support inclusion-
ary zoning so that we can maintain a
diverse and eclectic landscape that makes
our communities as charming as they are
today? No single solution is the proper
approach for our unique communities, so
it is critical to work proactively with the
majority of developers whose proposals
benefit a community by creating afford-
able housing which does not jeopardize
future sustainability. There are plenty of
great solutions if we partner to create
them. But it takes commitment, caring and
leadership within each community. For
everyone's sake, let's hope we have that
before more of our special places are
lost.
Cordis Mills in Millbury
Whats in
a Name?
20,000 copies distributed to over 250 locations
from Worcester to Pawtucket.
Mission: Creating a seamless border within
the 24 Blackstone Valley rural and urban com-
munities to better understand our historic, cul-
tural and recreational assets and events as well
as share solutions to community challenges
from housing to industrial development to
watersheds to environment. Blackstone Daily
celebrates the diversity that weaves a rich fab-
ric of life and heritage within the Blackstone
Valley.
Blackstone Daily also provides an affordable,
informative and attractive platform for small
advertising budgets striving to reach the region
to offer unique products and local customer
service.
Locally Owned and Operated.
Publisher: Ellen E. Onorato
Advertising: Karen Pascucci
Feature Writers:
Carol Masiello
John LaPoint
Jeff Hickson
Jane Keown
Susan Holden
Photos:
Rene J. Thibault
Ellen Onorato
Copyright 2004. All rights reserved.
Blackstone Daily News, Inc.
Blackstone Daily Printed Bi-Monthly Volume 1, 1st Issue June-July 2004
www.BlackstoneDaily.com
23 Fay Mountain Road, Grafton, Ma. 01519
508-839-8885 Fax:508-519-8250 E-mail: BlackstoneDaily@aol.com
Tis but thy Name that is my
Enemy.
Whats in a Name? that which we
call a Rose,
By any other name would smell as
sweet.
~Wm. Shakespeare
The verdict is still out as to
whether Blackstone Daily could
be called sweet. But Blackstone
Daily truly is a daily.... online. Go
to www.BlackstoneDaily.com,
updated nearly every day with
your non-profit events, news,
press releases, Valley photos,
history or story ideas. Welcome!
Page 3
Calendar of Events
June July
200th Anniversary of the Lewis and Clark Expedition Noon-
5:00 p.m. President Thomas Jefferson will visit the Asa Waters
Mansion to tell of his plans to send Meriwether Lewis on an
unprecedented expedition through the Louisiana Territory to the
Pacific Ocean. Asa Waters Mansion, 127 Elm St, Millbury.
(508) 865-0855
Houston Area Fiber Artists Conference Show hosted by the
historic Slater Mill site. The only show outside of Texas for this
juried event of skilled craftspeople. Tues-Sun 10-5. 67 Roosevelt
Avenue, Pawtucket, RI 401-725-8638
Blackstone Valley Explorer American Heritage River Tours. A
49 passenger river tour boat cruise offers great scenery, history
and educational narrated tours. Public tours Sunday every hour 1-
4 p.m. Group/student tours daily. Broad St & Madeira Ave,
Central Falls 401-724-2200.
Thursday Night Walkabout - Discover the Blackstone Canal in
Worcester with free tour and interpretation from a National Park
Ranger. 6:30 p.m. Meet at intersection of Millbury Street and
Cliff Street in Worcester. 401-762-0440.
Alternatives Valley Friendship Tour. Walk, jog, or paddle and
help those with disabilities. 508-234-6232
BVO GOLF TOURNAMENT, Pawtucket Country Club
Pawtucket, RI -23rd Annual BVO Golf Tournament. The
Blackstone Valley, RI ARC is the national organization of and for
people with mental retardation and related developmental disabili-
ties and their families. 401-727-0150
Blackstone Valley Paddle Club. Every Tuesday and Wednesday
eves, 6:15 start. 401-762-0440
37th Annual Antiques Show & Sale - Grafton Historical
Societys grand fundraiser in lovely setting, Grafton Common.
Rte 140 Common, Grafton. 50 dealers. 508-839-3500.
R.I. Rivers Day Celebration - Birding, boating, celebrating,
awards - 8:30 to 4 p.m. Central Falls, R.I. 401-724-2200
Thursday Night Walkabout - NE Village. Explore a 1868 mill
harnessing the river for energy. NPS Ranger Narrative. Starts at
6:30 Rte 140, North Grafton at Washington Mills. 401-762-0440
Great Canadian On the Water Demo Day at River Bend
Farm, 287 Oak St, Uxbridge. 508-865-0010
First Annual Outside Flea Market Under the Tent. Bosma's
Historic Hoop Barn, 508-278-6027
Neighborhood Nature On the Water at Green Hill Park 2- 5
p.m.Audubon provides canoes, paddles, personal flotation vests
and basic canoeing instruction. Free, must be able to swim, over
18 or acc by adult. Call Ellen Minichiello 401-753-6087, x 13.
Providence Jazz & Blues Festival. Free outdoor concert. Varied
styles and great musicians. Waterplace Park, Providence 401-621-
1992.
Chepachet's Annual Ancients and Horribles Parade, 11 a.m.
Glocester Main Street, RI.
Waters Farm Donkey & Mule Fun Show - Contact Deb Kovac:
508-765-9573 at historic Waters Farm, Waters Rd, Sutton.
Farmers Field Day - a look at modern farming technology, large
fair with vendors and farmers. Bob DeBoer 508-865-3916.
Whittier Farms, Sutton.
Cape Verdean Festival celebrating the Cape Verdean independ-
ence from Portugal. Activities, food. India Park Point, Providence
401-222-4133
17th Triple AAll-Star Game and Events. Showcase of tomor-
row's Major League stars with many exhibits and 7/14 All-Star
game. McCoy Stadium, One Ben Mondor Way, Pawtucket, 401-
724-7300.
Double Decker Bus to Tall Ships Sail Rhode Island . Leave
Woonsocket or Pawtucket riding aboard an English double decker
bus to spend the day enjoying the International fleet of Tall Ships
at Quoinset Point. 401-724-2200 $35/$30.
Hot Air Balloon Festival at URI, North Kingston, Rte 138, R.I.
(Beyond the Valley but absorbing fun!) 100 booths, hot air bal-
loon rides, ultralite planes, kites, more. 401-783-1770.
Celtic Festival - Second edition of smashing success last year.
Enjoy the extraordinary panoramic view from the King Farm in
Sutton and the wonderful talents of world-class Celtic performers.
Tickets - $10-20. 1-800-841-0919
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Ongoing: Waterfire in Providence / Paddling Club / Summer Concerts
Summer Walks / Art Gallery Night / Slater Mill
Check out the much more extensive calendar online at
www.BlackstoneDaily.com for latest updates!
Send in your non-profit event anytime!
Specializing in new and used books,
unique gifts and childrens
games, puzzles.
Books & Books
Credit for used books given
31 South Main, Uxbridge, MA
508-278-6686
YMCA
We build strong kids,
strong families, strong communities.
401-769-0791
Greater Woonsocket YMCA
Serving the Blackstone Valley Since 1901
18 Federal Street, Woonsocket, R.I. 02895
Ruskos Picture Framing
Frames for All Needs
Repairs - Custom Matting
Prints, Posters, Lithographs
Unique Gifts - Wooden Items
508-234-2482
168 Church St. Whitinsville
The Single Source...
For all your Insurance needs.
Grafton Whitinsville
(508) 839-6022 (508) 234-6333
AUTO - HOME - BUSINESS - LIFE
Page 4
somewhat more quiet afternoons of corpo-
rate and member golf, with clubhouse and
restaurant facilities recently refurbished
and actively filled with everything from
local Chamber of Commerce functions to
high school proms, and a condominium
development off the pretty 7th hole, that
devilish Par 3 with the tiny green set just
over the pond.
While Pleasant Valley will still host the
prestigious Massachusetts Open Golf
Championship this summer, (June 21 to
23) there is much to look forward to as
golf in the Blackstone Valley enjoys a
marvelous rebirth. Gone are the days
when we were losing golf courses in the
Valley faster than we were building them -
small golf courses at Upton (Pine Ridge)
Blackstone (Castle Hill) Millbury
(Golfland Par 3) Burillville (Blue Eagle)
and Cumberland (Farms) are gone. But
there are several new, modern golf courses
that have once again put the Blackstone
Valley, both in Massachusetts and Rhode
Island, right onto every New England
golfers map.
Since the first nine holes of the now 18
hole award winning Blissful Meadows in
Uxbridge opened in 1992, there have been
three additional new eighteen hole public
golf courses opened in the Blackstone
Valley communities of Massachusetts and
Rhode Island. These include facilities at
Grafton (MA.) (Highfields Golf &
Country Club), Sutton (MA.) (Blackstone
National Golf Club) and Burrillville. (RI)
(Crystal Lake Golf Course) A fifth 18 hole
course, Shinning Rock in the Rockdale
section of Northbridge, directly on the
Upton / Northbridge town line, is expect-
ed to open for play in 2005. These five
new golf courses, along with highly rated
municipal facilities in Worcester (Green
Hill) and Providence (Triggs) have given
the Blackstone River Valley corridor
something to get excited about, and more
importantly, maybe something approach-
ing a critical mass of golf facilities to pull
together and sell as a genuine destination
golf package.
Complementing these new facilities are
several traditional shorter courses, includ-
ing Edgewood in Uxbridge, Clearview in
Millbury, Country View and Melody Hill
in Burrillville and Gloucester, RI., and
Fairlawn, the areas only Par 3 course in
Lincoln. In addition to 13 public golf
courses in the Heritage Corridor areas 24
contiguous towns and cities, theres anoth-
er 10 private clubs, including such golfing
icons as Worcester Country Club,
Whitinsville Golf Club, and Pawtucket
and Kirkbrae Country Clubs in Rhode
Island.
Whats driving all this development?
Partly demographics, higher income, bet-
ter educated households. Residential
development pressure moving westward
off Route 495, and some just plain old
good American entrepreneurship, individ-
uals investing in and building golf cours-
es. Significant sized tracks of land are still
available in the Blackstone Valley for both
stand alone golf courses and golf with res-
idential housing developments, which are
the key components to the new facilities at
Grafton and Northbridge.
By itself, there are not enough golfers
living within the Blackstone Valley to sup-
port all these new courses. But the ability
to draw golfers into the Blackstone Valley
from high density population areas that
are not all that well served by existing
golf courses along Route 495 and, to a
lesser extent, from Northern Rhode Island
where there are even fewer public golf
courses, is seen as the key to supporting
this newly emerging Blackstone Valley
golf sub-market.
And what of the future? It appears that
the current course boom is just about over,
with the completion of the Shining Rock
Golf Club projected in 2005, and the
planned start of a permanent clubhouse at
Highfields later this year. There is still
some market potential seen for additional
golf holes in the Valley, in proximity to
Route 495 nearer to Milford and Mendon,
where many new residents are concentrat-
ing because of the MBTA commuter rail
service from Franklin into Boston. The
golf market looks to be taking something
of a breather to see if it can stabilize
play levels at these newer facilities in the
face of an ever fluctuating economy, over-
seas concerns, and now rising energy and
gasoline prices.
As Blackstone Valley business interests
look to stimulate tourism activity in the
region, one of the areas to look at may be
the formation of a strong, united market-
ing collaborative between the golf indus-
try and the lodging industry. Such a mar-
keting group, known as a DMO, or
Destination Marketing Organization, is
increasingly effective in areas around the
country, but has never been successfully
pulled together anywhere in the six New
England States. The father of all golf
DMOs is the Myrtle Beach, South
Carolina area, and its popular Myrtle
Beach Golf Holiday packages. In recent
years smaller but equally successful mar-
keting efforts in the greater Atlantic City,
New Jersey area, and in Ocean City,
Maryland, have both developed after a
critical mass of new golf courses were
built by both public and private entities.
Golf marketing organizations range
form the very creative to the not so good.
The Cape Cod area has made several
attempts to get just such an organization
off the ground with somewhat limited suc-
cess, in part because both the golf courses
and lodging facilities have generally been
chock full during the high summer season.
The key to creating an effective golf mar-
keting organization in the Blackstone
Valley would hinge around learning the
how to from one of these small, suc-
cessful golf marketing organizations and
trying to duplicate that effort here. The
organization must be properly staffed, and
adequately funded for maximum advertis-
ing exposure of the regions golf identity
through 1-800 telephone numbers, cre-
ative interactive web sites, and continuous
print and television advertising in a vari-
ety of national and regional golf media.
That's not something that can be done on
the cheap (for example, just an 800 tele-
phone number or a simple web site) and it
goes without saying that the complete buy
in and cooperation of the majority of the
golf courses owners is critical to the suc-
cess of the enterprise. But as tourism
interests throughout the Blackstone Valley
are beginning to better understand, tourist
packaging is one of the important keys to
identifying the traveling public's interests ,
bringing them into the Valley, and then
bringing them back again and again, with
their golf clubs in tow, for return visits.
Not the easiest of challenges in a national-
ly competitive golf tourist marketplace!
About the Author
John LaPoint is a golf facilities con-
sultant in private practice located in
Grafton, Massachusetts. He specializes in
golf facility feasibility, appraisal and
operations studies, training of golf course
rangers and starters, and golf facilities
marketing for clients in the Northeast and
Middle Atlantic regions. He is affiliated
with Golf Resource Associates, Inc. of
Woodstock, Georgia, a national golf
course consulting company. He previously
served as a tournament director with golf
associations in metropolitan New York
and Toledo, Ohio. He is a member of the
Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce
tourism and tourism marketing commit-
tees, and the Grafton Economic
Development Commission and Grafton
Historic Commission. His address is PO
Box 534, Grafton, Massachusetts 01519
508-839-3367 or 508-735-5316 E-mail
GLFJL@aol.com
A Second Chance for Golf
continued from page 1
Heres a complete list of public and pri-
vate golf courses in the 24 city and town
Blackstone Valley region as defined by
the BRV National Heritage Corridor
Commission:
Public Courses
Massachusetts
Hillcrest Country Club Leicester - 9
holes, 508-892-0963
Leicester Country Club Leicester - 18
holes, 508-892-1390
Green Hill Golf Course Worcester - 18
holes, 508-799-1359
Clearview Golf Course Millbury - 9
holes, 508-754-5654
Highfields Golf & CC Grafton - 18
holes, 508-839-1945
Blackstone National GC Sutton - 18
holes, 508-865-2111
Blissful Meadows GC Uxbridge - 18
holes, 508-278-6113
Edgewood Golf Club Uxbridge - 9 holes,
508-278-6027
Rhode Island
Crystal Lake GC Burrillville - 18 holes,
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Triggs Golf Course Providence 18 holes
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Tatnuck Country Club Worcester - 9
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Worcester Country Club Worcester - 18
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Pleasant Valley CC Sutton - 18 holes
Hopedale Country Club Hopedale - 9
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Whitinsville Golf Club Northbridge - 9
holes
Rhode Island
Lincoln Country Club Lincoln - 9 holes
Kirkbrae Country Club Lincoln - 18
holes
Pawtucket Country Club Pawtucket - 18
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Louisquisett CC N. Providence - 9 holes
Gloucester Country Club Gloucester - 9
holes
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Page 5
WWII Memories
By Ellen Onorato
In life, there are significant events that
can instantly and irretrievably alter world
history or one's personal life story. Some
of these are captured in the history books
and others merely fade away. Thanks to
the vision of Northern Rhode Island's
Roger Petit and Gene Peloquin, part of the
Valley's diverse memories of WWll are
being brought to the forefront of our
minds. The sacrifice, the quiet heroics, the
strong commitment and the sense of duty
were barely questioned sixty years ago.
Please take a moment to learn about
some of those heroes and rememberers
who live among us. In Millbury, where 86
year old Larry Bird sits on his porch view-
ing Singletary Lake or where Grafton's
Barbara Hazzard vividly recalls the collec-
tive war effort which wove itself into
daily life whether a relative was overseas
or not. Outside Worcester's Shaw's market
was an 84 year old WWll vet , Peter
Rondeau, still contributing as he stood
collecting money in his military cap and
medals. All proud of the collective effort,
barely mentioning what they achieved
individually as it was all about working
together .
The May 30th Tribute to the Greatest
Generation at the charming Stadium
Theatre was a historical moment, one long
past due and for many, never enjoyed.
This followed the long-awaited dedication
of the WWII Memorial in Washington,
D.C. the day before. As many of these sol-
diers know, life is not measured by days,
but by the quality of times past knowing
each did his/her best in their obligation
towards their beloved nation. Though
dates are a bit foggy, the enduring memo-
ries need to be passed on to those who are
innocent and inexperienced.
Larry Bird, an active 86 year old Navy
man was the skipper for a small boat off
the USS Republic which cruised in the
Pacific and faced four attacks. Three
Japanese planes were shot down before
dropping their bombs, but one made it
through and shattered part of the ship. The
most sad but joyful day, stated Bird, was
when he skippered a boat to pick up a
dozen sailors lingering for five days in
August ocean waters after being bombed
but surviving their sinking ship, the USS
Louisiana. Though its Captain MacVay
was court-martialed for 880 men dying in
this historic tragedy, it was later deter-
mined to be the Navy's lack of communi-
cation that failed to heed the enemy
approaching. The magnificent USS
Louisiana had just transported parts for
the atomic bombs across the Pacific that
later ended the war. Captain MacVay, was
eventually found not guilty but he took his
life shortly after the trial ended feeling
fully disgraced.
Bird had no com-
plaints, though, and felt
the experience served him
well. He proudly hangs
his Purple Heart off of his
fireplace mantel. When he
left for war, his bride
filled in at Heald Machine
in Worcester as did many
women. She stopped
working as soon as he
returned home and
replaced her at his old
job.
A child at home
remembers the frightening
experience when her 34
year old father was called to
war. The younger men had
all been called up already.
Her mother went to work
and the young girl became
mom to a younger sib-
ling. The daily focus was
towards the war - collecting
metal and tin foil, saving
every penny, praying for all.
Then a few months later, a
knock at the door at 2
a.m.brought tears of joy and
relief as her Dad was sent
home because of a faulty
knee from a childhood
injury. Together, the family
still prayed and focused on other's losses
and hoped not to see any gold stars hang-
ing in neighbor's windows.
One day as she and her dad were suds-
ing the car, the church bells began ringing
and horns were honking. Everyone gath-
ered in Webster for a full day of hugging
and celebrating as one large family. The
War had ended! An unforgettable moment
in time for Barbara Hazzard of Grafton.
Zeke Hammond of Hopedale remem-
bers his twelve hours a day collecting
blood as a medic. Peter Rondeau, now 84
of Worcester, recalled his memories of
guarding Japanese POWs in China for
over a year. He proudly still wears his cap
and attends many military-related events
throughout the region. Mary Menard of
Northrbridge remembers her Dad's injured
arm and shoulder as they lived in Grafton
years later. Though he died at 55, he never
complained about his serious injury which
should have resulted in losing an arm,
though he refused. His name was Charles
Reardon and for many years, he ran an oil
company in Grafton and was a great Dad,
Mary affirmed.
Many other quiet heroes live among us
with profound knowledge of the sacrifice
that freedom sometimes demands. Many
others have passed on without having their
story told. Perhaps it was the humility and
the sense of duty and responsibility that
forever marks these heroes. May we keep
these thoughts in mind as we casually dis-
miss too many of the old among us. Look
beyond the wrinkles and seek out the true
treasure that they invested for America as
the Greatest Generation.
World War II Timeline
War World II lasted from 1939 -
1945. The United States did not enter
the war immediately.
The United States and Britain made
a formal declaration of war against
Japan on December 8, 1941 after the
Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor,
Hawaii the previous day. Three days
later, Germany declares war on the
United States.
May 7, 1945 - All German forces
unconditionally surrender to the Allied
Forces. The next day V-E (Victory in
Europe) Day was celebrated.
July 30,1945 - The heavy cruiser
Indianapolis was sunk between Guam
and Leyte by an enemy submarine.
This submarine, along with three oth-
ers, was known by senior officers to be
in the area where Indianapolis was
sunk. Captain C. B. McVay III, the
ship's skipper, was not given this infor-
mation prior to de- parting Guam. Of
over 800 survivors of the sinking, only
320 were rescued alive.
Aug 6, 1945 - First atomic bomb
(Uranium gun-type fission), Little
Boy, is dropped on Hiroshima, Japan.
The second atomic bomb (Plutonium
fission), Fat Man, was dropped on
Nagasaki, Japan on Aug 9, 1945. Japan
agree to unconditional surrender on
August 14, 1945. Japan sign a formal
surrender agreement on September 2,
1945.
The purpose of the Korean Veterans of
America is UNITY, states New England
Chapter President Jeff Brodeur. Unity
between Korean War veterans and those
troops that served in the Korean peninsula
and the DMZ each year since 1954. These
post 1954 troops were the only U.S. mili-
tary deployment facing hostile duty that
never received a service medal award. On
December 2, 2002, President Bush signed
the National Defense Authorization Act
for year 2003 which finally allows a
Korea Defense Service Medal to be
awarded to all armed forces members who
served from July 28, 1954 on.
The first annual meeting of the unified
Korean Veterans of America was held on
April 17, 2004 at the Charles F. Minney
Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3329 in
Millbury, Massachusetts. The new group
has already attracted members from all
New England states as well as California,
Florida and throughout the Nation. The
broader goal is to make this a national vet-
erans group that finally offers membership
to all Korean veterans, regardless of the
date served. Besides Brodeur, the New
England Chapter Vice President is
Millbury's Fran Elliott, and the N.E.
Chapter Adjutant is John Durham. There
are currently four chapters in
Massachusetts and a New England chap-
ter.
The Korean Veterans of America
expect to participate in many ceremonies
and host events and speakers during the
year to share brotherhood and create a
voice of unity. Les Peate, Vice
Commander of the Korean Veterans of
Canada will be the guest speaker at the
next KVA meeting scheduled in Pittsfield,
Massachusetts on July 17th.
For more information, contact
Commander Jeff Brodeur at 617-523-1441.
New Korean Veterans Group Seeks Members in Unifying Spirit
Hi! Welcome to BlackstoneDaily.com, the Blackstone Valleys premier online resource and new bi-
monthly publication filled with pages of insightful issues, events listings and daily news available for
Blackstone Valley residents - both new and old. Want to understand the area's history - weve got it!
Compelling issues - we've got it!
Were always looking for writers and ad reps, too, so submit your idea and/or resume if interested.
To submit your non-profit event or a great story idea, email BlackstoneDaily@aol.com with a header
mentioning BV event or BV story and we'll post it online or develop it in print. If email is not your
thing, send it by mail to: Blackstone Daily, 23 Fay Mountain Rd, Grafton, MA 01519. Email is the
quickest and most helpful, but all are welcome. Thanks. Want to advertise? Email or call 508-839-8885.
Photos by Ed Fior of Northbridge
Page 6
by Jeff Hickson of Wild Bird Gardens
Photography by Michael Castagnaro
Welcome to the Blackstone River
Guide which will be a twelve part series
exploring various access points to the
Blackstone River. This guide is to help
you with your adventure on the
Blackstone River. This 44 mile long river
extends from deep under the heart of
Worcester, Massachusetts to the tidal
flows of the Seekonk River in
Providence, R.I. at the coast. There is
magnificent scenery rivaling anything in
the Northeast as well as history, peace and
adventure to be found.
With each issue, we will present a
short guide to a different section of the
Blackstone River. These are excerpts from
an upcoming guidebook. In each guided
section, we will advise you of access,
river conditions, obstacles and points of
interest. It will also be GPS (Global
Positioning System) compatible for those
of you with this equipment.
There is some experience and caution
required for the Blackstone River and its
access. The sections will be rated from 1)
Beginner - requiring little experience
encompassing mostly flatwater paddling
to 2) Intermediate - requiring experience
in fast moving water and understanding of
the classes of whitewater to 3) Expert -
requiring experience in whitewater, rescue
equipment and good physical condition.
The access may be listed as private or
public. With public access, there will be
parking on public property with access to
the river. When a site is listed as private,
you must respect the rights of the proper-
ty owner. You should A) Ask permission
to use their property and respect their
right to deny it and B) Leave their proper-
ty cleaner than when you arrived and C)
respect the rights of others who use the
property for business. (Do not block
access to parking spaces, loading docks or
equipment that could be used while you
are enjoying your trip.) Understand that
they are allowing use of their property
and if you should cause a problem, they
might close the property to every
Blackstone River enthusiast.
Respect the river, respect the property
and PADDLE SAFE!
We'll start at Section 2, although there
is a section in Worcester (to be discussed
in another series).
Start: Rte 146, North Main Street,
Millbury, MA - 42 degrees 12.088 N
071 degrees 46.447W
Access: Public at Bikeway Parking
End: Riverlin Street, Millbury, MA
42 degrees 11.556N 071 degrees
45.141W
Access: Private - Goretti's Market and
abutting roads
Length of Trip: Approximately 3
miles
Duration: 1 1/2 to 3 hours
Experienced Required: Intermediate
to Expert
Special Conditions: Rocky obstructed
whitewater up to Level III, changes with
water level. Extreme caution should be
taken and boats portaged around whitewa-
ter section if conditions and/or experience
level should warrant it.
Guide: This section of the river is one
of my favorites. With 25 years (or more
when I admit it) of experience, I find this
section a challenge for my skills. I have
been known to run the whitewater section
five times in a row carrying my boat back
to the top of the rapids and starting again
just for the fun of it! The key words here,
though, are 25 years of experience and
challenging. The whitewater here at high
flow conditions are not for the timid or
inexperienced. I recommend that you
fully check out the rapids from shore
before you decide if you will run them or
portage around them. As always with
whitewater, if you can hear it, pull over
and walk it before deciding if you can run
it.
Your access is off the bikeway parking,
just follow the bikepath north a few hun-
dred feet and walk down through a slop-
ing meadow to your left to an easy put in
on a gravel bank. The quickly moving
water here advises you that adventure is
ahead! Head south and you are quickly
surrounded by nature. Civilization recedes
and your soul expands as the surround-
ings tell you to relax. Fifteen to twenty
minutes south, you will encounter your
first section of Class II whitewater about
100 yards long. This will give you a taste
of what's to come. Pay attention because
you will pass an historic nineteenth centu-
ry mill on your left opposite a cemetery
on your right. A bridge has recently been
removed here. If you have done this sec-
tion before, make note of how the shape
and flow of the river has slightly changed.
Location: 42 degrees 11.680N 071
degrees 45.954W
Paddle on and you will soon come to
an old railroad trestle. There are several
openings in it. You must check to see
which one is unobstructed. Do this every
time you paddle through here and do not
trust your memory. High flows could
clear or create obstructions where they
were not before. After the trestle, you will
soon be entering the most difficult section
of this trip. The water starts to speed up
and typical New England granite starts to
show. If you are fiberglass, Kevlar or
composite boat owner and do not wish to
scratch your boat, this is not where you
want to be!
The river falls quickly here, remember
to portage to your right if you need to
avoid the whitewater. The sighting of the
South Main Street Bridge tells you that
the most difficult section is upon you and
that whitewater is almost over. Extreme
caution is advised here. During high
flows in spring, I have seen hydraulics
rising 6 feet or more. With granite out-
croppings and concrete abutments, expert
skills are required with proper gear.
After the rapids under the bridge, it is
an easy paddle. Pass under Providence
Road (Rte 122) bridge and take out before
the Riverlin Street bridge. You will be at
or near Goretti's Market (on your right).
This locally owned store has plenty of
prepared foods to take care of your after
paddling hunger. You can also walk
uptown to the many small restaurants
thriving in this scenic community. PAD-
DLE SAFE!
Copyright 2004. No duplication with-
out express permission of author.
Exploring the Blackstone River - A Guide
Page 7
Sutton 300
A Special Time in
Suttons Past
On May 1-2, 2004, a special moment in
time mesmerized a small crowd as Sutton's
300th Anniversary created a magnificent
living theatre from times past. The re-
enactment of a battle from the
Revolutionary War displayed loyalists,
colonists, English, Germans, Indians
emerging from the woods or strategically
forging ahead by foot or by horse on the
battlefield amidst smoking gunfire. The
unforgettable, panoramic lesson in history
was dramatically brought to life upon a
scenic vista that was quite compatible with
present day Sutton.
The tremendous effort by volunteers,
including the coordination by Keith
Downer and Catherine and Bob Elliot and
almost 1000 soldiers, children and women
from times past shed new light on the
struggling forces of our heritage. The rows
of tents, set upon a field on a grassy slope,
provided weekend cover from the gentle
rain after Saturday's several hour battle
ended. Cooking and every other detail
mimicked the past. While it was lovely not
to face crowds on Sutton's Common or
while watching the daily battles across the
sprawling fields, it was a special event that
perhaps deserved far more attention. Sutton
300 has many more events during the year,
including a comprehensive collection of
old Sutton history and artifacts presently
on display at the Worcester Historical
Museum, 30 Elm Street, Worcester.
Check out all of the Sutton 300
events at www.Sutton300.com
9 Main St.
Manchaug, MA
508-
476-1928
Manchaug Mills is a beautifully restored old
mill. This historical site is home to over 20
tenants located in Manchaug a village of
Sutton, Massachusetts. Leasing units from
500 to 50,000 Sq. Ft. Rates between $3 to
$7 per sq. ft. Ideal for light manufacturing,
office, high tech and warehousing. Renovate to
suit tenant available. Manchaug Mills is fiber
optic ready with DSL options and all floors
have easy accessible loading docks and walk-
in entrances. Minutes to Rtes. 146 & 395.
Sutton
Page 8
by Carol Masiello
Images of New England dairy farms on
the byways of rural towns with their pic-
turesque barns and silos can summon
memories in almost all of us, memories
usually of the happier times and places of
our youth. Many old timers can remem-
ber the days of men and children who
peddled milk house to house with a
horse drawn cart or old Ford truck. The
milk was in a large tin pail and the good
wife would come out with her pail and the
milk was ladled into it. A few remember
being sent by their mother down to the
dairy to get a pail of milk and then stop-
ping to sip the sweet cream from the top
before returning home. Unlucky boys
were given the unpleasant chore of sneak-
ing under the fence into the fields to col-
lect the cow manure and bring it home in
wagons for their parents gardens. Along
with the local family peddler are remem-
bered the neighboring family farms that
sold directly to milk processors. No less
quaint and dedicated than the peddler and
sharing the same philosophy and back-
ground, they insured that milk reached a
wider market. Co-existing with the family
farms were the hobby farms of the rich
mill owners. These farms did not need to
make money, profit was secondary; the
thrill was in the owning. They imported
herds of expensive breeds of cattle, and in
one case, brought along a whole new cul-
ture of people that became implanted in
the towns landscape as surely as the cattle
were.
All these combined to make for beauti-
ful scenery, plentiful milk supplies and
preservation of open space. Every where
you looked there were fields of brown and
white Herefords, Dotted Swiss and black
and white Holsteins along the rural road-
sides of town eating contentedly behind
old stonewalls. In 30 short years all of the
farms are gone, all that remain are the
names on street signs in residential devel-
opments. In 1955 the Whitinsville
Transcript listed 27 dairy farms operating
in the area and now in 2004 there are
none, the last going out of business at the
end of this year. What are the forces that
put an end to a tradition almost as old as
the country itself? Depending on to whom
you speak, you will get many different
answers to the question. The most fre-
quent answers are government interfer-
ence and the cost of the land. Somewhere
in there is a lack of respect for the oldest
and proudest ways of earning a living-
farming.
While everyone seems to agree that
dairy farming is essential to rural commu-
nity character by preserving open space,
sculpting the landscape and offering diver-
sity of recreational pursuits, few seem
aware of the endangered status of the
farm. (Northeast Dairy Compact
Association) The Massachusetts Dairy
Index published by the Conservation Law
Foundation lists some alarming numbers.
In the years between 1986 and 2001
Massachusetts lost 239 dairy farms and
70,186 acres of farmland. An Ohio Dairy
Farmers web page states that in 1973 10%
of U.S. households had daily delivery of
milk but by 1995 less than 1% had deliv-
ery. In 2002 years of ineffective govern-
ment price supports, escalating property
taxes and the cost of machinery drove
farmers in Farmington, Maine to dump
10,000 gallons of milk into a manure pit
to protest the plummeting price of their
milk. That same year a Vermont farmer
dumped 2,800 lbs. of milk and sent a bag
of manure in its place to protest delayed
government milk checks. Lets look at
examples in the Blackstone Valley of each
type of dairy farm: hobby, wholesale and
the family farm that sells its own milk.
Each one is no longer in business and
their stories are typical of all farms in the
North East.
An Inside Look Into
Uxbridges Dairy Farms
Hobby Farm
In Uxbridge on the hundred-acre lot is
where the hobby farm, Castle Hill Farms,
was located. John C. Whitin owned a 70-
acre lot on the Uxbridge/Whitinsville bor-
der that had never been successfully used
for farming because of the large stones
dotting the field. This was not a major
concern for Whitin because he had an
empire to build and farming was low on
his to do list. One of the major prob-
lems facing a mill owner in this area was
keeping his skilled workers so in 1875
during an economic depression in the tex-
tile industry, Whitin needed a way to keep
his skilled men employed and in the area.
He set his men to work removing the
boulders and rocks from the Castle Hill
land and these boulders were used to build
a wall six feet high and almost as wide
surrounding the entire hundred-acre farm.
This wall survives till today, known as the
hundred acre wall and is all that remains
of the dairy. (Work
on the wall contin-
ued from 1876-78
and cost Whitin a
staggering
$13,000) The
importance of the
farm goes beyond
that of a wall built
to retain skilled
workers, it also
extends to the
introduction of a
heretofore-unknown ethnic group, the
Dutch. After the land was cleared, the lot
was used as a hobby farm for the farms
registered heard of Jersey cattle. A case of
tuberculosis wiped out the herd, so Mrs.
Whitin, (who now ran the farm after her
husbands death in 1886), imported
Holstein-Friesian cattle from the
Netherlands. A Friesian man named John
Bosma came with the herds to help get the
cattle settled and get the farm on its way.
Mr. Bosma liked the land and countryside
so much he sent for family and gradually
the group expanded with more Friesian
Dutch coming over. By WW2, nearly 65%
of the privately owned farms (not compa-
ny) were in the hands of the Dutch farm-
ers. When Mrs. Whitin died in 1919, the
company took over the running of the
farm and it was converted from a hobby
showplace to a profitable business. (The
Whitin Machine Works Since 1831 by
Thomas R. Navin)
Wholesale
Earl Parker ran a wholesale dairy farm
that sold milk to the East Grenwich Dairy
in Rhode Island. He is the quintessential
Yankee farmer, stoic, proud and firmly
rooted to the land. His grandfather bought
the farm on Rockmeadow Road in 1925 to
start a chicken farm and when his father
inherited it in 1936 he called it Fairview
Poultry Farm. Earl remembers how his
father peddled eggs three days a week in a
1938 station wagon and how the whole
family helped in the process of getting the
slaughtered chickens ready for the cus-
tomers. The farm had originally been a
dairy farm but it would not have cows
again till Earl got his first one at age 7. He
fondly remembers his days in the
Wheelocksville school as ones filled with
impatience, he knew he wanted to be a
farmer and saw school as taking him away
from the thing he loved most. When his
herd reached 8 cows he started to sell milk
to Voss (River Bend) Farm in Rice City
and by the time the 65-acre farm with 100
cows was his, the name had been changed
to the Jo-Erl Farm. In the beginning the
processing truck came to the farm every
day and processed 40-quart cans but as
time went on large refrigerated tanker
trucks came in their place every other day.
Earl places the blame for dairy farming
becoming an unprofitable business on fed-
eral regulation and high real estate taxes.
The government-purchasing farmers sur-
plus milk gives the farmers a crutch; it
does not force the farmer to run an effi-
cient farm. He believes this legislation has
kept farms artificially afloat and this is
why the farms eventually collapse. The
decision to retire did not come easy for
him, but the cost of running the farm, both
financially and physically was becoming
too much for Earl. He knew his children
did not want to carry on the business nor
did he want to see them get involved in
what he felt to be a lost cause. Tears still
come to the eyes of this proud farmer
when he recalls the day he had to see his
beloved cows leave his farm.
Family Farm
Hendrick Bosma came to a new world
armed with just his wife and a desire to
succeed. His legacy was a 100-year tradi-
tion of proud dairy farming and a rich cul-
tural heritage that will go on longer after
all the farms have come to an end. In 1904
Bosma purchased the old Mount Hope
Farm on West Hartford Avenue. (Less
than a mile from Castle Hill farm) The
Yankees had been farming on Williams
Hill for 200 years but the children all had
left and the people were old and could no
longer work the land. Eager Friesian
Dutch came to the hill and purchased the
farms and brought them back to life, turn-
ing fallow fields into green landscapes
dotted with black and white Holsteins, the
Udderly Moo-ving
continued on page 12
Page 9
Anniversaries
by Jane Keown
The spring breezes are once again
freshening the landscape. Some of the fruit
trees have started flowering, beginning an
annual cycle which will result in the won-
derful fresh fruit of summer. Newly
plowed fields dry in the sunshine, awaiting
the harrow and the planter and the crops
that will grow on them. The apple trees
show pink buds, which means that by
Mother's Day weekend, they should be in
full bloom. Spring is here in all its glory,
and those of us who still work in agricul-
ture know that there are many long months
to go before we'll get a good rest. But the
rewards of working the land and growing
food and flowers include the intangible as
well as the tangible, and we draw as much
comfort from the new life around us as the
plants themselves. This is the exciting sea-
son of rebirth and hope for the future.
Spring is a time for stupendous gather-
ings and milestone events. Most everyone
that completes a course of study...from
kindergarten to doctoral programs... gradu-
ates in the spring. Proms are held at the
high school, and there are concerts and
recitals to attend to celebrate a milestone in
musical accomplishment. Spring is still a
popular time for weddings, and therefore,
many of the people I know celebrate
anniversaries in the spring. Recently I
overlooked sending an anniversary greeting
to my friends Gail and Rich, who celebrat-
ed their thirty-first anniversary. I plan to
send them a card with the caption, Belated
anniversary greetings from one corner of
the Blackstone Valley to another. Sounds
kind of cute, and at least they'll know I
haven't forgotten their big day.
The town of Sutton is having a REAL-
LY big anniversary this year: its 300th.
Like so many other folks in town, I have
been involved in committee work for a
couple of years now, laying the foundation
for what we hope will be a celebration wor-
thy of the town. This town celebration
coincides with our family's 80th anniver-
sary on the farm, and we will celebrate that
as sincerely as we celebrate the town's big
year. Last year we celebrated the 90th
anniversary of the big McIntosh
trees on the farm, of which only a
dozen or so are left. Those trees were
planted in 1913 as a part of the consortium
known as the Drew Fruit. I learned of the
date our trees went into the ground from
Leon Papa Black, who was employed by
my father as the picking crew boss
throughout my youth.
Papa Black had worked for the Drew
Fruit Farms, and each year they planted
farms in different central Massachusetts
towns, starting in Grafton [on Keith Hill
Road] and finishing up in Charlton. There
were actually two orchards planted in
Sutton in 1913, ours and one on Armsby
Road where Pleasant Valley Country Club
is currently located. Of the several pieces
of land planted by this group of investors,
ours is the only one still actively engaged
in agriculture. At the end of the Great War
[also known as World War I], the consor-
tium fell apart, and the various investors
were given one of the farms in payment for
their financial commitment. Bill Greene of
Grafton received ownership of the
McClellan Road property, and he subse-
quently sold it to my grandfather in 1924.
We've been here ever since!
I don't know when Papa Black
started working for our family,
but he was not around twelve
months of the year. In the winter,
he cut wood in northern New
England. I remember him telling
stories of hauling logs across
Lake Winnipesaukee on the ice
using teams of horses. He har-
vested Christmas trees, too, and
sold them from his house on Route 146.
Most everyone in Sutton bought their tree
from Papa Black. Papa also helped Dad
with the pruning, as he was very expert
about trees. In fact, his ability to predict
the bushels of fruit on each forty-foot apple
tree was quite remarkable. In those days,
pickers were paid piece work, meaning
they got a certain amount for each bushel
picked. Since all the trees held different
crops each year, and since it was important
for morale not to show favoritism, Papa
had to assign the trees in an equitable man-
ner. Apicker might grumble if he were
assigned a light tree, but Papa always
made sure that the next tree had a good
crop, and thus the assignments were bal-
anced. He could predict the crop of each
tree to within a bushel. I am still amazed
by that feat.
There was a Mama Black, too. Her
name was Viola [although everyone at the
farm called her Mama]. She worked on the
packing line, mainly taking out the B-
grade apples. When there wasn't packing
to be done, Mama would have Papa take
her fishing. They loved to go for horn
pout, which they caught with long bamboo
poles. Often after one of their fishing trips,
Papa would stop by with a bucket of fish
for our dinner. Dad would clean them and
my mother would cook them in the oven,
using a special recipe she had developed
that made them taste pretty good [unless
they had been caught in Lake Ripple,
where the fish always tasted muddy!] Papa
Black stocked our pond with pout and gave
us a couple of bamboo rods so we kids
could learn the joys of fishing. I was
always afraid of the horns on the fish, so
secretly hoped not to catch any [and my
hopes were generally realized.] It was fun
to have something to do that involved
being at the pond, and so we enjoyed fish-
ing, even without much actual success.
It's fun to think back and remember
how things used to be and who peopled our
world years ago. That's why anniversaries
are important celebrations they remind us
of how we got HERE. But I've taken
enough time away from the tasks at hand.
There are still seeds to be started, seedlings
to transplant and plants to be potted. It's
time for me to put aside the past and con-
centrate on the present, or I won't have
much to look forward to in the future. I'm
greenhouse bound!
Blackstone Valley Paddle Club Schedule 2004
Looking for a chance to paddle on the waterways of the Blackstone Valley? Then join
the Blackstone Valley Paddle Club. Each week from May through August the
Blackstone Valley Paddle Club explores a different waterway in the Valley with Rangers
from the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor in con-
junction with the Rhode Island Canoe and Kayak Association and the Great Canadian
Canoe Company. Whether you are looking for a new river to conquer, or you always
just wanted to give paddling a try, heres your chance to discover whats around the
bend.
June 1-2 Stump Pond, Smithfield RI (training on June 1)
June 8-9 Route 16 to Route 122, Uxbridge MA
June 15-16 Plummers Landing to River Bend Farm, Northbridge MA
June 22-23 South Uxbridge Drive Inn to Blackstone Gorge, Uxbridge MA
June 29-30 River Island Park to Manville, Woonsocket RI
July 6-7 Quinsigamond and Blackstone Rivers, Grafton MA (training on July 6)
July 13-14 Blackstone Gorge to Millville lock, Blackstone MA
July 20-21 Spring Lake, Burrillville RI
July 27 -28 Lackey Dam Pond, Sutton MA
August 3-4 Hopedale Pond, Hopedale MA (training on August 3)
August 10-11 Valley Falls Pond, Cumberland RI
August 17-18 Manchaug Pond/Mumford River, Sutton MA
August 24-25 Lincoln Woods, Lincoln, RI
The first Tuesday of June, July and August will be an introduction to paddling train-
ing session, where you can learn the basics of Canoe or Kayak paddling. There is no
trip on those nights. A limited number Canoe and Kayaks will be available to rent on
Tuesday Evenings for $10 per person. For more information about boat rentals, please
contact the Great Canadian Canoe and Kayak Company at (508) 865-0010. Boat reser-
vations may be made no more than 7 days in advance. For more information about the
club or directions to the meeting sites, please call the Heritage Corridor Commission
Park Rangers (Kevin Klyberg) at (401) 762-0250, or log onto www.ricka.org.
Celebrate Traditional Celtic Arts!
Sat. July 24, 2004 at King Farm, Sutton, MA
10 AM 8 PM
Delight in the wonderful talents of renowned artists. Enjoy
Celtic music, culture and heritage. Full day of fun for all ages!
FOR TICKETS:
617-423-NEXT or visit
www.nextticketing.com
corporation for the promoting and propa-
gating of the Gospel was formed in
England. Well meaning Christians donated
thousand of pounds to the effort of educat-
ing and advancing the condition of the
natives in Massachusetts and New York.
The Apostle to the Indians, John Eliot,
was a religious missionary to the natives
and he worked with the government to
establish a commission to operate for the
benefit of the Indians. Six thousand acres
were given for the establishment of
Praying Villages under Eliots supervision,
and Eliot used the funds donated in
England to help establish schools in these
villages. Eliot felt that by segregating the
natives into Praying Villages, the Indians
could formulate their own laws and cul-
ture and there would be no conflict
between the colonists and the Indians over
propriety of land ownership. Indians lived
in English style homes, worshipped in
English style churches and adopted a cul-
ture that punished adherence to the old
savage ways. The natives were forbid-
den from selling any of the lands given to
them by the General Court because the
land, in the courts opinion, was not theirs
to sell. Eliot translated the Bible into the
native tongue and found a preaching style
that appealed to the heart and mind of the
native. Eliot would open with prayer, then
briefly preach upon the scripture and after
that allow the Indians to ask questions. He
was tireless in his patience with these
questions for he knew the importance of
his answers. In 1650 the first Praying
Village in Natick was established and in
1654 Eliot petitioned the court to set aside
eight square miles for the Hassanamesitt
Praying Village. Hassanamisco
(Hassanamesitt) in Grafton, (meaning
place of small stones), was the third vil-
lage built and only the second village to
have a church, which was located on
Keith Hill. Just prior to King Philips War,
seven smaller, landless Praying Villages
were established and some of them were
Manchage (Manchaug), Waentug
(Uxbridge), Pakachoog (Auburn) and
Chabanakongkomun (Webster). Using
respect and kindness, Eliot worked tire-
lessly all of his life to give the natives a
fair hold in the new world being formed
around them. Somewhere along the way,
the government got so caught up in the
conquering of the land and conflicts with
the French; they lost sight of their goals of
conversion and fair treatment of the
natives.
While Eliot was preaching to the
natives and establishing them as
Christians, times were becoming con-
tentious between the non-praying natives
and the English. Valuable hunting, fishing
and agricultural lands were being bought
up for ridiculous amounts of money with
wasteland being left for the Indians.
Settlers felt that any land that was not
under cultivation by the native was avail-
able for the taking. The Indians through-
out the Bay Colony were uprising at the
unfair treatment they were receiving from
the settlers and the cloud of war was on
the horizon. In the beginning of King
Philips War, settlers took in and protected
the Praying Indians. The Minister of
Mendon petitioned the court to allow the
town to take the Indians from the Praying
Village of Hassanamisco, and such other
civil Indians that shall joyne with that
company, and they may build a fort
near and continue this winter or longer.
But as the war marched on, the English
settlers in the Bay Colony were so afraid
of the natives that they abandoned their
Christian Indian brethren. The Praying
Indians fell victim to slaughter and vio-
lence from both the Indians that fought
alongside Philip and the English. In 1675
the government disbanded all praying
towns and confined the Indians to the old
villages and reservations, and a govern-
ment appointed guardian was chosen.
Large numbers of Christian Indians were
restricted to Deer Isle in Boston Harbor
and most of them died of starvation, dis-
ease and neglect. By the end of King
Philips War, the number of Nipmucs in
the area had dwindled to 4,000 and by
1680 almost all traces of their heritage
disappeared. The war took a bloody toll
on both English and Nipmuc, but the
natives had no opportunity to re-build
their lives.
After the war, the court had forbidden
the Nipmucs from returning to the Nipnet
lands so James Dudley and William
Stoughton were sent to investigate the
Nipnet homeland and settle who had prop-
er title to the region. The Nipmucs assert-
ed that Woampus, who sold the homeland
to the English, was not a rightful sachem
and had no authority to sell the lands. For
twenty pounds and a coat, the General
Court allowed the Nipmucs to sell 1,000
square miles of Nipnet territory (most of
central Worcester County) with five miles
square retained for their reservation. For
their efforts in securing the lands,
Stoughton and Dudley get 1,000 acres of
prime Nipnet land apiece and by 1681 the
Nipmucs are a virtually landless people.
In 1698 Nipmucs began to settle the eight
square miles of Hassanamesitt and estab-
lish a thriving reservation, but in 1704 the
government, buckling under pressure from
settlers, takes land to establish the town-
ships of Sutton and Millbury. In 1728, the
trustees again yield to pressure and sell
7,500-acres of Hassanamesitt land with
the proceeds of the sale to be put in an
account in a Boston bank. The money was
to be used for the care and needs of the
Nipmucs but during the 1800s, the money
was embezzled and never returned. Under
the guardianship of the government,
whose job was to protect and ensure the
welfare of the natives, the Grafton reser-
vation was reduced to four acres and in
1869 the five miles square Dudley reser-
vation was reduced to 26 acres. The
Grafton three and a half acres have the
honor of never being held by the white
settler, they have always been Nipmuc
homeland. After years of wayward
guardianship, the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts in 1869 finally granted citi-
zenship to the Nipmucs.
What has happened to the Nipmuc cul-
ture? What happened to the people who
held faith with the Spirit of the land?
Arrogance and ignorance prevented them
from claiming the land and the heritage
that was rightfully theirs. But as a phoenix
rises, so, too are the Nipmucs working
towards a long and exhausting quest for
tribal status.
Since the 1980s, the tribe has been pur-
suing federal acknowledgement as a tribe
with that long quest reaching back to the
1970s for State recognition. The exhaus-
tive effort to trace lineage is expected to
finally be determined in mid June 2004 by
federal authorities.
The 350th Historic Commemoration of
John Eliot's Indian Praying Village
The May 14th 350th Commemoration
of John Eliot's Indian Praying Village at
Hassanemessit (Grafton) was the culmina-
tion of a collaborative spirit between
Nipmucs, The Trust for Public Land,
Grafton residents Ken Crater, Roger
Hohman, Heritage Corridor Rangers and
many others bringing an inspiring and his-
toric vision to fruition. This site and its
history have national significance
Grafton's Ken Crater asserted. Mixed
emotions could have scarred the day as
lessons of the Nipmucs fate after King
Philip's War tell a very sad tale. Instead,
Walter A. Vickers, Nipmuc Nation Tribal
Council Chief Natachman spoke of a new
beginning and passed the peace pipe, or
calumet, in a ceremony which included
Grafton Boy Scouts. The Chief spoke of
the humor, laughter, love, pain and tears
we all share on this Mother Earth. Chief
Vickers gave homage to the four direc-
tions, each having significance in the
Nipmuc tradition.
National Park Service Ranger John
McNiff portrayed the Reverend John
Eliot, who on May 14, 1654, was granted
Noble Traditions, Strong Spirit
continued from page 1
Page 10
Larry Spotted Crow Mann and John Eliot (Ranger McNiff)
continued on page 12
Using your Mortgage to
Create Family Wealth
Dates: Tuesday Evenings -
6/1, 6/15, 6/29, 7/13, 7/27/2004
Time: 7-9PM
Location: Historic Grafton Inn on The Grafton Common
Learn about the tools financial pros and the wealthy use to
reduce their mortgage payments by 30-50% and safely invest
these savings for the future.
Who Should Attend: ANYONE WHO IS:
Interested in a 1.25% Mortgage, whether refinancing or
buying new.
Tired of those large monthly mortgage fixed payments or
those Self-Employed
Looking to buy the home of your dreams AND still invest
for the future.
Interested in financing your childrens college education.
Equity rich and Cash flow poor.
WHAT NEXT: BY Appointment Only - Limited Seating.
Call LeClaire Properties, Inc., 508-839-3357 to reserve your
seat, ask for May Goff, Admin Assistant.
Refreshments Served
Door Prize for Seminar Attendees:
Dinner for two at the Grafton Inn
Page 11
Whether you arrive for dog training,
doggie day care or boarding, when you
pull up to the magnificent historic barn
(known as the Samuel Fowler farm), you
will sense your dog will be happy here.
Nestled on 25 acres at 425 School Street
in Northbridge, Paragon Dog Training
Academy is founded on a philosophy as
solid as the beams of the antique barn.
Bob Clark, President of Paragon Dog
Training Academy, will help you to dis-
miss your misconceptions about dog train-
ing and teach you the proper way to estab-
lish a connection with your pet. You will
learn to have mutual respect and trust
toward your dog.
You will be taught how dogs think and
that prevention is the key to successful
training. Bob is a dog lover and it is this
love that gives him the resolve to ensure
that every dog and owner will be happy.
Years of watching the sad consequences of
improper or non-existent training led Bob
to dedicate himself to spreading the word
about training. Growing up in Ashland,
Massachusetts Bob realized early on that
he enjoyed working with dogs and that he
had a gift for training them. After being
exposed to the philosophy of Dr. C.W.
Meisterfeld, Bob left his life in the corpo-
rate world to embark in this business.
Considering himself a people trainer
Bob explains that dogs need guidance and
direction, if given none they will either
become neurotic or aggressive.
Training begins the moment you decide
on adding a dog to your family. Training
is not only for puppies. Bob can work
with dogs any age. The first step is to
bring yourself and your dog in for a free
evaluation by Bob, (puppies around 10-12
weeks old), and Bob then sets up a per-
sonalized training plan for you and your
pooch. You will not be handed over to an
assistant. Bob personally handles the
training. Sessions usually last for 10
weeks and there are lifetime refresher
classes free of charge. You will find the
same fundamental philosophy in the dog-
gie day care program offered at
Paragon Dog Training Academy. The
dogs day is scheduled with free play,
rest time and structured play incorpo-
rated in the daily routine.
While he will not promise you
your dog will be a pampered pooch,
Bob Clark will promise you that your
dog will be treated with respect and
trust. This is the highest compliment
he can pay your beloved pet.
When you are headed for vaca-
tion, think of this great facility with
its clean kennels and large open
space available for dogs to roam in a
protected space. Then, you'll be able
to fully enjoy your trip while resting
assured that they're enjoying their
own special time-off at Bob
Clark's Paragon Kennels. It's a win-
ning situation all the way around!
Spotlight on Business
Bob Clarks Paragon Dog Training
by Carol Masiello
Page 12
favorite milk cow of the Friesians. Bosma
sponsored a young Dutch man named
Louis Bangma and Bangma in 1924 pur-
chased the farm from Bosma and named
the farm White Farm. By the 1930s the
entire hill was dotted with Dutch farms
and the competition was stiff for new
business so Bangma (who had changed
the name of the farm to Bangmas Dairy)
decided to go down the hill and look
toward the Mendon/Milford area for his
route. This area was the backbone of the
business for decades. Lenny Bangma and
his wife Kathy ran the farm for nine years
till they sold their share to Lennys brother
Donald four years ago. Donald tried
admirably to make the farm continue but
sadly the farm Bangmas Dairly closed in
2003. Bangmas was one of the few farms
that milked, processed and sold their milk
both by a retail store and home delivery.
While Kathy and Lenny ran the farm they
were able to see the business in the 1990s
grow to 120 cows and they were process-
ing 20,000 qts. a week.
Kathy (who is a descendant of
Hendrick Bosma) counted off the farms
that all existed in a small radius on the
hill. There was Bakers, which later
became Vissers Dairy; Cnossens, which
later became Wassenars Maple View
Dairy; Gilbert Bosmas Farm; Van Der
Zicht; Haringa; Hillcrest; Clover Hill
Farm; and Grand View Dairy. She shared
insights as to why the farms on the hill
started disappearing one by one. All the
farms existed in a small area and were
competing against each other with each
farm having to purchase and maintain
expensive equipment, if the farmers had
joined together and formed a cooperative
it would have been cheaper for them to
get their milk to market. Another con-
tributing factor was that farms were sold
too many times within
families. You would
have father leaving the
farm to several sons
and one had to buy the
others out and this
would repeat in each
generation. Each time
a brother had to be
bought out, that less-
ened the value of the
farm and you had to start all over again.
Like Earl, Kathys face clouds with emo-
tion when she thinks of the farm that was
started 100 years ago by her ancestor,
lying empty and silent. What the future
holds for the farm is unknown, but what is
known is that a way of life that has exist-
ed generation after generation has now
come to an end.
I would like to thank all the dairy farm-
ers everywhere who have provided service
to all of us and have left all of us with
wonderful memories. I want to thank them
for all those cold mornings, hot afternoons
and missed family events; their dedication
to providing us with the best quality prod-
uct available was not appreciated at the
time but will be sorely missed in the
future. But mostly I would like to thank
Earl Parker and Kathy Bangma for their
patience and wonderful insights into dairy
farming. Their patience and graciousness
will always be remembered.
Udderly Moo-ving
continued from page 8
Noble Traditions, Strong Spirit
continued from page 10
permission from the Massachusetts
Colony for the formation of a Indian
Praying Village which was called
Hassanamesit. This was one of two
church status villages in Massachusetts
which housed Christianized Native
Americans, where they lived adapting to
English customs and religion. Native
American drumming and vocals were per-
formed by the outstanding Quabbin Lake
Singers who live in Webster but perform
throughout North America. Larry Spotted
Crow Mann and his young sons enter-
tained and educated us to the rhythmic
Nipmuc music. Bruce Corliss of the
Nipmuc Tribal Council and Ken Crater of
the Grafton Land Trust served as master
of ceremonies.
In February 2004, the 200 acre
Hassanamesit site, off of Keith Hill Road
in Grafton, was purchased for $2.1 million
with a major fundraising effort initiated by
GLT's Ken Crater, but evolving into a
partnership with the Trust for Public Land,
the Town of Grafton, the John H. Chafee
Blackstone River National Heritage
Corridor Commission, The Massachusetts
Historical Commission and Massachusetts
Department of Conservation and
Recreation. This site, called ...the most
significant Native American site in New
England today (UMass Archeologist Dr.
Stephen Mrozowski) is believed to con-
tain the original site of the Meeting House
and will be used for recreation and educa-
tion after being transferred to the Town of
Grafton with conservation and historical
restrictions.
Other Hassanamessit Events
To this day, the Nipmucs retain the
only Indian reservation, Hassanamisco
Reservation, in Massachusetts with its
three and a half acres on Brigham Hill
Road in Grafton. On July 25, the 51st
annual Native American Fair at the
Nipmuc Brigham Hill reservation will be
held from 10-4 p.m. This event celebrates
the Indian culture with traditional dances,
Indian food and the calumet peace pipe
ceremony.