Ballou’s Mission
One of the most meaningful inscriptions on the monument comes from Ballou’s own writings.
“If Providence has entrusted me with any distinctive mission in the world, it is to aid in showing my fellowmen the way into that Christlike order of life which illustrates the great ideas of the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of man.”
These words summarize everything Ballou hoped to accomplish. He did not see himself as the founder of a movement or the leader of a social experiment. Instead, he believed he had been called to demonstrate that people could live together with compassion, justice, and mutual respect.
More than 180 years after Hopedale was founded, that aspiration continues to give the town a character unlike any other in Massachusetts.
Read More From Nancy
Town Hall
Few buildings better represent Hopedale’s transition from a utopian community to an independent town than its Town Hall. Standing proudly across from the community’s civic center, this impressive Romanesque building reflects both the confidence of a growing town and the generosity of the Draper family, whose vision extended far beyond the walls of their factories. […]
Bancroft Memorial Library
Standing in the center of Hopedale, the Bancroft Memorial Library is much more than a public library. It is the keeper of the town’s memory, preserving the stories of the people whose ideas, industry, and generosity shaped this remarkable community. Completed in 1898, the library was a gift from George and Eben Draper in memory […]
Memorial Plaque
As I stood inside the Bancroft Memorial Library, my attention was drawn to the bronze plaque set into the beautifully carved oak woodwork. Its inscription simply states that the library was erected in memory of Sylvia W. Thwing Bancroft by her husband, Joseph Bubier Bancroft, in 1898. The plaque tells the story behind one of […]
