Holliston Circa 1945
Holliston was still a relatively small town in 1945. The population stood at 3,000 in 1940 and increased to 3,753 by 1950. Most of the able-bodied young men had joined the service.
The task of carrying on everyday life fell to women and older men. Butter, sugar and gas could only be purchased with ration stamps. Scrap metal was being collected for the war effort.
High School Principal Fred Miller instructed older students in the use of the search light atop Central Fire Station to look for enemy planes. Homeowners were instructed to close their blinds and curtains at dusk to create a black out to ward off enemy planes.
Life did go on and the big purchase for the town came as the purchase of the Holliston Water Company on July 1st. The cost, $120,000. The police department was still a one man show with several part timers, the Chief Lewis T. Holbrook earning a salary of $2,115.50
The grant to run the fire department in 1945 was $3,725. The Chief, Herb Chambers netted a $100 salary, while assistant chiefs Jerome Moore and Everett Ward both took home $75 & $80 respectively. The department had 27 call fire fighters.
The entire school system ran on a budget of $54,270.90 The Class of 1945 consisted of 25 students, a quarter of which were in the military.
Gas was .15 cents a gallon, a new car $1,020, bread .19 cents, a new house $4,600 and the minimum wage was .40 cents per hour.
The town had offices which seem to have gone the way of the milkman. Ralph Russel held the office of Inspector of Petroleum, and there was the Measurer of Grain, Surveyors of Lumber and Surveyors of Wood.
One ballot question appeared on the ballot at election time. Regarding the taking of fur bearing animals the use of traps that kill at once or take such animals alive unharmed, be suspended within the town? The question lost 145 residents said no to 118 who said yes.
1945 was also the year of a bit of horse trading. The Congregational Church proposed that the town accept the town hall and adjacent cemetery if the town would abandon the road behind the church from Hollis Street to Jasper Hill Road.
Zoning was on residents’ minds, with the appointment of a zoning committee.
Hope you’ve enjoyed this look back almost 80 years.
15 Comments
I really appreciated this Bobby. I grew up on Norfolk St. Graduated in 1951 with 32 people in our class. Went to school with Artie…he was a little older I think. I recognized almost all the names of the people mentioned. Great looking back to the “good old days”.
Barbara (Corey) Gilman
Thanks for this article. I moved to Green Street in 1950 and graduated HS 1958 and this picture brings back great memories.
HHS ’68 (in same class with you a number of years)….lots of familiar names here. Appreciate the town history, including your book on veterans (I have a copy).
When did they cover up the three oval windows that used to be on the second story of the building where Aubuchon Hardware used to be? I have the vaguest memory of them and see them in old photos of Holliston to include the one in this article.