Norwood All Stirred Up Over Post Office Site Issue-This Day in Norwood History-October 1, 1931

So Much So That the Town Will Put On a Special Election Tomorrow to Decide

Which Faction Is Going to Win

Norwood will hold a special election Friday when the voters will decide where a Post office shall be built. The polls will be open from 6:45 a m until 7 pm. Unaccustomed as Norwood is to publicity, the town is now aroused over the Post office site. There were three sites; now there are two. The Post Office Department has chosen one site.

One faction says the Postoffice Department chose the wrong site and another insists that the right site was chosen.

Some people are going to vote for one. Others will vote for the others, and another group has purchased space in the local newspaper to announce that they will not vote at all.

Accusations are flying thick and fast and are answered on the wing. One special town meeting has already been held at which it was voted to hold a special election: and it was specified that the voting should be by Australian (not by Brazilian, Peruvian or Spanish) ballot.

One side represents the facts to be as follows: There were once upon a time three suggested sites for a post office in Norwood. One was in the rear of the theatre in the town square and was owned by Mr. George F. Willett. Another adjoined the Town Hall and is privately owned. It can be secured for $54,000. The third is near the Norwood Central Railroad Station and can be purchased for $22,000

They Are “Theisites”

The site near the Town Hall is owned by a Mr. Theise. Its choice is ardently sponsored in public statements to the voters by Francis J. Foley, and those who favor this site are known In the local public prints as “Theisites.”

The site near the Norwood Central Railroad Station is known as the Everett lot and is proposed and championed by James M. Folan. Mr Willett withdrew his property leaving Messrs Foley and Folan to fight it out.

The Post office Department was advised of all of these lots and sent its Inspectors here from Washington to look the situation over. According to a letter from John W. Philip, the fourth assistant postmaster general, he came to Norwood some time ago with Asst Secretary Heath of the Treasury Department, looked the place over, was shown around by a representative of the Chamber of Commerce and liked the site adjoining the Hall. This, according to one faction is the wrong site.

Some time later, says his letter. committee of Norwood people, including a representative of the Chamber of Commerce, who the opposition alleges, was not really a representative of the Chamber of Commerce and the people of Norwood, came to Washington and advocated the Town Hall site.

The Town Hall site was finally chosen, and there is where the nib comes. The opposition declare it didn’t know anything about its being chosen, and that everybody in town thought the Norwood Central location had been selected.

Use Advertising

That is how the fight started, grew and grew until statements were being issued and advertisements were circulated. Charles J. Prescott, Francis Foley and Walter Tilton signed an advertisement in which they declared they would no vote at a special town meeting last Friday night. Another advertisement appears today announcing they will not attend the special town meeting.

According to one group the Government wants to buy at a time like this a lot of land for a Postoffice which will cost $54,000. The land is taxable and the town will be nicked for a year, according to their way of figuring it. This, in addition, it is claimed, is a lot of land far from the center of the town and away from the station where the mail comes in.

They say that it would be better economy to buy a site handy to the center of town, handy to the railroad and which will cost less than half that price, $22,000 on non-taxable land which will cost the town annually not a nickel.

There are, of course, arguments for both sides. The Town Hall site is well located. It would dress up the place to have a nice Federal building there and the proponents of this site juggle figures just as able as the proponents of the other side.

The people will settle it at the polls Friday. That is, they will settle it if the Government builds according to the vote, but if the people vote to put the Postoffice on the Norwood Central site, and the Government has already decided to put it on the Town site, why the Government won’t change its mind.

01 Oct 1931, Thu The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts)