Prior to my birth in 1945, Wareham, and especially Onset was quite a "party" destination. According to the stories that I would hear from my mother and aunt especially, Onset was the place to be.
There was a nightclub on the roadway to Sias Point.(I hope someone reading this knows the name, or perhaps someone in the family may know).
It was a glitzy, well known,"swinging" facility. The likes of Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Benny Goodman, the Artie Shaw Band (my mother would tell me how she and her older sister, Irene, would go to the club by sneaking off with friends. They even had the chance to sing with Artie Shaw several times). Jimmy Cagney was known to stop on his way to his horse farm on Martha's Vineyard.
Then, according to what I remember I was told, many bad things started to happen. The Hurricane of 1938 pretty well wiped out the Village of Onset and of course Wareham was devastated. I recall seeing many black and white photos of the Onset Pier with luxury yachts strewn upside down and on top of each other. I hope I can find those pictures someday to share with everyone, including my family. I am pretty sure one of my sisters or cousins have them.
A murder occurred of a young woman that was unsolved and probably is to this day. Rumors were that everyone in Town knew who did it, but , apparently he was from a prestigious family and was never charged. I heard those rumors for decades.
Then, after the destruction of the hurricane drove many people out of Onset and Wareham, the Village of Onset and Wareham did what all American Cities and Towns do...they rebuilt. With blood, sweat and tears, they replaced the damages to the downtown Onset area, restored the Pier, and gradually people started to drift back. But, now people were afraid of the weather and of the possibility of Onset being crime riddled.
Then the nightclub burned down. I remember years later, when I was about 6 or 7 years of age, my mother would drive to see our relatives that lived on Sias Point and the remnants of the nightclub still existed. She would sigh, and tell me the wonderful stories that only a mother can tell an impressionable, and obviously interested little boy.
Of course prior to all of this the Great Depression had a huge impact on the Town. My extended family was involved in the ownership of the Onset Theatre, the Onset Hotel, and several other investments that were mostly lost during the economic crisis. My mother and aunt lived with my grandparents on West Central for many years, and they watched as the quality of life began to erode. People were out of work. Many left Onset and Wareham to move to Boston or other large cities in the hope of finding some work and at least having the opportunity to do day labor and seek shelter and food at charity stations. Bread and soup lines were the norm of the day, and people slept in doorways and alleys in order to save money to feed their families until the next day came and went, and the next day came and went, and on and on.
Luckily, the people of Onset and Wareham took care of their own, and those who stayed were never turned away by anyone. It would have been unimaginable in those days to refuse to help even a stranger in their time of need.
Then, of course, came World War II and the men of Onset and Wareham, and many women as well, went off to fight the "last" great War. (If they only knew then what we know now).
Rations impeded living. Butter, cheese, meat, gasoline, milk, cigarettes, and so many other items that I can't remember what I was told,were rationed. Cars were only black. People in Onset and Wareham had to conserve on everything, especially lighting. It was mandatory during the War years to shut your lights off during the night time so that Germain subs that lurked off of the Coast couldn't get a good bearing. My Grandfather, Charlie Donnelly, used to tell me how the Civilian Patrol of Onset (of which he was a member...although I think it was more of a social organization intended to have a good excuse to get out of the house, meet up with your friends, have a few drinks, and at the same time perform your public duty) used to sit on Onset Bluffs and watch for any sign of submarine activity in Onset Harbor.
The joke of the day for young lovers was:"Want to go with me tonight to watch the submarine races?"
My mother was lucky enough to work for her aunt, Mae McGlaughlin (probably the most hated person I ever heard about from family or anyone who knew her)who was the Post Master of Onset. That was unheard of in those days to think that a woman could be Post Master. But, as much as my mother was intimidated by her, she worked for many years as a part time clerk and helped with the family's support during the War years, all the while attending school.
So...life went on. It was hard, it was sad at times, especially for those who lost sons and daughters to War, but it could be happy and funny. My mother would regal me with stories that I loved so much I will never forget them. She would often speak of the "gay" times she and her friends would have enjoying Onset.
(Too bad the word "gay" took on such a negative connotation since then. What a wonderful word to describe wonderful memories).
My Aunt Irene was in nursing school earning her R.N.. She would return in the summer and work to help out. Things were tough, but the Donnellys' and the other citizens of Onset and Wareham were tougher.
They survived, and Onset and Wareham survived.
Next ( I promise), we will take a look at politics in Wareham after the War and when I was old enough to understand and appreciate the inner workings of the community.
I hope we have reached a point where others can comment on what I have written.

Last edited by danoconnell (2009-07-27 13:35:29)