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By Katrina Margolis
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Having grown up in New England, many of us probably take town commons for granted. They have been an integral part of our lives from the start, and as we start to grow, we forget just how special or unique it is to have a town common, especially a well-preserved one.
Walpole is unusual in that it has three town commons, all of which are wonderfully preserved.
As Eric Hurwitz said: “Where there’s a close knit community, there’s a vibrant town common as a general rule.”
Walpole is definitely a close knit community.
Hurwitz published a book all about town commons, titled “Massachusetts’ Town Greens: A History of the State’s Common Centers” earlier this year in May. “A book publisher contacted me out of the blue,” Hurwitz explained. “I’m the publisher of a travel website called VisitingNewEngland.com. For one reason or another, they liked my writing and they asked me if I had any interest in writing a book about town commons, and I thought: ‘Can this be true?’ I’ve always loved town commons, being a life-long New Englander.”
Over the course of six months, Hurwitz wrote 56,000 words about the town commons of the state. “At times, Massachusetts seemed like the size of Alaska. I traveled all over the place!” Hurwitz joked. While his book focuses on over 70 town commons, his talk at the Walpole Public Library focused primarily on Walpole. “My research indicates that the beginning of the Walpole town green could have gone back to 1739, so that’s a long time ago,” he said. “That’s before the Revolutionary War.” Town commons, including Walpole, were used for military training as well as animal grazing.
Walpole’s bandstand makes the town common particularly unique. “This bandstand was constructed in 1900 to 1901, and it’s not really a typical bandstand. It’s a stone structure, and a lot of town greens have wooden structures,” Hurwitz explained. Hurwitz explained that the bandstand has had some particularly famous visitors. “John F. Kennedy, during his campaign, came to Walpole with Jacqueline Onassis Kennedy and he spoke,” Hurwitz said. “Walpole, from what I read, loved John F. Kennedy, and to show their gratitude, they gave Jackie a bunch of flowers and Watson’s candies gave them a box of chocolates, so I’m sure JFK liked Walpole even more.” There was even a woman in attendance who remembered seeing JFK speak, and her excitement piqued when he told this anecdote.
Recently, the town common was home to the annual tree lighting. “I believe 700 people showed up, and that’s really indicative of two things,” Hurwitz explained. “The spirit of this town and that this is a close knit community.”
