Sutton Historical Society Inc. - Sutton, Massachusetts

THE GENERAL RUFUS PUTNAM BUILDING
200th Anniversary Celebration
Saturday, September 30, 2023
4 Uxbridge Road, Sutton

Rededication, Senate proclamation and plaque presentation
1 pm

MUSEUM OPEN 12 pm - 3 pm

Event open to all members and the general public of all ages

The General Rufus Putnam Building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places

Built as a joint effort between the Olive Branch Lodge of Master Masons and Sutton School District in 1823.
The first lodge meeting was held on January 1, 1824. The building cost $714.92.

"The hall in Sutton Centre became a bone of contention between the two owners - The Olive Branch of Master Masons and the Sutton School District - culminating in the sale of the Lodge's interest in January 1851."

Between 1851-1910, the building functioned partially as a school.
In 1872 the upper floor became the High School and lower floor was used for grades 1-8.
The first graduating High School class of 5 students was in 1876.

Daughters of American Revolution Lease
On December 15, 1909, a group of 21 eligible women formally organized the General Rufus Putnam Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution (D.A.R.).
At town meeting, March 1910, the old school building in Sutton Center was leased to the Chapter for the
period of 10 years at the sum of $1 per year.

In 1934, the growth of the town necessitated the use of the building as a school and the
D.A.R. vacated the premises.
The D.A.R. returned in 1954 and was responsible for setting up a wonderful display to commemorate the 250th Anniversary of the Town.

The Sutton Library was housed in this building from 1957 -1982.

The Sutton Historical Society has occupied the building since 1986.
Ownership of the building remains in the possession of the Town of Sutton.

2023 Calendar of Events

Event UPDATE:
The September 30 Wagon and Cart Show has been replaced with the 200th Anniversary Celebration of the
General Rufus Putnam Building, 4 Uxbridge Road
Planning for this 200th Anniversary underway. Check back for more information.
The Wagon and Cart show will return in 2024.

All events open to both Society members and the general public.
Updated event information will be posted here, on Facebook, and emailed to members
Upcoming meetings/events are listed in the Millbury-Sutton Chronicle, The Uxbridge Times, and the Blackstone Valley Xpress.

2023 CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR VIEWING ON MOBILE DEVICE

September 30 12 pm - 200th Anniversary Celebration General Rufus Putnam Museum
Saturday 3 pm General Rufus Putnam Building 4 Uxbridge Road
1823-2023

October 3                   7:00 pm          Annual Meeting First Congregational Church
Tuesday Officer Election 307 Boston Road

October 28                 7:00 pm Historic Cemetery Tour Sutton Center Town Cemetery
Saturday                                             Re-enactors will tell the tale of early 4 Uxbridge Road
Sutton settlers buried in the Sutton
Center Town Cemetery

November 7               7:00 pm Mark Savolis, Thompson Historical Society First Congregational Church
Tuesday                                              The Mass15th of the Civil War and 307 Boston Road
Sutton Soldier, Wilder Holbrook


December 2               Various Chain of Lights Eight Lots School House
Saturday                                             Annual Town-wide Christmas Event General Rufus Putnam Museum
M. M. Sherman Blacksmith Shop

December 5               6:30 pm          Christmas Potluck First Congregational Church
Tuesday 307 Boston Road

December 31             Midnight         Last Night Cannon Firing M. M. Sherman Blacksmith Shop
Sunday Cannon Club 6 Singletary Avenue

RECENT HAPPENINGS

Sutton 3rd Graders Tour Common
June 12, 2023

Sutton 3rd graders walked from the school to the Town Common on Monday, June 12.

The students toured the General Rufus Putnam Museum, The M. M. Sherman Blacksmith Shop, The First Congregational Church,
and the Town Hall.

Their visit included a picnic lunch on the Historic Common.

Thanks to Society members who provided the tours, the school department for arranging the event, and the Sutton Police Department for ensuring everyone safely travelled up the Common!!

Brown Bag Picnic Reunion
June 9, 2023

On Friday, June 9, 2023, the Society hosted alumni of the General Rufus Putnam School from the 1950s to a brown bag picnic and tour of the General Rufus Putnam Building, which is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year.

The attendees had a wonderful time reminiscing about their days at this little school.

A special thank you to the Seaver Family for their donation of two beautiful art pieces drawn by their sister, Gwen Marchese.
Thank you to David Tela for his donation of a display of items about John Henn's military service.

A big, special thanks to Museum Curator, Joyce Smith, for organizing this special event!!!

THANK YOU

Carol Crossed, Founder
Susan B. Anthony Birthplace Museum
for an outstanding presentation entitled
Vintage Tweets

held on

Tuesday, May 9, 2023

WAGON & CARRIAGE SHOW

Saturday, October 1, 2022
Noon - 4 pm
M. M. Sherman Blacksmith Shop
6 Singletary Avenue
The rain held off! We had a few visitors! It was a SUCCESS!!!!

Photos below courtesy of Joyce Smith

Photos below courtesy of April Eaton Brown

Saturday, September 10, 2022

Finished!!!!
Bottle/Can Drive Sorting and Redemption

It took two days, combined 20 volunteers, for a total of 80 volunteer hours. Now we wait for the tally!

Thanks to Jim Stevenson for this awesome time lapse of the tenacity of these volunteers!!

August 2022
General Rufus Putnam Museum Building gets a new paint job

Ahead of the 200th anniversary of this historical building in Sutton Center in May of 2023, the General Rufus Putnam Museum received a much-needed paint job. A great job for an historic gem!

Saturday, August 6, 2022 - Bottle and Can Drive Sorting Day

HOT! HOT! HOT!
It was one of the hottest days of the summer, but 9 hearty souls worked from 8-1 to sort and bag a small portion of the donated cans and bottles!!
Several more days of sorting ahead, but we will wait for cooler days! We could use more VOLUNTEERS!!!!
THANKS
to all who donated to this important fundraiser for the Society.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 2022 - Eight Lots School House Potluck

It was a beautiful evening for a get together. The rains held off. The food and friendship were wonderful.
Several toured the historic school house including new Sutton School Superintendent, Kimberly Roberts-Morandi.
Hope to see everyone again next August!

SUTTON TOWN CENTER CEMETERY RESTORATION COMPLETED!!

July 15, 2022 - Last stones reset

Commencing in the summer of 2019 and continuing through the pandemic, the Cemetery Conservation crew has completed work on the oldest cemetery in Sutton located behind the Town Hall, 4 Uxbridge Road. The last gravestone reset was for Private Jonas Sibley. It measured 96" top-to-bottom. John Jay Sibley's stone reset the previous week measured 99" top-to-bottom.

This cemetery will be highlighted on Saturday, October 29 at 7 pm with a costumed, guided tour in conjunction with the Sutton School's PTO's Trunk or Treat and the Fourth of July Committee's "Oh My Gourd - The Great Pumpkin Extravaganza" on the Common.

A special THANK YOU to members of the Dudley Gendron Post 414 American Legion for their generous financial support of this important community project.

The Conservation Crew has moved on to the Dodge Cemetery located on Leland Hill Road. The stones in the Dodge Cemetery were cleaned in the midst of the pandemic by John and Marion Belculfine. Now it is time for the crew to reset the stones. Volunteers are always needed.

A special thank you to Ross Weaver who presented this project to the Society's Board of Directors and led a crew of dedicated volunteers and boy scouts for three years who have been working on several cemeteries throughout town.

Consistently by Ross's side, a special shout out to Dave Pizzi, Brian Stevenson, John Belculfine (l-r below image).
If not now, then when.....if not us, then who!!

Thanks to Ed Chrostowski for the below photographs.

3rd Graders Tour Sutton Center

June 6, 2022

Thank you to Steve Colonies; The Sutton Cannon Club; Museum Curator - Joyce Smith; Board members - Keith Downer, Rochelle Forsythe, and Christine Watkins for hosting the Sutton 3rd Graders!!

samuelslaterexperience.org

Thank you to the Samuel Slater Experience staff for hosting
the Sutton Historical Society!!!

For those who missed it, the museum is open
Friday 10-4
Saturday 10-4
Sunday 12-4

Cemetery Tour - Enjoyed by over 100 visitors!!

Rescheduling and weather that did not cooperate did not hamper the spirits of the visitors who toured Sutton's oldest Cemetery on
Sunday, October 31.
Interpreters shared their stories about some of those interred in this historically-significant cemetery.
The Society hopes to make this an annual event!!!

THANK YOU!!!

ROBERT ERNEST HUBBARD, Author
Presentation about General Rufus Putnam

Robert Ernest Hubbard, a retired professor and author from New Haven, Connecticut, recently presented his book
General Rufus Putnam, George Washington’s Chief Military Engineer and the “Father of Ohio.”
to our Society. It was a well-received presentation.

Go to israelputnam.org to order a copy of this book in addition to one about Israel Putnam.

Prior to his presentation, Robert and his wife, Kathy, discussed how to become an author with a group of home-schooled children. This, too, was greatly appreciated.

Thank you to member, Malcolm Ketchum, for sharing his images of Sutton

*******************************************************************************

Annual Meeting Update

- Donation by Mike and Sheila Moss to the General Rufus Putnam
  Museum of a framed 1915 Boston Herald photo spread of
  Purgatory Chasm prior to its being established as a State Park in 1919

- Election of 6 non-officer Board positions for a 2-year term

- Presentation of work completed on the Sutton Center Meeting
House and tour of the inside

- Update on status of Cemetery cleaning/repair at Sutton Center
and Dodge Cemetery. Almost complete. Committee will continue
work in other town cemeteries. Thank you to the countless
volunteers. This group is definitely "Quietly making noise!"
Volunteers always needed.

- Update on progress of organizing General Rufus Putnam
  Museum. Grant received through the Massachusetts Board of
  Library Commissioners to help move forward with cataloguing
  and digitizing collection. Thank you to Joyce Smith, Curator, and
Betsy Perry, Sutton Librarian, for this great effort.

- Sutton Cultural Council grant received and utilized for the
creation and production of a brochure on Society holdings to
be distributed at events. Thank you to member, Dave Pizzi, for
his efforts.

Cemetery Project Update - June 2020

During the period of higher COVID-19 restrictions, members of our Restoration Committee cut and burned a lot of brush and wood debris while maintaining the individual "social distancing" guidelines in this open area.
Still more to do, but the difference is very noticeable in the Sutton Center Cemetery.

More recently, some stones have been reset, including repaired stones, and others cleaned. A few photos are below.

As we have now reached the second round of re-openings, we are going to proceed with our original planned workdays at Sutton Center Cemetery on the second Saturday of each month.

Weather permitting, start day will be Saturday, June 13. We will be on-site starting at 9:00 am

Come with a mask or face shield.

PROGRESS PHOTOS - SUTTON CENTER CEMETERY (behind Town Hall)

BEFORE AFTER

Image above is Elliot stone reset and cleaned. GREAT JOB - Restoration Committee!!!

1816 - The Year without a Summer

Our ancestors weathered crazy times before us.
See a few events noted below

The year 1816 was known as ‘The Year Without a Summer’ in New England because six inches of snow fell in June and every month of the year had a hard frost.

Temperatures dropped to as low as 40 degrees in July and August as far south as Connecticut. People also called it ‘Eighteen Hundred and Froze to Death’ and the ‘Poverty Year.’

The Year Without A Summer had a far-reaching impact. Crop failures caused hoarding and big price increases for agricultural commodities. People went hungry. Farmers gave up trying to make a living in New England and started heading west. Politicians who ignored the melancholy plight of their constituents found themselves out of office.

Flurries fell in Boston on June 7. The snow was 18" deep in Cabot, VT, on June 8. One June 11, a temperature of 30.5 degrees was recorded in Williamstown, MA. Frozen birds dropped dead in the fields. Some Vermont farmers who had already shorn their sheep tried to tie their fleeces back on, but many froze to death anyway.

Many people believe the Year Without a Summer was caused by a massive volcanic explosion on Mt. Tambora in Indonesia, killing 15,000 instantly. Soon after, another 65,000 perished of disease and starvation. The volcanic ash and debris thrown up into the stratosphere is thought to have blocked the sun and caused a gradual lowering of temperatures.

The Influenza Epidemic of 1918
Sutton

The great Influenza Epidemic of 1918 appeared in the Blackstone Valley in September 1918. It is believed that Patient 0 was a soldier from Company D 75th Infantry from Camp Devens, who came to Whitinsville to visit. He died in Whitinsville on September 19, 1918. By September 1918, Fort Devens had 9,000 dead, dying and sick.

Sutton's first death came on September 30, 1918. The individual was employed by Whitin Machine Works.

Between September 30, 1918 and December 30, 1918, Sutton lost 19 of its approximately 2,800 residents, including the renowned Manchaug physician,
Dr. Pierre Couilliard.

For more information about the
1918 Influenza Epidemic
Click on Image below
to view film
pbs.org

_________________________________________________________________________________

GRAVESTONE MAINTENANCE WORKSHOP
GREAT SUCCESS!!!
August 25, 2019

Thanks to all who joined in the workshop on Sunday, August 25, 2019 and those restoring the Reverend Hall memorial crypt.
Special thanks to Betty & Carlo Mencucci for sharing their vast knowledge, demonstrating proper methods and giving us opportunities to learn hands-on

Plans are in the works for a workday in September at the Town Center Cemetery. The exact day and time will be determined soon.
The notice will be emailed to those who signed up at the previous event, will be passed out at the Labor Day breakfast, will be published in the
Millbury-Sutton Chronicle and posted on the Sutton Historical Society website and Facebook.

The focus that day will be on resetting the front or back leaning gravestones - which are the most prone to breaking - and honing the skills that Betty & Carlo have taught us. Also, if your preference is to put your effort into cleaning of the gravestones and memorial stones, please join in. And, if you have friends who have expressed interest in - or curiosity about - restoration, please bring them along!

SPECIAL THANKS TO
Tiny Leaf Designs Photography, April Eaton Brown
for the amazing images below from the April 25 event!!!