From Dave Brigham:
I travel from my home in Newton, Mass., to Keene, N.H., with some regularity to see my musical brother, Ken. We played in a band at Keene State College, and have formed a duo called the Slade Wiggins Band to continue our musical journey. My trip takes me through Winchendon, Mass., where for years I've noticed this beauty at the intersection of Routes 12 and 202 in the center of town.
On a recent drive through here, I finally pulled over to see just what this horse, and the town's nickname, Toy Town, are all about.
According to this plaque:
"This is a reproduction of the original Toy Town horse that stood for so long in Winchendon....The original...was constructed in 1914 as a float for the town's 150th anniversary. Winchendon was the home of the Converse [Toy & Woodware] Company and the world's largest toy factory. Workers from the Converse Company....spent five months constructing the horse....The horse rested at the town's railroad station for twenty years....In 1934 the horse was moved to the Toy Town Tavern property for thirty years at that location...."
After a few more appearances, by 1976 it had fallen into disrepair. Eventually the Winchendon Chamber of Commerce and the Winchendon Historical Society put together an effort to construct a reproduction. The new horse made its debut in 1988.
Keep your eyes peeled for a future post about another stop I made in Winchendon. And hold me to a promise I'm making now: I will explore more of this old mill town in the near future.
No comments:
Post a Comment