BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. – A brief dedication of the Rosie the Riveter Stone in its new location at Hetty Green Park on School Street will be given by historian David Deacon on Saturday, Oct. 14, at 11 a.m. Come and take part and view the stone.
The national Rosie the Riveter Memorial Stone is in memory of Margaret Clapper Tidd, who came to Bellows Falls to work in a clothing factory. During World War II, the factory made war supplies. Her son Michael Tidd and daughter Ellen Jones wanted to honor her with a Rosie the Riveter engraved stone and rose garden. This is the only Rosie the Riveter memorial and garden in the state of Vermont.
All the war memorials in Bellows Falls remember the men who fought for peace. The women also took on important jobs. They created war supplies, as well as filling many specialized jobs. Their motto was, “We can do it.”
Placing the stone next to the Lady Liberty statue in Hetty Green Park is a tribute to all of those women. The four rose bushes are planted in honor of all the Rosie the Riveters, and commemorate the important role women continue to play in our country.