xt7fn29p5t14 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7fn29p5t14/data/mets.xml Historical Records Survey (Mass.) United States. Work Projects Administration. Division of Community Service Programs. Massachusetts Historical Records Survey (Mass.) United States. Work Projects Administration. Division of Community Service Programs. 1941 iii, 148 p.: map 27 cm. UK holds archival copy for ASERL Collaborative Federal Depository Library Program libraries and the Federal Information Preservation Network. Call Number FW 4.14:M 382/3/no.10/v.5 books English Boston, Mass.: the Survey This digital resource may be freely searched and displayed in accordance with U. S. copyright laws. Massachusetts Works Progress Administration Publications Ayer (Mass.)--Archival resources Public records--Massachusetts--Ayer Ayer (Mass.)--History--Sources Archival resources--Massachusetts--Bibliography Archives--Massachusetts--Bibliography. Inventory of City and Town Archives of Massachusetts. No. 10, Middlesex County, vol. V, Ayer, 1941 text Inventory of City and Town Archives of Massachusetts. No. 10, Middlesex County, vol. V, Ayer, 1941 1941 1941 2020 true xt7fn29p5t14 section xt7fn29p5t14 ..<~—-—->.._ _ __.,_....._<..

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No.10 MIDDLESEX COUNTY
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INVENTORY 09 CITY AND TOWN ARCHIVES
OF MASSACHUSETTS

No. 10 Middlesex County

Vol. V, Ayer

Prepared by

The Historical Records Survey
Division of Community Service Programs
Work Projects Administration

The Fisrorical Records Survey
Boston? Massachusetts
1941

lie HlUJOilpdl Records Survey Program

Sargent B. Child, National Director

Carl J. Wennerblad, State Supervi.sor of Research and
Records Progralns in Has sacuusetts

Aron S. Gilmartin, State Supervisor of the Historical
Records Survey in liassachusetts

Comzunity Service ’robrﬁ

Florencr * .1 ls Tequl Cont.ii ssioner
Rcu~r _ i‘ '1' Regional Supervisor
Larold G '. é' Steie D irector

iJfliPEZ

0. Hunter, Acting Commissioner

. McDonougn, We“ionu Direct or
State Administrator

u: THE m'“ ‘ORICAL RECORDS SURVL PROJECT IN MASSACHUSETTS

Cook, Secretary of the Commonwealth

Plihlﬂ'rC E

by authority of a Presidential Letter, the His toric3l Records Survey

,, establ.isLod in January, 1956, under the national direction of Dr.

LUGhCT h Evans, as a federally Sponsored project of the Work Projects

untni tration. Since AuguS‘ 31, 1939, the sponsorship 01 the Massachusetts

unit oi the survey has been undertaken by Frederic W. Cook, Secretary of

the Commonwealth. Since March, 1940 the individual state projects of the

historical Records Survey have been under the national direction of Sargent
Child, who, as field representative of Dr. Evans, had had technical

ision of the work of the survey in New England from its inception.

. present writer has been in direct charge of the project in Massachusetts

*am August 1936 to September lQCO when he was succeeded by Aron S. Gilmartin.

The purpose of the project is to survey, preserve and render acces—
. bl: h;J “or ical source materials of all kinds. Its work has fallen
n-1urill into the following main divisions: public records, private
manuschvts church records. early Ameiican imprints, historical portraits
fracticaiiy all historical material falls under one or
divisions. in ringing this material under control
ioues have been found pracwti cable, depending on the nature
matter, and using vari usly the methods of the inventory,
calendar, the clock list or the index in the publication
For public records, church records and portraits, the
t“. iiiventory hqs worked best; for historical manuscripts, the
in iaie cases where the material was of unusual importance,
calendai; for imprints, the c: eck list; for newspaper and court rec—
:lo index; and so on.

Q I‘

1e ctua1.work of gathering information concerning historical ma—
* 'sir plac c of storage or custody has in most cases been pre—

, nece essary and, for both the custodian and posterity, im—
. ant task. that of putting records in order; of cleaning, dusting, re—
ﬁ111ng. and treating them; and, in short, doing everything possible to
.nsure their preservation. This function of the project, often performed
‘ ' workers under almost indescribable conditions of dust, filth,
, poor ventilation, and even vermin may well be regarded by future
ions as a most important contribution of the survey.

(L‘)

rc ely less important, however are the editorial processes to
Ll iield information must be subjected before publication. Here
s and inadequacies are spotted, inconsistencies reconciled, and order
idght out of chaos. In the field of public records it has been found
cessarv not only to sketch briefly the history of the county or town
and its rgovernment but also to preface tlie inventory of each subordinate
ea or institution with an outline of its development, based upon its
.wn records or upon statutory or other sources. In the inventories of

(“
1.1051
El

Preface

church records, similarly, the preparation of the history of each church
constitutes a task equally arduous with that of locating and listing its
records. In Massachusetts two broader works have also been undertaken.
The general historical background, statutory origin and functioning of
county, city, or town offices have been studied with a View to providing
satisfactory accounts of the develOpment of county and municipal govern—
ment generally. These latter undertakings are now happily nearing com—
pletion.

The inventory of the town archives of Ayer is the fifth in the series
such inventories covering the towns of Middlesex County. A full list
publications of the survey to date appears after the index at the end

this book.

The Survey ‘- indebted to the town officials of Ayer for their co-
operation and he Secretary of the Commonwealth, Frederic W. Cook,
without whose sponsorship this project would not be possible.

Aron S. Gilmartin
State Supervisor of Historical
Records Survey

q.“

'N;

FOREWORD

The Inventory g; the Town and City Archives 93 Massachusetts is one
of a number of bibliographies of historical materials prepared throughout
the United States by workers on the Historical Records Survey of the Work
Projects Administration. The publication herewith presented, an inventory
of the Archives of Ayer in Middlesex County, is volume V of number 10 of
the Massachusetts series.

The Historical Records Survey was undertaken in the winter of 1955-36
for the purpose of providing useful employment to needy unemployed histo—
rians, lawyers, teachers, and research and clerical workers. In carrying
out this objective, the project was organized to compile inventories of
historical materials, particularly the unpublished government documents
and records which are basic in the administration of local government, and
which provide invaluable data for students of political, economic, and
Social history. The archival guide herewith presented is intended to meet
the requirements of day—to—day administration by town officials, and also
the needs of lawyers, business men and other citizens who require facts
from the public records for the proper conduct of their affairs. The vol—
ume is so designed that it can be used by the historian in his research
in unprinted sources in the same way he uses the library card catalogue
for printed sources.

The inventories produced by the Historical Records Survey attempt to
do more than give merely a list of records——they attempt further to sketch
in the historical background of the county or other unit of government, and
to describe precisely and in detail the organization and functions of the
government agencies whose records they list. The county, town, and city
inventories for the entire country will, when completed, constitute an en-
cyclopedia of local government as well as bibliography of local archives.

The successful conclusion of the work of the Historical Records Survey,
even in a single town, would not be possible without the support of public
officials, historical and legal specialists, and many other groups in the
community. Their cooperation is gratefully acknowledged.

The Survey directed by Luther H. Evans from its inception in January
lBSG to March 1, 1940 when he was succeeded by Sargent B. Child formerly
National Field Supervisor. It operates as a nation—wide project in the
Division of Professional and Service Projects, of which Mrs. Florence
Kerr, Assistant Commissioner, is in charge. '

Howard 0. Hunter
Acting Commissioner of Work
Projects Administration

Eoreword

{\31—’
OCDOTU'I)I>CHH'-\

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1":7 SOL/GA, 5

:eir Re orig

Committee
201103 OF T111;

Records; Miscellaneous

ICCIX.
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XXXII
KKKIII

fnCXlV.

Table 01 Contents

School Phys ician

Trustees of the Ayer Library in
Minutes; Accession Records; Financial Records;
Chec ks an 1d Bank Accounts; Miscellaneous

Board of Public Welfare
General Cases Outside Cases; Financial Records,
Town Infirmary Receids; Aid to Dependent Children,
Old Age Assistazte Miscellaneous

WPA Spons orS' Agen

Board of Health
Miinrtes

Agent of the Board of
Patients‘ Records; 5
and Permits; Miscellaneous

Public Health Nurse ,_

Milk and Sanitary Inspect01

Inspector 01 A‘

Ins‘ector of ., ;~

Board of Water COUmlssinners
Minutes and Rep norts; Meter Records; Serrj_ce and
Pl Opera 71* ; Receipts and Expenditures;
Vouchers '1 ; Commitments and Abatements;
Checks and wt‘.1-coun‘ ; Plans; Land Takings and
R1 nts— ’ a g; hl‘ n15 Ho‘31. ‘ j Miscellaneous

Park Commissioners

Superintendent of

Tree Warden

Local Superintende a f Moth Work

Constables

Police Departmeni
Reports; Arr :sts;’Violﬂetions; Summonses and

Ha:rants;Fim1ncial Records; His
Board of Fire Edginee1s
Forest Warden 1..
Sealer of Weights
Weigllcrs of Ccal
Moderator
Town Council

cellaneous

Part C Defunct Offices

Surveyors of Lumber, Wood, and Bark
Pound Keeper it , .,,1

Liquor Agent

Fence Viewer,

Field Drivers

Sexton

or Contents

Fish Commi saiT
oomuwoﬂlur r<

Inspector of PIULb
Inspector of PeJm

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Appendix I

State ﬁrohi"es Pertaining To A'er...........=‘.,.....°.,...124
Set: non of Dispute Between the towns of Groton

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and

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list of Sources.
Index ....

...........................................127

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‘U‘IL aTions o: the Historical Recorfb Sur fey

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PART A. AYER AND ITS RECORD SYSTEM
HISTORICAL SKETCH

Ayer, one of the largest towns in its section of northern.Middlesex
County, is an important farming and commercial center 36.1 miles north-
west of Boston. It is situated on the Nashua River and the Boston and
Maine Railroad,2 is partly occupied by Camp Devens and in 1935 had a popu—
lation of 3,681.3 The corporate town has existed only since 1871, when
the General Court set it apart fror Groton and Shirley,4 but its history
dates back t<3 one of the earliest Massachusetts land grants. It was known
as Groton Junction after the advent of the railroads in the 1840's,5 as

South Groton before this,6 and occupies the site that was once the Indian
village of Nonacoiacus.’

The settlement of the area that later included Ayer began after the
ﬁeneral Court, on May 23, 1665, ruled that: ‘

There being a petition pferd by Mr. Dean Winthrop, Mr. Tho.
Hinkley and diucrs others for a plantation vpon the riuer that
runs from Nashaway into Merimacke, called Petawage, & another
from some inhabitnats of Concord, for a plantation in the same
place, to both of which the court‘returned this answer: that
the court thinks‘meet to grant to the petitioners eyght miles
square . . . which henceforth shall be called Groaten. .
5 map published later showed this grant to have included what became the
inwns of Shirley, Groton, Pepperell, and Ayer, and parts of Harvard,
innstable, Littleton and Westford. A tip of it extended into New Hampshire.9

More directly connected with the history of Ayer was the grant made
in 1659 to Major Simon Willard "conteyning fiue hundred acres, scituate,
lying and being, for the most part, on the east side of the Groaten River,
v Uwixt the plantation graunted to the inhabitants of Lancaster, and the

r inhabitants of Groton, at the place which is called by the Indians

lajcoyijcus. . . . Major Willard, a prominent figure in early
:sachusetts affairs, is believed to have occupied this property from

:bcut 1671 to 1676; one of the important Groton garrisons was located on

1. Massachusetts Secretary of State,“Decennial Census 1935, pp. 13, 14
hereafter cited as Massachusetts Census, 1935.
Atlas 93 Middlesex County, p. 269.
Massachusetts Census, 1935, p. 14.
Acts. 1871. ch. 23.
Atlas 23 Middlesex County, p. 269.
Groton, Mass., Reports 9: Town Officers, 1868, p. 15; hereafter
" Groton Reports.
§o_1_. R_eg_. IV, 411. 142.
Ibid., III, 388.
, Samuel A. Green, M. D., The Boundary Lines of Groton, map at
Deginning of volume.
10. 91. Egg” 1v, mm 1, pp. 411. 412.

First entry p. 36 Historical Sketch

his land.1 A number of other settlers lived in the section during the
early days, some perhaps before the Willard grant was made. Included
among these were Daniel Pearse, who settled between Sandy Pond and Ridge
Hill; John Page, Ir., builder of the first mill dam in the vicinity,
Cornelius Church, on whose farm one of the garrisonsowas situated, and
Simon Stone, later important in Groton town affairs.“

Although the Groton area, including the Nonacoiacus settlement,
suffered serious setbacks at the hands of the Indians (Major Willard's
garrison was one of those completely wiped out)3 the settlers made certain
definite progress. 0n "the twelfth day of the tenth month in the year
1677" a meeting oi Groton landholders was held in Concord, and it was
voted that "we return to Groton in the Spring and begin to repair our
habitations".4 By 1680—81 there were 73 residents listed in th; Groton
records;5 a sawmill was erected at Stony Brook about 1685,6 and it is
believed that there was a road that ran to Lancaster along the Nashua
River through the Nonaicoiacus settlement,7 and later another that led
from Groton to the corn mill of Jonas Prescott in the area that became
Harvard.a About a century after the settlement of Groton a highway was
laid out from ILunenburg To Littleton;g a sawmill and grist mill was
built on the old Willard property around 1778.10

With its relatively small population and its distance from the center
of Groton town life, he Nonaicoiacus area did not enjoy all of the bene-
fits received by other parts of the town. One of the chief causes for
complaint was the matter of inadequate school facilities. In 1741 Groton
had voted to keep the school in five places, one of them presumably in
the Ayer section;ll in 1745, however, it was voted that no school would
be held over two miles away.12 By 1758 the grammar school was being held
in "the south part of the town" but only for a part of the school term.13
One of the Groton school districts, Number Five. was situated in the
Sandy Pond section in 1792;14 in 1805 a set of "Bye Laws of Groton Relati:

l. The Boundary Lines 9; Groton. pp. 32, 63. See also sketch on Agar

in g History 93 Middlesex County. Massachusetts, D. Hamilton Hurd, ed..
II, 642.

Ibid., II. 642, 644.

Ibid., p. 675

Samuel Aooott Green. ed.. The Early Records 9: Groton, Mass.,

55; hereafter cited as Early Groton Records.

lib—12') p' 70'

Kurd, 92. 211.. II, 642.

lpid. See also Egrly_Groton Records. p. 52.

Hurd, QL- gi3.. IL, 662, 653.

Ibid., p. 653.

Ibid,. p. 642.

Ipid., p. 661.

its

Ibid.

ita-

‘13,

Historical Sketch First entry p 56

to Schools" called for twelve school districts, Districts 11 and 12 in
South Groton.l Prudential school committees were set up to conduct certain
0f the school affairs of these districts; 2 the matter of a high school
remained unsettled and was one of the i'actors probably involved in Ayer’s
plea for separation later.5 "From 1860 to 1871 there was seldom a town
meeting at Groton in which there was not some kind of an appeal for better
school conditions at Groton Junction", one writer stated.

The South Groton section also sought some other town improvements which
were slow to materialize. For a number of years its residents fought‘to
secure a fire house and equipment;5 an expense entry was shown in the Groton
Town Reports in 1862 for building the fire house at South Groton, the
second floor of which later housed a school.6 As early as 1845 a committee
had been appointed to consider the establishment of ten-volume libraries
in the school districts, but this effort failed.)7 as did a subs ecuent one
two decades later, when it was prOposed that the Groton town meeting "see
it the town will allow a part of its library to be kept at Groton Junction",8
L'ivate funds during this period maintained a few books at the Junction,
Kent at rirs+ in a schoolhouse. later in a store, then in the home of a
15 sident 9 but up to the time of Aycr*s incorporation the p;.*.r 2'1 unity
he? proviccd Groton function with no library facilities

The part that the South section 01 Groton play ed in the Indian wars
1r rooabl/ duplicated to a large e1 ten m in the Revolution, 11thoug

rail ble “lore"ical material does not distinguish clearlv between the
‘<' ' f those who lived in Groucrtiroper and those from the Nonacoiacus
least one Revolutionary hero, Col. William Prescott. noted for
e"ploits at Bunker Hill was claime' by one historian to have been born
village 10 but this contention has been disputed1

From 1800 to 1840 the growth of South Groton was not phenomenal There
wife some I‘ew industries, a considerable production of farm and dair “ gooc
and the section was an important center on several stage routes 12 lhe

1. Ibid., p 662. Groton School Committee, Bye Laws 9i Groton Relative
fo Schools and Instructions 01 the School Committee, 1805, art. V Hereafter
ged as Groton Schools Bylaws.
Groton School Bylaws, 1805, art V
Hurd, op. cit., II, 663.
Ibid,
Groton Reports, 1859. p. 11.
lbid,, 1862, pp. 3, 4; see also Hurd, op.
191d , II. 665.
has
Ibid., p. 664
Drake, Samuel Adams, History of Middlesex County, II 256.
Hurd, pp, 911,, II, 650.
Drake, pp. 311., II, 256, 257:

;__i
lowmqmcneozm

First entry p. 36 Historical Sketch

chic” crops were barley corn, hops, potatoes and apples; the industries
included an 'oil and batting’ mill, lumber, gr? vestones and a cornmeal
mill.l A more unusual period of growth began after the coming 01 the
railroads around the middle of the century. South Groton became a con—
necting point for a number of lines; new business were es ablished and
a postof ifice and railroe d station opened. 2 The first of the railroads to
ac chartered was the NaShua Railroa , incorporated in 1839 and given per—
ission to ouild its road to the New Hampshire state line, running through
hi rlev and Groton along the valley of the Nashua River.5 The Fitchburg
1ai.road was incoerIated in 1842; it built its first tracks to Shirley
'n .844 and a second line in 1847.-

A number of other lines were given charters by the General Court be~
tween 1840 and 1.855; some late became parts oi other e11 isting lines.
Among these were th e Groton Branch Railroad in 1844 5 the Groton and Eas;
Wilton Railroad in 18455 anda a road for the transportation of ice, under
the direction 01 the Fit chburg Railroad in 1833 '7 The Worcester and
Nashua Railroad was incorporated in 18458 and became a part of the Be etc
and Laine Svstem in 1886; 9 in the latter year the Stony Brook line, 171th
several othe ere, were consolidated wit 11 the Boston and Lowell Company
An atlas published in 1889 showed A1 er as a junction—point for the Bostc
and Maine's EH nthrop Division and two lines of the Fitchburg Railroad.ll

With the railroads came a general business and industrial ‘mnrovemext

and a heightened necessity for centc ring more of the Gro on town 1uncti

in the Juno-ion area A union railroad station and a no: stoffice had bee
opened;12 a hotel company was incorporat ed in 1859.15 A tannery, which
soon became one of the section's leading enterprises, was opened during
this period;14 oth -er concerns to begin bisiness in the growing community
were a factory for the manufacture of soap, an iron furnace, and a largg
plow shops“b The population steadily increased; by 1875, when the firs*
State census was made shortly after the incorporation of Ayer, its

313., II, 661.
1839, ch. 84.
ch. 145.
1844, ch. 137
1845, ch. 225.
1855, ch. 189.
1845, ch. 102.
1886, ch. 96.
ch. 121.
liddlesex Countv, p.
Ibid.,~ see also Hurd, gg.
Acts, 1859, ch. 151.
Hurd, 92. cit., II, 652— 675.
Ibid.

mamas-011N214

“;ssor1cal Sketch

2:6; “n111j0n was almost as large asltha t of Groton: it had 1,872 people as
e *1uut _L 908 for the older town. While no grea4g improvements appear to
on— room made to the educational facilities in the Junction up to the
and wt sgpara- tion, there were at least eight tea , employed th -ere at
ds to ma ~ and the Mac ion had, in addition its own lockup, aimory, fire
per— and engine, and liquor agent. .? In one year ISC tramps and paupers
hroug: en eared for in the Junction;= to some extent the Junctionrresidents
burg” ,Loated in some of the town governmental a11a1r s of Groton.¢
ley 1

«we desire of residents of the Junction to be
wuilﬂ had gained in popularity by 185o
,1 the South Groton Literary Society arrar
log hich a committee was appointed to
~noration. 6 Newspaper editorials advor
:d from tine to time;7 in 1870 a t
‘o the General Court stating thee
' on, Shirley and Littleton
that we . , be inocrporatec
';n, ."8 A town meeti
voted not to oppose
-1 to act wﬁ tn the
’yn vwsj_dents
the area
it was again voted
were held before
3Genera]. Court
De incorporated int a tow
alent at the 'ir e were imposed
111% public de;ts of Groton and
older t wns concerning their
limits, that tax arrears be pai

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:3

11 use Elohusetts Chief of the Bureau of 1' U'-" 3 La oor Census
msetts, l875, I, 5, El, 22.
lCGroton Reports, 1870, pp. 7, 8.
" , 1.01 _ IS; l862, pp. 5, l
_., l 19.
, 4 . passim.
' II, 684.

First entry p, 36 Historical Sketch

During the period of agitation for separation one Dr. James C. Ayer
of Lowell, one of the first men to make a large fortune from the sale of
patent medicines, had been interested in the village and its needs. It
was his name that appeared in the town's charter, although the first sug—
gestion had been to keep the name of Groton Junction. Shortly after the
incorporation he made a large donation that was eventually used for town
improvements.l ‘Originally this bequest hadtmen intended to provide medals
for school children and some other educational purposes; in view of the
immediate need of better roads, sidewalks, a town hall and yarious town
facilities, the donor later changed the nature of the gift.“ Officers for
the new town were elected and appointed at one of the sessions of the first
town meeting.3 A town hall was begun the following year.4 Later a poor—
house was built,5 and several new schools.

trous ire destroyed several of its most important buildingS, including a
church, a hotel, and the enginehouse, and partially destroyed the library.
Many families were made homeless.7 The fire caused an immediate effort

to be made to obtain a water system for protection and for domestic use.
Surveys were made8 and a committee later chosen to petition the General
Court for permission to establish such a system.9 The Court acted favorablg
on this petition the following year.10 When finished the system had a col—
lecting well at what was called the Belch Meadow, 25 feet in diameter and
25 feet deep; 2.8 miles of pipe were laid and a reservoir built at the site
of the well, using water—power at first for its motive force.ll The system
served an average daily consumption of 55,000 gallons at first,12 more than
double this amount fifteen years later.35 Subsequent additions to the 3‘s-
tem gave it 28 pipe wells with an estimated 500,000 gallons extra capacity
in 1906, 4 and a 45—foot standpipe 50 feet high in 1912. The latter addi—
tion gave the town a higher pressure.15

The town suffered a serious setback on April 13, 1872, when a disas—
.f‘

Town Records, I, 31, 52, see entry 35.
Ibid., pp. 51, 34, 51, 89, 9o.‘
bi , p. 8.
Ibid., pp. 89, 90.
Ibid., p. 291.
bi ., pp. 126, 521.
Hurd, pp. gi3., II, 660.
Town Records, I, 89, 90, see entry 35.
Annua1.Renorts, 1888, water committee report, p. 5, see entry 2.
Acts, 1877, ch. 152; Town Records. I, 583~585, gee entry 35.
Annual Reports, 1888, water committee report, pp. 4—15, see entry?
Ibid., 1906, water committee report, p. 5.
1123.9-
Ibid., 1907, water committee report, pp. 3-10.
EEEQ" 1912, pp. 117, 118, 121.

F-‘OLOQQO‘DUIbPUlNH

H
N

I...I
g).

Historical Sgctch First entry 9

By the beginning of the present century the new town had made several
notable improvements in its management and operation. Bylaws adopted in
1882 had created a board of health;1 the public library which had been
establishedoin 1871 was incorporated in 1894 and it moved into a building
of its own.“ Two park sites had been donated for the use of the citizens
and a board of wxrk commie sionera elected for their supervision.5 The
population of Ayer had grown faster than that 01 most surroundinv‘towre:
in 1900 it was 2,446.5 Two banks had been one rtered, street car transporta-
tion had been authorized by the General Court5 and at leaSt one effort had
been made to secure a munivipal system 31 supply 01 electrici.y 6 In addi—

to the construction of new schools the teaching personnel had been

and the tovn lad been mad.e a part of a union superintendenc
Imnrovemcnt of ' ‘3 had reached the saint
ill .1 ; ., T :14. town -
them g1avel our?
lights began ren_a
a hun:lred
become

well out

recmoiasr detelo‘r r.ent
, an; aft”: th-
mp Det ens. ”'l«c f roads were
ing lacilm ’ ' < I ~ at installed
to can: was -*"e ely si 113 ted in Ayer;
one time :here weic approximately 10,000
marked upturn in tbe olelncs trargacted
and by mere} I! Lrom Hr? ton and ot?
ahlis Enncnt oi the camp. V Some Jag-re
nealth and the ooli ce denartment,
r the immense -“jticnal population.
Federal aid ; given to the town by

F4d~H
w 5 o d

r f‘
.‘v"
1.;

C‘

otatistics of Labo

Oh’3C
“I.

“4
lo
a It,

cit., II, 661; see also Acts

CZ)

(5303\70‘67

Town Records, I, 665, E92 entry
Ibid., p. 425.
An11ual Rengrtg, 1898, report of _ ' conmittee, j . ~ entry 2.
laid., lOOl, 3 20.
Ibid. , 1904, u. 20.
Ibid. , 4 , p}.
Ioid. , 0 p.
:1d.,
II: _id.

Ibid.

'- ' 7LT ‘ ._. '- 1 ‘ ‘_ (‘1, —
FirSt entry p. 36 iiuL01ica1 onetch

in general, however, the cost of operating the gown was higher the year
after the opening of the camp than it had ever been 1

Th.e period of economic crisis which began in 1929 and continued
through the hurricane of 19381 as brought Ayer, like most other communi—
ties, certain serious problems, among them mounting costs of torn govern—
ment and widespread unemployment. The town has rece1~red material aid in
the solution of many of these problems through the CUA. ERA, WPA and other
Federal agencies which have provided work for the jobless, loans to farm—
ers,houseowners 1ndbusiness menv foodstuffs and Clothing for needy fami—
lies and numerous other benefits. Through these projects the labor has
been provided for many general imnrovements in town buil wings, parks,
schools, etc. which otherwise might have proven a drain on the town's
appropriations.2 The Federal nrograms have assisted in malzing old—age

and unemployment payments;5 nrojects have nrovided onment for women4
and others, the Civilian Conservation Corns and the *ional Youth Admin—
istration, 1ave provided work and 111struct1on for the youth. 5

. : virtually assured
will rr 1 '1 I, 1*3 labor and in—

' ' ’ ‘ timity to tide—
Ayer appears to
Ajion for immediate

.1 With mvle return of a large occu
a early in 19 41 and the certain boost
dustry, its excellent transportaiic n
water at Bos',on and the stability of i
be one oi t: -ose Massachusetts towns in a
future p.3ogres s.

l. lbid., 1918, pp. 145, 146.

2. Ibid., 1933, p. 36; 1934, p. 79; 1936, p. 89; 1937, p. 61.
3. Ibid., 1939, p. 43.

4. Ibid., 1934, p. 79.

5. Ibid., 1939, p. 67.

6. The Boston Herald, Dec. 4, 1940. According to an article in

this issue, new barracks at the camp were being completed daily and
2,000 draftees could be received each three or four days in the following
January. With some men from various parts of New England already at the

camp, plans were oeing made for the reception oi’ a total of at least
9,000 during the first month of 1941.

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I 1333

Ibid
Ibid

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