Winchendon, MA

With Winchendon, author Glen Wheeler has compiled a dramatic new collection of photographs that depict life in and around Winchendon from 1880 to about 1940. With the aid of over 200 vintage images, readers see what Central Street, Waterville, Spring Village, and the Old Centre looked like at the turn of the century. Other scenes show how people dressed, the churches they attended, and the shops where they worked. The home of mills and small businesses alike, it seems Winchendon has always been driven by activity and industry. Amidst these pages we can visit old-time markets, barbershops, druggists, and bookstores—places both familiar and forgotten. The toy business has been particularly important to this town; companies such as Morton E.Converse and Mason & Parker Manufacturing helped Winchendon to become known as Toy Town. The 12-foot hobby horse made by Converse in 1914 continues to be one of the town’s dominant landmarks.