How It Came To Be About
109 years after the Pilgrims disembarked at Plymouth the ancestors of George F. Willett settled at the head, of- the body of water which is now known as Willett Pond. The history of this man-made lake is of particular interest to Norwood at this time.
In the early nineties (ed:1890s) the employees of the tannery were scouring wool in old-fashioned, tub-like arrangements, called rinse boxes. These boxes required enormous amounts of water, and it wasn’t long before the ponds around Norwood had been drained to alarmingly new lows as had the factory reservoir. The problem of providing a sufficient water supply presented itself.
Mr. Samuel Winslow, an executive of the firm, took a long walk with Mr. George Willett around Mr. Willett’s home and soon they conceived the idea of constructing an artificial pond covering the acres before the Willett homestead. Mr. Winslow saw how a dam might be constructed and a large reservoir established. Investigation was begun, and engineers submitted reports. The cost of construction involved excessive expense and such a long period of time to buy up all the necessary land that the men became somewhat discouraged. Further investigation revealed that new wool scouring machines had been invented, requiring so little water that the existing supply was sufficient. Hence, the matter was dropped for some years, and Winslow Brothers and Smith Company bought new wool scouring machines that are still in use today.
Booth’s Idea
About this time, Charles Booth of London, England, was spending approximately $35,000 annually on a survey of the causes of poverty and crime, particularly in relation to housing. He continued his survey for twenty years and finally found that one of the chief causes of crime was congested housing. During these years Mr. Booth made an annual visit to the United States to inspect his business interests in this country. He usually spent one day in Norwood visiting Mr. Willett.
One day he and Mr. Willett took a walk around the same territory that Mr. Winslow had covered a few years before. Mr. Booth saw the marvelous opportunity for a new housing development—a garden village, as he said. When he had returned to England, Mr. Willett considered his idea of a housing project and realized that the most attractive feature of such a plan would be an artificial pond providing bathing as well as a park and recreational advantages. In 1906 Mr. Willett gave Armour and Company an interest in Winslow Brothers and Smith and at the same time made arrangements for the construction of Willet Pond, to serve his dual purpose of a factory reservoir and the western boundary of his housing development, known as Westover.
In 1916 W’inslow Brothers and Smith acquired the water rights of Willett Pond and agreed to maintain it as a bathing beach.
(All articles originally appeared in the Norwood Messenger unless otherwise noted)