The Society will be represented in the Fourth of July Parade. Tom Kendig will be mounting a selection of his historical American flags on a 1931 Ford truck owned by Ed Jackson. The Parade begins at Beech Grove Cemetery and ends at the Holy Ghost Club. The flags - and the truck - are of great historical interest.
"French-Canadian Immigration into Massachusetts and Westport: a Panel Discussion" will take place on Thursday, June 17, 2004 at the Council on Aging, 75 Reed Rd., Head of Westport. The panel will begin at 7:30 P. M. Participants include: Dr. Claire Quintal, retired professor of French at Assumption College and founder of the Franco-American League; Jean-Louis Clapin, Registrar of Voters in Westport and President of the Franco-American Civic League and publisher of the former Independant newspaper; Normand Ouellette, Vice-President of the Franco-American Civic League, appointed by the Governor to the American-Canadian French Cultural Commission; and Claude Ledoux, who will speak of his experiences as a boy first arriving in Westport. Sue Smith will provide refreshments. The event is free to members of the Historical Society, and $5.00 for others.
This Web site now contains a special exhibit of more than 100 photographs and related text. You can reach it any time by clicking on "Westport Memories" in the main menu at the top and bottom of the page.
The pictures and captions in this collection were first exhibited at the Bell School in September 2003 by the Westport Historical Society. The images come from postcards from the collection of Al Lees Jr. Bette DeVeuve composed all the captions and did the research associated with them. Jack DeVeuve posted most of the pictures to the Web site while Bette put the captions on line. .
"This was really her project," Jack said. "I just helped out where I could."
The exhibit could not have taken place without the generosity of Mr. Lees and the interest, energy and dedication of the Deveuves. We are grateful to Bette and Jack for doing this, and happy that residents of Westport (and the world) can now enjoy these wonderful pictures of days past in Westport.
Please note:
1. The exhibit is divided into Albums by subject matter. Click on an album title at right to see "thumbnails" of all the images in that album.
2. Use the "search" box found in the upper right of each page to look for specific photos. This searches the text associated with each photo, so it serves as a general guide. For example, if you searched for the text "Hix Bridge" you would find pictures of the bridge, but also any pictures where the text beneath them mentions Hix Bridge, such as a picture of the Handy House.
3. Under each photo you'll find an opportunity to add your own comments. If you have something to say about the scene pictured - perhaps some added historical notes, or some interesting perspective on the same scene today - please share it with the rest of us by making a comment. Your comments will become part of the Web site for all to enjoy.