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The Newsletter of the Maynard Historical SocietyIssue # 65Spring 2013MAYNARD'S TOWN SEALAND CENTENNIAL MEDALBy David MarkTwenty-eight years after theformation of the Town ofMaynard, the town'sgovernment approved of anofficial town seal to be stampedor imprinted onto towndocuments.This emblemserved the town in good steaduntil a few years after thecelebration of the town'scentennial anniversary, when anew seal with an image of theclock tower was chosen toreplace the old one.The original image was notparticularly fancy, just onecircle inside another. The outerborder read “TOWN OFM A Y N A R D 1871”.Imprints can be seen on thecovers of Town of MaynardAnnual Reports at the MaynardPublic Library.Back in 1899, the approvalprocess was as follows: TheBoard of Selectmen approved aTown Seal on February 2, 1899,Spring 2013Original Town SealUsed 1900—1975Current Town SealIn use since 1975Photo submitted by David MarkPhoto submitted by David Markwith subsequent approval by avote at Town Meeting on March12, 1900.Maynard Fire Department, andalso in the U. S. Air ForceReserves. He passed away in2009, survived at the time byhis wife Patricia, son John,daughter Marianne, and anextended, multigenerationalfamily.Maynard made the change tothe new seal in January 1975,four years after the ClockTower was featured on the backof commemorative medalsmade for the town's centennialcelebration in 1971, and thatdesign became the new seal.Gerard "Gerry" D'Errico wonthe contest for best design forthe medal. He was a graphicartist and design engineer bytrade. D'Errico lived on FirstStreet, served for years in theMaynard MemoriesOn the obverse of his medalwas an image of AmoryMaynard flanked by“ M A Y N A R D ,MASSACHUSETTSCENTENNIAL 1871-1971”.On the reverse was the townclock flanked by the words(Continued on page 2)Issue 65Page 1

Maynard Memories, The Newsletter of the Maynard Historical Society“TOWN OF MAYNARDMASSACHUSETTS 1871”.Under the image was“PROGRESSUS CUMSTABILITAS”.The medals, about 1.5 inches indiameter, made by V. H.Blackinton and Company,Attleboro Falls, Massachusetts,were struck in sterling silver( 10.00) or bronze ( 2.50). Thelatter was also availableembedded in a Lucite plasticblock, as a paper weight. Frombookkeeping records for theCentennial event it appears that50 silver, 1,500 bronze, and 100bronze medals in Lucite weremade. The medals went on saleon October 9, 1970.The Maynard Historical Societyhas one of the bronze medals inits collection. The medals camewith a brief history of town andclock printed on a 3 x 5 inchpiece of paper. A transcript:MAYNARDMASSACHUSETTS100th AnniversaryCommemorative Medal1871-1971Maynard Massachusetts wassettled early in the life of ourcountry - in 1649, only twentynine years after the landing ofthe Pilgrims. It was carved outof the mother towns of Sudburyand Stow.The Revolutionary War foundmany of our settlers in its ranks.It has been related that DanielConant, member of the StowMinutemen, residing in thatpart of Stow that becamePage 2Obverse of the CentennialMedal picturingAmory MaynardReverse of the CentennialMedal picturing theTown ClockPhoto submitted by David MarkPhoto submitted by David MarkMaynard, was the first manwounded at Old North Bridge.identified as the Town Clockbecause of its central location asa landmark.For forty years prior toincorporation in 1871, we wereknown as Assabet Village.The face of the medal bears thelikeness of Amory Maynard,after whom the town wasnamed. It is superimposed overthe map of Maynard. He wasthe prime mover in theorganization of the textile millsin the middle of the nineteenthcentury, which resulted in thegrowth of Assabet Village tosuch a size that the people feltthat incorporation as a separateentity was necessary.The reverse of the medalshows the Town Clock. This ispart of the mill complex. Theclock was donated by LorenzoMaynard in 1892, with theAssabet ManufacturingCompany erecting the tower.Although not owned by thetown, the clock tower hasthrough the decades becomeMaynard MemoriesNote the hands of the clock ten minutes after twelve.Though not connected to thehistory of the clock, since 1892the fire whistle has been blownat that time daily to check thesystem. The townspeople haveconsequently becomeaccustomed to setting theirtimepieces then as the so-called'Washington Time' is accurateto the second - an interestinglocal custom.The Latin phrase "progressuscum stabilitas" meaningprogress with stability, reflectsour development as acommercial and industrialcenter in Assabet Valley.FROM MEDAL TOTOWN SEALThe fall of 1974 saw activelobbying for adoption of a newTown Seal with the clock towerIssue 65Spring 2013

Maynard Memories, the Newsletter of the Maynard Historical Societyimage. Letters were sent by theMaynard Historical Society,Historical Commission, SeniorCitizens, and Jaycees. (Copiesare in the Historical Societycollection.)Per the 1975 Annual TownReport, a Special TownMeeting held on January 13,1975 had as Article #25 amotion to adopt a Town Sealdepicting the Town Clock aswas used at the MaynardCentennial in 1971. The motionwas approved by voice vote.Town offices were allowed touse existing supplies ofstationary, etc., until such weredepleted.As noted above, D'Errico'scentennial coin design readPROGRESSUSCUMSTABILITAS. Stabilitate is theablative singular form ofstabilitas. According to Latinscholars, the former is correctwhen following a prepositionsuch as cum. The Town ofMaynard is of two minds.Official town documents bearthe town seal withSTABILITATE, as do thenewer street signs, but townowned vehicles with the seal onthe door have it asSTABILITAS.In a conversation in December2012, Maynardite Steve Wagnerpointed out that the use ofPROGRESSUS is alsoproblematic. On it's face, theword appears to be the root forthe English word "progress."However, more exacttranslations indicate that this isa masculine form of a verbSpring 2013meaning to advance, proceed, orgo forward. (The feminine formis "progressa" and the genderneutral form "progressum.")Thus, PROGRESSUS CUMSTABILITATE would literallymean "He advances withstability." Given that AmoryMaynard was on the other sideof the medal, perhaps thisreferred to him not being adrinking man, and thus notwandering about the streets ofMaynard in a drunken stupor.Well, as they say in Latin,"Quicquid." (Whatever.)The clock on both thecommemorative coin and theTown Seal shows the time as12:10. Ten minutes after noon iswhen the fire station blows thes t at i o n h o rn - au d i b l ethroughout much of Maynard.The reason why 12:10 and notnoon is shrouded in the mysteryof history. Some say the answeris as simple as back in the daywhen the woolen mill soundedits noon horn to announce lunchbreak, the Fire Departmentdecided to offset its own hornby ten minutes so the two couldnever be confused.Others say that the firedepartment officer on dutywould walk up to the trainstation to get the official"Washington" time viatelegraph, set his watchaccordingly, and then walk backto the fire house to sound thehorn. As the walk to the firestation, then on Nason Street,was just under ten minutes, thedecision was made to beconsistent about sounding theMaynard Memorieshorn at 12:10. Given that thewoolen mill ceased operating in1950 and the train station tenyears later, it has to be somecombination of nostalgia andinertia that preserves thetradition long after the reason isgone.It's just as well that theMaynard Town Seal nowfeatures the town's emblematicimage. Starting in 2009, theCommonwealthofMassachusetts decreed thatmost street signs change fromthe old standard of four inch talllettering to versions with sixinch letters, with the option ofincluding a pictograph such as atown seal to the left of thelettering. In Maynard, thetransition to larger signs is stilla work in progress, but themajority have been updated.To the east, Concord's Sealfeatures the Minuteman statueand the motto "Quam firma resconcordia" loosely translated as"What a strong thing isharmony" or "What a strongthing it is to be in Concord." Tothe north, Acton's Seal featuresan image of the Civil Warmonument, with no motto. Tothe west, Stow's Seal featuresthe Randall Library, with nomotto. And to the south,Sudbury's Seal features theWadsworth Monument,honoring Samuel Wadsworthand others who died in battle inKing Philip's War in 1876. Notown motto. Only in Concordand Maynard does it help toknow a little bit of Latin.Issue 65Page 3

Maynard Memories, the Newsletter of the Maynard Historical SocietyMaynardFind TyphoidGermsReprinted from“The Maynard News”November 12, 1909At last, apparently the cause ofthe typhoid fever epidemic inthe neighborhood of LindenStreet has been discovered inthe person of A. H. Haynes,who was examined last week atthe state Board of Health officein Boston, and was found tohave a few millions of typhoidbacilli in his system. The stateofficers forbid Mr. Haynes fromselling any more milk or anyother article of food that has noprotection from infection. Thisis no new case by any means assimilar cases have beendiscovered in various parts ofthe state, where people whohave had the disease carry thegerms in their system for a longtime.Mr. Haynes had thedisease four years ago.Mr. Haynes’ premises wereexamined recently by the stateboard, but were found to be freefrom anything in the shape of atyphoid germ habitation, so thatof course he was entirelyignorant of the fact that hehimself was carrying thebacteria, but was perfectlywilling to be examined whenthe matter was suggested by thelocal Board of Health.Page 4MaynardStreet SprinklingReprinted from“The Maynard News”Friday, May 7, 1909Considerable agitation is beingheard around town over thequestion of sprinkling thestreets, and it seems to be thegeneral idea that money spentfor this purpose is a goodinvestment, unless the townwants to put in macadam roadsevery few years. It is a wellknown fact that macadamstreets, if not kept dampened inthe summer, literally blowaway, as the surface becomespulverized, so that sprinklingthese streets is not only aluxury, but a necessity.Heretofore it was unlawful tomake any special appropriationsfor this purpose, but by a recentenactment, any town can nowmake a special appropriation forstreet sprinkling.Sprinkling the entire length ofMain Street, all of Nason Street,and Summer Street, which issomething that should be done,besides a good share of EastSummer Street, now that thatstreet is macadamized, is workthat was heretofore consideredunadvisable, owing to the factthat the fire horses, which pullthe water wagon, would at timesbe too far away from the hosehouse in case of emergency.Now, however, since the newlaw was enacted, many believeMaynard Memoriesthat the town should make aspecial appropriation at the nextspecial meeting and let the jobout on bids. The laying of thedust on the principalthoroughfares of the townwould without a doubt beappreciated by everybody intown, not only those who livebut those who walk thesestreets, and besides a greatsaving would be accomplishedin the matter of preserving thestreets.(Continued from page 5)The trouble according to Mr.Lord was that the bridge wasraised twenty-four inches, thusnecessitating considerablegrading and also a new wallalong the river for some littledistance. Mr. Lord immediatelygot in touch with the countycommissioners, who informedMr. Lord that if the facts of thecase were as he stated, that itwas up to the town of Maynardto step up and foot the bill formaking the necessaryimprovements on the Stow side.The Stow selectmen have askedthe Maynard selectmen to dothis and if the town of Maynardmeets the requirements of theStow selectmen it will put apretty big dent in the local streetappropriation, as the whole jobwill foot up close to 1,000. Ifthe Maynard selectmen balk atthe proposition to pay the entirebill, the county commissionersare to try to adjust the matter.Issue 65Spring 2013