Welcome to our section on the cultural life of Quinsigamond Village during the war years, It Takes a Village: Community and Culture. Developments in the village during World War II demonstrated how the village was influenced by broader cultural developments, yet still managed to preserve an intimate community dynamic that makes it such a unique historical spot to revisit today. It Takes a Village is composed of five features, each focused on presenting an important aspect of Quinsigamond life
To start, "A Villager, A Swede" examines Quinsigmond's Swedish identity and how it affected the village's World War II generation. "Village Faith" demonstrates the degree to which the village's churches played a role in maintaining a sense of community in the village with not only religious services, but also by sponsoring social activities. "Wartime Politics" provides an interesting discussion of how Quinsigamond's traditionally Republican populace pledged support to President Roosevelt's Democratic administration through the war years. Our section on the prevalence of movie-going among villagers, "Let's Go Out To the Movies," connects this brand of wartime entertainment with the unheralded rise in theater attendance nation-wide. We conclude our section with "R & R in the Village"-a delightful picture of how villagers entertained themselves in the local area with activities such as ice skating, social club outings, trips to White City, and parties at the American Steel and Wire assembly hall to name a few.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
