Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-11-11
FINE COLLEGE TOWN.
Effective Improvement Methods Adopt
ed by Wellesley, Mass.

most beautiful suburban towns in the
United States. Abrupt hills, flowing
brooks, placid ponds and a charming
lake, with many a noble tree and
wealth of the green things of earth,
are the contributions ,of nature which
man has nodded and directed to make
of all harmonious whole in which
the modern house of wood or the vine
clad stone looks at home.
1t is an important item in the daily
concerns of the Wellesley inhabitant,
this thought of the beauty of his
town. There is no intention on his
part to wake up some day and find
that unsightly buildings have replaced
| the elms and pines that now adorn the
wide streets and cover the hill slopes
| where pretty homes nestle. There Is
| passion for the good things of nature
among the jewellers in this college
town, and they let slip no opportunity
| to get another chance at the open air
of heaven or to direct the energies OF
| those who would build Il real prac-
teal store or office" where nature
has hitherto had her way unhampered.
There are three village Improvement
societies in Wellesley, with It's G,1SG III
| habitants, of whom 1000 are college
students These societies have not eX-
| pected to make the town perfect all at
| once along all lines or any lines. They
! are patient, but always wide awake
and pushing some new Improvement.
says the Boston Herald. The latest
| hn of no
| Falls and Hills Village Improvement
society to secure the purchase of the
Elm Park hotel property. so that the
square at Wellesley Hills may be
made of beauty that will accord
with the rest of the town.
| The activities OF these societies are
| quite diversified. They have secured
| the adoption of an attractive street
1 sign, of which many have already been
set up. and have planted and secured
the planting of hundreds of street trees.
They provided free of charge plans
for a new telephone building at Wei
lesley Hills square. Many small i'm
provements have been secured by them
in the lighting and care of railroad
stations and grounds and the handling
of carriages at the stations. They have
issued pamphlet on the planting and
care of trees. The tree warden of
wellesley is man of means, who does
the work for love of it. These militant
societies preach in general and in par
ticular in the local paper. They have
started a system of removing ashes
and rubbish.
Wellesley's real estate and personal
property have taxed value of S1S.352,'
0S0.22, which sum includes exempted
property to the amount of $500
1902, of which the larger part is the
college property.
OF the improvements in the town is
Hunnewell park, of eleven acres. On
the top of the hill in this park is the
beautiful stone building for town hall
and library This park and the build
ing were the gift of H. H. Hunnewell
who also gave the books for the libra
ry and $21, 900 for library fund and
also a playground of eighteen acres
This playground Is over the stone
fence just off Washington street, Wei
lesley's principal artery of commerce
1t is laid out in ball fields. tennis court:
and gridirons, the whole being strik
ing example of good caretaldng.
The town itself has taken many
acres of land along Fuller brook, be
tween Wellesley Hills and Wellesley
which in course of time will be devel
! oped into a parkway. This parkwa!
will extend from Wellesley Hills
square to the Charles river, at thu
southwesterly part of the town, dis
lance of three miles. 1t borders on thu
Hunnewell playground and when com
pleted will be very beautiful feature
of the town.
The four railroad stations in Welles
ley from the plans of the late III. +
Richardson are tastefully laid out ant
planted with trees and shrubs. The.
form fitting introduction to the Wis
itor who is to see the greater beautie
beyond. Recently there has been &C
operation between the railroad AM
the town in the leasing, through tn
society, to the town by the road for
long term of years Of a piece OF 1T
= unused land in the vicinity of tn
Wellesley station. This piece is bein
developed by planting bushes an
shrubs Of decorative value.
The three Wellesley improvement So
| cieties are distributed through the vi
| lagos Of the town. The Wellesley vi
lage society is at the Wellesley en-
e in the village known as Wellesley, tn
J, Hills and Fells society at the Hills an
s the eastern part of the town and th
: Fells society at the Fells in the soutf
: westerly part of the town. The Welle:
T ley club, organized ''to consider an
u discuss questions relating to the we
|. fare of Wellesley" was organized !
:, 1889 and meets seven times during til
q year at some hotel in Boston. 1t has
e membership of 40, with long wal
J. Ing list. At its meetings it usual
Ir discusses some live question intimatel
: related to the municipal and social Iii
8 Of the town.
All the news all the time = TIL
!. ARGUS.