Evening star., 1941-12-25
There Is a Podunk;
Natives See Nothinq
Funny About Name
100-FomiIy District -.
In Massachusetts @,
Holds Annual Porty N
BY Wide World News.

BY Wide World News.
PODUNK, Mass, Dec. 25-There
is Podunk-and it's just as Amer
ican as apple pie.
Take lightly the dictionary's Of
fetal definition:
"Podunk-an imaginary town, tax
en- as typical of placid dullness and
lack of contact with the progress
of the world. U. S."
And Henry L. Mencken. the old
debunker. couldn't have heard of
this little Central Massachusetts
community when he classified Po-
dunk among Joke towns"
There's nothing dull or humorous
about Podunk, Mass.
Things are really bustling here
these days-for Christmas always
Is the big season.
The 60-odd members Of the Po-
dunk Women's Club entertained
more than 125 children At this years
party.
First Class Reunion.
Grownups join in the fun, too,
and POdunkerS who have moved
away return in goodly numbers for
a firSt-claSS reunion.
Podunk, Mass, is not town un-
der legal classification. true-but
neither is it merely a state of mind
Some would call it a section, dis
trict or locality.
Podunk doesn't have a post Office,
but it's fact that letters sent to
that address usually are sent along
promptly by oldtimers in the Post
ONCE Department.
There are no official boundary
markers and no one never would
suggest such things.
They aren't needed.
Ask any child along the way and
he'll tell you where Podunk begIls
and ends, just as casually as If you
asked him his name.
But community spirit literally
bubbles in the area population, 100
families, which is 3 miles long
and miles wide in a corner of
Brookfield. touching several neigh
boring towns.
Modest homes are we'll spaced
along the dirt roads and meadows
stretch away from the stone walls
bordering the main thoroughfare-
Podunk road
The people are friendly and CHEEKY
to strangers, but visitors who NAV
joke about the name "Podunk" fail
to get even chuckle in response.
The natives just don't get it.
Why, they say, there's always been
q Podunk.
Adams Community.
At one time, practically every fam
lily was named Adams. They were
said to be descendants of John
Adams, the patriot. The Podunk
School once was reported to have
had an entire student-body of 80
and one teacher-all named Adams.
The school was closed a few years
back, however, and the windows
are boarded up. The building looks
sturdy even today and has a good
coat Of white paint. The children
attend schools in surrounding towns.
There aren't as many farms here
as formerly. but the district has
been q popular spot for summer va
cationiStS.
Two large ponds and numerous
brooks and streams brighten the
vicinity.
Folks here tell you the great In
dian Chief Massasoit died while Wis
iting the largest of the ponds
Quaboag-and was buried on the
shore.
Podunk, they say, is Of Indian
origin and means place of burn
ing" Tradition has it that the In
dians brought captives to the area
to burn them.
The year. round center Of Po-
dunk's social life nowadays is the
chapel. neat white building which,
up until dozen years ago, was q
church.
Here the Podunk Women's Club |
holds bean suppers, whist parties, /.
square dances and the years gala
Christmas party.
You won't find any placid dull
hess" or lack Of contact with the
of the world" in Podunk.
No, sir, things are humming.