Selected from the pages of the Windsor Locks Journal and lightly annotated by Wendy Taylor of Kent Memorial Library.
September 5
John A. Eagleson, son of Mr. and Mrs. James Eagleson of South Main street, has returned from overseas with his unit, the 10th Artillery of the “Marne Division” Third Regulars. He had been in the service twenty-one months and has many interesting stories of his experiences. He enlisted at Hartford December 6, 1917, and returns wearing six stars on his victory ribbon and some citations, having fought in all six major operations of the American forces in France. On his arrival in France he received orders to attend training school for special instruction in Orientation and Liaison…[After which] his battalion was hurried to the front, at the apex at Chateau Thierry…the first night Germans launched a terrific bombardment which lasted without abatement twelve hours.
Plans are nearly completed for a great Community Festival to be held…Thursday, October 2d. The festival will occupy six Thursday evenings. There will be two dramatic evenings…The first will be…a cast of one hundred children [presenting] the pantomime of “Puss in Boots.” The trainer will be Miss Leila M. Church, a great director of pageants.
Five days of rainy weather has set back the farmers in the work of harvesting the tobacco crop. Tobacco has grown in the last few days, however, and some pieces will have to stand a day or two or two before the land will be in condition to drive on.
The trolley car due at Spencer’s corner at 7.07 a. m., caught fire Thursday morning near Fuller’s switch and held up traffic for a time. It finally became necessary to get a chemical extinguisher from the fire department to put out the fire. The car was finally towed to the west side barn at Windsor Locks for repairs.
The Ladies’ Home Missionary Society of the First Congregational church will hold a meeting at the home of Mrs. David L. Brockett…The subject will be “Americanization.”
The public schools in town will open September 15th, the date of the opening having been postponed in order that the children might help with the harvesting of the tobacco crop.
Otto and Miss Olga Wever are spending a ten-days vacation at Atlantic City.
September 12
The annual meeting of the Emergency Aid Association was held Monday afternoon…the reports showed a very successful year…Miss Ellen Qualey, the visiting nurse, reported she had made 751 visits during the year, of which 493 were medical, 237 surgical and 2 obstetrical.
A new boiler has been installed in the basement of the Town hall…The present boiler is plenty large enough to heat the post office and other rooms on the first floor, but in severe weather, when the upper hall is used, it is inadequate to sufficiently heat the whole building.
September 19
For the first time in twenty years the town treasurer is able to announce a surplus in the town treasury.
The town farm this year again shows a profit.
The board of finance has recommended the appropriation of $24,000 for stone roads in this town the coming year…. This town is in the same boat with all other towns in this section of New England. The constantly increasing use of motor trucks in transporting heavy loads wears out gravel roads very fast.