Southbridge Recollections:
Southbridge's YMCA Football team and the fateful Thanksgiving accident of 1894
Photo appears coutesy of Laura Pegler
Text from Joe Capillo's book "Street Corners of
Southbridge: The Way We Were"
"Spectown's Football Tragedy"
The Southbridge Journal in its Dec. 5, 1894 issue, told
the tragic story of the Thanksgiving morning crash. A horse drawn
bus carrying
Southbridge football players collided with a passenger
train at the Central Street crossing.
Three Southbridge lads were killed and one was blinded
for life. Eleven others were badly hurt.Because of the accident,
football was abolished in town and it wasn't
until 1919, 25 years later, that a team was fielded again."
Postnote from Margaret Morrissey at JEL: Jacob Edwards
was the Captain of the team; this is the Jacob
Edwards for whom our town library is named
Special thanks to Laura Pegler and Margaret Morrissey
for providing this information
More photos submitted by Laura Pegler
