From the pages of the Windsor Locks Journal, selected and lightly annotated by Lester Smith, Historian of the Town and the Suffield Historical Society.
September 7
It has been decided not to open the elementary schools of this town until Monday, September 17th. Many of the children are at work in the tobacco harvest and owing to the lateness of the season that work is not more than half finished.
All summer a gang of young men have made the public park [the Green] a place to hang out and pour forth their souls in song and other noises in the early hours Sunday mornings. Last Saturday night Officers Cooney and Gregg came in on the chorus and arrested five young men for drunkenness and breach of the peace.
The Suffield School has been a busy place all summer as this year fifteen acres of vegetables have been cultivated. During the past few weeks a force of fifteen men have been engaged in canning.
A large auto truck from New Haven, with a load of household goods, got stuck in front of the residence of D. N. Carrington [now the Hatheway House] last Saturday and could not move until a Springfield trolley car hitched on and pulled it along.
The county tax is due and payable this week. The town’s share is $1,056.67.
September 14
The annual reports of the town officers have been compiled and audited and are now in the hands of the printer. The decrease in the net indebtedness the past year has been $2,820.16, leaving the net indebtedness this year $9,336.54.
For the first time in its history, the Town Farm [poor house] has been self-sustaining and shows a slight profit on operations.
There was not a large attendance at the special town meeting held in the Town hall last Friday evening to consider the advisability of having a finance board [newly allowed by State Statute]. . . . A vote was taken by ballot and there were 18 votes for and 13 against adoption of the resolution.
September 21
A large part of the people of the town suspended business Wednesday afternoon to pay homage to the nine young men of this place who left Thursday morning for Camp Devens at Ayer, Mass. . . . The nine young men are Ladislaw Paplaski, Andrew Phillips, Clifford Szymanowski, William H. Turner, William C. Deutsch, Fred J. Scott, Fred J. Thorkey, James Mitchell, Jr., Warren D. McGann.
A limousine owned by H. C. Warden of New Haven and driven by his chauffeur, turned over on South street Wednesday. . . . The driver was not injured and opened one of the glass windows of the car and climbed out. The car was not much the worse for the accident and proceeded on its journey after being righted.
The evening service at the M. E. Church [in West Suffield] will be discontinued for some time as Rev. Mr. Moore has returned to [Wesleyan] college, and will preach only Sunday mornings. The Boy Scout troop has also been disbanded.
September 28
The new cement road through Main Street has been completed and opened for travel. The contractors are now at work laying concrete in front of the business places in the center of town and concrete will run to the curb on the east side of the new road from the corner of Bridge street to the northern boundary of John Barnett’s property. This will make a fine looking Main street and will be much appreciated.
The [West Suffield] Village Improvement Society’s dance Wednesday evening netted the society $6.