Entre Nous
A Social Club at the Center of Sandwich Life
In the early 1900s, a small group of Sandwich residents formed a social club known as Entre Nous, French for “among ourselves.”
It was, quite literally, a gathering of friends.
Meeting every two weeks, members hosted one another in their homes, sharing meals, conversation, music, and occasional mischief. What began as a simple evening gathering grew into a long running tradition that stretched across more than two decades.
Through the preserved diary entries of Ira C. Converse, we are able to see these evenings not as distant history, but as lived experience.
A Circle of Familiar Names
The entries read like a roll call of Sandwich’s early civic and business leaders:
- The Wallace family
- The Lathams
- Dr. Culver
- The Mosher family
- The Stinsons
- The Woodwards
- Julius “Jule” Hummel
These were not just neighbors, they were the people shaping Sandwich’s institutions, businesses, and civic life.
And yet here, they appear simply as hosts and guests.
Evenings of Food, Music, and Humor
A typical gathering might include:
- Supper prepared by the men
- Musical performances (including Hummel on violin)
- Holiday themed evenings
- Storytelling, “ghost & otherwise”
- Banquets, picnics, and even theatrical outings
One 1908 entry records:
“Fine supper & very good time after supper… Jule Hummel was there with his violin & we had high old time.”
Another describes:
“Halloween supper, then stories, ghost & otherwise.”
And in another:
“Our Club Banquet or ‘Gridiron Roast’, Lots of fun & wit.”
This was not formal society.
This was alive.
A Window Into Everyday Life
The entries also capture:
- Storms that kept members away
- Travel to Aurora for opera
- Group outings and picnics
- World War I era gatherings
- Anniversary celebrations and milestones
Even small notes
“everybody here but Bert & Molly & Jess”
remind us how personal and close knit the group was.
Courtesy of the Converse family
More Than a Club
Entre Nous was more than entertainment.
It was:
- A social anchor
- A network of influence
- A shared rhythm of life
In a growing town, it helped bind together the people building Sandwich into a community.
Through the Pages of a Diary
These glimpses survive thanks to the preserved writings of Ira Converse, whose diary recorded not just events, but the texture of daily life.
Today, those entries allow us to step into a room long gone,
to hear the laughter, the music, and the conversations that once filled it.
Acknowledgment
The Entre Nous diary excerpts and related materials were generously shared by members of the Converse family, whose preservation of these records has made this glimpse into Sandwich’s past possible.
Sources
• Sandwich Argus and related local newspapers, 1907–1930 (various social columns referencing Entre Nous Club gatherings).
• Personal diary of Ira C. Converse (Home Entertainments page, undated).