Westwood and Norwood are most fortunate indeed to have the Welcome Wagon service in their communities. This service sends a Welcome Wagon Hostess with a basket of greetings and gifts into each newcomer’s home, acquainting the newcomer with the community of his choice The Hostess cordially welcomes each newcomer with greetings from the town officials, the Chamber of Commerce, the churches, and civic organizations.
She also gives helpful information about transportation timetables, health services, and schools. Sponsors of the community service are the local-minded merchants who send greetings and gifts in the basket.
Westwood and Norwood are but two of the 1100 communities in the United States that have Welcome Wagon service. The local Hostesses are Mrs. Margaret Robins, 412 Hartford Street, Westwood, and Mrs. Marjorie Dillard, 49 Sixth Street, Norwood. They carry on a tradition started many years ago in this country by the early settlers who greeted the pioneer wagon trains. This custom was the inspiration for Mr. Thomas Briggs of Memphis, Tennessee who founded Welcome Wagon twenty-five years ago.
Now an International organization with Hostesses in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the Hawaiian Islands, the Welcome Wagon service carries the sponsors’ message into every new home.
Every newcomer to the Town is entitled to a call, whether they rent or buy a home, or rent an apartment, the Welcome Wagon service strongly urges all neighbors to contact the Hostesses as soon as a new family moves in. The sooner the Hostesses call on the newcomers, the more help they can be. An advertisement saying “Friendly Neighbors Always Call Welcome Wagon” runs weekly in both the Norwood Messenger and The Westwood Press giving Mrs. Robins’ phone number, DEd 3-1973-M. The Norwood number to call is NOr 7-3435-W.
Other services that are offered by Welcome Wagon Hostesses throughout the country include calls on families with new babies, sons or daughters with sixteenth birthdays, and girls whose engagements are announced. Because of the increased number of calls on newcomers in this rapidly growing area, the other types of Welcome Wagon services will be started when more Hostesses are added.
The Towns of Norwood and Westwood are both way above the national average in percentage of newcomer calls according to Welcome Wagon statistics.
Merchants in this area who sponsor this vital service in the communities include R. E. Hight, Chevrolet, who provides the car used by the Hostesses in making their calls; the Norfolk County Trust Co., Nikki’s Beauty Salon, Guild Square Pharmacy, Connors’ Texaco Station, (Route 1), the Norwood Messenger, the Norwood Theatre, the Walpole Laundry, the North Walpole Green Houses, The Park Theatre, East Walpole, Garelick Bros. Farms, Franklin, Connors’ Wayside Furniture, Canton; the Boston Traveler, Skyway Cleaners, Westwood Oil Company, Ellis Tavern Foods, Stowell Bros. Market, Scott’s Five and Ten, and the Westwood Press.
(All articles originally published in the Norwood Messenger)