Sunday, April 28, 2024

Program: Griswoldville, The Grand Plan

Thursday, May 9th at 7:30pm in the Stacy Barn, located at the Colrain Museum of History, 8 Main Road, Colrain

A photo from the report. 
The view is from High St. looking North toward St. John’s Church and Church St. on the right, and on the left is the canal, Main Road (Rt. 112), an apartment building, a house, and the covered bridge crossing the North River at the start of Adamsville Rd.

The May program at the Colrain Historical Society will be a photographic journey through the village as far North as the Willis Place block as it was in 1920. The Griswold Manufacturing Company commissioned a Boston firm to develop a plan to improve and expand life in the village. A book with black and white photos and the grand plan was presented to the company.

The plan outlined where to put athletic fields, tennis courts, swimming pool and lockers. It mentioned the locker area could be small as only men would be swimming- this was 1920! The pictures to be shown from the book are one of a kind and show the entire village with the ideas for improvements, including sidewalks, shrubs and tree planting. They suggest painting all the houses lovely pastel colors.

Of the multitude of suggestions in this plan not one thing happened. Years ago the book was pulled from the trash at the mill and eventually found its way to the Historical Society.

The program in the Stacy Barn, Thursday, May 9, at 7:30 p.m following the business meeting at 7pm is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

The report was prepared by a landscape architect from Boston named Bremer W. Pond.


Photocopy of the report cover

Photo of Bremer Whidden Pond

Biography of Bremer Whidden Pond