1965

POPULATION:  16,390

HOUSES:  3,891

• A historic electrical blackout on November 9 leaves 30 million people in the Northeast U.S. and Canada in darkness for up to 13 hours.
• Interstate 95 opens near Route 1, positioning Walpole for continued commercial and residential growth.
• Rental houses in Robinwood (Walpole Veterans Housing Project built in 1950) sold to private individuals, with present tenants given first option to buy.
• A reference to the the "Night Before the Fourth" event, now in its 9th year of celebration, appears for the first time in the annual town report, where it is described as a "huge success, as usual".  The description of the event is remarkably similar to its present-day characteristics.

Fire Department description of the 9th Annual "Night Before the Fourth" celebration

BUSINESS

• The Golden Steer Restaurant opens on Route 1.
• Edgewood Travel opens on Main Street in downtown Walpole.
• Smith's Gulf Station at the corner of East and Main in downtown Walpole (current location Santander Bank) celebrates its 25th Anniversary.
• The third and final building in the Edgewood Shopping Center opens across the parking lot from A&P (now CVS).  It's cornerstone business "Friendly's" (current location of Supreme Pizza) would open shortly thereafter, and become the town's iconic teenager hangout for a decade.

Smith's Gulf Station at corner of East and Main in downtown Walpole

Third new building (in addition to A&P) added to the Edgewood Shopping Center
in downtown Walpole.  It would soon thereafter be home to iconic "Friendly's".

SCHOOLS

• The school population boom continues to stress classroom capacity, in spite of the construction of four new school buildings and two major additions in a span of just 15 years. The town is now operating six full elementary schools, plus additional classes in the Old Fisher and Old Stone buildings, and yet 27 elementary classrooms exceed the desired 30-student limit established by the school committee.
• 211 students seniors graduate from Walpole High School, with 150 (70%) planning to continue their education.  470 new first graders enter the school system to take their place.
• Fisher School principal Edith Adams retires after serving Walpole schools for 30 years.
• New hires at Walpole High School include French teachers Floy Miller and Charlotte Cole.



Tree-planting ceremony at New Fisher School
to honor Edith Adams

• Ground is broken for construction of the town's first private parochial elementary school at Blessed Sacrament Parish.

Architectural drawing of new elementary school planned for Blessed Sacrament.

School system classroom and population distribution by grade.

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