Happy New Year (2024 and 1913)
New Ipswich Historical Society
Marion Davis Audio-Tape Transcriptions
Sometime before her death in 1986, Marion Davis recorded her memories at the encouragement of her brother, Walter Buck. The recordings were transcribed by a secretary.
The Friends of Wapack have made these available to the Historical Society. Marion was born on February 8, 1894 in Fitchburg, MA.
Laying out the Wapack Trail
Sunday Work
II can remember taking them down to the Binny Hill Road, and they came thru over the mountain. I went back to the farm, Mable put up a lunch and I came over to where the old Brown place was where we built the Lodge later. I went up on the mountain and met them with their dinner. Two or 3 days later they did the same thing over the Temple It. range. Then Frank and I began laying out trails from Watatic. We started at Watatic; we did this Sundays. When we were busy with cattle during the, week we could take Sunday off.
We just about completed the layout of the trail that year and then Arthur Comey--he was city planner for the city of Boston-- and a very active member of the Appalachian Club. He came up to see us one day. He had been hiking around and had discovered the trail and he said he thought it would be wonderful if they had a ski trail thru on it too. He asked if we objected to their doing anything like that and Mr. Robbins told him, "No, go ahead".ess.
Photo Archives
Pioneers of the Trail, Frank Robbins and Albert Annett
James Roger diary entry & pullet count (14)
Happy 1913
1st January 1913
Bright, sunny day, wind westerly. David choring round in forenoon and helped me out with the settees out the Hall for the Jolly 5 dance tonight. I swept Hall and filled the lamps. David and George Sargent dug grave for Mary Whitney in the afternoon. Got letter from Hamish, who is finished helping in the Express Office at Schenectady. Today the Parcel Post comes into operation all over the United States. “Willard Leon our first foot.” Pullets 14.
January 1, 1913
Parcel post service began on January 1, 1913 and was an instant success. During the first five days of service, 1,594 post offices reported handling over 4 million parcel post packages. The effect on the national economy was electric. Marketing through parcel post gave rise to great mail-order businesses.
Excellent news about building of the Wapack Trail. Does its system include any of the trails over at Windblown? Or that trail over Kidder on which I fell bushwhacking like a maniac on XC skis about 50 years ago?
So Marion had an occasional Sunday off. She seemed grateful for that. It seems most of the time she was doing something 7 days/wk. I spent a lot of time in areas she described 65 yrs ago. I can't imagine cattle drives happening there.