Chair City of the World by Constance Riley is a combination of personal memoir and factual documentation of the lives of the Timpany, McConnell, Riley, and LaRoche families and their connections to the rise and decline of the chairmaking industry in Gardner, Massachusetts from 1869-2008. Sprinkled throughout the narrative are observations on the immigration of different ethnic groups, politics, children's pastimes, unique Gardner celebrations, and places many GHS classmates will recall. The book includes some nostalgic photographs.
Chair City of the World by Constance Riley (2008) Xlibris Corporation. ISBN 978-1-4363-5846-0 is available through local libraries and bookstores and at www.amazon.com/Chair-City-World-Constance-Riley/dp/1436358450
Some of the many local families mentioned in Constance Riley's recollections include Nelsons, Zarozinkskis, Blakes, Hawke, French, LeClair, Tamulen, Kinnear, Hooper, Piper, Atter, Tobia, Waterman Reilly, and Rahaim.
A special addendum to the text lists Gardner chairmakers 1805-1960. Constance Riley's brother, Bernard (Red) Riley was general manager of Heywood Wakefield and personnel manager for Nichols and Stone.
Here's a lick from the text.
"South Gardner had its own gang of rascals. No one remembers why, but they called themselves the Blackwater Navy. Instead of Spanky, the ringleader was Red Riley. A gang of seven or eight boys used to gather in a small building, probably a tool shed, between Travers Printing and Dr. Heininger's on West Broadway. When the gang grew larger, they needed a bigger clubhouse. They moved from West Broadway to the Shack, which was in the backyard of 53 South Main Street and had once been home to Clair Timpany's chickens." - page 49
Anyone who grew up in Gardner in the 1950's will probably identify with many of the people, places, and events that Constance Riley captures in her book. Whether you borrow it from a library or purchase your own copy, you will come away with a deeper appreciation for your hometown.
