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Elvira Scorgie
Harvard historian (1887 - 1992)
A woman of many talents, Elvira Scorgie was an authority on the history of the town of Harvard. Her research is archived at the Harvard Historical Society.
Seven Wells Farmhouse on Still River Road
Elvira Scorgie was born in Cambridge, Mass., in March 1887, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Scorgie. In 1918 Elvira and her sister Anna moved to Seven Wells farm on Still River Road. Both earned a living teaching at Bromfield, then a private academy, and also growing fruits and vegetables. After James Scorgie’s death in 1921, Helen Scorgie, a physician, moved to Still River to be with her daughters. All three wanted to earn a living from their farm.
Elvira took a free course in farm management. The three women grew two kinds of apples, Macintosh and Baldwin. In addition to raising fruits and vegetables, the women raised chickens, sold homemade jellies and jams, and owned six jersey cows. They were granted the first permit in Harvard to sell milk to Still River neighbors and to the government.
Miss Scorgie with Mr. Ingmanson, principal of Harvard Elementary School, and students.
On Saturdays, Anna loaded up their Ford pickup truck and went to the market in Boston.
After their mother’s death in 1938, Anna and Elvira continued to manage the farm. In 1946 Anna’s illness prevented her from driving, and since Elvira did not know how to drive a car, she needed to find another way to make a living; she became a docent at Fruitlands Museum. She was a daily walker, a lover of flowers and birds, and a student of Native American history. She was also an avid reader, especially of mysteries.
As a young woman, Elvira had studied music, including harmony and counterpoint, and was instructor of music at the Bromfield School for nine years. She later composed and arranged music for many programs in Harvard, including the town’s 250th Anniversary Pageant.
For years, Miss Scorgie taught a unit on Native Americans to fourth graders.
She devoted much of her time to research among deeds and papers, making frequent trips to the Worcester Registry of Deeds, and became an authority on the history of Harvard. Her research is archived at the Harvard Historical Society. When Miss Scorgie died in 1992, she was Harvard’s oldest citizen, aged 106.
