The Parade Float

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.

Won second prize for best parade float

We had the Rictus affair to go to, and while we were there they were going to have a parade so one of the men who owned a woolen mill there in Rochester let us have a wagon and a beautiful horse. He said, "I've got a beautiful horse you can have to hitch into this wagon, and you can do what you want to with it". It was a wagon that had sides that were spoked so that you could have the sheep in it. I wound the spokes on the wagon part and also on the wheels with crepe paper--made it as pretty as we could. Always when we were traveling Frank had a linen duster--probably that's something you don't know much about these days but in those days with the first automobiles and so forth they used to wear a linen coat which would come just to the knees--it was called a duster. So Frank had that to put on and we also took a mopstick and fastened on a crook on one end of it like a sheep crook, We loaded 3 or 4 beautiful ewes into that wagon and he went into the parade with it and he won the second prize for the rigging--the way we decorated it up and so forth, but it was mostly for having the sheep and the shepherd.

Photo Archives

Photo of Marion Davis (right) on a camping trip. Check out the camping table.

James Roger diary entry & pullet count

17th December 1912

Frosty, fine day, wind variable. David & Daniel clearing up lumber. Got letter and Christmas cards from Mrs. Spofford. Mr. Lord called in the afternoon. Pullets 9.

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