Stanley Home Products Office Building
333 Western Ave. Westfield MA
History of Frank Stanley Beveridge and Stanley Park
Apr 17
1879 |
Frank Stanley Beveridge was born in Nova Scotia, Canada. |
1900 |
Having traveled from Pembrooke Shores, near Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Frank arrived at Mount Hermon School in Northfield, Massachusetts with only a quarter, a dime and one Canadian dollar bill. He remained at Mount Hermon School for three years. Following Mount Hermon School, Frank moved to upstate New York, married, and he and his wife, Theresa, had two daughters. Later, Mr. Beveridge joined the Fuller Brush Company in Hartford, Connecticut, where he became Director of Sales. |
1931 |
Mr. Beveridge founded Stanley Home Products, Inc. in Westfield, Massachusetts (the Enesco Group, Inc.) |
1947 |
Mr. Beveridge forms the Frank Stanley Beveridge Foundation, a trust. |
1948 |
Hubert L. Worell and Alvah (Al) Elzerman bring black squrirels from Michigan as a gift to Frank Stanley Berveridge. |
1949 |
Mr. Beveridge establishes the Stanley Park of Westfield, Inc. on twenty-five acres of land in Westfield, Massachusetts. |
1956 |
Frank Stanley Beveridge passes away & leaves the lasting legacy of Stanley Park. |
| T O D A Y |
Stanley Park consists of nearly 300+ acres of trails, woods, picnic areas, recreational facilities, and gardens, which include the Rose & Flower Garden, Asian Garden, a Rhododendron Display Garden, The Arboretum, Herb Garden, and Woodland Wildflower Garden. There is the Frank Stanley Beveridge Wildlife Sanctuary, the Carillon Tower, and a Duck Pond with a Colonial-era Village that includes an orchard, mill and waterwheel, an old town meeting house, covered bridge, carriage shed, blacksmith shop, and arched bridges all with a backdrop of flowering azaleas and rhododendron. |
Black Squirrels
A Westfield phenomenon since the late 1940's, the black squirrels now populate most areas of the city and have moved into surrounding communities. Because they are not indigenous to Western Massachusetts, the presence of the squirrels has led to a rather large collection of stories and tall tales as to how they got here, when, and perhaps most important, why? They were a gift to Frank Stanley Beveridge from former Stanley Home Products sales managers, Hubert L. Worell and Alvah (Al) Elzerman.
In 1948, Worell and Elserman brought the squirrels from Michigan to Westfield, Massachusetts when they were to attend a conference here at Stanhome Inc., or known at that time as Stanley Home Products. The first arrivals were kept in cages and did not adapt well to their new environment; they failed to reproduce and eventually died. Undaunted, Worell and Elserman tried again, this time bringing six squirrels, allowing them to roam free in the confines of the park. The squirrels found their new surroundings and their freedom to their liking, and were soon an established tenant of Westfield. Now black squirrels are to be found all over the Pioneer Valley and are numerous especially in the park.
Stanley Home Products
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Frank Stanley Beveridge's Office
Stanley Home Products Office & Globe
with Evelyn Beveridge Russell and Homer G. Perkins
Stanley Home Products Ad
Stanley Park is supported in part by the endowment originally established by its founder, Frank Stanley Beveridge.