¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸, PotpourrEMAIL ¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º¤º°` Vol. 4, No.3 - 1 September 2002. Circulation: 100 and growing! (C) 1999 Boylston Historical Society and Museum 7 Central St., PO Box 459, Boylston, MA 01505 boyhisoc@rcn.com 508-869-2720 Editors: Betty L. Thomas and Judith Haynes Boylston Historical Society and Museum Web Page: http://users.rcn.com/boyhisoc/ To subscribe or unsubscribe to the PotpourrEmail, or to submit information to be included in the PotpourrEmail, e-mail info to: boyhisoc@rcn.com CONTENTS. Welcome; "The History of Boylston 1642-1741"; Tidbits; From Our Readers; BHS News; On The Web; Humor ¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º¤º°`°º¤ø,¸ ¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º Welcome to our Email newsletter! For those of you who are not members of BHS and don't receive the snailmail newsletter, it is called The Potpourri. Sooooo, we thought the appropriate name for this version would be PotpourrEMAIL. This Email version is not meant to repeat or copy the snailmail version, but to complement it, with the addition of topics of interest to those with computer and web capabilities. If you have a story to tell, information to impart, a good joke, computer or web genealogy info, a Boylston genealogy query, or anything that would be of interest to our readers--please Email us at: boyhisoc@rcn.com ~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+ "The History of Boylston 1642-1741" The following is from Vol.II of the Historical Series. This book is no longer available for sale, but there are bound copies of all the Historical Series books in the Museum's Fuller Research Library, the Boylston Public Library, and the Allen County Public Library [Fort Wayne, IN.] There are drawings, sketches and photos in the book that we cannot include in this Email. "The History of Boylston 1642-1741" A Critical Edition of the Papers of George L. Wright by William O. Dupuis Volume II in the Boylston Historical Series Revised edition 1978 Chapter I "The Geography and Geology of Boylston" by George L. Wright Boylston Submerged in Glacial Lake During the early stages of the glacial period, the ice from Greenland and vicinity dammed up the St. Lawrence River so that, at least part of it overflowed into Maine and created a lake three hundred miles long that reached to the eastern edge of the central plateau of Massachusetts, and of which Mill Stone and Wigwam Hills, in Worcester, form a part. The outlet of the lake was over Sewall Hill to the Narragansett region, and the washed out rocky height of that hill serves as a high water gauge for the lake level. This shows that Boylston was, for hundreds of thousands of years, submerged at least one hundred feet deep in the lake, and in that long submergance the deposit of silt to upwards of two hundred feet took place, so that upon the disappearance of the lake, the silt formed a level plain clear across the lowland, and at a level within fifteen or twenty feet of the base level, of 500 feet, of the Town. Nobody knows when the lake disappeared, but it must have existed ma ny thousands of years ago, perhaps one or more hundred thousand. The Nashua River, after the disappearance of the lake, began its erosive work upon the great bed of silt, and has washed away millions of tons of soil in creating its channel through the town. But it had not reached bedrock at the time of erection of the reservoir, and it involved an expenditure of $3, 000, 000.00 to complete the channeling. The banks of the channel are clearly of silt. After the ice sheet from the north had passed over the great pack on Sewall Plain, or melted there, the sun acted upon the top and the side near Sewall Hill, so that the water of fusion washed the earth and cobblestones toward the Hill, as may be seen today in going from the Gleason-Wesson place southwardly, and over the whole Plain a deposit of gravel was left. The deposit of till near Sewall Hill buried Spring Garden Brook gradually so that it succeeded in washing away the finer and clogging material, and maintained its passage between the cobblestones. It has been noted for many years, that while there is a more or less constant flow of the Brook, where it crosses the Shrewsbury road, there is seldom any water in the brook where it crosses Sewall Street. Mr Sumner Moore, who once lived there, used to say that there was water in his brook less than ten percent of the time, and then only during flood time. ~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+ Tidbits From the 1930 Town Report Town Officers for the Year 1930 Moderator - Owen W. Kennedy Town Clerk - George L. Wright Selectmen - Edgar B. Donaldson, Chairman; Clarence C. Allen; Loring G. Fuller Assessors - Willis A. Fuller, Chairman; Chester A. Smith; George E. Glazier Board of Public Welfare - Fred C. Stark, Chairman; George I. Adams; Alice C. Brigham Treasurer - George E. Glazier Collector of Taxes - Herbert A. Brigham Auditor - Ralph V. White Tree Warden - William H. Hastings Constables - Matthew Hakala, Ernest C. Harrington, William G. Keck School Committee - George I Adams, Chairman; Lousia A. Allen; Owen W. Kennedy; Supt. of Schools, Louis E. Pelletier Trustees of Public Library - Elizabeth H. Reed; Mary E. French; Belinda E. Gilson, Chairman; Clara E. March, Clerk; Bertha M. Fahlstrom; Madelene Kennedy, Treasurer; George L. Wright, Librarian; Mary E. French, Assistant Cemetery Commissioners - Robert B. Andrews, Ralph C. White, Walter G. Brigham Municipal Light Board - Alfred G. Brouso, Willis A. Fuller, Harold B. French Finance Committee - Robert B. Andrews, George H. Boyden, Eric E. Ekblom, Harold B. French, Ernest C. Whitcomb, Erick B. Carlson Selectmen's Appointments - 1930 Public Weigher - Frank B. Vinton Superintendent of Hay Scales - Frank B. Vinton Sealer of Weights and Measures - Herbert A. Brigham Licensed Undertaker - George A. Vickery Burial Agent Deceased and Indigent Soldiers and Marines - George A. Vickery Gypsy and Brown-tail Moth Agent - Harry A. Lovell Fence Viewers - Frank E. Hopkins, Herbert A. Brigham Field Driver - Anders Brandt Pound Keeper - Anders Brandt Inspection of Slaughtering - Herbert A. Brigham Inspection of Animals and Barns - Thomas Mackesy Surveyor of Boards and Shingles - George A. Vickery, George H. Longley Surveyor of Hoops and Staves - George A. Vickery Surveyors of Wood and Bark - Samuel C. Butterfield, Eugene C. Potter, Herbert L. Stone, Herbert A. Brigham, George H. Longley Special Police - Fred C. Stark, Samuel C. Butterfield, John S. Maynard, Harry A. Lovell, Fred D. Christiansen, Albert C. Johnson Forest Warden - Thomas G. Slack Inspector of Fire Apparatus - Thomas G. Slack Superintendent of Streets - August A. Hakala Chief of Fire Department - Thomas G. Slack ~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+ From Our Readers From Ron Goodenow - rkgood@charter.net Ron would like to invite all of you to visit his website Save Rocky Pond http://saverockypond.org Loads of great photos of the pond, information about the Pond and what is now happening there. ~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+ BHS News 2001 - 2002 PROGRAMS and EVENTS All Programs open to the public and held at the Society (unless otherwise noted). 7 Central St., Boylston Donations at the door are gratefully accepted! ------------------------------------------- Last Chance to see the "Be Our Valentine" Exhibit - This is a display of Victorian Valentines, Lace from our collection, and wedding dresses circa 1950 and 1930. The exhibit will run through September 2002 and is open during normal open hours and at regular museum admission. Members - free Non-Members - $3 ----------------------------------------- NEW HOURS We are open Tuesday and Thursday - 9 am to noon AND The FIRST TUESDAY of each month [year round]- 6-8 pm Please stop by and visit Betty Thomas and Rita Fuller on September 3 As always ...we are open by appointment for those who can not make any of our open hours. ----------------------------------------- COMING UP THIS FALL Antiques Appraisal Day Sat., Sept 14 - 11am to 2 pm at the Townhouse, 599 Main St., Boylston Donation: $5 per item **Sorry, coins, stamps, jewelry, and ancient artifacts will NOT be appraised. Paul Royka, a nationally known expert, author of two books on antiques, and an appraiser on the PBS series 'Antiques Roadshow' for 4 seasons will help BHSM to conduct our first ever Appraisal event --- it's not too early to start ransacking the attic for those hidden treasures. +++ Raffle tickets, Season Tickets, and memberships will be available on Appraisal Day ------------------------------------------- King Philip's War a slide lecture by Michael Tougias, author of King Philip's War and Until I Have No Country. Learn about Indian life, Colonial settlements, the battles, and the strategy during this brutal war between the Colonists and the Native Americans. Thursday October 24, 2002 at 7:30 pm. Members - $2 Non-Members - $3 Under 18 - free Sponsored in part by Mr. & Mrs. R. Haynes and Arthur Cole Painting Co. ------------------------------------------------------ Behind the Scenes Tour of Museum & Welcome Reception for New Members and the Curious! Meet the Staff and Board members. FREE Saturday, November 9, 2002 at 7:30 pm Sponsored in part by James Stanton, Esq. -------------------------------------------------------- WE NEED Volunteers - Pick any day/hours we are open that fit your schedule - Tuesday, Thursday 9-noon and the 1st Tuesday each month 6-8 pm C.A.P. CLUB [Cut and Paste] is a group of volunteers that organize the photo copies of BHS Scrapbooks and other newspaper clippings into useable, indexed research tools. CAP Club meets at BHSM EVERY Tuesday and Thursday from 10am to noon. Work involves cutting out articles, grouping them, and pasting the groups onto pages, putting the pages into binders, and then indexing all clippings in each binder. You will have fun reminiscing, discovering, and reading all the old newspaper articles. Everyone is welcome to join in the fun....no dues....no roll call... .Just show up!!!! 9-5ers - join a new section of CAP Club on the 1st Tues each month - 6-8pm.[Starts September 3] Computer typists - We are putting all our collections information on computer. This work involves typing in forms. Cleaning Crew: come in once a month to dust, vacuum, clean bathrooms, and general tidying. Goodie Bakers: Bake goodies for our events. Door Greeters/ Ticket takers: Stand [or sit] at the door and say hello to our visitors at various programs/events ----------------------------------------------------- BHSM's Contribution to the New Exhibit at Plimoth Plantation BHSM is proud to be able to assist Plimoth Plantation as they debut a major new exhibit. Thanksgiving: Memory, Myth & Meaning is an interactive exhibit leading visitors from present-day celebrations and traditions backward through time, peeling back layers of popular culture, observance, meaning and myth to let viewers see the history of this holiday. The exhibit ends with a fresh look at the 1621 harvest celebration from the perspectives of the participants, the Wampanoag and the English. The exhibit is included with admission. Our contribution to the exhibit is the loan of a 17th century English backsword (42" long, with a hilt about 8" in diameter) from the BHSM collection. The sword has been examined by Walter Karcheski of the Higgins Armory Museum in Worcester, who estimated its age at approximately three-hundred and seventy years (circa 1630). To publicize our role in this undertaking we're conducting a Raffle, with the Grand Prize of a One-Year Plimoth Plantation family membership, a $90 value. In addition, there will be four more prizes consisting of Plimoth Plantation one day passes for a family [2 adults, 2 children], a $ 72 value. Raffle Tickets - $1 each or 10 for $7. Stop by the Museum or mail in your money [include SASE for return of stubs] The Raffle will be held on Appraisal Day---Sept 14.... you don't have to be present to win. ------------------------------------------- Season Tickets were so popular last year that we are offering a Season ticket again this year. a $15 value for $8 - Makes a great gift Season ticket [you must show your Season Ticket at each event] Includes: 1. Appraisal Day - appraisal for One Item 2. King Philip's War admission 3. History of Boylston admission 4. Flagg Pond admission 5. One Raffle ticket --------------------------------------------- Visit the gift shop http://www.ultranet.com/~boyhisoc/gift.htm ~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+ On The Web Save Rocky Pond http://saverockypond.org The Umbrella Cover Museum - This museum is on Peak's Island off Portland Maine. http://www.umbrellacovermuseum.org MISSOURI, Iron County. Marriage Book A 2,118 records; Marcine Lohman, for the Iron County Genealogy Society http://userdb.rootsweb.com/marriages/ NEW YORK. THE FORGOTTEN OF ELLIS ISLAND: "Deaths in Quarantine, 1909-1911." Lists those who died in quarantine from November 1909 through June 1911 in New York City. Provides some resources and history. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~quarantine/ ~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+ Humor - The Daily News Batavia, Genesee County, New York State May 11-1891 DON'T MIND MONEY TRIFLES. The Utica 'Observer' says: "A day or two ago a gentleman stepped from a Wagner palace car in Batavia and went to the telegraph office to send a message. The first one he wrote not suiting him, he wrote another. He shoved the first in his pocket, and when he went out in the station-yard, took it out, tore it up, and threw it away. At Syracuse the train stopped for supper, and the gentleman stepped into the dining-room and satisfied himself with a good meal. He put his hand in his pocket for a $10 bill which he knew he had, and behold--he pulled out the spoiled dispatch. He searched his clothes, but no $10 bill did he find. Then he thought of tearing up what he supposed to be the dispatch in Batavia, and telegraphed to the station-master to know if there were any bits of a $10 bill about the yard in that village. The reply came to the gentleman as the train passed through Utica that the yard was filled with such things, but up in Batavia, they did not mind trifles." ¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º¤º°`°º¤ø,¸ ¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º PERMISSION TO REPRINT articles from PotpourrEMAIL is granted unless specifically stated otherwise, PROVIDED: (1) the reprint is used for non-commercial, educational purposes; and (2) the following notice appears at the end of the article: Written by -author's name, e-mail address, and URL, if given- Previously published by PotpourrEMAIL, PotpourrEmail, Vol. 4, No.3 - 1 September 2002. Please visit Boylston Historical Society and Museum's main Web page at http://users.rcn.com/boyhisoc/ This newsletter is distributed monthly, on the first day of the month, to all Boylston Historical Society members (who have Email!), genealogists, and friends who have a special interest in the history of the town of Boylston. ¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º¤º°`°º¤ø,¸ ¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º boyhisoc@rcn.com 508-869-2720 Boylston Historical Society PO Box 459 Boylston, MA 01505 Web Page: http://users.rcn.com/boyhisoc/