Holbrook High School - Echo Yearbook (Holbrook, MA)

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make by-laws, and to appoint the town officials. Mr. Lemuel Whitcombe was elected as the town moderator. Very shortly after this initial meeting, the town hall was erected. On August 12, 1874, a library was built, but on Christmas, 1877, a fire, believed to have been deliberately set, gutted the town hall and the library to such an extent that, “. . . only one-twelfth (1 12) the number of our collection of twenty-seven hundred (2,700) vol- umes escaped the insatiable monster’s wrath.” In 1879. a formal fire department was formed. A police force was initiated in the following year. Until that time, Holbrook had had no need for a police force, but with the addition of nine (9) “rum-shops” and the influx of tramps from the railway, Holbrook citizens could no longer be their own guardians. As a result of a petition, it was ruled in 1885 that Braintree, Holbrook, and Randolph would sup- ply themselves with water from The Great Pond. Subsequently, a number of mill owners sued the towns for $121,000.00 for using the water, but were awarded only $8,000.00. Because of rising government costs, property val- ues, and population, the tax rate rose to two per- cent (2%). The period of greatest industrial growth, mostly in shoes and leather, took place during the years 1875-1885, in which thirty-eight (38) new places of business were established. Holbrook ranked 74th in manufacturing in the state, yet only 148th in population. At this time it greatly exceeded Randolph’s manufacturing pro- duction. Holbrook, however, ranked last in agri- culture. After 1885 the shoe industry moved to the Brockton area, and in 1910, it was reported that, “Brockton, Whitman, Rockland, Bridgewa- ter, and Middleboro are forging ahead, while Holbrook is falling to the rear.” The reason for this was that Holbrook lacked any good means of transportation, so serious efforts were made to re- vive business. In 1891, the Brockton and Braintree electrical streetcar systems ran through Holbrook. A “bicycle railway” and a canal were proposed also, as possible solutions to the trans- portation problem; however, they were never fol- lowed through. In 1894, land was acquired along with twenty- five hundred dollars ($2500.00) from Mr. Hol- brook for two parks, and in 1909, a monument to those who had died in the Civil War was erected. The town was now having trouble with its school system because of the rise in costs of education and the growing population, despite the addition of eight (8) more schools to the already existing four (4) buildings. In 1902, enrollment developed to the extent that there averaged one teacher per school. This situation was eventually rectified through the increasing interest of its citizenry. Since 1922, Holbrook’s industry, which was at that time comparable to that of Brockton’s, has grown considerably. Also at that time, consid- erable time and attention were given to the health and sanitation department, the highway department, the school system, and particularly to the fire and police departments. The form of the Town Government and its procedure of gov- erning the town through the election of selectmen and a town meeting moderator, along with other elected officials, has remained in existence since the incorporation of Holbrook. The only differ- ence is in its voting procedure when Brookville was designated as a second precinct.