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By CARLA CHARTER

In the 1930s, Wendell ushered in events that later became known as the town’s “Stovepipe Politics Era.” This time period involved a 1931 race for selectman between challenger Ozro D. Baker and longtime Selectman Charles Ballou, a Town Meeting location...

By CARLA CHARTER

The Millers River meanders through both Athol and Orange, carrying with it not only the beauty on its surface, but a long history stretching back to when the river was first formed 25,000 years ago.The first people known to be living near the river...

By CARLA CHARTER

When the work on the Quabbin Reservoir began, photographers began documenting the project — from real estate, to cemeteries, to the construction of the reservoir itself. Their photos, snapshots in time, can be seen at Digital Commonwealth thanks to an...

By CARLA CHARTER

ORANGE — For his many years of advocacy of sportsmen’s issues, Orange resident Mike Roche has received the Words of Wisdom Award from the Worcester County League of Sportsmen’s Clubs.Roche received the award at the club’s annual banquet at the...

By CARLA CHARTER

Wendell town records — including more than 30 pages of loose documents dating from 1816 to the 1840s and a 500-page volume of town clerk notes dating from 1953 to 1969 — were returned to the town by the Wendell Historical Society on April 1, in...

By CARLA CHARTER

On April 1, Cynthia Butler, owner of the Revival Wheeler Mansion, is hoping to recreate a photo taken on the building’s front lawn on October 1925, when it reopened as the Eastern Star Rest Home. Butler hopes the new photo will serve as a marker of...

By CARLA CHARTER

At Harvard Forest in Petersham, visitors can learn about the forest and its history through dioramas dating back to the 1930s. The dioramas and the museum that was built for them was the idea of Richard T. Fisher, who was named director and primary...

By CARLA CHARTER

It was not a bird, a plane or a UFO that Orange residents spied in the skies on Nov. 20, 1923.Instead, the Orange Enterprise and Journal on Nov. 23, 1923, reported that the U.S. Navy dirigible, the Shenandoah, which was out on a 13-and ½-hour flight...

By CARLA CHARTER

Many of us who are involved in the newspaper industry came to it at different times and in different ways. None, though, may have begun their career at such an early age as Willie Strong — editor, publisher and printer of the Erving Gazette, who...

By CARLA CHARTER

When the Wendell Historical Society’s museum opens to the public, among the items on display will be a bear costume. The outfit signifies one small part of a much larger story of how community resistance saved Bear Mountain in Wendell.The story began...

By CARLA CHARTER

In 2015, when Erving resident Sara Campbell was working as a town engineer in Greenfield, she noticed two books in the town clerk’s office that peaked her interest. The books were labeled “Married Woman’s Business Certificates.”“In Massachusetts,...

By CARLA CHARTER

While work continues at the Wendell Historical Society’s new museum at the former depot store and post office, those interested in learning about the history of Wendell and the surrounding towns can view items from the society’s archives in its new...

By CARLA CHARTER

The building known as the White Drum, located at 46 West Orange Road, was recently demolished. The building had become a landmark over the years and was often featured on postcards. Many have memories of the beloved restaurant.“It was an unusual art...

By CARLA CHARTER

In 1964, Frank Judice and his mother, Kathryn Judice, of Bellmore, New York, left the noise of New York and settled into the former Parsonage in Wendell, according to Edward Hines, Kathryn Judice’s grandson, who currently lives in the Parsonage. The...

By CARLA CHARTER

In 1795, Samuel Adams, governor of Massachusetts at the time, signed the charter that created New Salem Academy, making it the ninth academy in the country, according to Daniel Hammock, a member of New Salem Academy’s Class of 1968 and an academy...

By CARLA CHARTER

Inspired by an interest in crime and investigative journalism, Liesel Nygard, secretary and volunteer at the Warwick Historical Society, has begun a project researching the Warwick Prison Camp. The Warwick Prison Camp, located at what is now Warwick...