Massachusetts First

When I was a child, between the ages of 2 and 7, my family lived in Winchendon, Massachusetts. I have very few memories of that place. I remember the mailman throwing candy at us in the driveway of our first house on Academy Street and the little footbridge over the tiny creek in the backyard of our second house on Woodlawn Street. I remember walking to Memorial Elementary, where I attended Kindergarten and 1st grade, and the big marble steps of the bank where, one rainy day, my mother slipped and injured her leg and was on crutches for weeks.

But one of my fondest memories, although fleeting, is whenever we drove by the Toy Town Horse in our station wagon. It didn’t matter where we were going. As soon as we saw that particular intersection approaching, my brother, sister, and I pressed our noses to the window to get a better look. It seemed to almost sparkle with magic. I imagined him waiting for a full moon on a quiet, calm summer night to leap right off the stand and frolic on the grass while the town slept.

My family moved to Maine a few weeks after I turned 7. I’ll date myself and say it was the summer of 1978. As time passed, I got married, and we changed locations several times, from Maine to Maryland and finally back to Massachusetts to raise our family.

One day, my husband and I took our three children to Winchendon so they could see where I used to live when I was their age. I had forgotten about the Toy Town Horse, and when we drove by, I gasped with glee like a child at a circus. They all thought I was nuts, but that horse was still just as magical.

I wonder if the folks who live in Winchendon appreciate the treasure in their midst. In a world where every town seems to be turning into “Everytown,” places that protect their personalities and histories are priceless.

Find the Winchendon Toy Town Horse at the intersection of Front Street and School Street (Massachusetts Route 12), on the left when traveling east on Front Street.

For more information about Clyde, the Toy Town Horse:

Historical Marker Database – Toy Town Horse

by JK