Calendar (1902)

In 1902, West Boylston was a town in the middle of a significant transition: the Wachusett Reservoir neared completion, and its construction had already displaced many people and their places of work. The town issued a calendar for 1902 to commemorate the old town and welcome the rebuilding of a new town. Below, you can see the dedication of the calendar—it’s a beautiful dedication remembering what was lost but welcoming a “New West Boylston.” The calendar contained one quote per day, and the quotes were famous lines from literature, poetry, or religious texts selected by the townspeople themselves. The photo below shows the quotes and the towns-person who chose it for the first four days of January. Such a slice of history helps us know what life was like at that unsure time. Though the factories were gone, local businesses were gone, and even the trees were gone, West Boylston was a town that would survive and house a community of people eager to rebuild.