By Kay Gardner-Westcott
On page 8 of the June 29, 1934, Natick Bulletin, tucked toward the bottom of the column, a small article waited quietly for the reader who cared to look. It was the sort of item easy to overlook — a few modest lines of type — yet carrying a significance far greater than its placement suggested. This was the beginning of good times for Wayland.
The telegram said the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in Washington approved building Wayland High School which was voted in by Town Meeting the previous March. “The architects, Frank C. Cooper Corp. of Boston will start on the plans and specifications immediately so the building will be ready for winter term,” the notice read.
The WPA — a program of the Department of Labor headed by Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins, a Worcester native and the first woman cabinet member — had found our small community and went to work! The new high school in 1935 drew lavish praise as the pride of the village for its stunningly landscaped grounds, shimmering man-made pool, and graceful new access road. It stood as a testament to the transformative work of the WPA.
While 90 years later many do not feel the same affection for our current Town Building — also a WPA project — it stands as a reminder of a time when money was tight, jobs were held dear, and neighbors worked side by side, each paycheck circulating through the local commerce that kept the community alive.
l – such as laying the long-awaited waterworks pipes down Stanton Street, Harrison Street, Dunster Avenue, Old Connecticut Path, and Sycamore Road; improving the old Cochituate fire station on Harrison Street; building new sidewalks along narrow roads like the treacherous West Plain Street, where children once walked in danger, and carrying out vital safety; and road-widening work on Hazelbrook Lane, Rice Road, Stone Bridge Road, Pelham Island Road, and Oak Street. Each project left a lasting mark on the community’s daily life.
As part of the New Deal, the federal Emergency Relief Administration undertook a host of improvements throughout town by enhancing the old town hall building and its grounds on Cochituate Road, completing a much-needed drainage project on Shawmut Avenue, tending and beautifying the library grounds, rebuilding the historic stone walls at South Cemetery, and at the North Cemetery restoring its entrance while clearing away long-neglected stumps so that each effort quietly strengthened residents’ resolve to keep moving forward.
But not all was work. Baldwin Beach saw long-awaited improvements, and the new Dudley Pond beach, designed by the renowned landscape architect Arthur A. Shurcliff, took shape in the hands of local citizens employed through the Emergency Relief appropriation EPA and WPA appropriations. What had once been a problem was transformed, and as the town proudly declared, “the beach has become a real asset to the Town instead of a menace to the neighborhood.”
The longest serving Secretary of Labor (1933-1945), Perkins broke the glass ceiling for women. She pioneered the 40-hour work week, child labor laws, a minimum wage, unemployment insurance, workplace safety, and, most importantly, Social Security. She has been called “The woman who crafted the New Deal.”
Perkins (1880-1965) was born in Boston and raised in Worcester. She attended Mount Holyoke College for Women and became a social worker dedicated to improving the lives of the working class, including the challenges faced by immigrants.
As part of the Rev 250th celebration, the Wayland Historical Commission, and the First Parish Church will present, “A Living History Presentation: Frances Perkins: A Woman’s Work,” on Friday, April 10, at, 7 p.m. at the First Parish Church. The event is free, but donations, which will help the Historical Commission raise funds for a sign honoring Cochituate Ball Field’s history, are encouraged. Noble Griffin built the field for his workers’ recreation. Register at tinyurl.com/perkins-reg
