Fred Page and Page's Model A Garage Haverhill, N.H.

[Roadster62]

If you were in the hobby in the 1960's Page's was the place to go for original Modle A Ford parts here in New England. I only got there once, but many people would go there to sell and buy parts. Just wondering if anyone else had some memories to share. There were monthly ads in Hemmings and a newsletter he's send out. Fred Page worked for American Express when it was a shipping company, is it true he "Invented" the American Express credit card? Bob

[Reds34]

My dad, grandfather and uncle used to go up there pretty frequently. My dad has told me all kinds of stories of stuff up there and stuff he should've bought but didn't. They did buy quite a bit of stuff off him though. I wish that I could've gone up there to meet Freddy Page and to see all the stuff he had up there.

Red

[2manycars]

I went up there once to see a car my father was interested in. He soon found out he had cancer, so did not buy the car. It was an amazing sight to see all that stuff.

[gz]

He was one of the first guys to import all of the unrestored Model A (and early V8) open cars from South America. There was always a huge selection of unrestored, RHD, Model As and V8s at his place and he used to run ads in Hemmings listing all these cars for sale.

[Roger V]

I remember talking to Fred at Hershey back when. Quite a character. Would have liked to see all the stuff he mentioned as well as what I read about, but distance meant I never did.

Just like how many times I've been near the Hartung (sp.) museum and didn't take the time to visit. I suppose you think these places will be there forever and easlily put it off and then the're gone!

[Glenn of northport]

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I bought parts from Fred in 1969 found him in Hemmings one time i was looking for a body he sent me photos of 6 restored bodys all painted and ready to install I could not buy one did not have $1800,i still have the photos.

[Keith True]

I was there quite a lot when I first got my license.Lots of cars and parts,prices sound cheap now but back then he was considered pricey.His place was exactly 100 miles from me,o the other side of the state.His restoration work was good for back in the 60's,but now I guess you would call it touring class.There were some exceptions,if you paid you got.One thing that sticks in my mind was that the wheels were painted after the tires were mounted.The attitude was who cares about what you can't see.A lot of the hardware was replaced with new back then,he had the idea that the old stuff was stretched and worn out.It just had to be safe,not correct.He showed me a car that had less than 1500 miles on it,it was either a Victoria or a 400 A.There was one of each side by side,but I can't remember which one had the low miles.He used that one for the bible for the cars that were getting the absolute original redo's.One thing you could always count on hearing a half dozen times a day was,if you don't like my prices get out your wrench and go to work.Never wrenches,always wrench.If you didn't have money to spend he wouldn't waste time with you,but he wouldn't tell you to go away either.He was a busy man,and could not waste time gabbing with dreamers.I got the impression from him that if he thought you could be trusted you could run around and look at cars and parts all you wanted.He let me run all over the place,let me drive up the road and into a couple of barns to look at stored cars,and he would talk to me when he had a free minute.He flew into New York to work during the week,he was the Vice-President of American Express at the time.I also got the idea he worked 20 hour days there so he could be at his shop in N.H. 3 or 4 days a week.On top of all this,he still ran the dairy farm where the shop was.When the place closed I know there were some bad feelings from some customers,but if the family could figure out who owned the cars being worked on or stored they got them back to them.There were a lot of cars there that were dropped with no records.Kind of like dropping your car off at a garage for a muffler.No formal paperwork,just that the A's were left there longer.I don't know if he just closed,or died and had to close.I just know there were some messes at the end with customers cars.

[mot]

the low milage car was /is a convertible sedan,and his son still owns it

[Clem Clement]

I got to visit Fred once. Most personable fellow. When he figurted out I was serious struggling with an AR phaeton, he and his staff stopped their work to help me. I bought a few things from him. He let me go thru the famous barn without supervision. What a sight that was. Across the street and up the hill a little bit.
clem

[peters180a/170b]

I met Page son about 3 years ago or so ...He was showing a newly restored Deluxe Phaeton at Hershey Show. I guess i pissed him off..... He was telling 2 ladies that the Deluxe Phaeton was very rare... It so happened i had pictures of my 2 Deluxe Phaetons and shower them to him and the ladies... Did not look to happy after that???Guess i popped this bubble. He still owns the 400 A , and what i hear that's the most solid complete unrestored 400A around... His Deluxe Phaeton was a very nice car.. He also said that was the last time he will show it????

[Steve Wastler]

It was Page's, where a younger Aldie Johnson eyed his first postal truck, or should I say part of his first postal truck. Of course this lead to the countless hours over the many years he and others devoted to the postal truck. It was about the same time a few others were inquiring about this unique body style, Thurston Twigg-Smith, Rick Black just to name a few, helped in the forming of the S.I.G. The Postal A's. If it weren't for Page's........

[motordr]

I also have a great memory of stopping in for a visit in the summer of 1969. Fred's son took the time to show us all around...including the barn with the low mile A400. I was told that the car was owned by a widow whose husband died shortly after their honeymoon in '31/'32, and the had car sat since then. He had cars that came over from the scandinavian countries in his barn too. Saw the A400 at a meet within the last 10 years. Ted

[Buoy Bill]

Hello all...my name is Bill Page and Fred Page was my Grandfather...or Grampy to me, my sisters, and my cousins. Today I went with my father (Buzz) to Haverhill to meet with my cousins whose late father was Grampys other son, John Page. John owned the A400 until just prior to his death in 2012.

Although I don't think he could be credited with "inventing" the Amex card, Grampy was an executive at Amex who was a strong proponent of it and worked hard to see its inception. He swore by it and told me many times when I was a boy about the benefits of a charge card that charged no interest if you paid the bill on time.

I worked at Pages as a young man. People made arrangements for what caliber of work they wanted done to their cars and were treated honestly and fairly. If you wanted your wheels painted on the cheap, we would do it. In all my years around the garage, I never met anyone who didn't love Pages or the man behind the desk.

My trip to Haverhill today was to assist my cousins with sorting through their fathers belongings which included the records, documents, and photos pertaining to PMAG. On this note, I intend to create a website memorializing Pages and my Grandfather. I was and remain proud of him and would like to share his (and PMAG) history with others who may enjoy it too.

The website is www.pagesmodelagarage.com and its up now with a basic start.

As I lie in bed pecking on my smart phone I can see Grampy sitting at his desk hammering that typewriter! How times have changed.

Best Regards, Bill Page

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Wow Bill, let me be the first to say Welcome to Fordbarn, and I think it is awesome you are doing this memorial on his behalf! I feel certain it will be well received and many will enjoy his legacy.

[Brentwood Bob]

Good to learn about Pages for me on the left coast. Bob

[Roadster62]

Welcome to the Ford Barn Bill! Very happy to know this thread got you here. Best wishes with the website. Bob

[Bill Underwood]

Yep what a memory, what a legacy. I go back that far and used to buy parts. Seemed like I always dealt with Abe. They even found some 34 station wagon stuff for me. That just had to have been a massive collection. Only thing close that I know of is Bert's Never got to visit though, always a regret.

[motordr]

Pages was my Mecca in the 60's...and they didn't disappoint . When two 18 year olds from Canada showed up in an old VW microbus in summer of '69 we were welcomed and given a great tour of the barns. I still remember seeing the low mile 400A.

[Buoy Bill]

Morning Bill Underwood...here's a picture you might enjoy of Abe showing off some parts in what I recall was the attic of the main showroom. Abe was always super nice to me when I was young and he'd take me under his wing around the shop. He was Grampy's "headlight man" and once taught me how to section off an A headlight with a yellow crayon to provide a path for buffing on the bench buffer.

[Roadster Rich]

For about three years, Pages was a 4 to 5 times a year visit for me and my dad. I started to rebuild the 30 Roadster when I was 14 (1966). I remember Fred taking time to talk to me about what steps were the most important. What I remember most was he "talked to me not my dad". The drive from our home in Vermont was just under two hours and some of my best memories. Every time we left early on a Saturday, had breakfast at some diner along the way and a great time to talk together. I also remember his son taking us to the storage barn a few times. Almost every part that went into my restoration was from Page. Then 8 years later, they were the ones my dad picked to do a full paint job, fixing the crude work I had done. Goodness this is a wonderful post to bring back all those memories.

[Buoy Bill]

I discussed taking on the scanning and cropping of all these pictures with my 12 year old daughter, Fred's great-granddaughter late last night. She seemed interested and where I don't have the time, I hope she will get excited about our little history project and carry it forward. I've got plenty else to do but can't help but burn a little time sharing some of the memories with you. So happy this post came up when I googled PMAG last night as I searched to be sure someone else hadn't "adopted" the name! Thanks to Roadster62 for initiating the string!
(below is Grampy in what must be the early days of PMAG because there is no glass showcase as I remember it.)

[Buoy Bill]

OK... just a few more pictures then I need to get to work! PS...if any of you are looking for a great gift, please check out my website at www.buoysports.com I invented a ball bat made from a real lobster buoy and I'm quite certain my ability to build it came from genes passed down from my Yankee Grandfather!

[old1928fordguy]

I grew up in Vermont and was at Pages at least a dozen times a month back then to buy parts for my cars or to sell parts I scavenged to Fred.I remember ali the above stories and many more.Fred also sponsored one of the best Model A meets/shows every summer in his town of Haverhill, NH.Bringing my cars to this show was the highlight of my summer.Oddly I am now 68 years old and still work with Model A's every day at Berts Model A in Denver.Fond memories of my education at Pages and Fred Page,the big guy behind the big desk! Thanks for this thread. Phil Turner, Denver, Colorado

[Roadster62]

www.buoysports.com I hope this becomes a Duck Dynasty of the North. Bob

[Tom Wesenberg]

What years was Page's in business?

Sure would have been great to visit.

[Ken Ehrenhofer]

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In 1970 I visited Pages (only time) and bought several parts for my station wagon. The guy there gave me keys to a bunch of old barns so my wife and I went off searching thru barns with all kinds of station wagon cars and parts and Model T parts piled in one corner over 12 feet high. I kind of wondered how many barns he must have had up that way cuz we went to at least 3 or 4 and it seemed like there were more.
I spent a bunch of money and got some NOS 29 splash aprons Never did get to meet Fred (he was out somewhere) but sure enjoyed a wonderful visit to his Model A Place.
Great place to take your new bride on a honeymoon........
Vermont and New Hampshire were fantastic......

[Buoy Bill]

As this "10th Anniversary" letter from Fred and flyer indicates, PMAG first did business in 1961. As to when it closed, I'm not certain but I believe it was appx 1988. There were appx 15 buildings that housed cars and parts...they all had a name and as a boy working there during summers, Grampy (or my father) would put me in cars with complete strangers and tell me to take them to this barn or that house to show them what they wanted to see. It seemed a little strange (and uncomfortable) to me that I was being asked to do this because I was young but in hindsight it probably helped me to become the people person I am...and it was cool that they trusted me with the customers!

A quick list of building names as I remember them are: The Day House - Across the street, all parts. Day house barn FULL of good cars and a doodle bug in the mud underneath I tried to get running as a kid but failed. Marcou's...Eva's...The Blacksmith Shop...Lummoxville...The Greenhouse Garage...Patridges...I know there were more and they changed from year to year but these are the ones I took the rides with strangers too.

I also remember how trusting Grampy was of his customers...as Ken indicated, if you knew your way around, you could basically tour all our facilities at your leisure. And here lies another life lesson for me as a kid from my Grandfather...trust people until they show you they can' t be trusted.

I can't believe the VOLUME of pictures and documents I've just inherited and want to share...it's daunting and I don't have the time but as you can see, I can't help it. My Grandfather was a special man and I admired him. In his memory, I'll make the time as time permits.

Good night!

[Bruce Lancaster]

I visited in about 1965...I was a kid with no money, drooling over the limitless sea of goodies, and they were very nice to me. The store was tiny and cluttered with amazing stuff that would cause riots at Hershey nowadays! Most of the stuff was stashed in several barns around Haverhill, and apparently he had a few junkyard fields too. His flyers were incredible, filled with neat open cars and station wagons, odd variants imported from Scandinavia and South America, low mileage finds...
Someone there...NO idea who, as I was about 16 and everyone looked ancient...proudly showed me a fender, made from 3 junkers by a body man who had pounded dents out of still-new Model A's when he was young. Both sides were metal finished to absolute perfection. Apparently good and NOS fenders were sold...for their own work, they restored stuff like that as a matter of thrift!

[larrys40]

I remember being up there around 1984 as I was in Hudson New Hampshire for a month for work.... I made a weekend trek to "Pages" and it was quite a treat. I didn't get to go to any barns other than the main buildings.. but that was enough for me. I do remember how cordial they were and let me roam around checking things out. A visit to remember... - I was 23 or 24 at the time...

Thanks,
Larry Shepard

[Keith True]

Bill,I find the pictures very interesting.I never knew they existed.Walt Rodiman showed me some pictures from his time there.He said as far as he knew his were the only pictures floating around.I also got the idea that he would have liked me to give him a dollar for every look I got at his pics.Over the last few years I've cruised through the Berwicks dozens,if not hundreds of times with my A's.It was with my red 30 roadster pickup,my 30 black unrestored roadster,or my maroon unrestored 31 sedan.My wife and her family owned camps on Sand Pond in Sanford,so I always take turns with the cars cruising up there.Good chance you've seen them on the weekends.I've carted my mother-in-law and her cronies to Johnsons seafood a few times in the sedan.They're all over 80,quite healthy,and the poor old sedan has a workout when we pack three in the back and one in the front with me.The three Berwicks have seen a lot of me and my A's.I ride up that way a lot on a bike,because I like to run at 45-50,at night,and the traffic up that way isn't too bad after 8 PM.

[cwp]

Originally Posted by peters180a/170b

I met Page son about 3 years ago or so ...He was showing a newly restored Deluxe Phaeton at Hershey Show. I guess i pissed him off..... He was telling 2 ladies that the Deluxe Phaeton was very rare... It so happened i had pictures of my 2 Deluxe Phaetons and shower them to him and the ladies... Did not look to happy after that???Guess i popped this bubble. He still owns the 400 A , and what i hear that's the most solid complete unrestored 400A around... His Deluxe Phaeton was a very nice car.. He also said that was the last time he will show it????

That would have been my Dad, I guess -- at least, there were only two sons, and I'm pretty sure Bill's Dad didn't have the Deluxe Phaeton at that time. To the best of my knowledge he never did show it again, and he passed away last spring from pancreatic cancer.

The Phaeton is still in his garage -- neither my brother nor I have had time to get it out and running again, although I drove it in the spring of 2012 and it was in great working shape then. If memory serves, Grampy bought that car around 1951 and his sons took over the management of it pretty soon thereafter, so it's been the family for a long time now.

As Bill mentioned, Dad sold the A400 in the fall of 2011. I don't remember the name of the buyer offhand, but I think the intention was for it to eventually be a museum piece somewhere. I helped get it loaded onto the trailer (Dad's health was already declining by then), and I think I have some photos somewhere of it just before and during the process. There were some parts that had gotten a little rough over the years (some of the upholstery could have used work) but on the whole it was in fabulous shape for such an original car, even the wood-graining still intact.

[1931 flamingo]

This thread and the pictures are like a time capsule. MORE please.
Paul in CT

[Buoy Bill]

I just clicked on the wrong button and lost a longer post after much time preparing it. Based on available time, this post will now be short!

A pricelist of South American cars is attached.

Bill

[Buoy Bill]

And here's one with an article that was in SIA...anyone know how to post a PDF? I was under the limit but it still didn't work so this article is now 4 PDFS.

PS...are these scanned articles legible to you? There's a lot of IT going on here to get these in and I'm only slightly better at it than NF Page! Advice on best methods would be appreciated if the images are useless.

Bill

[Buoy Bill]

Originally Posted by 1931 flamingo

This thread and the pictures are like a time capsule. MORE please.
Paul in CT

Will do my best Paul...fun stuff even for me but I'm sure I'll fade a bit here soon until after the busy summer Buoy Bat season. Bill

[Buoy Bill]

Originally Posted by Keith True

Bill,I find the pictures very interesting.I never knew they existed.Walt Rodiman showed me some pictures from his time there.He said as far as he knew his were the only pictures floating around.I also got the idea that he would have liked me to give him a dollar for every look I got at his pics.Over the last few years I've cruised through the Berwicks dozens,if not hundreds of times with my A's.It was with my red 30 roadster pickup,my 30 black unrestored roadster,or my maroon unrestored 31 sedan.My wife and her family owned camps on Sand Pond in Sanford,so I always take turns with the cars cruising up there.Good chance you've seen them on the weekends.I've carted my mother-in-law and her cronies to Johnsons seafood a few times in the sedan.They're all over 80,quite healthy,and the poor old sedan has a workout when we pack three in the back and one in the front with me.The three Berwicks have seen a lot of me and my A's.I ride up that way a lot on a bike,because I like to run at 45-50,at night,and the traffic up that way isn't too bad after 8 PM.

Well Walt was wrong. In fact he was really wrong. The quantity of pictures we have is large. Other info even larger. Glad you like driving through the Berwick's and sorry I'm not usually downtown to see you go past. Bill

[rlh37ford]

I’m proud to say that I too had the privilege of visiting PMAG in the early 60s. At the time, I belonged to the Garden State Model A Region of AACA and each Fall we did a 1,000 miler tour in our Model As. In about ‘61 or ’62 about a dozen cars from NJ and SE Penna. drove to New England for a 10 day trip. We drove from a “hub” town each day to pre-selected sites and we spent one day at Fred’s garage. I was driving our recently restored 1930 68-B Cabriolet. My specific memories of that visit are a bit vague, but I remember it was the most impressive Model A cache any of us had ever seen. I treasure many family memories, and I treasure memories of special Model A treks. The day trip to Fred’s garage was a “TRIP.” I must admit I can’t recall what NOS parts I brought home from Fred’s but they are still on one of my shelves. Eventually, I’ll recall what I drooled over and what I was able to buy. As has already been stated, this thread is like a time capsule. And I’m happy to see grandson Bill & daughter & the Page family still maintains an interest in the Page Model A history and is standing up a web site in dedication to Grampy. ~Dick, near Allentown, PA

[Tom Foster]

My wife and I got to visit Page's in 1968, when we were 26 and on a vacation from South Texas. Page's was our first destination after the Longfellow House in Cambridge and the witches' house in Salem. I didn't have any particular shopping list as we were on a vacation, not a Model A trip (although we still have the '30 coupe we bought in '64). We just wanted to see the place we'd heard so much about in The Restorer. My favorite memory was following a young fellow to one of the barns to get some car out. He found a '40 sedan in the way, blocking the exit which was on the second floor of the old barn. He went to the rear bumper, started bouncing it up and down until it "got air" and he could move it sideways a little at a time. I just knew it was going to fall through the wooden floor and minute.
Fearless

[Buoy Bill]

Tom...I'd forgotten about that...so funny you got to witness the "bouncing" of a car! I learned the bounce technique of moving cars laterally early in life and its come in handy many times since. I remember the first time I saw it. To the best of my knolwedge, we never lost one through a floor. Got a car in the way? Just bounce it the Pages Model A way!

[Buoy Bill]

Sold this 1919 Studebaker that's been in our family since it was new to Jay Barrett today. Jay is a past employee of Page's Model A and a Studie buff. He knew I had the car which was saved in about 1950 by Fred Page who put it in barn and left it there. It moved many times from barn to barn and I would up with it. As you can see, it was never restored. Enough is enough I said! Jay wanted it so today I sold it to him!

Jay brought me many new pictures from Page's Model A today too which have been posted to Page's Model A website. www.pagesmodelagarage.com

[Roadster62]

Nice looking Studebaker project, hope it is back on the road soon. Bob

[Joop]

Thanks for posting more pictures

..

[Jack S.]

Bill - Enjoyed the website. I recall going there in the late 1970's and remember the barn across the street with the right hand drives piled in there. Great memories and thanks for sharing with all.

[gdmn852]

Hello I know this is an old post but also made the trip to Pages in the early 1970,s he must have had 6 or more buildings full of Model A and early ford V8 .Enjoyable trip .

[Wick]

Plenty of good stories here.

[spdway1]

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This is where the majority of the Iron Traps recent discovery initially came from. The guy worked at Pages.

[bumppo72]

In 1985 I was restoring a 31 Victoria Leatherback and was missing the passenger door filler piece that formed the front edge of the window channel, under the window trim. I was on vacation in Meredith N.H. and decided to drive over. It was a long drive. When I got thee and asked about the availability of the part I was told to go across the street and I would find two Victorias and look for the part. i was warned about the presence of bees! I found the part I was looking for but the cars were pretty much picked over but I was very glad to get that piece.

[Buoy Bill]

Originally Posted by spdway1

This is where the majority of the Iron Traps recent discovery initially came from. The guy worked at Pages.

Hello - I had not heard of Iron Trap but just googled it and found it. The fella Matt doesn't look old enough to have worked at Page's Model A...Can you tell me more? I'm just curious as I am the Grandson of Page's Model A. TY!

[Buoy Bill]

Originally Posted by spdway1

This is where the majority of the Iron Traps recent discovery initially came from. The guy worked at Pages.

OK - I figured it out. The man who owned all this stuff in NH was not related to Page's Model A Garage other than that he worked for my father and Grandfather as a parts guy for quite some time. When he left my father's employ, he went into business for himself selling mostly, old Ford Parts.

[Clem Clement]

fun to read these notes again. I got to The Model A garage only once, on the way back from skiing at Jay Peak

[Richard Knight]

Reading thru this is very interesting. Something I did not see mentioned is that Fred ordered a new model A before they were available like thousands of other folks in 1927. At least that is what he told me. I also saw the A400. And I did the machine work and babbitting and line boring for him for several years. I used to wander around the Amherst flea market with Fred and that was quite an education. I remember him sitting in my truck pointing his finger at me telling me to go back to college.

[Buoy Bill]

Originally Posted by Richard Knight

Reading thru this is very interesting. Something I did not see mentioned is that Fred ordered a new model A before they were available like thousands of other folks in 1927. At least that is what he told me. I also saw the A400. And I did the machine work and babbitting and line boring for him for several years. I used to wander around the Amherst flea market with Fred and that was quite an education. I remember him sitting in my truck pointing his finger at me telling me to go back to college.

Well, did you go back to college? If my post works, this is a picture of Fred sitting in his new Model A Roadster. Picture was damaged and almost thrown away but I found it and saved it.

[Buoy Bill]

[Joe K]

He looks to be smoking a pipe.



Joe K

[Buoy Bill]

The above link is not working... here it is.

https://buoysports.wixsite.com/pagesmodelagarage

[Buoy Bill]

he was...he apparently smoked cigarettes too until his dr told him to stop. Glad he did...I got to know him for a long time.

[Richard Knight]

Thanks for posting the picture of Fred's new car. And the link. Fred gave me a jack knife with the Ford logo on it. I still have it.

[Buoy Bill]

You're welcome! I remember those pocket knives!

[Buoy Bill]

Leon "Woody" Woodward was one long time Page's Model A employee / picker I have fond memories of. He was a nice guy I spent a lot of time with when I was a young boy. He was a father figure and he and I would go out on the road chasing leads. He taught me much of what I know about model a's and t's. He used to take me to A & W in West Lebanon for lunch. He got along famously with the waitresses.

We started a model t engine lying on it's side in my garage to be sure it ran before using it in the speedster we built. I was impressed. He had an IMPRESSIVE "button" collection. I did not find the button collection too exciting as a kid. Boxes and boxes and boxes of them filled his basement. Wonder what happened to them. Maybe in the Smithsonian storage room filed under B.

Not sure if this add a link feature will work, but here's an article about Woody in the Valley News last summer. I'll try and paste in the article text too.



https://www.vnews.com/a-look-back-wo...blers-56248527

A Look Back: Longtime Upper Valley dance band Woody and his Ramblers got its start with ‘kitchen junkets’

For many hundreds of Upper Valley folks, the soundtrack of their lives in the late 1940s, the 1950s and into the 1960s was the music of Woody and the Ramblers, a band composed of five local Greatest Generation guys who traversed the region for as many as six evenings a week at a time when dancing rivaled movies as a preferred way to enjoy a night out.

They were emphatic that they be called a dance band and that their music was material that made people want to get up and dance with a partner. They resisted being categorized as hillbilly, western or country performers, though they often included those genres in their playlist. As leader Leon Woodward often said, “If you get people up on the floor dancing, you give ‘em more of what’s getting them out there. ... we always considered ourselves a dance band, not a show band; what’s good for listening often isn’t very good for dancing.”

Rock ‘n roll, television and other diversions would eat into the market for dance music by the mid-1960s and so Woody and the Ramblers scaled back their arduous performance schedules. They would become fixtures for generations, entertaining for benefit functions and at senior citizen gatherings. Audiences by then invariably included people who had danced at their appearances 30 or more years before, and wanted to hear favorites like “Tennessee Waltz,” “Beer Barrel Polka” and “Springtime in the Rockies” once again.

Five men formed Woody and the Ramblers right after World War II. They were Clarence “Ki” LaBombard, “Brother” Wayne Craig, Morris “Red” Landry, Don MacLeay and Woodward. At that time there were numerous locations around the Upper Valley where regular dances were held. Some were in town halls, others in pavilions built just for dances and some were barns repurposed for social activities.

How Leon Woodward came to lead a beloved Upper Valley institution is a story in itself. He was a boy of 8 when he was tasked with burning the insulation off some junked electric wires in a basket. Some blasting caps had been mixed into the jumble of wire and as Woodward knelt down to blow on the flickering fire the caps detonated. Had he been standing, he likely would have been killed.

But he suffered terrible damage to his eyes and during months of hospitalization at Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital and then the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary it was feared he would be permanently blind. But when bandages were removed, miraculously, he was able to see. He spent many more months in convalescence, during which time he was given a small accordion, which he taught himself to play. By age 16, he was playing a much larger instrument and that led to him linking up with a guitarist and a bassist from the neighborhood and soon word got around.

The trio began playing “kitchen junkets,” simple dance parties in farmhouses around Lebanon and the Mascoma Valley. That would lead to talent shows in Claremont and backing up other acts here and there. Other musicians would join the act from time to time, and after a while people began to call it Woody and the Ramblers. Woodward needed a real job, though, and for 30 cents an hour he started working as a mechanic at the Gateway Motors Ford garage in White River Junction. Over the years he would also work for local trucking companies and for the storied Page’s Model A garage in Haverhill, hunting down vintage Fords in the hills of Vermont and New Hampshire and advising on their correct restoration.

Though he made his living fixing cars, Woodward’s first love was music. When World War II ended and thousands of GIs were coming home looking for good times, the demand for dependable bands was brisk — so brisk that the Ramblers could be out every night if they wished. It was at that time the band took on the shape and energy that would sustain it through nearly two decades of schedules with four, five or even six gigs a week.

Don MacLeay, a steel guitarist, was just out of the service and he layered the grueling music routine on top of his work as a Plainfield contractor. He was the longest-serving member of the band, and was still playing and jamming with friends until shortly before his death at the age of 93 in 2016. Craig played bass, LaBombard guitar, Landry mandolin and they and Woodward and MacLeay all handled vocals. On occasion, two women, Angie St. Cyr and Louise Stevens, would play the piano.

Woodward was an expert square dance caller, something he got into by happenstance. At a dance in Enfield Center, the scheduled caller didn’t show up, so the promoter simply told Woodward to handle the role. He would become a crowd favorite as a “singing caller” handling classic square dance numbers such as “Wabash Cannonball,” “San Antonio Rose” and “Golden Slippers.”

In an interview three decades ago, MacLeay recalled some of those times with the Ramblers back in the day.

“We played some rough places, Rough. Kibbie’s Pavilion in Slab City (a section of Cornish) — there’d be a fight every couple of minutes. We played Tucker’s Barn in South Barre (Vt.), Poor’s Barn up in Williamstown (Vt.), Randolph Fish and Game Club,” MacLeay remembered.

“Then we got to play some better places, like the Roseland Ballroom in Claremont, where we’d play Friday night, and then they’d have a big-name band come in on Saturday night. We played at Tracy Hall in Norwich, Enfield Center, Plainfield town hall. Once we played at Wagon Wheel Ranch in Ashburnham, Mass., where we were on the bill with Ernest Tubb and Hawkshaw Hawkins.”

Woodward chimed in: “People used to dance then. They knew the different dances, not like now where they play one beat for everything. We’d play three foxtrots, three polkas, three waltzes, three square dances, just keep that routine going.”

But as time went on and the band widened its fan base it began to bypass the rough and rowdy venues and eventually a Woody and the Ramblers dance would be a model for decorum, for the most part. Yes, some people consumed alcohol, though it was outside in cars and the exertion of the dancing burned off a lot of the effects of the refreshment. A legendary Hartland constable named Fanny Stillson could pitch a miscreant out into a snowbank in a few seconds. But probably 99% of those dances went off without incident.

In the early post-war years Woody and the Ramblers played for an average $8 per night. Typically they performed from 9 p.m. till midnight; invariably they quit at midnight because they needed time to get something to eat — usually at the Polka Dot Diner in White River Junction. Then they’d race home to catch some sleep, then be off in the early morning for their day jobs. They were able to keep this incredible pace up because they were young, MacLeay recalled.

He said many people thought the Ramblers were drinking a lot because they were often horsing around. But he insisted that the men rarely imbibed. They would decline any invitation to play if they suspected the promoter couldn’t keep order.

These men worked hard all day. Craig drove a taxi, LaBombard managed the hog operation at the Precinct Farm in Hanover, Landry was a brick mason, MacLeay jockeyed bulldozers and backhoes and Woodward fixed Fords.

Dances had become big business, and promoters were making serious money paying the band $40 a night and raking in three or four times that at the door. Woody and the Ramblers finally began asking for and were getting 60% of the gate, and for a time they ran the whole shebang themselves at the Spot o’ Pines Pavilion in Hartland.

In that long-ago interview MacLeay shook his head over one aspect of those years.

“I don’t know what it was, but many of those colorful old dance halls seemed to go up in flames,” he said, ticking off pavilions turned to ash — Roseland, Island Park in West Hartford (twice), Hick Haven in Windsor, Blue Moon in St. Johnsbury, and so on.

In 1949 the band had become so well-known in the Upper Valley that it had a weekly half-hour radio broadcast on WTSL in West Lebanon and WTSV in Claremont and several other stations up and down the Valley at various times.

As times changed, the band did fewer and fewer dances and shifted to a more diverse array of settings: fairs, town celebrations, weddings, picnics, senior centers. Membership in the band changed, too, as one or another would step aside and a new talent would join up.

Late in life Woodward was beset by health problems to the point where he could no longer lift and play his accordion. MacLeay begged him to come along to the Sullivan County nursing home in Unity one day to entertain the residents. After much coaxing, he rode along and MacLeay made sure the accordion came along, too. As the audience filled the room, Woodward found the strength to lift the instrument into position and run his fingers over the keyboard.

Soon he was playing along on some of the familiar melodies, just like in the old days.

Woody and the Ramblers had a theme song, one of those that could get inside your head and roll around all day. It was borrowed and adapted from a classic 1935 cowboy song by the Sons of the Pioneers, (including Leonard Slye, who later became Roy Rogers) and was covered by many others, including Hank Williams:

Hear our song as we ride along,

We’re the happy roving Ramblers;

Herding the dark clouds out of the way

And keeping the heavens blue....

Not the kind of tune to get folks up and dancing, but it was just right for the Ramblers’ signature. When a dance wrapped up, they’d play “Now Is the Hour” or “Goodnight, Irene” and then their theme, and it was a signal for everybody to go home.

Steve Taylor lives in Meriden and contributes occasionally to the Valley News. He attended many Woody and the Ramblers dances in the 1950s.

[42merc]

Bouy Bill
I met your father Buzz in Stowe VT. I believe in 1985 at a National Woodie Club national meet. Got to ride with him in a '41 wagon he bought from a local vendor. We shared a couple of drinks at the headquarters hotel.
Pleasant memories from the past.
Don

[AzBob]

Buoy Bill, thanks for the work on the website, your postings and reminisces of Page’s Model A Garage.

I received several price lists by mail in the late 1960’s, early '70’s. I would pore over them looking and dreaming of all the Model A possibilities. As a teenager at the time in far off Idaho, it seemed a world away.

[Buoy Bill]

Originally Posted by 42merc

Bouy Bill
I met your father Buzz in Stowe VT. I believe in 1985 at a National Woodie Club national meet. Got to ride with him in a '41 wagon he bought from a local vendor. We shared a couple of drinks at the headquarters hotel.
Pleasant memories from the past.
Don

Oh thanks Don! Was that during the annual Stowe meet or a separate event?

[Buoy Bill]

Originally Posted by AzBob

Buoy Bill, thanks for the work on the website, your postings and reminisces of Page’s Model A Garage.

I received several price lists by mail in the late 1960’s, early '70’s. I would pore over them looking and dreaming of all the Model A possibilities. As a teenager at the time in far off Idaho, it seemed a world away.

Bob - Thanks for sharing! Just a teenager at the time? Did you send a SASE and receive the list in return? Or make a phone call and request one? I wish I still had the little desk my Grandfather would sit at and answer the wall phone at. He would sit there and type on his old typewriter always making a carbon copy for his records. Guess that was the way back then.

[42merc]

Bill, the Stowe event my wife & I attended was a special Woodie Club function.
I said 1985, might have been 1987. Some rain but a great time.
My '42 Mercury wagon was the presidents pick for an award. Still have the wagon.
Don

[400A]

I remember as a young fellow driving my '30 roadster up from RI to the Page's meet at the Haverhill common. I ran out of gas in Franklin, NH, but walked to a a gas station, got some fuel in a gallon milk jug and continued on my way. I arrived at the common the night before the meet at dusk. Somehow I thought camping was allowed on the common, but guess what, it wasn't. Not knowing what to do next, I knocked on the door of a grand white house right off the common hoping they could recommend a nearby hotel. Buzz Page answered the door. I explained my predicament. "Put your car in the barn", he said "and set up your tent in my back yard. I'll leave the rear door to the house unlocked so you can use the bathroom. Have fun at the meet tomorrow". Keep in mind that I was a total stranger to these folks. I am still floored by the kindness shown to me that day. This was probably 1980 or so, but it seems like a completely different time.
Years later when I was restoring my 400A, I made an appointment with John Page to take some detail photos of the famous Page 400A with 6000 original miles. John spent most of the afternoon with me and when I was done taking notes and photographs, he said "Have you ever driven a Model "A" with only 6000 miles on it"? He tossed me the keys and I got to drive essentially a new Model "A". And not just around the block, I drove it for nearly an hour while we chatted about all sorts of things. It was an incredible experience I will never forget. The Pages were some of the nicest people I have ever met.

[Buoy Bill]

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Nice story 400A! I think I remember you! I was almost always in attendance for meet weekend. Loved it! Loved being my grandfather's assistant whenever possible. Helped him with the flea market, and the car games. Fond memories.

Speaking of car games, one year a couple of guys (I think employees of the garage) were competing in on of our A's in the blindfolded driver race and apparently they ran it into a tree or tree stump. I was not their that year but my father used to tell me the story. If anyone reads this and was there, please share the details. Dad used to say Grampy went back down to the garage and was sitting with his head in his hands at his desk. Well, I do know this is how he napped so maybe he was just taking a nap. Dad was indicating he was very mad. He did have a temper if provoked!