By Isabell Macrina
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Walpole Historical Society stepped back in time to celebrate the holidays this year with their Christmas Open House. The building in Walpole Center was done up with Christmas décor and staff and volunteers done up in vintage wear to ring in the season.
Over mulled cider, Christmas cookies, and other snacks, people of Walpole gathered in the house to enjoy music played by two locals, discuss the town as a whole, and even buy the new books WHS had for sale! For the history buffs in your life, the historical society has a great selection of books specific to Walpole about the history of the town.
There was also time to take a tour of the house! Despite its small appearance, each room is filled with hidden historical treasures and pieces that bring history to life before your very eyes. The records room holds papers dating back to the founding of Walpole in 1724, when it split from Dedham to become its own town. You can see models of the old town hall, paintings of different figures including Sir Robert Walpole, the town’s namesake, and more!
But for the Christmas season, volunteer Sharon McMillan became Mary C. Moore Ogden, daughter of the famed poet Clement Moore to give a special reading of his classic tale “The Night Before Christmas” (or its original title “A Visit from St. Nicholas”).
Mary divulged to us that the story was originally written as a Christmas present for her and her family from her father, who usually wrote more serious works, and was a professor of Greek and Hebrew Literature in New York. He would share the poem at holiday events, where eventually a friend asked if she could write it down. From there it was sent anonymously to newspapers around the city and became so popular it got published.
Mary illuminated (illustrated) a copy of the book one year for her husband, and a copy of that was passed around for the audience to enjoy. We learned a bit about the holiday season back then, how they would celebrate Twelfth Night and the big feast was a New Years event more than Christmas. It was a beautiful way to celebrate the holidays of new and old, letting history bring itself to life in front of our eyes.
