The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1914-10-22
TOY TOWN.
A Massachusetts Village that Turns out T.
600 Drums Daily.

|
| Last July the writer enjoyed an auto ride TO
Winchendon, Mass, and dinner at the 10y
Town Tavern. a unique and most attractive
hostelry, with tempting menu and pictur-
esaue surroundings. 1t was Sunday and there
was no opportunity to inspect the town ehiel
industry. of which the writer had no personal
knowledge. and in view of the facts here pre-
scented from an exchange we see no reason
why Santa Claus should be dependent on uer-
many for his Christmas stock.
r., "The little Massachusetts village OF WIN
chendon. under Mt. MonadnocS, really is Toy
Town, Winchen don is the cradle OF the toy
making industry in America, Halt the toys
sold in the United States are made within the
Countrv's borders, and of many different kinds
+ of staple playthipgs half of the American
nroduct comes from Winchendon.
"Wiuchendon boasts the most extensive toy
factory in the world, says New York Times
writer And it is a community of toymakers.
/ The town does practically nothing else. 1t is
,, as every one of its inhabitants will proudly
tell you, the "toymakers' village" of America
"The first thing to catch the visitors eye in
Tow Town is a rocking horse. huge crea-
ture, a real rocking-horse of heroic size. 1t
guards, with waving name and head flung back,
the gates of Winchendon. In other words, 1t
stands on bit of greensward beside the rail-
road station. 1t is the towns symbol out-
side the borders of Massachusetts and New
Hampshire and the ranks OF the toy dealers
not many people know much about the Amer
lean Toy Town. But no one getting OF the
train at Winchendon station could doubt the
villages chief industry. The rocklDg-horse IS
too obviously q toy. Nothing else could be at
once so quaint and SO ridiculous. and nothing
else could SO VAIN the strangers feelings to-
ward Toy Town.
"The people who have set up rocking
horse at their railroad station do not like their
village to be called simply Winchendon. They
themselves call it Toy Town. and they frankly
want visitors to do the same. Toy Town looks
and sounds romantic. But behind the romance
there is the prosaic, systematic, exacting de-
mand of the making of toys. That means this
; Fall that the factories of Toy Town must rur
20 to "a hours day, and that the entire toy
industry must increase its capacity between u
and so per cent.
..Toy Town is building additions to its mills
in stalling new machinery, taking on new men
doubling its working hours. 1t is securing th'
Country for materials to take the place
> those that formerly came from France ant
ENGLAND and Belgium and Germany. 1t is In
: venting substitutes for those things that can
not. at this time, be obtained 1t is construct
mo american Noahs arks to house conslgn
ments already received of German animals, AMI
it is turning out thousands OF the puiioihl
blocks that used to come from England LII
manufacturers are ready now to state tina
with a few possible exceptions and one marke'
, and inevitable omission. the American to.
J market will be supplied. The omission is cheal
mechanical toys; but the American manutactur
i ers promise to offer quite satisfactory suostitu
!, | tes.
, "Of the TOYS that are at present maze II
A merca Winchendon produces about Two
thirds of the toy drums and more than one
half of the musical chimes, rocking horses
blackboard and dolls trunks. 1t also turns GU
, large percentage of the American dolls
furniture, mechanical toys and pianos.
makes huge quantities of tool chests ant
blocks. It manufactures in immense number
dolls houses. washing machines, toy boats. ant
such games as tenpins. ring-toss' and bowls
From one factory alone the output OF ~ cen
drums is 1000 day and each day this hrm'
mills turn out enough dolls trunks to fill sever
freight cars"