More than 250 people packed the Irish Social Club on May 16 to celebrate the 175th anniversary of West Roxbury. The event offered food, drinks, music, entertainment, a silent auction, but most of all, the opportunity to catch up with old and new friends and reminisce about growing up in the area.

Peter Meagher’s family moved to West Roxbury, from Mattapan when he was two years old. The youngest of five children in the family, he has lived in West Roxbury for 71 years. “I just think it's a special community. I really do. The people are just so loving and caring, and we all look out for each other.” Meagher spoke fondly about living near Billings Field as a child on Maxfield Street. “They used to flood Billings Field so you could skate on it. The whole field was like an ice rink … we used to play ice hockey,” he said. “My mother had a bell, so when it was time for dinner or lunch or whatever, she'd ring the bell. You could hear it down the street. When the bell rang, my friends all said, well Pete's going home …party’s over …Isn’t that something?”

Meagher said he can’t imagine growing up or living anywhere else.

The evening brought together not only those who have called West Roxbury their home for generations but also welcomed those newer to the area. Erica Watkins, who works at Beacon Bank on Centre Street, and husband James were invited to attend the event as part of the business community. Erica noted that she’d already run into some of her customers.

“We actually live in West Roxbury, for the last seven-and-a-half years. This is our first time being here at the Irish Social Club, so I didn't know what to expect. We’re enjoying it.” Husband James added that West Roxbury has a lot of advantages for new families. “West Roxbury has afforded us a lot of opportunities. Maybe me, more so than my wife, because our children go to school here in West Roxbury… and love it. We've had the opportunity to participate as soccer coach, assistant basketball coach, and Pop Warner football. It’s community based. It’s definitely a blessing.”

One of the volunteer organizers for the event was Sarah Wilk who was on hand, along with her husband Galen, enjoying the festivities. The Wilks previously lived in Jamaica Plain but have been in West Roxbury since 2020. Their two children attend the Lyndon School. Sarah decided to volunteer as a way of supporting the neighborhood.

“I really was just trying to get more involved in the community, feeling like, you know, I love living here. I love being around and visiting the local businesses and trying to figure out ways to give back.” Looking at the food, music and the displays of old photos of West Roxbury, she said she felt the event was a great success.

“It's beyond our wildest dreams …the pictures are so great … all the business owners and workers that are in them, it's great to see their faces.” Sarah added that Galen did the website for the event. “Yeah, I’m a little bit of a volunteer,” he said.

Irish Social Club President Sean Staunton said he was amazed at the turnout, and that the West Roxbury Main Streets (WRMS) did an amazing job getting it all together.

“(WRMS Executive Director) Lindsay Chase, she’s the girl who’s running it and she’s my neighbor up the street here,” he said. “She’s doing a fabulous, fabulous job and she shows a great interest in it.”

District 6 City Councilor Ben Weber said getting so many folks in the neighborhood together is almost always a positive thing, even if it is a little infrequent.

“Just every 175 years you know?” he said with a laugh. “But it’s great to be able to come together as a community and see a lot of familiar faces from neighborhood meetings and coffee hours. It’s good that we can celebrate living and working together in the community and it’s amazing they found this sort of, anniversary to celebrate that. To me, it’s for the living and it’s great to see people out here.”

State Rep. Bill MacGregor said he was happy to celebrate the neighborhood. The night was kid-free, but MacGregor said that Chase had negotiated with the Parkway YMCA for some off-hours daycare for those who needed it, which was a great help. He said the night was an amazing example of what the Parkway can do.

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“I’m very happy to see so many people come out to celebrate West Roxbury, and I’m thankful to Linsday and the WRMS Board for putting this together,” he said. “I just hope everyone has a great night.”

Resident Matt White said he was having a blast.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event!” he said. “It’s great to see and Lindsay’s great for putting it all together and it looks like a great turnout. And the night’s still young!”

Resident Joseph Boyd said he and his family came to West Roxbury by way of Quincy.

“And we don’t have too many things like this in Quincy,” he said. “This is great, a great turnout, a great community and a nice time.”

Resident Rita Neill said she grew up in the neighborhood. The Irish Social Club was filled with historical and recent photos of the neighborhood, portraying important events and local legends. Neill gestured to all the people, all the pictures and all the food as she spoke.

“This is absolutely wonderful to get all these folks together and show them what an awesome town this place is,” she said.

The Cooperative Bank WR/JP Branch Manager Kenny Saint Juste said he came out to help and support the WRMS and the local businesses, but he said he was able to unwind a bit too.

“We always like to help the businesses in the area and so that’s why we’re here,” he said. “But the food and dancing and the setup is really good here.”

The festivities went on until 10:00 pm, with many finding it hard to leave, lingering near the old photos at the front door. “Hey, where was West Roxbury High School?” asked one person. “In Jamaica Plain,” answered another.