Albert Bacheller  WELLS

1872 Birth
19 November 1872
Southbridge, Massachusetts, USA

Biography
Industrialist Albert B. Wells of Southbridge, Massachusetts, became interested in the beauty of hand-wrought utilitarian objects in the early 1900s on annual tours of Europe with his father-in-law, the noted Chicago architect Daniel Hudson Burnham. Wells had great respect and admiration for Burnham, who famously advised, “Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood… Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will never die, but long after we are gone be a living thing.” Wells took this advice to heart and kept Burnham’s words framed on his wall as a lasting source of inspiration. Working closely with his older brother Channing M. and younger brother J. Cheney, A.B. Wells built their father’s business, the American Optical Corporation, into what was once the largest and most innovative eyeglass manufacturer in the world.
osv.org

1900 Marriage / Partner
Albert Bacheller WELLS and Ethel BURNHAM 18 April 1900, Evanston, Illinois, USA

He was 27 years old.

1946 - Old Sturbridge Village
The three sons of George Wells carry on the firm (American Optical Company), but they also start a new venture: they create Old Sturbridge Village, a nationally renowned living history museum.

...The project began with a businessman, just as was the case with Henry Ford's Greenfield Village. In this case, it was A. B. Wells, founder of the American Optical Company, who initiated the activity that would eventually result in the formation of Old Sturbridge Village. Wells was an American history enthusiast, and his growing collection of 'primitives' - by which he meant simple objects from everyday life of the American past - needed a proper home. In 1935, Wells Historical Museum was developed to meet this purpose. Later, however, Wells became interested in displaying his folk artifacts in a different format, more similar to a living history museum than a traditional historical museum. The plan emerged to enlarge the attraction by arranging a suite of buildings around a common green,...Read MORE...


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(massmoments.org)

1953 Death
10 March 1953
San Diego, California, USA

He died at the age of 80.

THE BACK ROAD (About the AO Tunnel) by Joe Capillo
Over the years, hundreds of thousands have walked its darken underground paths across the Quinebaug River.

The AO service tunnel was a Wells family engineering marvel but after 80 years of existence it will no longer be in use.

Franklin Realty Advisors, leasing agent for the Southbridge Business Center, today closed the tunnel to workers and tenants, mainly for safety and security reasons. The tunnel connects the main plant building at 14 Mechanic Street to buildings across the river.Franklin is supervising proposed extensive renovations for the U.S. Department of Defense finance and accounting center, to be located in the main plant building. Strict security will be needed for both the DOD office and for the science Applications International Corp. (SAIC), according to John Soursourian, Franklin spokesman. SAIC is the company setting up the DOD training programs.

Soursourian stated, “In none of the business center leases does anyone have an express permission to use the...Read MORE...


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Southbridge Evening News
Southbridge, Massachusetts
Monday, May 4, 1998