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NEEDHAM'S OLDEST SOCIAL AND CIVIL ORGANIZATION
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Looking back to old Needham, long before Rt. 128 and the Industrial Center and before there was a high school on the hill and antennas dotting our landscape, times where simpler. |
William H.Carter
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The year is 1914 and Needham has a new Town Hall and The Carters
Company is one of Needham's largest employers. William H.
Carter vice president of The Carters Company (he was elected to
U.S. Congress in 1915) and some of the leading businessmen and
community leaders begin informal meetings to socialize and
organize civil and charitable events, within months this group
formally organized under the name of The Village Club. |
The Village Club never a political group began its long and esteemed contributions to the Town of Needham.
Its first meeting place was over Henry Childs store the old Highland Building (now Starbucks Coffee) soon the Club grew and moved to the Carter Annex the site of the original town library until it purchased the property at it current location on Morton Street in 1953.
It was the Village Club that built the first play ground in Need ham Heights
Today as you drive through Needham you may notice such landmarks as the stone arch of Memorial Park conceived and built by Club members in 1984, travel a little further and as you pass Greene's field wonderful playground note that many Club members helped pitch into help build, as you enter Defazio Complex (Village Club President, 1950) you may notice the Asa Small (Asa Small Sr. V.C. member) stone monument and if you have ever sat at the many picnic tables at The Carleton Pavilion they were donated and built from scratch by a team of Village Club members.
The Village Club and its Members are a large part of Needham and its history from The Carter Methodist Church (named for V.C. founders Family) to the many fields
In town named after its members, The Defazio Complex, Small Field, Claxton Field and John Cusick Park named for former Parks Department director and long time Village Club member.
The Club has long been a champion of youth sports in the town and began the tradition of hosting the Annual Banquet for the High school football team and did so for nearly 65 years in till recently when the banquet became so large that it had to move the Needham Sheraton.
The Club continues this tradition hosting most of the Youth Organizations meetings and Banquets as well as donating to most youth sports leagues in Needham. The Club has recently teamed up with the Needham Boosters Club in their annual Christmas tree sale as well as the Touchdown Club to help with concessions. |
The Village Club celebrated its 100th annivesary in February of 2014.
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