Dead Man’s Curve, 50 Years Later: How a Boy Scout Changed Millville Forever
One tragic summer sparked a boy’s quiet mission—and changed a dangerous road forever.
On a rainy July saturday in 1975, tragedy struck the town of Millville. Fourteen-year-old Peter Johnson, an eighth grader and Boy Scout, died from injuries in a three-vehicle crash on a notorious stretch of Route 122 near the Blackstone line—a place locals knew all too well as Dead Man’s Curve.
Peter’s friend, 13-year-old Timothy Ryan, was just one grade below him. They had known each other since first grade, lived on the same street, shared the same Boy Scout troop, and had recently returned from a jamboree that May. Days later, on July 12, everything changed.
But Timothy didn’t just grieve. He got on his bike and went door to door around town, collecting signatures for a petition to make the road safer—a Boy Scout project that would take over his summer, and ultimately, help change Millville’s history.
“Do a good turn daily.”
Boy Scout slogan.
Tim’s petition collected more than 400 signatures. He brought it to State Representative Richard T. Moore, who brought the issue to the Massachusetts legislature. The petition—and the public pressure behind it—became the foundation for formal action.
Eventually, Governor Edward J. King signed into law a bill filed by Rep. Moore that authorized land-taking for the project to straighten Dead Man’s Curve.
It was the start of a long journey. The changes to Route 122—blasting away ledges, rerouting the road, installing guardrails—would take seven more years to complete.
The spark, though, had been lit back in 1975—by a 13-year-old boy with a clipboard, a bike, and a friend he never forgot.
“It Was Extremely Dangerous.”
Back then, the curve was flanked by a high rock wall on one side and the Blackstone River on the other. Any heavy rain would flood the road, and visibility was next to nothing. At least 18 crashes and 13 injuries had occurred there in the five years leading up to Peter’s accident.
“It was extremely dangerous,” Tim recalled. “Every time there was a rainstorm, it would flood.”
Today, the road is wider, straightened, and no longer feared. But the name Dead Man’s Curve still lives on in memory—and so does Peter.
The Summer That Changed Everything.
At Peter’s funeral, the Boy Scouts stood as honor guards. It was a solemn moment for the troop—and for Tim, a 13-year-old boy carrying the weight of loss and purpose. He remembered Peter as a bright, kind friend. “It stays with you,” he said quietly. “It’s been 50 years, and I still remember.”
That summer, Tim turned grief into action. Riding his bike from house to house, collecting signatures after Sunday Masses, speaking with neighbors—he didn’t know where it would lead. But he believed something had to change.
And it did.
The petition he started became the first spark in a seven-year effort that finally led to the straightening of Route 122. The rock ledges were blasted away. The road was re-routed. The crashes stopped.
The newly built stretch of road was later renamed the Charles “Gabby” Hartnett Memorial Highway in 1982. A year later, Tim joined the Millville Police Department. He served the same community he helped protect as a teenager, eventually becoming Chief of Police before retiring in 2006.
He reflects on the road now with a sense of peace. “There hasn’t been a bad accident since,” he said. “People complain when the cops are there giving tickets, but I always think—that’s a good thing.”
A Town That Remembers.
Millville is a small town, and Tim says people still remember. “Everyone was impacted,” he said. “It stayed with all of us.”
Fifty years after the petition, he recently returned to the site and took a photo—standing in the same place he did all those years ago. Proud, reflective, and still carrying the memory of a friend.
The story of Dead Man’s Curve isn’t just about a dangerous road. It’s about what happens when someone—no matter how young—decides to act.
A friend was lost. A town came together. And because a 13-year-old Boy Scout did a good turn, the road is safer for generations to come.
Then and Now: Dead Man’s Curve Through the Years.
Photos of ground breaking.
Dead Man’s Curve finally straightened and road renamed.
The Power of One.
This story isn’t just about a road—it’s about a boy who believed something could change, and a town that rallied behind him.
Timothy Ryan was only 13 when he began knocking on doors. He didn’t know it would take years. He didn’t do it for recognition. He did it because it was right.
In a small town like Millville, voices carry. And when one voice speaks with purpose, others listen. That’s what happened in the summer of 1975. That’s what made the difference.
Fifty years later, the road is safer. A friend is still remembered. And a community’s response to tragedy continues to echo through generations.
Change doesn’t always happen overnight. But sometimes, it starts with a bike, a clipboard, and the courage to knock on a door.
At Small Town Post, we believe in sharing stories that matter—stories that remind us where we’ve been and who we are. Remembering our history helps us understand the impact one person can make, even in the face of loss.
If you have a memory, story, or photo you’d like to share, we’d love to hear from you. Follow us on Facebook to get updates whenever a new story is published. Because history shouldn’t be forgotten—and every voice has a place here.
Photos in this article courtesy of Timothy Ryan.
I broke my femur and tibia in a car accident at this very site on January 1st 1974. I was in the hospital in traction for 6 weeks and then in a body cast for 6 weeks. But I am glad I survived the ordeal. My heartfelt condolences go out to the family of Peter Johnson and mega kudos to Timothy Ryan who was the inspiration behind this cause particularly as such a young man!