Quabbin Voices The Friends of Quabbin Newsletter Notable Quabbin Photographer, Anne Ely, Has Exhibit of Spring 2017 Photography and Poetry Vol.30 No.1 by Ann Hurlburt and Alberta Martin We must hear and listen to all of Quabbin’s many Oriental Poppy Voices. Voices of the Past, as well as Voices of the It brings beauty to any garden bed, Present and of the Future. This oriental poppy of flaming red. Voices of the Trees, the Breeze-ruffled edges putting on a show Sky, the Rain that falls, Like a dancer’s skirts as she weaves to and fro. and all the Wild Things; Voices of the People who depend on this valuable resource for their daily needs of clean water, and Voices of those who draw Photo: Dennis Lee upon it for deeper needs of the Soul. Regular readers of the Voices are familiar —Les Campbell with the photography and poetry of Anne Ely, member of the Friends, regular Tuesday Tea participant and CONTENTS camera-carrier on the yearly Tuesday Tea jaunts through the hidden parts of the Anne Ely . .1 Quabbin. She’s also a regular contributor President’s Message . .2 of beautiful nature photographs to the Water System History . .4 Daily Hampshire Gazette and is a mem- Slaty Skimmer Interpretive Services . .8 ber of the Robert Floyd Gallery. Those of Meetings & Events . .10 us who attend Tuesday Teas often get a He has a long blue body, his head is black. Visitor Center Store . .11 sneak preview of coming attractions in As I approach he darts away, but he’ll be back. the Gazette. Free Books Application 11 He zooms out over the pond and hovers there Low over the water, then high up in the air. On Tuesday, February 8, 2017 at the Northampton Senior Center on Conz St. A minute later he’s back at the pond’s edge; in Northampton the reception of Anne Back to his former perch on the tall, grassy sedge. Ely’s photography exhibit (Feb. 1–28) Another dragonfly aims for the same stem. was held. There was also a reception It looks like that’s a popular spot, a real gem. in an adjoining room to celebrate her So he’s off again, darting here and away. exhibition appropriately titled “Nature is Sitting here in the sun, I could watch them all day. the Spice of Life.” continued on page 6 2 | The Friends of Quabbin Newsletter–Spring 2017 flu was more deadly than the World War unfolding along- President’s side it, wiping out America’s young and healthy. By the time our troops had carried it across the pond, it had taken out Message an estimated 50 million people worldwide. The following men from the former towns died from Influenza during the Spring 2017 war: George W. Ryan (Dana), William N. Hewitt (Enfield), Stephen H. Walker (Greenwich), John M. Currier (Prescott), Harold W. Peirce (Prescott) and Willis F. Shaw (Prescott). Our Boys Arriving in France Centennial There were four Doughboys from the former Swift River Valley killed in action during the war. Frederick Conrad Gene Theroux This summer (June 25th) will mark Lincoln of Prescott, Private the centennial anniversary of the First Class, U.S. Army, first group of “Doughboys” arriving in France as part of the Battery D, 304th Field American Expeditionary Force, “A.E.F.” Doughboy was an Artillery Regiment, 77th informal term for a member of the United States Army or Division was killed on Marine Corps, especially used to refer to members of the September 10, 1918 in A.E.F. The Selective Service Act of 1917 authorized the fed- Vauxcere, France and eral government to raise a national army for the American interred at the Oise-Aisne entry into World War I through a compulsory enlistment of American Cemetery in people. Fere-en-Tardenois, France. John E. Hunter Jr. of Dana, There were 105 volunteers and draftees from the former Private, U.S. Army, towns of the Swift River Valley who were inducted into the armed forces. Their calling was to serve their country and to go “Over There” in an effort to end all wars. Each town had an Honor Roll that identified the men and women who had served in the Great War and those who made the ulti- mate sacrifice. Three of the towns Honor Rolls are on the grounds of the Swift River Valley Historical Society in New Salem. The fourth Honor Roll, the Dana Memorial, is Fred Conrad Lincoln behind the Civil War Soldier in Quabbin Park Cemetery. Of the numbers on the Honor Rolls, there were 51 from Company C, 326th Infantry, Enfield, 30 from Dana, 11 from Greenwich and 82nd Division was killed in 13 from Prescott. These numbers do not include those action on October 14, 1918. who moved from the Valley before being inducted into the His remains were returned to military such as Jesse Ely formerly of Smiths Village who the United States and he is John E. Hunter, Jr. moved to Pelham and Francis Charles Parker who grew up interred at Highland Cemetery, on Hill Street in Enfield and had moved to Springfield. Athol, MA. Arthur L. Plant of Enfield, Private, U.S. Army, There were 10 who gave their lives that Democracy might 301st Engineer Regiment, 76th Division was killed in live. Four of the ten were killed in action during the war action at the Battle of Saint-Mihiel on September 15, 1918 and of the remaining six, most died from influenza at and is interned at the Saint-Mihiel American Cemetery in Camp Devens. The A.E.F. sustained about 320,000 casual- Thiaucourt, France. Joseph N. Plant is listed on the Enfield ties: 53,402 battle deaths, 63,114 non-combat deaths and Honor Roll as died in the war, but no information was found 204,000 wounded. on him in my searches. Camp Devens was a cantonment camp of the Seventy-sixth Of the 105 names on the Honor Roll plaque on the Division (Division of the North East) which was built in less Administration Building at Quabbin Park Cemetery, there than ten weeks near Ayer, Massachusetts. The troops at is one woman listed. Hattie Belle Doane of Dana, who Camp Devens were from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, had served in the Great War. Hattie, who had attended the Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. Fifty thou- Technical High School Nursing Program in Springfield and sand troops encamped at Camp Devens, preparing to go to graduated from the Holyoke Hospital School of Nursing, France. In September 1918, Camp Devens was struck by served in France with the Red Cross. After the war, she the Influenza or Spanish Flu pandemic. In response, Camp worked as a supervisor in several Massachusetts, New Devens increased the number of doctors from 25 to over Jersey, and New York hospitals before moving to California 250; they worked 16 hours a day trying to combat the flu in 1925 where she was supervisor in the Pasadena scourge. There were an average of 100 deaths per day. The Dispensary.When Hattie went to Pasadena, (continued next page) The Friends of Quabbin Newsletter–Spring 2017 | 3 she took along her niece, The Quabbin Park Cemetery Administration Building has a Deanna Hamilton, the plaque with the names on town honor rolls. An asterisk to daughter of Mary Doane the left of an individual’s name indicates: died in the war. Just and Clifton Hamilton. Deanna as Bob Clark wrote in his President’s Message in July 2000, H. Hamilton, now Deanna I echo his words, “Let’s not forget!” Krusiewicz, was the last child born in the former town of This year’s Memorial Day Services at Quabbin Park Cemetery Dana. She is a regular will be held on Sunday, May 28th. At 10 a.m refreshments will attendee of Tuesday Teas. be served. The parade will begin at 11:00 a.m. and there will be a ceremony immediately after the parade. Later in the day, Bob Clark, a former President at 2 p.m., at the Quabbin Visitor Center, Nancy Huntington will of the Friends of Quabbin, provide an interpretive program highlighting some of the Swift wrote in his President’s River Valley veterans from the early Colonial wars through the Message in the July 2000 Korean War. It was during the Korean War that the phrase Quabbin Voices, “Let’s not “all gave some; some gave all” originated. It is widely attributed forget! I propose that we pub- to Korean War veteran and Purple Heart recipient William lish the names of those who Osterkamp. served from Enfield, Prescott, Hattie Belle Doane Greenwich and Dana, the wars I encourage you to attend this years’ Memorial Day Services they served in, and any information that will help make them part at Quabbin Park Cemetery and to attend the Veterans Program of those once real communities.” The list of names from the at the Quabbin Visitor Center. On this centennial anniversary Honor Rolls from the former towns were published in the July of the first Doughboys arriving in France in WWI, let us keep 2000 Quabbin Voices. In addition, images of the Honor Rolls the memory of those 105 residents on the Honor Rolls from were also published on page 4. The July 2000 Quabbin Voices the former towns. Let’s not forget that “all gave some; some newsletter can be viewed at: http://friendsofquabbin.org/voic- gave all.” es_vol15_num3.pdf. Sources Galvin, John. “Spanish Flu Pandemic: 1918.” Popular Mechanics, Jul. 30, 2007. http://www.popularmechanics.com/sci- ence/environment/a1970/4219884/.