A Plea for Westford Sidewalks (from 1876)

[rcweir]

"This Association was formed in the autumn of 1871, Hon J.W.P. Abbot being chosen president and Asa Hildreth secretary. In April, 1872 the Association voted 'That the Committee on Sidewalks be instructed to build sidewalks from the common toward the depot as far as the funds would permit'. This means, of course, the depot on Stony Brook Railroad. It seems to me there are good reasons why this instruction should be followed out in the years to come. That street is destined to be the much traveled thoroughfare of the village and it ought to be safe neat and wholesome a fitting introduction to the real beauty that nestles upon this glorious old hill. It ought to be regularly graded from top to bottom with a hard water-proof sidewalk for the whole distance. I call for this improvement in the name and behalf of the ladies who have served this generous repast to day and in behalf of their successors in office to the latest generation.

Do you know, ye of the masculine persuasion -- have you ever estimated the number of tons of dry goods in manibus foeminarum et puellarum (I call upon the preceptor, fons linguarum, to translate this for me) that have been laboriously tugged up that long hill during the past fifteen years, through April mud, January slosh and July heat? Is not this a burden too grievous to be borne? Obliging husbands dear papas and timid but wishful sweethearts cannot always be on hand to carry the package and umbrella. Think too how many rubber shoes have persistently stuck in the mud opposite the home of our obliging janitor. Good-natured though he is, we cannot expect him to be always on hand to assist in such cases of feminine distress, for by-and-by he will want a bird in his own cage, and is fairly entitled to the best one he can catch. And then, perforce, his ministrations to such wayfarers must cease.

For these and other reasons that street should receive a large share of our attention. It is the highway of our necessities and exigencies along which our mothers and daughters must go and probably will go for the next century to find out the latest fashion and to purchase the latest novelty.

Progressive as the age is, do you venerable men think that women will ever cease to follow the fashions? Can there be any just expectation that the road to the depot will not be the road to Hosford's and Ordway's for the ages to come? Ought we not to provide then for the inevitable and tax our resources to make the oft frequented way easy and convenient alike to spinster and matron? In so doing ye shall reap your reward in well adjusted shift buttons and a more relishable breakfast.

Just here a plea should be made for the widening of streets and straightening of fences in some cases. This might be done with very little trouble and expense and it would add very much to the tidiness of our streets. In some instances loose rocks need to be piled neatly against the wall and broken timbers and bits of wood should be carried off. Who wants to see these scattered about or likes to blunder over them in the night? A little care will do much, and the example of one person of good taste in this particular will encourage and strengthen others. Let us not always ask, Will it pay? but be willing to do some things that don't pay in cash immediately, but really do pay us indirectly and bountifully. In regard to many things ornament and utility go hand in hand. The argument for the general neatness and tidiness which we plead for lies in the direction of our health and comfort and that is a narrow policy which stops short with the necessary and the useful -- a policy quite unworthy of a people of real intelligence and culture."

-- from An Address Delivered by Request before the Ornamental Tree Association, Westford, May 13th 1876, by Edwin R. Hodgman

[loucook]

Very interesting article. Take out a few tell tale statements that give the year away and I swear I heard this same conversation/argument just the other day at my sons baseball game between to very irate westfordwives.

"Progressive as the age is, do you venerable men think that women will ever cease to follow the fashions?"

[Tony1941]

Very interesting article. Take out a few tell tale statements that give the year away and I swear I heard this same conversation/argument just the other day at my sons baseball game between to very irate westfordwives.

Except that the original oration was given by wealthy landowners who were descendants of the generations that founded Westford.
You get a couple of coins in your pocket and cheap labor, you can be very progressive. You do not have to clear the snow off the sidewalks, the servants take care of the problem.
The females and males who wish for sidewalks usually moved into Westford because of its rural character. All of a sudden they realize that sidewalks are generally not part of the environment and that septic systems cannot handle effluent of garbage disposers. Septic systems only work on organic matter that has been processed by humans and other life forms. Therefore, it is only logical that sidewalks and sewers be added to the town budget.
There are about 196 miles of roads which would set an upper bound on the length of sidewalks. Back in the early 1990's there were estimates of $100 to 125 million to sewer all of Westford and connect to Duck Island Sewer facility on the Merrimack. The yearly cost was dependent on the amount of water the Westford supplied to Lowell. It would not shock me if the price for sewers would come in at $40,000/house in 2010. The sidewalks based on a 4 foot width would come in at $25,000/mile or about $10,000,000 plus engineering fees.