Ashland Historical Society

TODAY AT 2PM
The Ashland Historical Society is happy to welcome back performer Sheryl Faye. She will be bringing American Justice Icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg to life. RBG was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1993 until her death in September 2020. This show is an inspiring story of how RBG changed her life—and ours!

2:00 pm, Sunday, January 21, 2024
at Ashland Historical Society's Ocean House
2 Myrtle St, Ashland

As always, the performance will be followed by Q&A, and then light refreshments. If you care to bring a plate of goodies for the refreshment table, we will be happy to share them.

Thank you to the following local businesses for their support through the WAITT program! Clocktown Liquors, Diversity Early Learning Center, Middlesex Mattress, Purple Ink Insurance, and AnyFence LLC. Please share our thanks by supporting them.

On July 28, 1858, in a game at Ashland, the Medway Unions defeated the Upton Excelsiors 100–78 in 211 innings. Although these innings were defined by one out – and not three – this was the most innings ever played in a baseball game. This image is based on an ambrotype photo of the event.

Stone Field Baseball July 1858 by Cliff Wilson Stone Field Baseball July 1858 Digital Art by Cliff Wilson

Virtual: Andrew Carnegie & the Carnegie Libraries (Ashland Library is one!) The topic is a combination of Carnegie and the steel industry + the philanthropy and library project. Presenter Rick Feingold will cover both the Homestead and Braddock libraries in Pittsburgh.

We will miss you, Rita!

Obituary for Rita Reni at Matarese Funeral Home and Cremation Service, Inc. Rita Reni, 94, longtime resident of Ashland passed away Friday July 21, 2023. Born in Framingham, she was the daughter of the late John and Enrichetta Parasoli Franchi. Rita was married to George Reni from 1952 until his death in 2003. After raising her four children Rita returned to work

The first Boston Marathon started in Ashland, MA at Metcalf's Mill. And so it began.

The First Boston Marathon Start Line by Cliff Wilson The First Boston Marathon Start Line Digital Art by Cliff Wilson

I had the most wonderful morning meeting with the third-graders from the Mindess School! They are a remarkable group.

Sunday - 2pm at Ocean House
Please join us this coming Sunday for our last Historical Society program of the season.

Christie Higginbottom, Garden Consultant and Research Historian, will talk about -

"The Family Nurse: Home Medical Care in the Early Nineteenth Century."

This is a program illustrating the role played by home-grown, wild-gathered, and purchased herbal remedies in the treatment of common health problems in Early American households. Christie will describe plant varieties and preparation methods including infusions, decoctions, ointments, poultices, fomentations, and tinctures.

Christie worked many years as a costumed interpreter at Old Sturbridge Village. She coordinated the historic horticulture program researching, planning and planting the re-created kitchen and flower gardens at the museum’s historic households. Higginbottom also supervised the Village’s Herb Garden collection, a garden exhibiting over 300 varieties of historic herbs.

From Henry Warren's papers.

We will have an in-person program at the Ashland Historical Society, next Sunday, Jan 15th at 2pm. We are looking forward to welcoming back Anthony Sammarco who will talk to us about the evolution of Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood:

Back Bay Through Time

In his new book Anthony M. Sammarco outlines the Back Bay of Boston, a neighborhood of the city that is not just the quintessential Victorian neighborhood of the 19th century, but one that was infilled and planned as the premier residential and institutional development.

Begun in the late 1850s when the marshlands west of the Boston Public Garden were infilled through the ingenuity of John Souther, the Back Bay was to become a massive project that took over three decades to complete. With fill brought by gondola cars from Needham, Massachusetts six days a week, twenty-four hours a day, every 45 minutes, the fill had an average depth of 20 feet and the expanse of the Back Bay to be filled was roughly 460 acres. A monumental task, it was said that so successful was the venture that by 1885, only a small area was left to be infilled near the Back Bay Fens.

In this photographic history of the Back Bay of Boston Anthony M. Sammarco, with the contemporary photographs of Peter B. Kingman, has created a fascinating book that chronicles the neighborhood from the late nineteenth century through to today. Walking along Arlington, Boylston, Newbury Streets, Commonwealth, Huntington and Massachusetts Avenues and stopping at Park Square and Copley Square, this visually fascinating book offers a fascinating glimpse of the Back Bay of Boston Through Time.

Please join us, all are welcome! Ashland Historical Society, 2 Myrtle St., Ashland, MA. For more details and links please see the Upcoming Events page at www.ashlandhistsociety.com

Sunday, 2pm, Ocean House!
Clara Barton performed by Sheryl Faye
Clara Barton – Civil War Nurse and Red Cross Founder
Admission is Free

“Lost Wonderland”

The twenty-three-acre Wonderland Amusement Park (the largest in New England) operated from 1906 to 1910 in Revere, Massachusetts. Wonderland offered state-of-the-art rides, attractions, and performers to hundreds of thousands of visitors, just a short distance from downtown Boston on the Boston, Revere Beach and Lynn Railroad. The story of the park's creation and wild, but brief, success is full of larger-than-life characters who hoped to thrill attendees and rake in profits. Stephen R. Wilk describes the planning and history of this amazing park.

Please join us, all are welcome! Ashland Historical Society, 2 Myrtle St., Ashland, MA. For more details and links please see the Upcoming Events page at www.ashlandhistsociety.com.

This is from 1912. Still true, 110 years later.

DUES RENEWAL TIME!
Still just $10 per one or two people at the same address.
http://www.ashlandhistsociety.com/membership/

Membership – Ashland Historical Society Please complete the membership form below and click “Submit.” You should follow-up by mailing a check for your membership dues and any additional donation to:

This fancy item is from the towns old hearse.

While looking for more information on this piece, I found another interesting fact about hearses. The fancy S metal piece on the back of hearses comes from the Landau carriage. Invented in the 18th century this carriage design gets it's name from the German City of Landau.

These carriages were early convertibles. The soft cloth roof (with the landau bar) could be opened or closed. As time went on, the landau bar's metal S became the signature look of the hearse.

I'm not sure if this item could be considered a landau bar - but it was used as decoration.

Laying to rest our What is it Wednesday posts with this last item!

It is about 12 inches in length. It is painted to look like metal and is light weight.

Lets see those guesses!

This awesome kitchen took is an all purpose tool. At least that is what the tag says.

1891 - Candle holder, trivet, meat tenderizer, can opener, pry off, and iron knuckle.... wait what?!

What is it Wednesday! This one should be called "I Want This - Wednesday"!

This hefty metal item fits in the palm of your hand. About 4 - 5 Inches and SOLID metal!

Lets see those guesses in the comments!

This terrifying little thing is a mouse trap.

Patented in 1877 by Benjamin Smith this serious pest control device was known as the Eagle Claw. once set, you hang the device by the ring and wait for the mouse to reach up to get the food. Then the claw snaps shut and you know what happens next. 🤢🥴

What is it Wednesday! Brace yourself for this item. It is either really interesting or totally gross - Personally, I'm not sure how I feel about it....

It is about 4 inches in length. I'm not sure what the ring does but the metal hooks on the other side are very sharp and they can do an open/close action.

I do not have a video of this one in action as I didn't want to touch it or loose a finger.... so you will have to use your imagination. 🤷‍♀️🤣

Time to make the doughnuts!

1896 - Swifts Cotosuet doughnut cutter. Swifts held a promotion in August of 1896 where people could get this doughnut cutter FREE with a purchase of their tin of cotosuet (lard).

The Lowell Sun advertisement said: "They are not for sale at any price anywhere, but they are free with Cotosuet."
"We want you to try COTOSUET for shortening. We want you to try it in cake frying. You are bound to come to it sooner or later, but we want you this week."

I would have lined up for that deal!