034. Turn of the Century Selfie

We answer a listener's inquiry about a statue in Grafton,MA. Before the advent of the cell phone selfie, what was one to do?

Transcript

Hello and welcome back to New England on a Pedestal. Doug Farquharson here, hosting another episode for you.  As you probably know by now, we look at New England’s history, its people, places, and stories as told through its many and varied statues, sculptures, memorials, and monuments. You can help us get those stories told to more listeners by subscribing to us through your favorite podcast platform and leaving a review for us. It will help us reach more listeners and expand our audience. Thank you! If you’re familiar with this podcast, and I hope you are, you’ve probably heard us ask listeners to tell us about a statue they’ve seen and want more information on. Well, thanks to Jen Mannion’s question, we will be exploring the story behind a statue standing beside the town common in Grafton, Massachusetts.

An old colonial town settled in 1671 and incorporated in 1735, Grafton is in Worcester County and in 2020 had a population of just under 20,000 residents. It is part of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, the oldest industrial region of the United States. We discussed this in part back in episode 16, Utopian Hopefuls, when we were in nearby Hopedale. As you can imagine, various mills and manufacturing facilities including textiles, metalworks, and gun factories have called the area home over the years. There are still some industrial areas in town producing all manners of goods. Fun fact: parts for NASA’s now retired Space Shuttle orbiters were forged in Grafton.

Like a lot of New England towns, Grafton has a town common where, in days gone by the townsfolk would gather around and exchange news and gossip. Town politics would be discussed. Commerce and business transactions would take place. Livestock would graze. The militia would march and drill. Stores, bakeries, eateries, and churches would be around its edges. In that regard, not much has changed. There’s a small, white bandstand, more or less in the center of the commons. Interesting story about that. Originally, Grafton did not have a bandstand on the common. However, in 1935 MGM Studios filmed scenes here for a Eugene O’Neill film called Ah, Wilderness! starring Lionel Barrymore and Mickey Rooney. Younger listeners probably have never heard of either of these guys! Anyway, they needed a bandstand. So, the prop department built one and once the filming was complete, the production donated it to the town. It has been repaired and renovated several times over the years. Jen wasn’t asking about the bandstand though. She was interested in a statue located at the southern end of the common just across Church Street. There atop a tall granite pedestal stands a bronze stately figure of a bearded gentleman, leaning on a walking stick, his overcoat draped over an arm. He wears a vest, necktie, and top hat. He appears to be a man of wealth and some importance. Inscribed on the attached plaque are the following words: Jerome Wheelock. Mechanic, inventor, and manufacturer. Born in Grafton 1834. Died in Worcester 1902. His will contained a generous gift to his native town. So, who is Jerome Wheelock and why is his statue here in Grafton by the common? And what was his generous gift?

Not much is written or known about young Jerome’s childhood aside from being born in Grafton. He apparently left home at a young age and did not communicate with his parents. At some point he managed to become an apprentice at the Taunton Locomotive Works where they built steam locomotives. He did quite well there and when he left it was with high praise and accolades. He began working at Washburn Iron Works when he moved to Worcester in 1858. Wheelock was a gifted and talented mechanic. Now mind you, this is the nineteenth century. So, don’t be confused by the word mechanic. It did not refer to someone who worked on, say, automobiles and other vehicles. The word was used for someone who was a skilled artisan, craftsman, or manual laborer who worked with their hands to construct, maintain, or operate tools and machinery. He was also an inventor and came up with some revolutionary designs to improve the efficiency of steam operated engines and equipment. For instance, while at Washburn, he invented the Wheelock Steam Cylinder Packing and joined up with Charles A. Wheeler in late 1864 or early 1865 to begin manufacturing this invention, which was described as a sectional ring and piston packing. He ultimately sold the company in 1888. Not only was he a successful inventor, he did alright for himself as a businessman as well. Now, I don’t pretend to know anything much about steam engines. However, people who knew a lot about them were very impressed with Wheelock and his inventions, especially the Wheelock valve system. If I understood my research correctly, this led from single cylinder steam engines to multi- cylinder and more efficient ones. He won several gold medals and other bling at both the national and international levels during the 1870s and beyond. His inventions and business did well here in the United States, but they made huge impacts overseas and were used throughout Europe. I read that he made over sixty transatlantic crossings by ship in his lifetime. He married in 1858 and had five children though only two sons survived beyond infancy. Wheelock died suddenly from either a cerebral hemorrhage or heart disease while walking down a street at age sixty-seven in 1902 near his home in Worcester, Massachusetts.

As mentioned before, Wheelock did quite alright financially for himself. He valued education and in his will, he gave $100,000 to each Harvard and Clark Universities to be held as the Jerome Wheelock Fund. He provided another $25,000 to be divvied up between several Worcester institutions such as Clark University, the Worcester Art Museum, the Washburn Home for Aged Women, and the Children’s Friend Society. His will provided large sums of monies for his family and relatives as well. Now, this next part is where New England on a Pedestal gets very interested in his will and we come to the answer for Jen Mannion’s question. He instructed the executor of his will to provide his hometown of Grafton with $100,000. Ninety percent of that was to be used to build a public library or a town hall. That $90 grand was put into the bank and eventually funded the Grafton Public Library which opened in 1927. What happened to the other ten grand? Well, as a condition for receiving the money, the town had to erect a bronze statue of him on their town common. They did and it was dedicated in 1907. As we noted, it remains there still and can be seen from the library. He had also given the City of Worcester a hundred G’s for a statue of himself and directed the sculptor Herbert Adams to be commissioned for the piece. I read that on his birthday in June, the library often throws a birthday party celebrating their original benefactor for the town’s children.

Herbert Adams was born in Vermont but was educated in the Fitchburg and Worcester school systems when his family moved to Massachusetts for a job his father took in Fitchburg. He took a liking to art and teaching and studied both. Eventually he trained in Paris, France. In 1889, a group in Fitchburg raised funds to install an ornamental fountain on the Upper Common off of Main St. Adams was chosen to create the large 26-foot fountain of young boys playing and a family of turtles. He created over two hundred public art pieces. He became known for making busts of famous people. Adams taught in institutions around the globe. 

If you visit the library and/or old Jerome and get hungry walking around the common or belting out a tune from the bandstand, head on down to the Reunion Tap and Table at 198 Worcester St. We’ve been there several times over the years. Great beer list, excellent cocktails, and menu guaranteed for you to find something you like.

By now, you probably realize that the concept behind this podcast is pretty simple. Travel around New England, find some statues, and talk about them. We have an ever-growing database of statues, monuments, memorials, and sculptures that we want cover over time, but we certainly do not know all of them. Shoot us an email at newenglandonapedestal@farqie.com and tell us about a favorite or unique or odd one you know. If you have additional information or maybe a correction about something we have already shared, please send it our way and perhaps we will add an addendum to a later episode.

We really would love to hear from you. Let us know what you think. What are we doing right? What can we do better? Let us know of a statue with a story near and dear to you. We can be reached via email at newenglandonapedestal@farqie.com. That’s New England on a Pedestal all one word at F A R Q I E dot com.  Go to Facebook and like the New England on a Pedestal page. Follow us on Instagram. We post photos and links on those social media platforms from time to time. You can now find a fan mail link in the description of each episode to send a message to us. There is also a voicemail and text line where you can reach out to us. Call or text (857) 410-0464. If you’re calling from outside the United States, remember to add the +1-country code. Remember to subscribe to New England on a Pedestal and leave a favorable review wherever you get your podcasts. Share us on your social media. Tell a friend!

As always, I want to thank Jason, Jake, Sam, and Bekka for their artistic and technical help in producing this podcast and Steffani for her administrative assistance. But, most importantly, I want to thank you, the listener, for tuning in and sticking with us. Without you, there is no podcast!

Join us next episode when we venture to another New England town and dig into some local history there. Until then, be safe, be well, be kind and keep discovering. Thanks for listening!