Joseph Candora – Page 79 – WANDERLUST FAMILY ADVENTURE

Restaurant Review – Old Mill Restaurant & Cracker Barrel Pub (Westminster, Massachusetts)

June 26, 2020 Joseph Candora Architecture, Bridges, Covered Bridges, Historic Sites, Lake/Pond, Massachusetts, New England, North America, Restaurants, Reviews, United States

The Old Mill Restaurant in Westminster was purchased by Ralph and Ruth Foster in 1946. The mill has been operating as a restaurant for 98 years and has been in the same family for the past 73 years. Originally a saw mill the mill has been a business for 258 years.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos

The mill was converted into a tea-room in 1921. The location is idyllic with a covered pedestrian walking bridge, outdoor seating areas and ducks swimming in the pond.

The menu has a cuisine representative to the setting with some fine dining options as well as some more casual fare.

First Congregational Church – Gardner, Massachusetts

June 26, 2020 Joseph Candora Architecture, Church/Cathedral, Massachusetts, New England, North America, United States

The First Congregational Church in Gardner, Massachusetts has an interesting square spire with a clock face near the top. The church was built in 1878, the distinctive brick Victorian gothic church and tower replaced a more traditional meeting house which had been on the site since 1787.

Prudence Wright Overlook – Pepperell, Massachusetts

June 26, 2020 Joseph Candora Architecture, Bridges, Covered Bridges, Historic Markers, Historic Sites, Massachusetts, Mountain, New England, North America, Rivers, United States

Like many siblings Prudence Wright had disagreements with her brother. In this case however the disagreement reached another level. In 1775 Prudence was married, had six living children, was 35 years old and lived in Pepperell, Massachusetts. She was an ardent patriot but her brother was a Tory, a supporter of the English crown.

Prudence discovered that her brother and another Tory, Benjamin Whiting, were going to deliver a message to the British about the secret location of a gunpowder store. With most of the menfolk called up to the militia Prudence called on several women who she knew shared her patriotic leanings. Jewett’s Bridge, the current location of the Pepperell Covered Bridge, was where the women decided to stop the Tory spies. With an assortment of farm implements they waited for the horsemen to cross the bridge. Both men were dragged from their horses and the dispatches were confiscated. They were taken to a nearby tavern and held before being taken to Colonial authorities in the morning. Prudence became a Revolutionary War icon with stories and accounts documenting her escapades.

The Prudence Wright Overlook is a small park and memorial plaza commemorating Prudence’s action at the location where it happened.

The park provides access to the Nashua River,

and has several memorial and information plaques.

The present Pepperell Covered Bridge stands where the actual conflagration took place back in 1775.

Pepperell Covered Bridge – Pepperell, Massachusetts

June 26, 2020 Joseph Candora Architecture, Bridges, Covered Bridges, Historic Sites, Massachusetts, New England, North America, Rivers, United States

The Pepperell Covered Bridge in Pepperell, Massachusetts spans the Nashua River. The current bridge dates from 1963 replacing previous bridges that were on the same site. This bridge still carries heavy vehicle traffic but can be easily accessed from the parking area for the Prudence Wright Overlook. Prudence Wright is an important historical figure during the Revolutionary War and this location is important to her story.

Fitchburg Mills – Fitchburg, Massachusetts

June 26, 2020 Joseph Candora Architecture, Historic Sites, Massachusetts, New England, North America, Rivers, United States

Fitchburg became a highly industrialized city in the 19th century with the utilization of the Nashua River for power. Unlike some other towns Fitchburg had a widely diversified manufacturing base with mills making textiles, paper, saws, chains, guns, axel grease, shoes, bicycles and other machines. The mills brought to the area a surge of neighborhood growth and social reforms. Fitchburg was a stop on the Underground Railroad before the Civil War. By around 1900 industries began to move west and the advent of the automobile meant that people no longer had to live within the city. The decline of industry and the movement towards the suburbs led to the inevitable decline going into the 20th century. Today’s Fitchburg sees many of its mills and factory buildings turned into shops, apartment buildings and other businesses.

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