Ware Historical Society - Recently Updated Pages

Nenameseck Square

WareHistorical — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:57:53 CST

Do We Care About the Square?

Did you know that Nenameseck Square is the last vestige of Ware’s plan for a town common?

Ever wonder why every town around us has a town common and we do not?

The answer lies in a historical mystery. The year is 1844. The center of town has really changed, moving east towards the factories and leaving pastoral Ware Center for the bustle of industry. “Among the assets of the Hampshire Manufacturing Company, which failed in 1837, was a large tract of land known as the Common, lying between Main and Water Streets, extending east to the Otis Company’s Office, and west to Palmer Road.” (Chase, History of Ware, p.170) It was the intention of the company to give the tract to the town, but they neglected to do so before the company went under, so there was nothing that could be done but to sell the land. It was therefore cut into 34 building lots, all of which sold, except for a couple of lots on the east end.

These lots became Nenameseck Square, named for a method of fishing the river that flowed through the settled area. The “weir” (pronounced “ware”) was a loose structure of stones and brush that began at either side of the river and nearly met in the middle. A basket was held at the opening for the fish that inevitably ran into the trap. Nenameseck is the Nipmuc word for weir. There was a spectacular weir at the falls of the Ware River where the mills are now.

The history of the Square itself is not without controversy. According to Conkey’s History of Ware, in 1932 an investor purchasing the Otis Company laid claim to the Square as owned by the Company. Judge Henry Davis of Ware argued against that opinion, and the town affirmed its rights to Nenameseck Square. In 1905, the suggestion to move the horse trough from the north side of the common to the south side was made, but not carried out until 1955. In 1959, a plan to remove the ornamental fence, made in town by the Ware Foundry, met with local opposition and was abandoned. In 1974, the town came together once more to keep Nenameseck Square safe from the demands of traffic and change. At our most recent town meeting, this action was rescinded, and Nenameseck Square is once more in jeopardy.

Nenameseck Square is a spot that provides beauty, shade and history all in one shot on Main Street.
Does Ware care about the Square? I certainly hope so.

by Lynn Lak, Ware Historical Commission

Gifts

WareHistorical — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:40:25 CST

Ware Historical Society

and the Restoration of the

Ware Center Meeting House

Books

The History of Ware, Massachusetts

a reprint of the 1911 edition

by Arthur Chase

Includes lives and times of the early settlers,

Ware in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, old photos, maps, etc.

$39.50 hard bound
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Images of America

Ware, The Manor of Peace

by Warren Bacon and Claudia Chicklas

225 photo history of 125 years

(limited quantity, so buy now!)

$16.95
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Around Pottequadic

by Donald Duffy

$22.00

Around Pottequadic is a recently released book. Its focus is upon the Quaboag Indians in their full tribal area and the later Scots-Irish settlement in Palmer, Ware, and West Warren, Massachusetts. The book also reports on settlement in the Shaw District, a school district in the northeast section of Palmer and to its north in Ware.

In historic times the Quaboag Indians lived in villages in the Brookfields, Brimfield, and Sturbridge. After some fortunate research findings in the Massachusetts
Archives and elsewhere, it was found that the Quaboag Indians held tribal lands ranging from Palmer and Monson northerly to Petersham and from Mt. Wachusett westward to Pelham. There is a discussion of some of their sites along the Ware River.

The later Scots-Irish settled in eastern Ware, Palmer, and West Warren on land promoted for sale by land speculators from Roxbury. Unfortunately, the land the Scots Irish began to farm did not belong to the Roxbury group as the group presented. After settlement, the Scots-Irish found they had no title to their land.

The Shaw School District contained roads first set out by the Elbow Plantation to connect to Brookfield, the gateway to the east. The community in the Shaw District grew for a short time and then slowly began to decline. The people found their way to more attractive farming to their west or to more profitable employment in the newly established mills.

The author is Donald Duffy from Palmer, Massachusetts, former Teacher of Music in the Ware Public Schools.

His book is available through the Ware Historical Society, 413-967-6882, and on Amazon.com for $22.00.

Its ISBN number is ISBN-13: 978-1-4635-9737-5

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Images of America

Massachusetts Covered Bridges
by John S. Burk

images that document many of the lost bridges and
record the changes of the few that remain
by historical researcher and archivist at Harvard Forest
$21.99

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Pulling It All Together
by Dave Granlund, syndicated editorial cartoonist
from Ware

contains over 300 cartoons, 46 in full color

regularly $24.95 - SALE $14.95 hard bound
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Around the Quabbin
by James McClaughlin photos and information

Pathways to the Past Series

regularly $12.95 - SALE $9.95

Along the Mohawk Trail
by James McClaughlin photos and information

Pathways to the Past Series

regularly $12.95 - SALE $9.95

Exploring the Upper Pioneer Valley
by James McClaughlin photos and information

Pathways to the Past Series

regularly $12.95 - SALE $9.95

Inside the Berkshires
by James McClaughlin photos and information

Pathways to the Past Series

$19.95

Laced With Love
by Sheila Bray Walker

Memories of growing up in Ware
$14.95
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Here’s Ware and Everywhere
the art work of Elizabeth Howe Lincoln

the art work of Elizabeth Howe Lincoln

featuring illustrations of Ware, it's Past and progress

$85.00 soft bound

The Sucker Brook System

By Roger Nye Lincoln

Illustrated by Elizabeth Howe Lincoln

Ware Murder Mystery

$20.00 hard bound

$15.00 soft bound

Quabbin Cover-up

$20.00 hard bound

$15.00 soft cover

Death At The Hardwick Fair

By Roger Nye Lincoln
Illustrated by Elizabeth Howe Lincoln

featuring the Hardwick Community Fair, Oldest Fair in the USA

Hardwick Imperils Quabbin

Hardwick on the Edge

$15.00

Grampy Don Sold His Caboose

$15.00

$20.00 hard bound
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T-shirts

Nenameseck Square and the Library T-shirts - black or white

sizes Medium, Large, Extra Large, 2XL

Design by Elizabeth Howe Lincoln
$15.00
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Tiles

Historic Image of Ware Center Meeting House on 6" x 6" Tile
Design by Elizabeth Howe Lincoln
$12.00
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Caps

“Ware” visor caps

$10.00

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VCR tape

“Ware: The Manor of Peace”

VHS Video history of Ware

1930’s film by Ware Social Science Club

$15.00
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Postcards

Historic Images of Ware Postcards
$2.00 for 4

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Thank you for your support

Ware Historical Society

Meetings: Ware Senior Center

Mailings: 42 Shoreline Drive Ware, Massachusetts 01082

Inquiries: 967-6882

Ware 250th Anniversary Limited Edition Pottery!

offered by
the Proprietors of the Ware Center Meeting House

Vertical Mug $14, Sugar Jar $22, Vertical Jar $21 and Large Plate $30

All pottery is in green design.
Pottery can be purchased at various town events or by calling
413-967-4995

Wine from the Hardwick Vineyard and Winery

Giles E. Warner
A truly elegant dry white wine. Delicate touches of citrus and orange peel. Dry, clean, clear, and crisp. Ideal with seafood

Hardwick Red
Massachusetts Marechal Foch Grape. A dry, rich bouquet of berry and plum. Full-bodied flavor. This wine will age well. Enjoy with red meats, wild game and rich sauces

Massetts. Cranberry
90% grape wine 10% Local Grown Massachusetts Cranberries. Delightful blend of sweet and tart. The cranberry rich flavors compliment a Thanksgiving feast served with the meal or with the dessert

Quabbin Native
A bright fresh fruity rose. Sweet dessert wine is perfect with holiday fare

Yankee Boy White
Slightly sweet, full bodied white wine. Rich in apple & pear flavors. Excellent with fish, poultry or as a sipping wine

Yankee Girl Blush
“Summer in a Bottle” Floral, fruity with aromas of peach and melon. This wine shows great balance of fruit and acidity. Popular accompaniment to spicy cuisine. Serve well-chilled

Available For a Limited Time

LIMITED EDITION
WARE'S 250TH ANNIVERSARY LABELS
$15.00
available at these locations
Jane Alden's - West Street, Ware

Bruso's Liquors - West Main Street, Ware

Ware Package Store, Main Street
Proceeds benefit the Ware Center Meeting House
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Ware Historical Society

and the Restoration of the

Ware Center Meeting House

Glass ornament
Looking for a unique gift?
The Proprietor’s of the Ware Center Meeting House have a limited edition of hand blown glass ornaments with a painting of the Meeting House
after a photograph taken by Patricia Peterson.

This ornament was created in the antique art of reverse painting on glass

and is labeled “Ware Center Meeting House 1799”
$15.00

Pottery
Pieces are available in either blue or green.

Top Row:
Barrel Mugs ($13.00), Jam Jar ($14.00), Spice Jar w/ Cork ($13.00)

Bottom Row:
2 Qt. Jar ($25.00), Preserve Jar w/ Handle ($23.00), 9" Plate ($26.00)
1 Qt. Utensil Jar ($20.00) and 2 Qt. Pitcher ($26.00)

Top Row:
Barrel Stein ($19.00), Soap Dish ($16.00), Gypsy Crock ($21.00)

Bottom Row:
2 Gallon Cookie Jar ($48.00), 1 Qt. Bowl ($19.00), Pie Plate ($20.00)
Bean Pot ($26.00) and 2 Qt. Flower Vase ($26.00)

Also available,

Mugs
showing postcard scenes of early Ware
$9.00 each

Proceeds from the sale of these pottery items benefit the restoration of

the Ware Center Meeting House

For additional pieces, please call 413-967-4995

Thank you for your support

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Events

WareHistorical — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:36:47 CST

Arts At The Meeting House

Arranged for your enjoyment by Carol Zins
and
The Proprietors of the Ware Center Meeting House
the non-profit corporation entrusted with restoration and preservation of
the Ware Center Meeting House
and the Ware Historical Society

FREE cultural events
out doors
on the grounds of the historic Ware Center Meeting House
Bring your blanket, bring your lawn chairs
~
6:30 p.m. ~ FREE

Old Post Road Orchestra is a community orchestra whose mission is to provide quality symphonic music to people of all ages at a convenient location and to offer an opportunity for local musicians to show their talents.
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A Trio of Women is composed of local favorites Jane Sterndale, Rikki LaMonda, and Carol Zins. They are coming together especially for this performance of songs you love to sing from the 40’s and the 50’s.
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Basement Brass are a brass quintet with musicians from the Brimfield and Monson areas. Their program with American music from the early 1900’s to the present day has been popular in area concerts
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This program is supported in part by a grant from the Ware Cultural Council, a local agency that is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, which is a state agency.

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Check out our Calendar throughout the year for Ware Historical Society programs! We would love to have you attend.

Go to Gifts to select that special item for family and friends. Remember, your purchase helps to save a bit of Ware's history!

Monthly Calendar

WareHistorical — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:34:19 CST

Links to other sites of historical interest

WareHistorical — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:40:29 CST

THANK YOU FOR HELPING US MAKE
Ware's 250th Anniversary

A SUCCESS!!

http://www.ware250.org/

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Town of Ware Planning & Community Development
Department extension 186
Karen Cullen, Director, extension 118
Judi Mosso, Administrative Assistant, extension 120
126 Main Street, Suite J
Ware, MA 01082
413.967.9648 x120
fax 413.967.9642

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Ware Center Meeting House and Museum

waremeetinghouse@hotmail.com

www.waremeetinghouse.wetpaint.com
AGAWAM

http://www.agawam-history.org/

Agawam is a town rich in history - from its founding in 1636, to its incorporation in 1855, to having the first Zip Code in the United States. Browse through our web site and discover things from French and Indian War veterans graves to the largest amusement park in New England.

The mission of the Pioneer Valley History Network is "to promote and provide effective communication and collaboration among the historical societies, sites and museums of the Pioneer Valley in western Massachusetts and to foster a public appreciation for, and awareness of, such repositories of history."

http://www.pioneervalleyhistorynetwork.org/

http://www.foquabbin.org/

The Quabbin Reservoir was built in the 1930's to provide clean drinking water for the Boston region. Over 2500 people in the towns of Dana, Enfield, Greenwich, Prescott, and parts of seven other towns including Ware, were forced to give up their homes in the Swift River Valley to make this project possible. Today, Quabbin is recognized as one of the largest drinking-water reservoirs in the world, a remarkable feat of engineering, an "accidental wilderness" that is home to an impressive variety of wildlife, and a place that brings bittersweet memories to many who once lived here.

Friends of Quabbin, Inc. • 485 Ware Road

Belchertown, MA 01007
(413) 323-7221

E-mail: admin@friendsofquabbin.org

Calendar

WareHistorical — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:11:17 CST

There is no abstract available for this page revision.

Calendar of Events

WareHistorical — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:04:39 CST

There is no abstract available for this page revision.

Ware Center Meeting House

WareHistorical — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:19:23 CST

The Ware Center Meeting House and Museum

owned and managed by

The Proprietors of the Ware Center Meeting House

http://www.waremeetinghouse.wetpaint.com

also see

Colonial Meetinghouses of New England

by Paul Wainwright

http://www.colonialmeetinghouses.com/mh_ware_center.shtml

Ware Center Meeting House: The Little White Church at the Crossroads of Ware

By Carla Wessels, former member of the Ware Historical Commission

The First Congregational Church, also known as the Ware Center Church and Meeting House, is the oldest church in Ware. It originally served as both a church and a seat of town government for Ware Parish. Behind the church is a burial ground reserved for ministers and deacons and their families. Ware Center was the center of the town, the town green and a meeting place where one could find a tavern, the blacksmith, the animal pound.

In 1716, John Read bought over 11,000 acres of land and named it The Manour of Peace. The land was laid out to become a Christian Parish with a Church of Christ and a minister of the Gospel.

In 1741, Read found 33 males living in The Manour of Peace or the surrounding area and secured their signatures on a petition asking for a “precinct” or a “parish.”

On December 2, 1742 an act established Ware River Precinct. Several months later, a warrant was signed for the residents to assemble their first meeting and organize a parish government. The very first Board of Selectmen included Edward Ayers, Jacob Cummings and Joseph Simond. Annual meetings were held to raise money to hire a minister to preach. Without a central location to meet, the preaching took place in local homes.

The First Congregational Church was chartered in 1743. It served as a witness to the piety and struggles of the early settlers and to the devotion of its descendents. Members of this community were accustomed to hardship and able to cope with difficulties. They were devoted to the gospel of Christ and impressed their faith onto their children.

In 1749, it was voted to build a Meeting House and that was completed a year later near the site of the present Meeting House in Ware Center. The building was 35’x25’ and the congregation consisted of approximately 30 members. Reverend Grindall Rawson served as the first pastor. The Town of Ware would not be established until 11 years later.

In 1798-99, a new building was built in the style of the Colonial Meeting Houses of the period. By 1843, improvements and remodeling took place. The front door faced Enfield Road instead of Greenwich Plains Road. The galleries were removed, a floor was installed and the upstairs was used for religious services. Pews were sold to the families of the parish, making sure to always reserve Pews 1 & 2 for the Minister & Deacon’s families. The lower part would be used for Town Meetings.

To this day official town notices must be posted at both the Town Hall and the Ware Center Meeting House.

Within the last few decades, a fire caused significant damage to the Ware Center Meeting House. Current restoration efforts are progressing slowly, dependent upon the help of grants and private funds.

Ware Historical Society Home

WareHistorical — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:14:18 CST

Ware Historical Society

Programs and Events
2012

New Book about Ware and Native Americans

Around Pottequadic by Donald Duffy

Around Pottequadic is a recently released book. Its focus is upon the Quaboag Indians in their full tribal area and the later Scots-Irish settlement in Palmer, Ware, and West Warren, Massachusetts. The book also reports on settlement in the Shaw District, a school district in the northeast section of Palmer and to its north in Ware.

In historic times the Quaboag Indians lived in villages in the Brookfields, Brimfield, and Sturbridge. After some fortunate research findings in the Massachusetts
Archives and elsewhere, it was found that the Quaboag Indians held tribal lands ranging from Palmer and Monson northerly to Petersham and from Mt. Wachusett westward to Pelham. There is a discussion of some of their sites along the Ware River.

The later Scots-Irish settled in eastern Ware, Palmer, and West Warren on land promoted for sale by land speculators from Roxbury. Unfortunately, the land the Scots Irish began to farm did not belong to the Roxbury group as the group presented. After settlement, the Scots-Irish found they had no title to their land.

The Shaw School District contained roads first set out by the Elbow Plantation to connect to Brookfield, the gateway to the east. The community in the Shaw District grew for a short time and then slowly began to decline. The people found their way to more attractive farming to their west or to more profitable employment in the newly established mills.

The author is Donald Duffy from Palmer, Massachusetts, former Teacher of Music in the Ware Public Schools.

His book is available through the Ware Historical Society, 413-967-6882, and on Amazon.com for $22.00.

Its ISBN number is ISBN-13: 978-1-4635-9737-5

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February No meeting.

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Wednesday, March 21st: 6:30 p.m.
Business Meeting

We have lots to talk about and your ideas and opinions are valued. Come visit, listen, discuss and encourage!

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Wednesday, April 18th 6:30 p.m.
The 6th Connecticut Regiment

Come meet The 6th Connecticut Regiment, a group of people who love history. They research 18th century military practices, culture, and dress to portray our forefathers and mothers. They share their expertise through re-enactments, lectures, ceremonies and demonstrations. Come experience a bit of the American Revolution through the eyes of Ware's own Richard Eckert who works at Old Sturbridge Village and his fellow 6th Connecticut re-enactors.

Since the 6th is in high demand, a substitute program is a review of Ware’s 250th Anniversary Celebration with films and images of the Parade, the Opening, the Time capsules, the Victorian Ballroom, the Feast on the Street, Ware Remembers, Little League and all the special events

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Wednesday,May 16th: 6:30p.m.
Have you walked the Knox Trail?

General Henry Knox, a Bostonian bookseller, became our first Artillery General, bringing arms from Ticonderoga to Dorchester Heights and forcing the British out of Boston without firing a single shot! Kathy Galford from the Ware Historical Commission will lead the discussion on this forgotten hero of the Revolutionary War who was an advocate for the drafting of the U.S. Constitution, our first Secretary of War, overseer of the U.S. response to Shay's Rebellion, designer of the U.S. Navy, founder of his own military academy to train officers, the forerunner of West Point, and an appointee to the Massachusetts Executive Council. Handouts will include a self-guided tour through Spencer, the Brookfields, and Palmer.

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Wednesday, June 20th, 6:30 p.m.
Annual Meeting
and End of Year Party

Open to all members. Bring your favorite dish to share if you can. Please come...

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Meetings

The Ware Historical Society meets on the third Wednesday of each month in the NEW Senior Center, 1 Robbins Road (behind Cumberland Farms, West Street) unless otherwise noted.

For evening meetings, refreshments and conversation begin at 6:30 and programs begin at 7:00 PM. unless otherwise noted.

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Statement of Purpose
The goal of the Ware Historical Society is to preserve local artifacts and information, to promote local historical research and educational activities, and to develop the community’s awareness of its unique historical heritage.

The Ware Historical Society invites all persons, businesses and organizations who are interested in the preservation of local artifacts and information as well as the promotion of local historical research and educational activities, to join the Society and become involved in developing the community’s awareness of its unique historical heritage.

Membership:

Dues: $12 individual
$20 family
$25 business

Please join!

Year:

September 1 to August 31.

Web site:

http://warehistoricalsociety.wetpaint.com

Email:

warehistoricalsociety@yahoo.com

Mailing address:

PLEASE NOTE: This address is only for mail and not for meetings.

Ware Historical Society
C/o Judy Aversa,
42 Shoreline Drive
Ware, MA 01082

Message Service:

PLEASE NOTE: This number is only for leaving messages and not where you will speak directly to officers and members.

413-967-6882

Leave your name, number and question on the answering machine and someone will return your call.

Officers and Board Members

President: Julie Bullock
Vice President: Polli McCrystal
Secretary: Lynn Lak
Treasurer: Judie Aversa
Curator: Milton Jordan
Historian: Cindi LaBombard
Security Officer of the Archives:
Richard Towlson
Members At Large of the Board of Directors:
Corrine Campbell, Martha Rohan
Ways and Means:
Lynn Lak, Martha Rohan
Program Committee:
Polli McCrystal, Julie Bullock, Cindi LaBombard, Lynn Lak

Donations

Donations of artifacts help to teach about the history of Ware.

Financial donations fund preservation projects.

Please donate to our Past and to our Future!

Elizabeth Bradford Howe Lincoln

WareHistorical — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 06:27:45 CDT

Elizabeth Bradford Howe "Betty" Lincoln

Mrs. Elizabeth (Betty) Bradford Howe Lincoln, long-time Ware artist and teacher, passed away Monday, February 28, 2011 at home after a brief illness. Her beloved husband of 63 years, Roger Nye Lincoln, died in 2004.

Mrs. Lincoln, a direct descendent of Plymouth Colony leader William Bradford in the 10th generation, was born in Ware on January 10, 1918, daughter of Donald and Josephine (Bradford) Howe of Ware.

She was a graduate of Ware High School, Class of 1935, of Cushing Academy, and Acadia University of Nova Scotia. She also took courses at the former art school, Vesper George, in Boston.

While her children were young, Mrs. Lincoln taught art classes in her home for both youth and adults. Later, she was an art instructor at Ware High School, and before retirement worked at Wilbraham-Monson Academy where her husband had taught for 42 years.

She developed an interest in art at a very early age; her varied accomplishments as an artist spanned eight decades. Honored by the Famous Artists School of Westport, Connecticut, her paintings, sculptures, lithographs, tiles and illustrations won much recognition. She often donated pieces to charities, and local institutions. A tireless creator, her motto was, "Work regardless of your mood."

She illustrated her father's noted text: Quabbin, the Lost Valley in 1951, as well as six books her husband wrote after his retirement. She published a retrospective of her own works, Here's Ware and Elsewhere, as she approached her 90th year.

Betty was a Cub Scout Den Mother, a member of the Ware Social Science Club, the Ware Historical Society, the Friends of Quabbin, the Swift River Valley Historical Society, the Trinity Episcopal Church choir, and the Backroads Artists Tour.

Mrs. Lincoln made countless friends through her love of art. She enjoyed sharing her gift for both the creation and appreciation of her field, and that love enriched the lives of others. Her works will live on in the eyes of following generations.

She is survived by four sons: Peter B. and his wife Debbie of Lunenburg, Michael B. and his wife Diane of Ware, Dr. Timothy N. and his wife Beth of Concord, MI, Roger H. "Boz" and his wife Susan of Ware; two daughters, Betsy Jo Bashaw of Salem, NY, Nancy T. Stoll and her husband Philip of Ann Arbor, MI; sixteen grandchildren, seven great grandchildren, and nine nieces and nephews.

She is predeceased by her three siblings, Donald W. Howe, Jr., Malcolm Henry Howe, Nancy Howe Hyde, and a grandchild, Caleb Lincoln.

The Casino Theatre

WareHistorical — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:06:28 CDT

Possible candidate for 10 most endangered

Since the demolition of Nantucket's Dreamland (Moving Pictures since 1906) The Casino in Ware Mass and possibly a theatre in West Virginia hold the title of "the Oldest Movie House in America" although the WV theatre started out as Vaudeville house and has been rebuilt.

The Casino is in a race against time and the continuing damage, as in most old theatres, from a bad roof,... but is still retrievable.

The original 1909 doors are back stage

as well as a 1910 electrical sign that spells out
C-A-S-I-N-O

an upright piano that played silents remains

The Casino played "Birth of a Nation" in 1915

Fred McLennan

413 536 5626

Help support the restoration by sending an email to:

warecasino@hotmail.com

Please write a note of support for the re-opening of the Casino Theatre in Ware. Fred McLennan has purchased it and wants to have it open soon. He needs your support since he needs to prove that people are interested in the restoration NOT the demolition of the theatre.
The Casino may now be the oldest movie theatre in the U.S.!!! 100 years old this year. It welcomes people to Ware on Routes 9 and 32, so restoring it would make our downtown more attactive. Patrons from Ware would appreciate not having to leave town for entertainment. Out of town patrons would visit our Ware businesses.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

The Resurrection of the Casino

This is a little bit out of the Sturbridge area, but close enough to be noted.

Do we need small town movie theaters? After all, if we are going to have a film industry in New England, the flicks will have to be seen all over the country and not just in a six state region. Still, a place where the home team can practice and get in shape is not to be despised.

The Casino Theater in Ware Massachusetts (not to be confused with the Casino Mohegan Sun is trying to build down the street in Palmer) may be the oldest movie house in the country. It started showing flicks in 1909.

I have an interest in seeing a resurrection. I used to take my kids to see movies there until it closed. Granted, we knew it was in trouble as the occassional piece of ceiling fell on one’s lap. I feel sorry for children who do not have the experience of a community cinema as opposed to the multiplex. It is one of my favorite memories of being a kid.

Fred McLennan of Holyoke, a veteran of the theater business, has purchased the place for a nominal fee. I do hope there is support not just in the area, the border of Western and Central Massachusetts. I dream of the Quabbin Film Festival.

For more info: The email address is warecasino@hotmail.com. The Ware Historical Society's page on the subject is here.

Some pictures below from back in the day of what is arguably the nation's oldest movie house.

Let's go to the Movies!!! Best Wishes and Thank you, Fred!

Casino Theater gets lead man

Sunday, June 28, 2009

By NANCY H. GONTER

ngonter@repub.com

WARE - A Holyoke man with a history of working in theaters has purchased the Casino Theater and hopes to restore it as quickly as possible.

Fred T. McLennan, who has run small theaters on Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, as well as working for major cinema companies, purchased the theater at 121 Main St. for $1 on June 17.

In an interview, McLennan said he has already had contractors looking to fix the leaking roof by replacing it with a metal roof, and plans to replace the wooden floor with concrete with piping for radiant heat. He said it is too early to say how much the renovations will cost or when they will be completed.

The theater is a box. It's not like we're restoring a hotel. We're going to make sure the box is 2010 solid," McLennan said.

The goal is to make the theater affordable, show first-run movies, and offer the best popcorn slathered in real butter, McLennan said. He also plans to put in rocking-chair seats. The theater will have two shows a day and a children's matinee.

"We pride ourselves with having the best buttered popcorn in the business," he said.

McLennan purchased the building from Western Massachusetts Theaters Inc. and said the Casino was the last owned by the company owned by the Goldstein family. They once owned small theaters across Western Massachusetts.

The theater closed in 1997 after sold-out showings of the Titanic, said McLennan, who has spent extensive time researching the history of the theater, was built in 1909. He believe the repairs needed are not as extensive as town officials believe. The Goldsteins spent $300,000 renovating the building in 1985.

"The main problem is the roof. I think we caught it in time structurally," McLennan said.

Earlier this year, the town went to court to get the building either repaired or torn down. A large chainlink fence was placed around the building.

McLennan said he has worked for "some of the most successful companies in the business, including SACK Theaters in Boston in the 1970s, General Cinema in the 1980s and for National Amusements Showcase Cinemas for 18 years.

He said he also operated his own theaters on Martha's Vineyard and in the town of Canton, and was the last manager at the Dreamland Theatre on Nantucket.

"The Casino is a veteran in this business also. In its 100th year, it is the second oldest business on Main Street (Country Bank being the oldest). The Casino has survived the Villa building, next door, burning down three times and its neighbor, the Mansion House, completely burning down," McLennan said.

"The Casino is a 100-year-old wooden building that has had everything burn down around it, but after four generations of Ware moviegoers, child and adult alike, a Great Depression, five wars, here it is in the 21st century, a survivor," he said.

The Casino Theater - Ware, MA

By Bill Dusty · June 3rd, 2009 ·

News this past week of the possible fate of a historic theater in Ware, MA, serves as yet another example of the struggles that many cities and towns face as they weigh decisions over whether to help preserve the past or sweep it aside in favor of the future.

In Ware’s case, the historic Casino Theater has been in the rather unfortunate situation of not only being vacant for some time (it reportedly closed in 1999), but also suffers from being located directly across the street from the Ware Town Hall - in addition to being located right next to the town’s Veteran’s Memorial Park. It is also the very first building one sees on Main Street as you enter northbound on Route 32. So much for being out-of-sight, out-of-mind. A May 28, 2009, Republican article reports that the town is seeking court action to enforce an order that the site be either repaired or demolished. The owner of the building was given notice by the Town Building Inspector to repair or demolish the building by May 20 (see copy of that order - .pdf). The Republican article also reported the cost of demolition would be “about $100,000 to raze the theater and remove any hazardous materials, such as asbestos.” The Casino Theater is listed at LoopNet.com as selling for $50,000. According to Ware Historical Commission official referenced in the Republican story, the theater is 100 years old, although a comment on the Web site Cinema Treasures notes that a MGM Theater Photograph and Report form lists it as being built in 1925. * - Click on images to enlarge -
(actual image size) - - Image link: 1979 - HERE. Image link: 1986 - HERE.

Heritage Landscape Inventory Program

WareHistorical — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:18:34 CDT

Ware Reconnaissance Report

Connecticut River Valley Reconnaissance Survey

Massachusetts Heritage Landscape Inventory Program

June, 2009

Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation
Pioneer Valley Planning Commission
Franklin Regional Council of Governments

PROJECT TEAM
Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation
Richard K. Sullivan, Jr., Commissioner
Joe Orfant, Director, Bureau of Planning & Resource Protection
Patrice Kish, Director, Office of Cultural Resources
Wendy Pearl, Director, Historic Landscape Preservation Initiative
Jessica Rowcroft, Preservation Planner, Heritage Landscape Inventory Program

Regional Partners & Project Consultants
Pioneer Valley Planning Commission

Bonnie Parsons, Principal Planner, Manager of Historic Preservation Programs
Anne Capra, Principal Planner, Land Use
Jim Scace, Senior Planner/GIS Specialist
Franklin Regional Council of Governments
Margaret Sloan, Director of Planning & Development
Melissa Adams, Land Use Program Manager
Kimberly Noake MacPhee, Natural Resources Planner
Patricia Smith, Land Use Planner
Ryan Clary, GIS Specialist

Local Project Coordinator
Paul Hills, Ware Community Development Department

Local Heritage Landscape Participants

Michele Barker, Preservation Massachusetts
Bill Barman
Julie Bullock, Ware Historical Society
John Carroll, Ware Parks
Chris DiMarzio, Ware Planning Board
Melissa Fales, Ware River News
Chris Hamel, The Republican
Aaron Kent
Donald Kent
Martha Klassanos, Ware Conservation Commission and Open Space Comm.
Cynthia LaBombard, Ware Historical Society
Linda LeDuc, Palmer Town Planner
Diane Moriarty
Michael Moriarty
Judi Mosso, Ware Community Development
Scott Mosso
Sheila Nevue, Ware Conservation Commission
Denis Ouimette
Martha Rohan, Ware Historical Society
Carol Zins

INTRODUCTION
Heritage landscapes are special places created by human interaction with the natural environment that help define the character of a community and reflect its past. They are dynamic and evolving, reflect the history of a community and provide a sense of place. They show the natural ecology that influenced land use patterns and often have scenic qualities. This wealth of landscapes is central to each community’s character, yet heritage landscapes are vulnerable and ever changing. For this reason it is important to take the first step toward their preservation by identifying those landscapes that are particularly valued by the community – a favorite local farm, a distinctive neighborhood or mill village, a unique natural feature or an important river corridor.

To this end, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and its regional partners, the Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG) and the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC), have collaborated to bring the Heritage Landscape Inventory program to twelve communities in the Connecticut River valley region of Massachusetts. The goals of the program are to help communities identify a wide range of landscape resources, particularly those that are significant and unprotected, and to provide communities with strategies for preserving heritage landscapes.

Connecticut River Valley Heritage Landscape Inventory Project Area

The communities within the Connecticut River valley region of Massachusetts are diverse in their settlement patterns and economic histories. What they hold in common is a foundation built on agriculture that was carried out in communities traversed by a series of major waterways and tributaries, from the Connecticut River to the Deerfield, Sawmill, Green, Millers, Quaboag, Swift, Mill and Ware Rivers. This region contains significant cultural and historic resources and uncommon natural beauty. For some of the communities, industry developed alongside agriculture, so that today the heritage landscapes reflect both agrarian and industrial pasts while providing recreational and educational opportunities. From scenic town commons and natural areas, to civic buildings and burial grounds, the heritage landscapes within the region collectively tell the story of their varied and often complex history.

Methodology
The methodology for the Heritage Landscape Inventory program was developed in a pilot project conducted in southeast Massachusetts. It is outlined in the DCR publication Reading the Land, which has provided guidance for the program since its inception. In summary, each community organized a heritage landscape identification meeting during which residents and town officials identified and prioritized the natural and cultural landscapes within town that embody the community’s unique character. This meeting was followed by a fieldwork session led by the project team, including the local project coordinator and staff of FRCOG or PVPC, accompanied by interested community members. During the fieldwork session the Priority Heritage Landscapes were assessed and opportunities for preservation were explored and discussed. The final product for each community is an individualized Heritage Landscape Reconnaissance Report. This report outlines the community’s landscape history, describes the priority heritage landscapes along with associated opportunities, issues, and recommendations, and concludes with implementation strategies.

PART I: HERITAGE LANDSCAPE INVENTORY

Ware River from Covered Bridge, 2009.

LOCAL HISTORY

The town of Ware is located east of the Connecticut River valley. The towns of Palmer and Warren form its south boundaries, West Brookfield, and New Braintree form its eastern boundary. Hardwick, Petersham and New Salem make up its northern boundary, and Belchertown is on its western boundary. The northern third of the town is occupied by the land and water of the Quabbin Reservoir.

The history of the establishment of the town is almost as complicated as its borders, as it began in 1713 as a large tract, known as the “Equivalent Lands”, from which sections were split off on all sides until what remained was incorporated as the Town of Ware in 1761. When the Quabbin Reservoir was created in 1927 portions of Enfield and Greenwich were annexed.

The first known Native Americans in the area were the Quabaugs, a part of the larger group known as the Nipmucs, who came to the Ware River falls for fishing in the spring. They are thought to have used the Swift River and local brooks for fishing camps as well, and to have raised crops seasonally on the fertile river banks. The Quabaugs remained in the area for decades after the first arrival of Europeans, which began in 1729. The western section of Ware was settled after 1729 on a non-traditional, sharecropper-like basis. Bostonian John Read leased his ten thousand acres of land, which he called “Manour of Peace” to poor settlers in 87 ½-100 acre lots and allowed them to stay as long as they could pay their rent. When he died in 1749, the land went to his heirs and was sold off to the tenants.

The eastern section of the area began to be settled in the 1730s as settlers bought land from a land speculation company known as Thomas Marsh and Company. Both of these settlement patterns meant that there was not a single focus of settlement in the town, but a dispersed pattern of ownership. When the first Ware Center meetinghouse was built ca. 1748, it became the town’s civic center. Part of the meetinghouse lot was set off as a cemetery, and a stone pound was added in 1762 and replaced in 1788.

Although Ware was initially an agricultural town, the presence of the Ware and Swift Rivers, and Beaver Brook meant that industrial development in the form of mills powered by water had an early start. The Ware River attracted the Ware Manufacturing Company as early as 1821 and from this time the section of east Ware on the river became the commercial and cotton textile manufacturing center of the town. During this period, agriculture and manufacturing co-existed. The second Ware Center meetinghouse was built in 1799. It was surrounded by agricultural land that was dominated by dairy farms.

Ware Center ca. 1875.

In Ware Village new mills were begun, adding the Otis Manufacturing Company and the Hampshire Manufacturing Company. Workers for the mills came from neighboring towns, but a quarter of them were immigrants who came from Ireland, England, Germany and Canada. They worked in the mills in textile manufacture, and making shoes and boots, and - in small shops and their homes – making palm leaf and straw hats.

The railroad spurred manufacturing and a doubling of Ware’s population from the 1840s. The textile companies grew and took on more laborers so that by 1880 more than a third of the town’s population came from Canada, Poland, Ireland, England and Austria. Workers’s housing was built near the mills in neighborhoods of frame and brick row houses. Commercial buildings had begun to develop in Ware Village in the 1820s but developed more rapidly on Main Street after the 1840s-50s. While some of the early buildings remain on the south side of the street, on the north side outstanding commercial buildings in Queen Anne and Revival styles have all been lost. Nenameseck Park was laid out in 1844 when a large tract of land set aside by the Ware Manufacturing Company in the village in the 1820s was sold by its successor Company. Rather than a large town common, one parcel from the sale was set aside as park land. The cast iron fence was put up in 1850.

After a fire burned the first town hall, a new Town Hall went up in 1885 to designs by the Boston architects Richardson and Hartwell; the Ware Young Men’s Library designed by Springfield architect Eugene Gardner was built for young men mill workers in 1873. St. Mary’s church was built in 1888. On Church Street the Congregational Society Chapel was built in 1881 and the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1897 by the architectural firm Eugene Gardner formed prior to 1897, Gardner, Pyne and Gardner.

Methodist Episcopal Church, now vacant, with Otis Co. mill housing in the background, 2009.

Ware Village was a densely occupied area of mill housing, mills, commercial blocks, churches and other buildings by the turn of the century. Then in 1907 the Town received its first park when the Grenville Gilbert family donated land for Grenville Park on the Ware River.

Grenville Park with Ware mills in the background, ca. 1915.

At the same time, entertainment came to Park Street when the Casino Theater was built 1909 as a vaudeville theater. It was moved to its current location on Main Street in 1913 and made the transition to movies in the 1920s.

During World War I open space in Grenville Park was planted in vegetable gardens and the mills employed more than 2,500 people producing wool and cotton textiles, so this was a time of concerted community effort.

Ware River Dam from Bridge Street, postcard ca. 1920.

Ware River Dam from Bridge Street, 2009
photograph by C. Dunphy.

Main Street looking east, postcard ca. 1940.

Main Street looking east, 2006, photograph by C. Dunphy.

While Ware Village was acting as a manufacturing mecca, the farms of Ware Center were producing cheese, butter and eggs at a high rate. Farming remained a factor in the town’s economy well into the 20th century. Creation of the Quabbin Reservoir in the 1920s took up many farmsteads in the northern section of town, however, and farming began to decline.

Competition with textile mills in the southern states and some misjudgments on the part of mill owners led to the closing of the mills in Ware. The Otis Company sold off a section of its manufacture in 1927 and closed in 1937. After the flood of 1938 Ware’s economy was in a severe depression, so a group of mostly Ware residents got together and invested in the town to revitalize it. With the motto “The Town that couldn’t be licked” they bought up mill housing, so that the people who were renting it could buy and have equity in the town. They got the Ware Bank back on its feet and attracted new textile industries to the mills. The group of investors was successful in its enterprise until after World War II when the new industries went south and with them the jobs that had been created. The Otis Company mills have since had commercial and light industrial uses; other mill buildings are vacant.

Otis Company Mills, Main Street, 2006, photograph by C. Dunphy.

Today Ware is a town whose population mainly commutes elsewhere to work (66%).
The presence of the Quabbin Reservoir gives Ware a high percentage of undeveloped land in its borders and a scenic resource of great value. The town has 25,459 acres, 16,575 of which are undeveloped. More than 1,800 acres are in agriculture and 2,600 acres are residential.

Chafee Brook
Cadwell Creek
Flat Brook
Muddy Brook
Beaver Brook
King Brook
BeaverLake
Penny Brook
O'Neil Brook
JabishSchool Street
Hardwick Pond
Q U A B B I NR E S E R V O I R
Ware River
Snow Pond
Swift River
Ware River
GrenvillePark
Ware Center with Breckenridge and Rich Farms
WareRail Trail
Ware-HardwickCovered Bridge
WareDowntownVillage
WareRail Trail

PRIORITY HERITAGE LANDSCAPES

In a public meeting on January 15th, a diverse group of public officials and residents met to select the Town’s heritage landscapes. They drew up a list of fifty-five landscapes and from them selected a priority list of eight heritage landscapes. The priority landscapes are as follows:
Grenville Park; Ware Downtown with Common, Town Hall, Library, and Casino Theater; Ware Center Historic District; Ware-Hardwick Covered Bridge; Breckenridge-Rich Farm; Ware River Rail Trail.

Grenville Park

Grenville Park on Ware River, photograph C. Dunphy.

Grenville Park is a one hundred and five-acre park that stretches about a mile in length along Church Street and extends east to and across the Ware River where fifteen of its acres are located. The Park’s main entries are on Church and Park Streets through masonry gateposts. The north end of the park is a landscape of woodland and open fields with stone walls. A paved road circles the main hill that dominates the north end and walking paths follow along the banks of the river and through the woodland and fields. The southern end of the park is devoted to playing fields and active recreation.
The park was donated to the Town in 1907 by Mr. and Mrs. H. H. Grenville Gilbert, descendents of George H. Gilbert, the woolen mill owner whose mills were in Ware and Hardwick. The landscape architect who designed the park was the well-known Arthur A. Shurtleff. Until the Quabbin Reservoir and watershed was created with areas open to the public, Grenville Park was the only park in Ware. In the past weekly band concerts were held here from the bandstand.

Opportunities:

•Grenville Park in the center of Ware is a well-used park with access to the Ware River, fields, paths, picnic areas and playing fields.

•The Park is in municipal ownership and operated under a Park Commission with the support of a Trust established by the donors.

•The Park is part of the Church Street Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Church Street entrance to Grenville Park, ca. 1907.

Issues:

•Town budget cuts have hampered the Park Department so that there is no long-term program for landscape restoration or maintenance beyond routine mowing, leaf raking, and picking up blow-downs. The Park Department is working with reduced supplies.

•There has been some illicit dumping of bulky waste in the river area.

•The bandstand needs repair work and clay tennis courts need restoration work to be useable.

Recommendations:

1.The Town should consider developing a public/private partnership to plan and advocate for the park, to provide volunteer labor and funding support. The Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Terra Firma publication “New Models of Stewardship: Public/Private Partnerships” provides critical information on partnerships and provides successful models from across Massachusetts.

2.The Town should develop a master plan for the park so that it has a valid program to engage partners and a plan for the future that can be used to help prioritize capital project needs.

3.The Town could consider working with local musicians to develop a music-in-the-park program to benefit the park and raise awareness of its needs.

4.As a property listed ion the National Register, it is eligible to apply for a Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund grant to pay for work identified through the master plan process. If the community passed the Community Preservation Act, these funds could be used to provide the necessary matching funds.

Grenville Park

WareDowntown Village
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Ware Downtown with Common, Town Hall, Library, and Casino Theater
Downtown Ware in 1940s, Town Hall (l) Casino Theater (R), looking west.
Downtown Ware began as a mill village in the late 18th century and developed as Ware’s commercial center over the 19th and 20th centuries. For the purposes of this report “Downtown Ware” will refer to the commercial and institutional strip along Main Street, and “Ware Village” will refer to the greater area that encompasses mills, mill housing, water power structures and single-family housing.
Ware Village by the 1820s was beginning to compete with Ware Center, situated further west, as the town’s true center. The shift was given form in the 1820s when the Ware Manufacturing Company set aside a block of land between Pulaski and Main Streets to act as a town “common”, but the Company did not actually deed it to the Town. When the Ware Manufacturing Company’s successor firm closed in 1837 the common was split up into building lots and to a small piece of land that was donated to Ware. That small piece of land became Nenameseck Park in the 1850s when the Village Improvement Society spruced it up with a cast iron fence and tiered fountain. Although much reduced Nenameseck Park became the de facto common in the sense that it is regarded as a civic landscape by town residents. A town hall was constructed in Ware Village in 1848, and by the 1850s, its primacy was established. Single-family homes of moderate and well-to-do residents were being built up Church Street, Pleasant and Chestnut Streets in the Greek Revival style. The Unitarians (1846), the Baptists (1846) and the Catholics (1855) built churches in the village and commercial buildings were appearing on Main Street in larger number. The Corn Exchange Building at 80 Main Street built ca. 1847 in Greek Revival style is one of the remaining examples.
As the mills grew in number and size, mill workers’s housing went up on Pulaski Street, Otis Street, Grove, Pine, and Cherry Streets, among others. Housing was an important strategy to attract and keep workers. Single-family houses in the Italianate, French Second Empire and Queen Anne styles were built on available lots on side streets.
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Mill Workers’s Housing, Grove Street, and upper canal, photograph C. Dunphy.
Ware’s mill companies built a canal system that directed the Ware River into the water wheels and turbines of the mills along its banks, and they constructed dams to regulate water flow to assure year round power source. The system of canals, dams, sluices, and raceways are critical visual and auditory features of the Ware Village landscape providing much of its historic character.
Meanwhile, Main Street filled in as a commercial center. Sandford’s Block 40-44 Main Street was built beside Nenameseck Park in 186, and rows of four-story brick buildings were built on each side of the street. Those of the north have since been lost to demolition and fire, but on the south side of the street 54-58 Sagendorph’s Block; 60-64 Lawton’s Block; and 66-70 Build’s block, all built in the 1870s, still fill much of Main Street. The Unitarian Church (now largely demolished and the remains altered beyond recognition) in 1868 and a new Town Hall in 1885 both in Romanesque Revival anchored the west end of the Center. The Ware Young Men’s Library in Ruskinian Gothic style in 1881 anchored the east end of the downtown. As buildings were lost others took their places in succeeding styles. The Casino Theater in 1913 was moved to Main Street to add a Mission style to the Downtown. In 1939 a new fire station by Greenfield architect James A. Britton was constructed on Main Street in the Colonial Revival style.
Young Men’s Library and East Congregational Chapel, both 1881, Gardner, Pyne & Gardner, architects.
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In the 1950s an impulse to modernize brought new storefronts to some of the old buildings, which have become, in some cases, part of the historical record of downtown.
19th century commercial blocks with 1950s storefronts, 2008.
Opportunities:
•
Ware Village has retained many of its historic 19th century buildings and a park that give it a unique character.
•
The work of several important Massachusetts architectural firms is found in Downtown Ware. Eugene Gardner as solo architect, and also as a member of the firm Gardner, Pyne and Gardner; Hartwell and Richardson; E. A. Ellsworth; and Gay and Proctor are all represented on Main Street.
•
The Downtown and surrounding streets the make up the village contain a mix of commercial, civic, industrial, residential and religious buildings reflective of the town’s complex history. They contain important structures such as dams, canal, sluiceways, and bridges that contribute to the town’s history.
•
The Ware River is a beautiful landscape element passing through Ware Village, and it contributes clean energy, hydro-electricity to the Massachusetts grid.
•
The Library is planning to expand into the Congregational Chapel, thereby preserving that building.
Issues:
•
The economy of Ware’s commercial and industrial downtown has been faltering for several decades, so that many of the buildings, structures and landscapes receive mostly rudimentary care.
•
The use of vinyl siding and vinyl replacement windows is having a detrimental effect on the appearance many of the historic residential buildings of the area.
•
Nenameseck Square’s cast iron fencing has been struck so many times by trucks that it has lost entire fencing sections, which have not been replaced. At this point in time, the town cannot afford a signal that would be a solution to the truck turning problem.
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•
The mill buildings are under-utilized, which is a threat to their long-term viability.
•
The downtown lost a significant building, the Unitarian Church, to a private owner who slowly demolished it and put up an inappropriate wood screen façade.
•
The future of Catholic Church properties is uncertain and may be slated for closing in the near future.
•
The Casino Theater may be condemned as unsafe due to its long vacancy and structural deterioration.
•
The former Methodist Church, now vacant, may be put up for auction.
Casino Theater, Main Street, 2009.
Recommendations:
1.
Ware should consider adopting an Adaptive Reuse Zoning for the village, which would expand the allowed uses or densities in the under-utilized mills, vacant churches, and school buildings. This is a way to encourage new uses and rehabilitation for these important buildings.
2.
Ware Village should be put on the National Register of Historic Places as an historic district of mill buildings, mill housing, commercial buildings, a park, water power structures, civic and institutional buildings, and single-family residences.
3.
Ware might adopt an Affirmative Maintenance Bylaw, which would strengthen its ability to mandate that owners take positive action to stabilize and secure their buildings so that they may not demolish them by neglect.
4.
A second important bylaw for the Town to adopt would be a Demolition Delay bylaw based on the age of buildings. It would enable the Town to attempt to find
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alternative solutions to the demolition of buildings that it considers architecturally and historically significant. A 12-18 month period of delay is recommended.
5.
Ware’s workers’s housing areas could be designated as Architectural Preservation Districts. This designation would set up a review of additions, major alterations, demolitions and new construction that is visible from the public way. It could not proceed without approval. However, minor changes to the exterior such as windows, siding, doors and gutters, would be subject only to an advisory review, but give the owner an opportunity to consider alternative materials, alternative alterations under the guidance of the Architectural Preservation District Commission.
6.
Ware should adopt the Community Preservation Act (CPA) to act as matching funds for matching grant programs such as the Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund, for Survey and Planning Grants from the Massachusetts Historical Commission. The CPA would also allow the town to fund preservation work on important privately-owned properties or to purchase preservation restrictions on privately-owned properties that it wants to see preserved.
7.
Adaptive Reuse and Infill Development Zoning could be applied to the Ware Downtown. It would promote back-lot parking, mixed uses, compact development, dimensional and parking relief as a means of encouraging additional and new uses in the commercial district.
8.
Ware might consider enacting a Planned Unit Development District to cover the mills and downtown as a PUD District. Future development of buildings in the district would be reviewed for its suitability for the district; and if it is suitable, incentives are given that could be greater density, wider variety of allowable uses, and of dimensional requirements. It is a voluntary submission for review.
9.
Downtown Ware could be designated a Village Center Overlay District. It would require a review of new construction for its impact on the existing historic area. In return new development could have parking requirements waived or reduced, and flexible set-backs that would accord with the historic set-backs. Mixed uses would be encouraged.
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WareDowntown Village
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Ware Center
Ware Center 1799 meetinghouse.
Ware Center is on Route 9 in the western section of Ware. Its location on both sides of Route 9 is explained by the fact that the state route was originally the Hadley Path, laid out about 1660 as a branch of the Bay Path connecting Boston to Albany through Springfield. As the major transportation route, when a location for the meetinghouse was sought, this was a logical place. Ware Center became the Town’s original religious and governmental center when the first meetinghouse was built in 1750 after the new parish of Ware was established in 1742. The Ware Grange building, formerly a schoolhouse, which is pictured below, was built next door to the meetinghouse in 1872.
Ware Grange, 2009. Ware Grange, ca. 1903.
Rev. Ezra Thayer came to the church in 1758 and the following year the Thayer house was built on Belchertown Road, a Georgian saltbox-form house.
Rev. Ezra Thayer House of 1759. 19
Following the minister’s house, an animal pound was built in 1762 and replaced in 1788. It still exists. Other properties on Belchertown Road that make up historic Ware Center are the Pepper-Gould Tavern, ca. 1780, which was built just west of the first schoolhouse,
Pepper-Gould Tavern, ca. 1780.
the Isaac Stearns House, ca. 1800, the Rev. Reuben Moss House, ca. 1792, the second Church parsonage of 1826, the John Gardner House, ca. 1800 and among others, the Brackenridge shop site on Flat Brook, pre-1850. The Babcock Tavern, the Sophia Jocelyn House, the Perry Cheever/Julius Cowles House and the Gould and Gardener houses on the south side of the highway have farmland extending south that is an important part of the Center. The Ware Center Cemetery has 18th century stones of identified carvers along with 19th century stones.
Isaac Stearns House, ca. 1800.
But the historic Center extends beyond Route 9 north along Doane Road that becomes Walker Road to include the historic farms that made up the Center: the Szczepanek Farm with it Federal Cape Cod form house, and at the crest of the hill, the 1792 Breckenridge-Rich farm, a two-and-a-half story center chimney Federal style house.
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Breckenridge-Rich Farm, ca. 1770.
Opportunities:
•
The Ware Center Historic District has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
•
The Ware Center Meetinghouse has received a Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund grant and has restored much of the exterior of the building.
•
The historic farms in the Center have retained their farmlands so the landscape of this area retains its rural, agricultural use. There are additional farms cited in the master list of heritage landscapes in Ware Center, which make up the farming area of Ware.
•
Ware Center residents are preservation-conscious and have maintained their properties well. The Breckenridge-Rich House has been carefully restored. It has a barn moved to its property from inundated land beneath the Quabbin Reservoir.
Issues:
•
The privately-owned Grange building is threatened with demolition. It needs bathrooms and to be made handicapped accessible to be useable.
•
Large stones have been dumped into the Town Pound.
•
The cemetery stones and landscape as a whole need protection and restoration work, and houses have been built in front of the cemetery blocking visual access to it.
•
The privately-owned meetinghouse does not have the funding to complete its restoration work.
•
A developer has bought 60-70 acres of farmland on several sides of the Breckenridge-Rich house, and plans a residential subdivision. Development
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could threaten the historic landscape that makes up much of the setting of this property.
•
The Szczepanek farm is threatened with foreclosure and may be broken up and sold for development. The other farms listed in the master list are also privately owned and not protected.
•
Greenwich Plains Road, which is part of the Center, was not included in the Historic District boundaries.
Recommendations:
1.
A boundary extension of the Ware Center Historic District should be made to include the houses and land up Doane, Greenwich Plains, and Walker Roads to include the Breckenridge-Rich Farm and Szczepanek Farm.
2.
The Town should consider adopting Open Space Residential Development zoning for Ware Center including Doane and Walker Road properties. This would give the Town the opportunity to direct new construction and development to areas in the landscape that would be less visible in order to maintain the rural agricultural appearance of this heritage landscape. The developer would, in exchange, get incentives such as the ability to develop to a greater density.
3.
An alternative would be to adopt a Transfer of Development Rights bylaw with Doane and Walker Roads as a “sending” zone. An appropriate “receiving” zone for higher density development needs to be identified.
4.
The Town should adopt the Community Preservation Act (CPA) so that it would have a source of preservation funding for such projects as removing the boulders from the Town Pound, for acquisition of an historic building such as the Grange or for purchase of preservation restrictions on the building.
5.
Ware should have an age-based Demolition Delay Bylaw to help protect its historic resources by allowing 12-18 months for the Town to find alternatives to demolition.
6.
The town might consider enacting Open Space Development Zoning, so that much of the agricultural land and historic development patterns of Ware Center could be preserved.
7.
Ware should consider designating Doane and Walker Road a Scenic Road, which would provide a review before trees were taken down or stone walls altered. This would help protect the historic appearance of the road.
8.
The Town of Ware should empower its Agricultural Commission to advocate for the farmers of Ware and to represent their needs at local and regional levels.
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9.
The Town should work with the owners of agricultural land in the Ware Center Historic District and those on Greenwich Plains Road and those contiguous with the historic district to consider placing the land in Chapter 61A protection or to place Agricultural Preservation Restrictions on this important landscape in the town.
10.
Several of the Town Commissions, the Cemetery Commission, the Department of Public Works, and the Historical Commission, should be trained in proper maintenance of the landscape and repair of historic cemetery stones, so that when repairs are made they are done with the recommended techniques. For stones that have been improperly repaired in the past, it would be important to have a professional stone conservator redress the damage.
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Ware Center withBreckenridgeand Rich Farms
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Ware-Hardwick Covered Bridge
Ware-Hardwick Covered Bridge Interior, looking west, 2009.
The Ware-Hardwick covered bridge is located on the Ware River and spans between the two towns in the north section of Ware on Old Gilbertville Road in Ware and Bridge Street in the village of Gilbertville in Hardwick. Gilbertville in Hardwick is named for the Gilbert Company, which was owned by Grenville Gilbert of Ware. Gilbertville has been identified by the Town of Hardwick as a high priority heritage landscape, and also had concerns about this bridge as a part of that landscape.
The bridge was built in 1886 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. In recent years the bridge has been closed as it was considered by Massachusetts Highway Department not to be up to current structural standards. Structural reinforcement is planned in the form of steel girders, which are to be installed in 2009. In 1986 it was one of only four covered bridges in Massachusetts still standing in its original location. The bridge’s structure is based on early 19th century American bridge designer and architect Ithiel Town who devised a system of bridge building based on the use of multiple trusses rather than arches. It was known as “the Town Lattice Mode”, and was patented in 1820. The bridge is about twenty-five feet wide and one hundred thirty-seven feet long. One of the main purposes of the bridge was better to connect Ware Village with Gilbertville in Hardwick, the site of the Gilbert Company woolen mills and mill workers’s housing that had been erected starting in 1860. The bridge is owned jointly by the towns of Ware and Hardwick.
Opportunities:
•
The Ware-Hardwick covered bridge is a rare survival of a form of bridge that was once far more common in Massachusetts so is a heritage landscape of note to residents.
•
The bridge is a good example of the structural system devised by architect Ithiel Town so has engineering merit.
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•
The bridge crosses the Ware River at a beautiful place so views from the bridge as well as of the bridge are particularly fine.
•
The bridge is prized by the residents of both Ware and Hardwick who advocate for its preservation and on-going use.
•
There are plans and funding available to reinforce the bridge and re-open it to the public.
Issues:
•
The Massachusetts Highway Department engineers are not able to calculate the carrying capacity of this structure, so to be on the safe side, they have closed it to traffic.
•
A closed bridge is prey to vandalism.
•
The bridge no longer connects the two towns and traffic must go around rather than drive directly up Old Gilbertville Road.
•
The changes proposed for the bridge will alter some of the original materials and incorporate some new features: metal roof, traffic signal light and sprinkler system.
Recommendations:
1.
In order for the bridge to be warranted useable by the Massachusetts Highway Department and local fire departments, it may be necessary to be open to the sensitive use of new materials, such as steel beams and a sprinkler system in a wooden bridge.
2.
The Towns of Ware and Hardwick should consider working together to designate Bridge Street and Old Gilbertville Road and the bridge as a Transportation Corridor Protection Overlay district. As noted above the Town of Hardwick also identified this bridge as part of a priority heritage landscape, so they might be willing to work on an Overlay District. The intention of this designation would be to protect unwanted changes to the bridge, but also to the roadways leading to it. With a 19th century mill village on one side and a rural wooded landscape on the other side, there are considerable resources present that go into making the covered bridge a heritage landscape, and they all deserve protection. For instance, a buffer zone could be defined that would prohibit changes making an adverse impact on the appearance of the bridge and the roadways leading up to it. Road width, curbing or lack thereof, parking, landscaping and more could be addressed in such an overlay district.
26
3.
If Ware were to have the Community Preservation Act, some funding would be available to direct to the bridge when repairs, or other non-maintenance work became necessary.
Ware-HardwickCoveredBridge
27
Ware River Rail Trail.

Ware River Rail Trail under construction but in use for cross-country skiing, 2009.

The Ware River Rail Trail is a partially completed trail that generally follows the path of the Ware River on the east side of the town. It is planned for construction on the former tracks of the Boston and Maine Railroad, which were shared with the Massachusetts Central Railroad. So far, the rail trail has been laid out and constructed on the southern half of its route, which is municipally owned. Its northern section is privately owned and negotiations to acquire easements for it have not been pursued by the Town leadership recently, so the northern section is in the planning stage only. In the southern section, WalMart donated land next to the river for rail trail use, and it proceeds from the area of WalMart north for about a mile. Above the constructed section the trail is planned so that it would pass through a residential section of Ware and close to both schools and downtown. Bridge abutments from the era of the railroad are still in place and ready to support new bridges for the rail trail once its route has been fully secured. It would pass along the river at Grenville Park, adding activity to the park and connecting the park to the town in yet another way.

Rail trail abutments and new sewer lines in place awaiting bridge construction, 2009.
There is no good connector from Robbins Road through town to get to Grenville Park. If the rail trail were to go straight through town, it would have to cross main streets, which would be hazardous. There are alternatives, but they require advocacy by the Town to work out agreements with private owners.

Opportunities:
•
Ware has a partially completed rail trail that when completed would offer residents a unique recreational trail. It would get people off the road and children going to and from school would be able to use their bicycles more safely. It is a healthy means of transportation and recreation.
•
Both Palmer and Belchertown are interested in making rail trail connections through Ware, so there is regional support for its completion. With those towns connected, there would be miles of good recreational trails for biking, skating, walking, and skiing.
•
The trail follows the Ware River through much of its planned route and would give more people visual access to the river as a lovely landscape. Particularly in the northern section, there would be an opportunity for trail users to see wildlife in its natural setting.
•
The Lincoln family in Ware would like to donate land to the Town in the northern section where archaeological remains are thought to exist of an early settler’s house. The site could be interpreted for rail trail users.
Issues:
•
Rights for the northern planned section of the rail trail have not been acquired from private owners, stalling the completion of the trail.
•
Town leaders have turned their attention to other matters in Ware and have not continued to pursue this project.
•
Getting the trail through or around the town center will take concerted effort and it does not appear to be available.

Recommendations:
1. Supporters of the rail trail should take a delegation of town government members to the opening of the Southwick trail in order to show them what is possible for Ware.

2. It would be helpful to gather economic data from Northampton and Amherst or other rail trail communities about the increase in business they have experienced along their trails. The Rails to Trails Conservancy can also provide information on the economic impact of rail trails. This is an incentive that could help reinvigorate the effort to complete the trail in Ware.

3. Engaging more of the public possibly through a “friends of the rail trail” group that would organize walks along the completed sections of the trail, or bird watching, or organize bike trips along other communities’ trails might get more people advocating for the rail trail.

Start of Rail Trail at Wal Mart, 2009. 30
Ware Rail TrailWare Rail TrailE
31
PART II: PLANNING FOR HERITAGE LANDSCAPES
INVENTORY AND DOCUMENTATION
1. Massachusetts Historical Commission Records
Current Listings: The Town of Ware has 267 properties listed on the inventory of the Massachusetts Historical Commission, including 13 Areas. Properties that have been inventoried begin in the 1780s and end in the 1960s, so the Town Historical Commission has been adding to its inventory over time. The inventory includes mills, mill workers’s housing, structures and areas of significance. This was a thorough inventory project when it was initially accomplished in the 1980s.
Recommendations: It is recommended that the Town of Ware continue its work adding to the inventory being attentive to early 20th century to mid-20th century resources, which are more sparsely represented.
2. National and State Register Listing
Current Listings: The Town of Ware has three large historic districts and one small district listed on the National Register. There is the Ware Millyard Historic District with 54 resources, the Ware Center Historic District with 20, the Otis Company Worker Housing with 3, the Church Street Historic District with 73. Individual listings are the the Ware-Hardwick Covered Bridge, and Ware Town Hall. The Casino Theater has been given a Determination of Eligibility for the National Register as have the Guild Block, the Robinson-Hitchcock Block, and the Kaplan Block on Main Street.
Recommended Listings: It is recommended that the Ware Center Historic District be expanded to include several important farm properties on Greenwich Plains Road, Doane Road, and Walker Road and include adjacent farms that were previously omitted from the nomination. There should be a South Street area historic district that would include the residential streets adjacent to South Street, Maple, Chestnut and Elm Streets, among others, where the 19th century architecture is worthy of listing. Additionally, there are residential streets branching off Church Street that are worthy of listing in an extension of the Church Street Historic District: Pleasant Street, Park Street, High and Cottage Streets. A Downtown Historic District would include the library, the Congregational Chapel, Nenameseck Park. Mary Lane Hospital should be considered for an individual nomination. There are no Local Historic Districts in Ware. The Methodist Church on Church Street should be designated as a single property Local Historic District, which would give it the level of protection that it deserves. The Town might consider making Ware Center a Local Historic District.
3. Heritage Landscape Inventory List from Local Identification Meeting
Each town involved in the Connecticut Valley Region Heritage Landscape Inventory held a local identification meeting to solicit input from a range of community members to identify potential heritage landscapes throughout the town. The lists were prioritized by the community, with help from the consultants, to create a list of five to ten priority areas, which were described in Part I of this report. The complete list of the town’s heritage
32
landscapes provides a sound resource list for future documentation activities and potential funding opportunities.
• Agricultural • Archaeological • Burial
• Civic • Industrial • Institutional
• Transportation • Natural • Open Space and Recreation
• Residential • Commercial
TOWNWIDE PLANNING AND ZONING TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES
Detailed descriptions of planning tools and techniques can be found in the Department of Conservation and Recreation Terra Firma #7 – Taking Action: A Toolkit for Protecting Community Character (2009). This document includes the following sections: Municipal Roles in Landscape Preservation; Thinking in Context: Comprehensive and Open Space Planning; Engaging the Public; and Defending the Resources: Laws, Bylaws and Regulations. This document should be used in conjunction with this report as a guide to acting on the specific recommendations for Priority Heritage Landscapes included in Part I.
The following Community Planning Checklist provides an overview of planning and zoning that currently exists within the town of Ware, zoning changes that are currently underway, and recommendations for further changes that were included in this report and other planning documents.
COMMUNITY PLANNING CHECKLIST
TOWN OF WARE
IMPLEMENTATION STATUS
BUILDING BLOCK
NOTES

Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND)
Village Center Overlay District – Downtown Ware
Transit Oriented Development (TOD)

Mixed Use Village Districts

Planned Unit Development (PUD)
Ware Village and Downtown

Adaptive Reuse and Infill Development
Ware Village; Ware Downtown

Tax Incentive Programs and Business Improvement Districts

Open Space Residential Development
Ware Center

Accessory Apartments

Inclusionary Zoning

Home Based Business Bylaw

Brownfields Inventory

Brownfields Redevelopment Projects

Transfer of Development Rights
Ware Center

Agricultural Commissions
Ware Center Historic District

Right to Farm Bylaws

River Protection Overlay District

Community Preservation Act
Grenville Park; Ware Village; Ware Center Historic District; Ware-Hardwick Covered Bridge

Scenic Upland Overlay District

Bike and Pedestrian Features
Traffic Calming Measures

Water Supply Protection District

Low Impact Development

Stormwater and Erosion Control Bylaw

Stormwater Utilities

Commercial Site Plan Review

Commercial Performance Standards
Urban Growth Boundaries / Limits of Sewer and Water Extensions

Green Building Standards

Municipally Owned Renewable Energy

Adoption of Smart Growth Zoning Districts (Ch. 40R)

Intergovernmental Compact
Valley Vision MOA

Planning Board Assistance Program
Master Plan for Grenville Park

Local Historic District / National Register of Historic Places
Ware Village; expand Ware Center Historic District

Architectural Preservation District
Ware Village

Demolition Delay Bylaw
Ware Village; Affirmative Maintenance Bylaw – Ware Village; Ware Center Historic District

Scenic Roads Bylaw
Doane-Walker Road; Transportation Corridor Protection Overlay District – Ware-Hardwick Covered Bridge
Successfully Implemented
Currently Considering
Should Consider Adopting
Comprehensive, Open Space and Other Planning Documents
It is important that Open space Plans, Comprehensive or Master Plans, and other planning documents address heritage landscapes as vital features of the community, contributing not only to unique sense of place, but also to environmental, recreational and economic health.

Current Plans: Ware has three plans currently in use to help guide its future. There is an Open Space and Recreation Plan, that dates from 2007, a Community Development Plan, that was created in June of 2004, and a Local Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan that appears to be undated.

Recommended Plans: Comprehensive planning provides an important frame of reference for a town’s land use decisions and incorporates all of a community’s issues into an integrated plan. Heritage Landscapes need to be made a part of an updated master or comprehensive plan, since the town uses the plan to guide its activities related to community character, historic preservation, environmental health, economic viability and growth. The future of the Heritage Landscapes and the values they contribute should be addressed within multiple perspectives, not solely as historical assets of the community. A Ware Master Plan is therefore recommended.

IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES
Outreach, Education and Interpretation
In order to create a community of advocates, we need to raise public awareness and broaden the base of support. This includes developing opportunities to learn about and celebrate the places and history of the town, as well as to care for them.
Collaboration
Protecting community character, respecting history, and promoting smart growth are interrelated concerns that impact heritage landscapes and require collaboration across a broad spectrum of the community. This includes communication among town boards and departments, as well as public-private partnerships.
Technical Assistance
Regulations and creative solutions for heritage landscapes are constantly changing and emerging. Public and private agencies offer technical assistance with the many issues to be addressed, including DCR, MHC, the Franklin Regional Council of Governments and the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission.
Technical assistance for developing a CPA campaign, or hosting a CPA informational session, can be obtained from Jay Rasku, Coordinator of the North Quabbin Regional Landscape Partnership (NQRLP). Working with the Community Preservation Coalition, the NQRLP is a regional partner that has been working with municipalities to help meet technical assistance needs in the field. The North Quabbin Regional Landscape Partnership can be reached at: info@nqpartnership or at 978-248-2118. More information about the Community Preservation Coalition can be found at: www.communitypreservation.org.
Funding Opportunities
Funding rarely comes from a single source, more often depending on collaborative underwriting by private, municipal, and regional sources. Each town also has a variety of funding sources that are locally-based and sometimes site-specific.

CONCLUSION
The Heritage Landscape Reconnaissance Report for Ware has undertaken an analysis of the priority heritage landscapes identified by the community, their place in the city’s history and how the town might approach their preservation and conservation. But many of the report’s recommendations can also be applied to the landscapes forming the master list, and – as the master list is by no means exhaustive - to those heritage landscapes that are yet to be identified.
One of the most important starting points for protecting Ware’s heritage landscapes is to do further research on the Priority properties that have been identified, such as the Breckenridge-Rich property, the Casino Theater, Grenville Park. And the best way to do that is to bring their inventory forms up to date with additional information on both the buildings and where appropriate their landscapes. Architects and landscape architects should be researched where they are unknown. Once the inventory work has been sufficiently established, the overall context in which the landscapes exist are more easily described and their importance conveyed to city residents, city government members, and to the Massachusetts Historical Commission.
Ware has a strong advocate for preservation in its Historical Commission. The Commission spearheaded a drive to preserve the Ware Center Meetinghouse and obtained a Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund grant. If the Commission were to designate a Local Historic District, Ware would be eligible to become a Certified Local Government (CLG). A CLG is given higher priority over other towns to receive Survey and Planning Grant funds to carry on with the town’s inventory and National Register work.
To capitalize on the work in progress, it is important to use this report to alert government members, committees and commissions to the existence and value of the town’s heritage landscapes, so distribution and discussion of the report will be an important next move.
This is all part of generating community support, and community support is essential to preserving the city’s heritage, be it a mill, a view of the Ware River, a row of workers’s houses or fields that have been worked for several hundred years. Publicizing the report through a series of articles, presentations, and making it available to residents will be an important effort. Creating public awareness is public education and it can be approached through the schools, through the press, on-line and at special events. Above all, leading the community to recognition that it does indeed have heritage landscapes and that they make up the town’s attractive character is a goal that this report can help accomplish.
The three top recommendations are (1) for protective zoning to be adopted for the agricultural land and farmsteads in and around the Ware Center Historic District (2) designate the Methodist Church as a single-property Local Historic District (3) enact a Demolition Delay bylaw based on age for a 12-18 month period of delay.

RESOURCES
Reading the Land Massachusetts Heritage Landscape a Guide to Identification and Protection, Department of Conservation and Recreation, Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, 2008.
Terra Firma #1- An Introduction to Historic Landscape Preservation Department of Conservation and Recreation Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, n.d.
Terra Firma #3- Putting Historic Landscape Preservation on Sold Ground: Identifying and Protecting Historic Roads, Department of Conservation and Recreation, Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, n.d.
Terra Firma #5 Putting Heritage Landscape Preservation on Solid Ground: Stones that Speak: Forgotten Features of the Landscape, Department of Conservation and Recreation, Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, n.d.
Terra Firma #7 - Taking Action: A Toolkit for Protecting Community Character Department of Conservation and Recreation Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, 2009.
Massachusetts Historical Commission. Preservation through Bylaws and Ordinances, Draft Copy March 11, 2009, typescript.
____________________________. MHC Reconnaissance Survey Reports, typescript,

APPENDIX A

WARE’S HERITAGE LANDSCAPES
Note: The following chart presents the master list of heritage landscapes identified by Ware residents for this project. The landscapes with asterisks were designated “Priority Landscapes” by the residents.

HERITAGE LANDSCAPES NOTES

AGRICULTURAL
*Grange
Lincoln’s Farm
including archaeological foundations that are pre 1750
Letendre Farm
In Ware Center
Moriarity Farm
In Ware Center
Kulas Farm
In Ware Center
Fullers Farm
In Ware Center
Shay Farm
In Ware Center
Pilch Farm
In Ware Center
Doane Farm
In Ware Center
Breckenridge-Rich Farm
In Ware Center
Campbell’s Farm
In Ware Center
Howard Farm with old foundations and cellar holes
In Ware Center
*Ware Center including the above-mentioned farms
Hitchcock Farm on Church Street
In Ware Village

ARCHAEOLOGICAL
West Ware with old mill foundations

BURIAL
Aspen Grove Cemetery
Indian Cemetery on Robbins Road
St. William’s Cemetery

CIVIC
*Town Common
Nenameseck Park
*Meeting House, cemeteries and town pound at Ware Center
*Town Hall
Ware Village
Pumping station at Memorial Field
Ware Village
*Library
Consider with Congregational Chapel
*Firehouse
James Britton Architect
VFW/Old School
Ware Village
South Street School
In Ware Village

INDUSTRIAL
1840 Stone Mill
*Canal/Water Power System
Included in Ware Village/downtown
Quarry Street with possible quarry

INSTITUTIONAL
All Saints Church
Trinity Episcopal Church
Mary Lane Hospital
South Street
Original Mary Lane Hospital
Building now Valley Human Services
*Methodist Church
National Register-listed

NATURAL
Dougal Range
Coy Hill
Snow’s Pond and dam
Quabbin Reservoir
*Ware River
Included in Ware Village/downtown

OPEN SPACE
Red Provost’s swimming pool near the rail trail
*Grenville Park
including the waterfall, dismal swamp and Ware River
RECREATIONAL
Camp Cook
Baseball/Memorial Field
*Casino Theater
Eligible for National Register

RESIDENTIAL
Old Babcock Tavern, Old Belchertown Road
Erastus Salisbury Field House
Pleasant Street
Church Street Historic District

TRANSPORTATION
Ware Airport
Active
Old Roads with original names
Old Bay Path Road and Hadley Path
Lemon Hill, Route 9
*Ware-Hardwick Covered Bridge
*Ware River Rail Trail
39
40
East Street Railroad
overpass and retaining walls

Arts at the Meeting House

WareHistorical — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:17:27 CDT

Arranged for your enjoyment by
The Proprietors of the Ware Center Meeting House
the non-profit corporation entrusted with restoration and preservation of
the Ware Center Meeting House

Four FREE cultural events
out doors
on the grounds of the historic Ware Center Meeting House
Bring your blanket, bring your lawn chairs
~
July 12th 6:30 p.m. ~ FREE

Old Post Road Orchestra is a community orchestra whose mission is to provide quality symphonic music to people of all ages at a convenient location and to offer an opportunity for local musicians to show their talents.

Neal Schermerhorn, conductor and musical director since 1996, studied at Berkshire College of Music. He has performed, conducted, arranged, and composed for a variety of ensembles, musical theaters, and cabarets, and taught music in public school. Under his direction, OPRO has enjoyed growth and popularity.

Neal has decided to retire from OPRO to seek other venues and we are honored to host his farewell concert with OPRO in his hometown of Ware.
~
July 26th at 6:30 ~ FREE

A Trio of Women is composed of local favorites Jane Sterndale, Rikki LaMonda, and Carol Zins. They are coming together especially for this performance of songs you love to sing from the 40’s and the 50’s.
~
August 9th 6:30 p.m ~ FREE

Basement Brass are a brass quintet with musicians from the Brimfield and Monson areas. Their program with American music from the early 1900’s to the present day has been popular in area concerts.
~
The fourth event is an exhibit of work by Pamela Grant’s Ware High School art students. Featured works done in watercolors and on barn board will be exhibited in the restored sanctuary of the Ware Center Meeting House during the Annual Fall Fair September 19th from 8:00 until 4:00. The art show will launch a series of art and historical presentations in the sanctuary and will open at 10 AM September 19th.

All participants of Arts at the Meeting House have been asked to include selections keeping with our first year's theme of "Americana". OPRO, Basement Brass and A Trio of Women will add narratives that will educate as well as entertain. All groups will "meet and greet" after the performances.

All performances will be provided for free.

There are purposefully a variety of ensembles scheduled to perform that include Vocal, Orchestral, Brass, as well as a variety of age ranges. We feel our program will entertain and educate the community. Our hope is that this year’s events will plant a seed for future years. By reaching out to local organizations we are hoping that the community will respond with enthusiasm. We will have a suggestion box to get ideas for 2011, as well as letting arts and cultural organizations display brochures regarding how to participate.
~
This program is supported in part by a grant from the Ware Cultural Council, a local agency that is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, which is a state agency.

Casino

WareHistorical — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 23:49:41 CDT

A weir, a waterwheel and a School House

WareHistorical — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 22:43:14 CDT

	Here, a model of a fishing weir shows how the stones guide the fish to the center of the river where they can be caught in a basket or with a spear.
The school mistress rings the bell to announce the start of class	The class learns some old-fashioned rules of deportment.
Welcome to our Sunday school classroom in the Meeting House.

Carding, Spinning, Knitting and Quilting

WareHistorical — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 22:41:30 CDT

Wool is carded, or combed, to prepare it for spinning.
	The combed wool is spun to create yarn for weaving or knitting.
Learning to knit is a challenge.

Quilting is another old-fashioned skill which remind us how busy people were to make sure their families were warm and comfortable.

Ware History Day for Grade Three students

WareHistorical — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 21:28:44 CDT


Add photo caption or credit here.	Add photo caption or credit here.
Add photo caption or credit here.	Add photo caption or credit here.
Add photo caption or credit here.	Add photo caption or credit here.

Ware_Gilbertville Covered Bridge

WareHistorical — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 19:39:36 CDT

The plaque on the bridge reads: This property has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior
June 6, 2007 Historic Ware Bus Tour Third Graders from Ware Stanley M. Koziol Elementary School	June 4, 2008 Second Annual Historic Ware Bus Tour Third Graders from Ware Stanley M. Koziol Elementary School

June 3, 2009
Third Annual
Historic Ware Bus Tour
Third Graders from Ware
Stanley M. Koziol Elementary School

Ware Grange

WareHistorical — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 15:05:09 CST

The first Grange in Massachusetts was organized on June 17, 1873 in Greenfield, and was named Guiding Star Grange #1. Between then and December 2, 1873, seventeen more Granges were organized. They were in Deerfield, Northfield, Boston, Harvard, Danvers, Pittsfield, Acton, Ware, Groton, Conway, Barre, South Deerfield, Monson, Hadley, Amherst, Cheshire, and Palmer.

Ware Grange No. 164 - Pomona No. 9 MEETINGS: 3rd Monday 7:00 P.M. Ware Grange Hall, Belchertown Road Nearest Route: on 9 Contact: Linda Lamb 413-967-5470

The Ware Center Meeting House was once the meeting place for members of the Ware Grange. The current Grange building next door was then Ware Center’s two room school house.

History

137 Years of Service to Rural America !

Grange History - Founders - Structure

The National Grange is the nation's oldest national agricultural organization, with grassroots units established in 3,600 local communities in 37 states. Its 300,000 members provide service to agriculture and rural areas on a wide variety of issues, including economic development, education, family endeavors, and legislation designed to assure a strong and viable Rural America. It was formed in the years following the American Civil War to unite private citizens in improving the economic and social position of the nation's farm population. Over the past 137 years, it has evolved to include non-farm rural families and communities. The Grange is also a fraternal order known as the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, hence the "P of H" on the organization's logo. Founding members determined that a fraternal organization would be best able to combine loyalty and democratic ideals to provide service to others. The National Grange was one of the first formal groups to admit women to membership on the basis of equality with men. It remains so today. The 11-story landmark National Grange headquarters building in Washington, D.C. was dedicated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on June 29, 1960, and is the only private edifice in a federal block across from the White House. It serves as a non-governmental headquarters for agricultural and rural families. A professional staff administers policies established annually by democratic Grange processes at local county, and state levels.

National Grange Headquarters Building • 1616 H St. NW • Washington, DC 20006.
Built in 1957 - The original headquarters was located on Lafayette Park.

Each year, a listing of more than 1,400 issues of concern is published and distributed by the National Grange. Current national issues include:

Rural Highways & Infrastructure
Rural Schools Partnerships
Conservation Reserve Program
Rural Medicare Reform
United Nations Climate Control
Regional Dairy Compacts
Fast Track Trade Legislation
Endangered Species Act
Food Safety Protection
Rural Telecommunications Access
Preservation of Farmland

Major objectives of the National Grange support stewardship of America's natural resources; promotion of world-wide free trade; a combination of local and federal support for rural education, medical, communications, and road systems; non-partisan political participation; assurance of safe and properly labeled food products; organization of cooperatives and other economic services to support rural Americans; and elimination of direct government farm programs so as to assure a competitive and efficient farm system. The National Grange supports the passage of progressive legislation that will benefit U.S. agriculture, rural America, and the nation in general. After 137 years, it remains the nation's oldest and strongest sustained organizational force working for a better life for rural Americans everywhere. On December 4, 1867 in a small Washington, DC building that housed the office of William Saunders, Superintendent of Propagating Gardens in the Department of Agriculture, the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, more commonly known as the Grange, was born. Here, sitting around a plain wooden table, a group of seven earnest men, planned what was destined to become a vital force in preserving and expanding American democracy. They were all men of vision-they had faith in God, in their fellow man and the future. The Seven Founders of the Order of the Patrons of Husbandry were:
Oliver H. Kelley • William Saunders

Aaron B. Grosh • William M. Ireland
John R. Thompson • Francis McDowell
John Trimble (Assisted by Caroline Hall) Their names are inscribed on a Birthplace Marker located near the site of the original building on the south side of 4th Street SW, near Madison Street on the mall in Washington DC The marker was officially dedicated on September 9, 1951 and is the only private monument on the mall.

The National Grange is 137 Years of Service to Rural America... Today's Grange provides an opportunity to serve by providing leadership for local community service projects is what the Grange does best. Examples of some projects include organizing a softball league, providing hearing testing, building a community center, sponsoring a community fair, staffing an after school child care program, conducting a candidate debate and organizing voter registration drives.

The Grange believes in leadership development, and reaches out to all people in an effort to respond to real needs. It builds a better community by providing the services that people need to live better lives.
In working together, the Grange is able to provide assistance when the government can’t and individuals alone aren’t strong enough. By working together the Grange builds community and people. The Grange provides each member with a legislative voice at the local, state and national level. Members are part of a grassroots constituency enabling them to effectively express their views and influence legislative policy at the highest levels of government. The Grange is nonpartisan, but it vigorously encourages member participation in the political process. The fellowship, recreation and social activities in the Grange are developed with the family in mind – children and senior citizens alike are very welcome in the Grange. Competitions in music, art, public speaking, crafts, and a whole variety of other activities are an important part of every Grange’s agenda.

Grange Structure - The Subordinate (local) Grange This unit of the organization is built around the community. Men, women and youth are admitted on equal terms. Those who are 14 years of age are eligible for full membership. Each member has one vote. The local Grange elects its own officers and controls its own affairs in community matters. It confers the first four ritualistic Degrees. Although regular business Grange meetings are for members only, the educational and literary programs are frequently open to the public. All Grange activities are for the purpose of developing leadership, improving community life, and expanding opportunities for all people. Approximately 300,000 people are members of the Grange in 3,600 communities nationwide.

The Pomona (county) Grange
Subordinate Granges within a given district are grouped together on a county or regional basis into Pomona Granges that meet monthly or quarterly. The Pomona Grange offers the Fifth Degree of the order, thus extending the lessons and opportunities of the Subordinate Grange. The Pomona Grange provides the leadership for educational, legislative, and business interests of the Subordinate Granges in its jurisdiction.

The State Grange The state Grange is a delegate body representing Subordinate and Pomona Granges. At their annual conventions, State Granges consider many important matters relating to legislation and public policy, with particular reference to agriculture, other matters of concern to rural America and the general welfare of the state as a whole. Inasmuch as State Grange policies originate in the Subordinate and Pomona units of the Order and are conveyed through their delegates, this branch is, in a special sense, expressive of Grange thought and sentiment throughout the entire state. Voting authority is vested in the delegate body, which in most instances, is composed of the Masters of Subordinate and Pomona Granges and their spouses, each having one vote. The Sixth Degree of the Order is conferred at these conventions.

The National Grange This is the parent branch of the Order which speaks with authority and understanding for the major branches of agriculture and Rural America. All business sessions of the National Grange are open to any Subordinate Grange member in good standing. As spectators, they have no vote in the deliberations, but they do have ample opportunity to appear before committees and to testify. As the supreme legislative body of the Order, policies are developed through the channels of Subordinate, Pomona and State units, and consequently embody the seasoned judgment of the membership. At the annual convention of the National Grange, one day is devoted to the conferral of the Seventh Degree, the highest degree of Order. Degree candidates and members gather from all parts of the Nation for this annual ritualistic event.

Mission of the National Grange Historical Preservation Committee The Mission of the National Grange Historical Preservation Committee is to organize and catalog the historical materials of our Order and to support the overall Mission of the National Grange so that current and future generations will have a greater understanding and appreciation of the Grange.

Goals of the Committee

Establish historians in all Grange states and develop a working relationship with them.
Establish a regular means of communications regarding Grange historical materials.
Organize and properly store historical materials.
Establish repositories of State Grange and National Grange Journals of Proceedings and other historical Grange materials.
Actively seek opportunities to share the history of Grange

This page URL:
http://www.nationalgrange.org/about/history.html

History of the Massachusetts State Grange

The Massachusetts State Grange is one of the oldest fraternal organizations in the commonwealth. The first Grange in Massachusetts was organized on June 17, 1873 in Greenfield, and was named Guiding Star Grange #1. Between then and December 2, 1873, seventeen more Granges were organized. They were in Deerfield, Northfield, Boston, Harvard, Danvers, Pittsfield, Acton, Ware, Groton, Conway, Barre, South Deerfield, Monson, Hadley, Amherst, Cheshire, and Palmer. As fifteen Granges were sufficient to create a State Grange, a meeting was held at Greenfield, with representatives from the above named Granges on December 3 and 4, 1873, where the Massachusetts State Grange was organized. This date coincides with the anniversary of the organization of the National Grange on December 4, 1867. The first officers were elected, including four women officers. In the Grange, women have always been given the full benefits of membership, including the right to serve as elected officers.

The Grange was organized in difficult times. During the years following the Civil War, farmers were struggling to make a living. The whole nation was dealing with an economic depression. The founders of the Grange, also known as the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, formed the organization in part to give farmers an opportunity to share ideas and assist each other through difficult times. Initially, the organizers found it easy to create new Granges throughout the state. People were willing to join the Grange under its promise of increase income through cooperative stores that also allowed supplies to be purchased at bulk, discounted rates. Within two years, there were 100 Granges in Massachusetts. These early Granges encountered a great deal of problems, however. Some cooperative stores were managed by inexperienced workers, and the Grange had not been around long enough to establish an identity for itself, causing disorganization within the Grange. These, along with other issues, caused the closing of many local Granges, leaving only 26 remaining in 1878. Despite the problems encountered during the early days of the organization, those involved in the Grange were determined to preserve and build their organization. At a meeting of the State Grange in 1879, the Treasurer reported that their treasury was down to one cent. State Master (President) James Draper stood up, pulled a penny from his pocket, and announced; “Now we have doubled the funds of our treasury. Let’s go ahead and build the Grange.” It was this type of dedicated that helped the Grange continue to grow to its peak of over 51,000 members in 1949. Throughout its history, the Grange has done many things to benefit the people of Massachusetts and the local communities within the commonwealth. This work, much of which is organized by the State Grange’s many committees, has been in the form of lobbying for legislation, completing community service projects, donating to worthy causes and providing programs to attract members who will assist in the work of the Grange. The roots of the Grange exist in the field of agriculture. Many of the Grange’s programs keep this important cause in mind. The Massachusetts State Grange was a major part in the adoption of the first Arbor Day observance in 1885. It also began a long-standing relationship with Heifer Project International in 1959. This is an organization that provides livestock and agrarian education to poor families around the world so that they can provide for themselves. The Massachusetts State Grange also supports Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom, a program that educates children about agriculture. Over the years, local Granges throughout the state have sponsored agricultural fairs in their own communities. The Grange has also worked to preserve open lands, protect wildlife, assure strict health standards for American farm products, and keep our air and water clean. The Grange has always had an interest in the legislative process. From the early days of the National Grange, when lobbying Congress to protect farmers from the high prices charged by railroads for the transport of farm products, the Grange has been concerned with legislative issues of concern to its membership. In more recent times the Grange has been involved in issues such as supporting tougher penalties for drunk drivers, encouraging increased safety measures for roads and bridges, supporting closed caption television for the hearing impaired, requiring all homes to have smoke detectors, among many other issues. The Grange has also done a great deal to benefit families and local communities. Major fundraisers have been held to support causes such as the American Cancer Society, Joslin Diabetes Foundation and the National Cystic Fibrosis Association. The Grange has also sponsored community projects such as bloodmobiles, collecting eyeglasses and hearing aids for the needy, donating homemade stuffed toys to children’s hospitals, and knitting hats and booties for premature babies in local hospitals. Each year the Grange sponsors the State Health Project which collects donations from local Granges to give to a specified, health-related cause. Over the years, this project has benefited causes such as the March of Dimes and the Beverly School for the Deaf. One health related cause that has consistently been a focus for the Grange since 1979 is that of issues concerning the deaf and hearing impaired. Over the years, the Grange has donated educational materials about ears and hearing to schools, books about deafness to libraries, and sign language charts to local emergency workers such as police and EMTs. Grange members can benefit from the Grange’s Hearing Aid Fund which provides monetary assistance toward the purchase of hearing aids. Just as women have the benefits of equal membership in the Grange, so do young people. Membership in the Grange is open to anyone who is age 14 and over. Many special programs and events are sponsored by the Grange’s Youth Committee for members in this age group. The Grange youth program has sponsored White Water Rafting trips, outings to amusement parks and museums, and the annual Bowling Contest to raise funds for programs such as the Make-a-Wish Foundation and the Ronald McDonald House. The newly created Young Adults Committee sponsors programs and events of interest to young married couples and young families. Since 1956, the State Grange has sponsored a popular summer event for young members called Youth Leadership Training School (YTLS). Throughout its history, the 4-5 day conference has been held at various locations, including college campuses and campgrounds. The program for the event includes classes on leadership and different aspects of the Grange, as well as fun events like day trips to a beach and the annual banquet. The Grange sponsors many contests for its members on local, state and national levels. These contests are designed to give members the opportunity to compete in fun events that also help them learn more about the various programs of the Grange. Over the years, various committees have sponsored coloring, essay, and photography contests. The bakeoff and needlework/sewing contests are also sponsored annually. The Deaf Awareness department sponsors a Sign-a-Song contest in which contestants perform their favorite song in sign language. The Youth department sponsors many favorite competitions, including the Public Speaking contest, Drill contest, and the Ambassador program. Youth Ambassadors from each state are awarded the opportunity to represent their states at the National Grange Convention’s youth program each year. The Master (President) of the Grange at all levels is the official who has the authority to organize committees and events, and has significant influence on the direction taken by the Grange during his/her term of office. T. L. Allis of Conway was the first Master of the Massachusetts State Grange. He was elected at the organizational meeting of the State Grange in December, 1873, and only served until the first annual session was held in February, 1874. Joseph P. Felton of Greenfield served in the office from 1874 – 1875. He was a farmer and Master of Guiding Star Grange #1 in 1873, and invited the Granges of Massachusetts to Greenfield for the organizational meeting of the State Grange. Thaddeus Graves of Hatfield was State Master from 1875 – 1877. He had served as Lecturer (Program Director) of the State Grange prior to becoming Master, and served as leader of the State Grange during very difficult times. Benjamin P. Ware of Marblehead also served the State Grange as Master during the most turbulent early years of the organization, from 1877 – 1879. No new Granges were organized during his term of office, but the first Grange hall, that of Dalton Grange #23, was dedicated during this time. This was viewed by many as a sign of hope for the young organization. James Draper of Worcester, was State Master for eight years (1879 – 1887), the longest term in the State Grange’s history. He had been the first Master of Worcester Grange #22, the largest Grange in the state at that time. During his administration, the number of Granges in the state grew from 26 to 67. He went on to hold the position of High Priest of Demeter, and was elected National Master in 1888. Arthur A. Brigham of Marlboro served as State Master from 1887 – 1888. He served as State Secretary before being elected Master, and assisted in the organization of 15 new Granges during his involvement in the Grange. He also assisted with the organization of Granges in Rhode Island leading to the organization of the Rhode Island State Grange. Later in life he served as Professor of Agriculture at the Rhode Island Agricultural College. Henry A. Barton, Jr. of Dalton held the office of State Master from 1888 – 1889. He also served in the positions of State Overseer (Vice President) and member of the Executive Committee of the State Grange. Norman B. Douglas of Sherborn was State Master from 1889 – 1891. It was during this time that the Dairy Bureau was enacted and the first Grange representative was sent to the State House to protect the agricultural interests of the commonwealth. Elmer D. Howe of Marlboro served as State Master from 1891 – 1897. He wrote brief histories of the State Grange for the 25th, 40th and 50th anniversaries, omitting reference to any of his accomplishments. During his term in office, the number of Granges and members in the state grew. He also served as a trustee for the Agricultural College at Amherst. Warren C. Jewett of Worcester was state Master from 1897 – 1901. He was a successful farmer, and worked, through the Grange, for the passage of agricultural legislation. He was also a member of the State Board of Agriculture. George S. Ladd of Sturbridge served the State Grange as Master from 1901 – 1905. He served as State Lecturer before becoming Master, and began a new emphasis on education within the Grange, later serving as Secretary of the Educational Aid Fund. Carlton D. Richardson of West Brookfield held the position of State Master from 1905 – 1909. He organized 26 Granges. He was a member of the State Board of Agriculture, the State Cattle Bureau, and chairman of the Dairy Commission in the Department of Agriculture. Charles M. Gardner of Huntington, State Master from 1909 – 1913, was instrumental in the creation of the highly successful Educational Aid Fund, a State Grange program that gives out many scholarships and loans to Grange members who are furthering their education. He was also editor of the National Grange Monthly for many years. He published the book on Grange history entitled Grange – Friend of the Farmer, and served the state as head of the Massachusetts Dairy Department. He was elected High Priest of Demeter in 1913 and served until 1947. Edward E. Chapman of Mendon was State Master from 1913 – 1917. He emphasized community service programs within local Granges, and at this time the State Grange began offering prizes for excellence in local improvement. Leslie R. Smith of Hadley served as State Master during the U.S. involvement in World War I, from 1917 – 1921. The State Grange saw its first lost in membership during this time, due largely to the influenza outbreak in 1918. He went on to serve as Priest Archon of the Assembly of Demeter from 1929 – 1932. Ernest H. Gilbert of Stoughton held the office of State Master from 1921 – 1925. He served as State Secretary after holding the office of Master. During his term of office, aid to Grange fairs was increased, and he promoted the building of the Juvenile Grange program, a level of Grange membership for children as young as 5. William N. Howard of North Easton held the office of Master from 1925 – 1929. During this time, many Grange halls were dedicated and community service programs were emphasized by the State Grange. He was involved in the organization or reorganization of 62 Granges. Henry N. Jenks of Cheshire was State Master from 1929 – 1933. During his term, the State Grange increased its emphasis on agriculture, promoted highway safety, and started a series of Grange radio programs. Samuel T. Brightman of Fairhaven served as State Master from 1933 – 1937. During his term, Juvenile Granges grew, the number of Grange fairs increased and a continued emphasis was placed on highway safety. Everett W. Stone of Auburn held the office of State Master from 1937 – 1941. During his term the New England Grange Building on the grounds of the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield was constructed. This building has long served as a needed headquarters for the New England State Granges. During World War II, the Government used this building for the military and returned it to the New England State Granges at the end of the war. During his term, the State Grange reached its goal of enacting legislation to name the American Elm as our State Tree and the Chickadee as our State Bird. He served in the State Legislature and as Treasure of the National Grange from 1939 – 1944. Harvey G. Turner of Andover served as State Master from 1941 – 1945. He began a program of holding officers meeting across the state, which was successful until gasoline rationing during World War II made these meetings no longer possible. He served as Priest Archon of the Assembly of Demeter from 1941 – 1945. L. Roy Hawes of Sudbury held the office of State Master from 1945 – 1949. He was interested in the youth of the Grange and started the Youth Camp Fund to sponsor Youth activities throughout the state. He also began Grange participation in the Blue Cross Hospitalization Plan of insurance for members. He also served as Commissioner of Agriculture in Massachusetts for many years. He served the National Grange on the Executive Committee and as Priest Archon of the Assembly of Demeter. Charles H. Brown of Pittsfield was State Master from 1949 – 1953. He appointed the first State Grange Youth Committee in 1950. State Grange fundraising programs also increased under his leadership. E. Gerry Mansfield of West Peabody, State Master from 1953 – 1957, was appointed to the State Department of Agriculture and served as Director of Fairs. During this time the State Grange increased its aid to many health related organizations in the state and on a national level. Arthur F. Thompson of Malden held the office of State Master from 1957 – 1961. During his term, the Charles M. Gardner State Park in Huntington was created as the result of a bill he supported. The official publication of the State Grange, then called the “Guidelines” was first distributed during his term of office. The paper, now called the State Grange News, is still printed and distributed to members and others across the state and nation. John E. Johnson of Chelmsford was State Master from 1961 – 1965. The State Grange turned its support of Heifer Project into an annual project during his term of office. Frank H. Nelson of Athol, State Master from 1965 – 1969, was in office when the State Grange presented the first laser instrument in New England to repair retina damage to the Joslin Diabetes Foundation in Boston. Funds were raised from Granges throughout the state by holding various fundraisers. C. Wesley Thayer of Feeding Hills held the office of State Master from 1969 – 1973. It was during his term of office that the Massachusetts State Grange celebrated its centennial anniversary. As a Director of the New England Grange Building, he spent much of his time in its interest and use. Rexford R. Smith of West Springfield served as State Master from 1973 – 1977. He encouraged the formation of the Massachusetts State Grange Federal Credit Union to aid members with financial matters. He also formed the Massachusetts State Grange Youth Leadership Association, a Grange for youth to gain experience in the workings of the organization. At this time, the Grange was represented in the legislature by a Legislative Director who spoke for the interests of the Grange. State Master Vernon P. West of Williamsburg served from 1977 – 1981. He was especially interested in the growth of the organization and stressed communication and publicity as a means of gaining public attention and support for Grange programs and attracting new members. He served as National Grange Treasurer from 1979 to 1981. Robert E. Barrow of Swansea served as State Master from 1981 – 1985. During his term, the Massachusetts State Grange purchased the Albert J. Thomas Library/Museum in Rutland. This building houses the State Grange archive and memorabilia and serves as a meeting place for Grange committees. He served as National Grange Secretary and Lecturer before being elected National Grange Master in 1987. Kenneth B. Skinner, Sr. of East Bridgewater served as State Master from 1985 – 1989. In 1986, the First Annual State Grange Fair was held in Spencer. Communication Conferences, where State Grange Officers and Committees shared ideas, were held to help build a stronger Grange. His aim in the Grange was dedicated to its growth and the service it provides for its members. Floyd E. Murphy of Northboro held the office of State Master from 1989 – 1993. He was interested in the preservation of Grange ritual and working with the Junior Granges (previously called “Juvenile Grange”) throughout Massachusetts. He led the plans to raise funds for the National Grange Convention held in Springfield, Massachusetts, in November 1997, and appointed a Steering Committee to prepare for the occasion. Thomas F. Severance of North Brookfield served as State Master from 1993 – 1997. He appointed a Ways and Means Committee to help raise funds to support the budget and programs of the State Grange. He served as President of the Directors of the New England Grange Building and was elected Priest Archon of the Assembly of Demeter in 1995. Kathleen M. Peterson of Holden was elected as the first women Master of the Massachusetts State Grange, and served from 1997 – 2001. During her term, the State Grange developed a strategic communications plan for future planning, created its website, improved safety measures for young members, instituted awards for excellence in Grange service, and began its involvement in the National Grange “Action Grange” program. Massachusetts hosted the National Grange Convention in 1997, and then went on to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the State Grange. She was elected Lady Assistant Steward of the National Grange and also served as Trustee, Building Manager and first Director of the Big E Grange Experience at the New England Grange Building. Mary J. Jordan of Rutland held the office of State Master from 2001 – 2005. During her term, the State Grange focused on community involvement. The Program Expo was implemented during her term to assist Granges in planning quality programs on a local level. She established a new committee on the State level with the purpose of researching and providing information to Granges about how they can obtain grant monies to improve their halls, about insurance needs for Granges, and also building code information. Many changes were made to the State Grange website during her term, and the site was greatly improved and made more useful to Grange members and the general public. Calvin C. Chase, Jr. of Dunstable began his term in office as State Master in 2005 and is currently serving in this position. He has assigned each committee the task of creating a set of policies of what the Grange supports in their specific area. His vision for the Grange also includes assisting Granges in growing their membership so that they may do more to help their local communities. Today, members of the Massachusetts State Grange make a difference in the quality of life in our state. The actions of the Grange benefit all of us on a local, state and national level.

For more information about the history of the Massachusetts State Grange, please contact our State Historians.

http://massgrange.org/index.php?pr=Mass_Grange_Hist.

Our Covered Bridge

WareHistorical — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 13:22:03 CST

The Gilbertville Covered Bridge spans the Ware River and joins the Massachusetts towns of Ware and Hardwick (in Gilbertville village). The bridge also joins the Massachusetts Hampshire (Ware) and Worcester (Hardwick) counties. The bridge was built in 1886 and restored for its 100-year anniversary in 1986. It is one of three remaining indigenous covered bridges in Massachusetts (the Smith Bridge in Colrain and the Burkeville Bridge in Conway are the other surviving examples). The bridge is now closed to vehicle traffic, though it appears quite safe for pedestrian and cycling use. In 2003, some three hundred thousand dollars was provisioned by the U.S. Department of Transportation for restoration work. Some proposals have some of the bridge supports replaced with iron beams. These beams are certainly not part of the original bridge design, but would allow greater vehicle weights. In 2006, local news reported that the bridge has a severe powder post beetle problem. Officials are investigating extermination and prevention techniques. It does not appear that reconstruction or repairs have yet commenced as of this writing (March 2007). Note: It appears that the map data is incomplete in this region. The Ware River runs under the Gilbertville Covered Bridge and follows Route 32 into the center of Ware, Massachusetts. This spot was updated about 1 year ago by Aron Atkins. Created by Aron Atkins about 1 year ago. http://www.spotstory.com/spots/show/64 Address: Bridge Street Year Built: 1886 Truss Type: Town Portal Width: 20 feet Length: 137 feet Spans: Ware River Notes: The Gilbertville Bridge, on the Ware-Hardwick town line, features metal reinforcements and a sharp, three-toned color scheme; portsides stained red and white while the longsides are left a natural color. Unfortunately, the bridge suffers some graffiti. It has a six ton capacity and is open to vehicular traffic. http://www.masscoveredbridges.net/main/gilbertville.html Public comment on covered bridge due
HARDWICK — Public comment on the 75 percent design of the historic wooden covered bridge traversing Hardwick and Ware is due by Monday, according to a state Highway Department document.

A copy of the 75 percent design plan, prepared by Fay, Spofford & Thorndike of Burlington, is displayed at the municipal building in Gilbertville. The bridge, built in 1887, runs along Old Gilbertville Road in Ware and Bridge Street in the Gilbertville section of Hardwick. It has been closed to vehicle traffic since 2002, when state officials deemed the bridge unsafe. The 137.5-foot span crosses Ware River — connecting Worcester and Hampshire counties — and Hardwick with Ware.

State officials have estimated repair costs at $1.5 million to $2.3 million, which would be paid by state and federal funds. Comments should be sent to the Massachusetts Highway Department, re: Gilbertville Covered Bridge-Hardwick/Ware; 10 Park Plaza, Boston, MA 02116-3969. Questions may be directed to Shawn Holland, state Highway Project Management Engineer, at (617) 973-7242. http://www.telegram.com/article/20070727/DIGESTS/707270530/1004/RSS01&source=rss Bridge repairs

By James F. Russell CORRESPONDENT

HARDWICK— The covered bridge spanning the Ware River between Hardwick and Ware that was closed for safety reasons nearly eight years ago will not be fixed before 2013 because there is no government money for the $2.3 million repair project, according to state Highway Commissioner Lusia Paiewonsky.

At a public hearing in June 2006 in Ware, state highway officials said work on the 137.5-foot wooden bridge could start in the fall of 2008.

Built in 1887, the bridge sits along Old Gilbertville Road in Ware and Bridge Street in the Gilbertville section of Hardwick.
“The Gilbertville Bridge rehabilitation project is currently not scheduled to be advertised until October 2013 due to the limited funding available,” Ms. Paiewonsky wrote in a Jan. 15 letter to state Sen. Stephen M. Brewer, D-Barre. Hardwick selectmen released the letter during their meeting Tuesday night.

“Until this project is awarded for construction, the towns remain responsible for maintenance of this bridge,” the commissioner wrote.

State and federal funds have been promised to underwrite all of the repair costs
State officials asked the towns to close the bridge in August 2002, saying it was not safe for vehicular traffic.
the Ware/Hardwick Joint Covered Bridge Committee was formed to monitor, coordinate and advise the Selectmen of each town on the progress of repairs and renovations to the Ware/Hardwick Covered Bridge.

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The Casino Theatre

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Casino Theater gets lead man

Sunday, June 28, 2009

By NANCY H. GONTER ngonter@repub.com

WARE - A Holyoke man with a history of working in theaters has purchased the Casino Theater and hopes to restore it as quickly as possible.

Fred T. McLennan, who has run small theaters on Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, as well as working for major cinema companies, purchased the theater at 121 Main St. for $1 on June 17.

The theater is a box. It's not like we're restoring a hotel. We're going to make sure the box is 2010 solid," McLennan said.

The goal is to make the theater affordable, show first-run movies, and offer the best popcorn slathered in real butter, McLennan said. He also plans to put in rocking-chair seats. The theater will have two shows a day and a children's matinee.

"We pride ourselves with having the best buttered popcorn in the business," he said.

McLennan purchased the building from Western Massachusetts Theaters Inc. and said the Casino was the last owned by the company owned by the Goldstein family. They once owned small theaters across Western Massachusetts.

"The main problem is the roof. I think we caught it in time structurally," McLennan said.

Earlier this year, the town went to court to get the building either repaired or torn down. A large chainlink fence was placed around the building.

McLennan said he has worked for "some of the most successful companies in the business, including SACK Theaters in Boston in the 1970s, General Cinema in the 1980s and for National Amusements Showcase Cinemas for 18 years.

He said he also operated his own theaters on Martha's Vineyard and in the town of Canton, and was the last manager at the Dreamland Theatre on Nantucket.

"The Casino is a 100-year-old wooden building that has had everything burn down around it, but after four generations of Ware moviegoers, child and adult alike, a Great Depression, five wars, here it is in the 21st century, a survivor," he said.

The Casino Theater - Ware, MA

Heritage Landscape Inventory Program

Arts at the Meeting House

Casino

A weir, a waterwheel and a School House

Carding, Spinning, Knitting and Quilting

Ware History Day for Grade Three students

Ware_Gilbertville Covered Bridge

Ware Grange

Our Covered Bridge

By NANCY H. GONTER

ngonter@repub.com