Thumbing the Files

50 Years Ago – August 15, 1976 

Looking back a half century to the week of August 19, 1976, the Milford Cabinet had just about everything: vandalism, beauty queens, grocery bargains, Hurricane Belle—and, for reasons known only to the Board of Selectmen, an unusual amount of discussion about bathrooms.

Vandalism in town was clearly the story of the month. It dominated both the front page and the opinion page, where one column began with the memorable line: "There is something sad about vandalism. Sad, and at the same time infuriating." The examples seemed endless. The Oval drinking fountain was smashed for the third time that year, dressing rooms at the Keyes Field swimming pool were repeatedly damaged, gravestones were tipped over, and the American flag was stolen from the Oval. The editorial summed up the town's frustration with what it called the "frustrating, infuriating question: Why?"

Town officials had apparently reached their own conclusion about who was responsible. After repeated vandalism at Keyes Field and on the Oval, selectmen announced, "Until they decide they can act like ladies and gentlemen, the benches are to be removed." One park-goer could only shrug after the benches disappeared: "I guess I'll sit on the ground."

Fortunately, not all the news was discouraging. The Hutchinson Homestead on North River Road received national recognition as a "Landmark of American Music," honoring the Hutchinson Family Singers, Milford's famous musical family, during the nation's

Bicentennial celebration. It was one of only four such sites recognized in New Hampshire.

Preparations were already underway for the Hillsboro County Fair, where young women ages 16 to 22 were invited to compete for Fair Queen. The winner—and "her court"—would be announced on opening day so they could "reign for the duration of the fair." County fairs still have tractor pulls and fried dough. Teenage Fair Queens? Not so much.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Belle had the Cabinet staff briefly wondering whether the newspaper would be printed at all. With the paper's editor paddling down the Allagash River, staff members found themselves spending "several fascinating hours planning how a newspaper might be printed from hand-scrawled rather than type-set galleys." Fortunately, Belle gave Milford the slip, the lights stayed on, and everyone, as the editorial put it, "waded to work."

The Board of Selectmen spent at least one meeting discussing matters at opposite ends of the plumbing system. Selectmen wrestled with where Hampshire Hills Health Club should put its sewage while finally settling another issue much closer to home: where to install two long-awaited public restrooms. The verdict: the custodian's closet.

The advertisements in that week's paper offered their own glimpse into everyday life in 1976. Down at Violette's Market, porterhouse steaks were going for $1.99 a pound, New York sirloin for $1.79, and "Plum o' Rama" selections were just 39 cents a pound. Over on the car lot, one leasing company knew just what "Mr. Businessman" needed. That turned out to be a brand-new Chevy Monte Carlo for $159.59 per month. Meanwhile, newcomers to town were welcomed the old-fashioned way. A Cabinet advertisement featured a smiling Welcome Wagon hostess with a simple greeting: "Hello, stranger."

So there you have it: the week of August 15, 1976—vandalism, a near-miss hurricane, county fair beauty queens, bargain steaks, and altogether too much discussion about using the facilities. □