The Box Social

The library is lucky to own three copies of  Blue and Maize. It was the first yearbook  published for Hudsonville High School in 1921.  

The memories of events are still included in many current yearbooks, but many of the ways they were celebrated has changed.  The seniors of 1921 enjoyed a box social and it was included in the yearbook, as described below.  

Box socials, although not common now, were a way to raise funds.  Young ladies would decorate a box, pack it with a lunch, and the young men of the area would be allowed to bid on the box.  Frequently, the winner of the box would then have the pleasure of sharing its contents with the young lady who offered it up for auction.

Also found in this  yearbook were ads for local businesses.  Perhaps you recognize the name of the store or the owner?

                          

The library was given a wonderful opportunity when Polly (Alward) Lowing, a long time resident of Hudsonville, let us scan 10 albums of amazing photos and beautifully written journal entries that her mother, Freda (Boldt) Alward, compiled.

Transcriptions of the journal entries are located at the end of this post.

The first journal entry is a simple, yet elegantly written entry describing the beginning of her project.

 


Another photo that we're able to share is a picture of the homestead of Robert Alward Jr., along with the accompanying journal entry.

Journal Entry 1 - "Reminiscing - Sat in my chair Put my head back closed my eyes folded my hands and rocked.  Thats what I did most of the time those hot and muggy days of the summer of 1988.  And as I rocked I tried to remember something pertaining to the pictures I had picked for the album I had decided, before the hot weather, to put together for each one of you kids.  I didn't think I'd have more than a couple of dozen pictures but it mushroomed into a much bigger project than I had first planned.  I now have over 100.  When ever I would think of something pertaining to my childhood, I would jot it down and write about it later.  These were leftover."(sic)

Journal Entry 2 - Homestead of Robert Alward Jr.  It took 5 years to build.  Some of the stones and lumber were from the Pine area near cemetery and grange hall.  Some had been burned or charred.

Another entry from the Memories of Bygone Days by Gerrit and Gladys Elzinga shows what young women could do once they graduated high school. The options were limited, but teaching provided a good income for most. While you read this and think back to your own experiences, reminiscing about the friends you had, the way you spent your school day, and what you did after you finished with your own formal education, be it High School, 8th Grade or earlier, how would you compare it to your children’s education or your grandchildren’s education? What do you miss about those times? What brings a smile to your face? Feel free to comment on your own experience.

Here is a photo found in our own collection at the Gary Byker Library.  The only comment about the photo was that it is Alward School and the two teachers are Henrietta Brink and Gladys Gerrits.

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The Improved Curtis Washer

Recently we were given a copy of  "Memories of Bygone Days" by Marshall and 
Jacqueline Elzinga.  It was written by his grandparents, Gerrit and Gladys Elzinga 
and is filled with humorous, eloquent and  descriptive essays, wonderful poems, and
black and white photos from a bygone era in Hudsonville's early history.

Too good not to share, we've decided to feature an excerpt from this work on our new
local history blog, where we hope to share more such Elzinga entries, as well as 
entries from other hidden gems given to us over the years by local residents.

So, sit back and be transported briefly back in time to find out some of the early 
ways life began to get easier for people in the early 1900's - courtesy of Gerrit 
and Gladys *!

*(Gerrit Elzinga, b. 1906, d. 1994; Gladys Elzinga, b. 1905, d.1993, married in 1931)