tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54069254957531344492012-02-05T22:30:15.589-05:00Writing about the History of Middleborough & Lakeville, MassachusettsMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.comBlogger4471100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-32588720844936546152012-01-10T13:28:00.000-05:002012-01-10T13:28:53.888-05:00

In 1925, it was proposed to replace the then-outdated School Street Engine House with a new and modern central fire station on North Main Street.  Details of the new central station designed by Middleborough architect Wilson G. Harlow were announced in the pages of the Middleboro Gazette in October, 1925.  The North Main Street station was dedicated the following year, and served until 2003 when

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-25103552843282057142012-01-08T21:32:00.000-05:002012-01-08T21:32:51.629-05:00

In the late 1800s, the impromptu racing of horses on Middleborough's streets frequently occurred with Main Street becoming the most popular venue. Racing on Main Street, in fact, became so frequent that the Middleboro Gazette felt obliged to comment upon the issue in 1870: “Fast driving in our streets when they are crowded as they were Wednesday night while the band was playing is a little too

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-70048004287329186252012-01-07T13:50:00.002-05:002012-01-07T13:58:20.462-05:00

Early nineteenth century Massachusetts has been described as “a crucible of reform movements”. Among the most powerful of these was female suffrage or the enfranchisement of women. Providing women the right to vote was considered by many to be of great consequence. Transcendentalist Bronson Alcott, father of author Louisa May Alcott, argued that enfranchisement of women was "the reform of

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-44362837588352246112011-12-24T06:25:00.000-05:002011-12-24T06:25:59.645-05:00

In 1940, Middleborough High School Latin teacher Herbert Wilber decorated his classroom with greenery over the chalkboard and a small lighted white pine tree set on a table in the corner.  The simple but effective decorations provided a warm and inviting aspect to the otherwise austere classroom.  The room was located on the top floor of Middleborough High School, now the Early Childhood

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-32439149279944599122011-12-23T18:14:00.000-05:002011-12-23T18:14:20.467-05:00

I am pleased to offer the following post by Middleborough educator Jeff Stevens as part of an on-going series written for the Middleboro Gazette on behalf of the Friends of Middleborough Cemeteries.   Mr.Stevens is well versed in the history of Middleborough's early cemeteries, and his "Stories in the Stones" series proposes to consider the rich cultural and social heritage contained within

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-22231811386216230092011-12-07T00:05:00.000-05:002011-12-07T00:05:04.668-05:00

If one believes this wonderfully dated piece of advertising from the Middleboro Laundry, the local 1950s housewife "broke her heart" trying to iron the perfect dress shirt for her hard to please husband.  In despair, she no doubt turned to the services of the Middleboro Laundry.  Here her husband scrutinizes the work to ensure it is up to his exacting standards while in the meantime enjoying a

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-35802929082417766712011-12-01T22:35:00.000-05:002011-12-01T22:35:29.116-05:00

Join me this Saturday from 10 a. m. to 11.45 a. m. at Somethin's Brewin' Book Cafe in Lakeville where I will be signing copies of South Middleborough: A History. Illustration: "The Old Stone House", real photo postcard, c. 1920 This postcard features a small photograph of the distinctive Stone House at South Middleborough.  Long a landmark in the South Middleborough community, the Stone House

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-47620843709756739312011-12-01T22:08:00.001-05:002011-12-03T21:08:39.222-05:00

Though Middleborough’s law enforcement agents prior to the reorganization of the Middleborough Police Department in 1909 may have been virtually preoccupied with cases of liquor law violations as noted in the two previous posts, other crimes were on the constabulary’s agenda, as well. As with liquor laws, there remained a strong social imperative to prosecute laws based upon public morality.

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-7268637544269607502011-11-29T23:10:00.000-05:002011-11-29T23:10:37.666-05:00

Mertie Romaine notes of the Middleborough Police Department in her History of the Town of Middleboro that as late as 1909, “the constables were devoting their attention almost entirely to enforcing liquor laws.” The early Middleborough Police Department’s preoccupation with the enforcement of such laws was the consequence of a strong social and moral imperative within the community which sought

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-82041951978169289002011-11-28T20:32:00.000-05:002011-11-28T20:32:15.133-05:00

While the establishment of the Middleborough Police Department is typically dated to 1909 when Harry W. Swift was named the first Chief of Police, the department in fact has a lengthy pre-history dating back decades prior to 1909 and newspaper accounts attest to the department's early characterization as a police force, as well as the existence of earlier chiefs heading the department.

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-52948051022389439092011-11-14T20:17:00.000-05:002011-11-14T20:17:42.344-05:00

Recollecting Nemasket is pleased to announce the publication of South Middleborough: A History by historian Michael J. Maddigan.  Produced by the History Press, a publisher of the highest quality local and regional history titles from coast to coast, South Middleborough is a comprehensive history of the South Middleborough community from its first settlement through the present day.  The history

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-91521262973321136862011-11-11T07:36:00.000-05:002011-11-11T07:36:58.711-05:00

On May 30, 1896, Middleborough dedicated its impressive Soldiers' and Sailors' Memorial on the Town Hall lawn to the memory of the community's civil war veterans.  Though the initial proposal for the memorial was met with skepticism and concerns that the monument would be neglected in time, the Soldiers' and Sailors' Memorial has since become a focal point of both Memorial and Veterans' Day

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-4885263311595531062011-11-10T21:16:00.001-05:002011-11-10T21:18:44.121-05:00

Locally many may know of the Marra brothers, the sons of Angelo and Josephine Marra, who served their country in World War II. Eighty years earlier, a similarly remarkable contribution had been made by another Middleborough family, the Nickersons, with the service of six of its sons in the Civil War. Hiram Nickerson (1826-1910) served December 2, 1861-November 1, 1862; Ivory Harlow Nickerson

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-44360787142720258522011-10-21T19:28:00.000-04:002011-10-21T19:28:57.599-04:00

Among the most creative business owners when it came to advertising in late 19th century Middleborough was Solomon H. Sylvester who operated a jewelry and "fancy goods" store on Center Street.  Though Sylvester most frequently relied upon colorful trade cards with beautiful or humorous scenes on the front and advertising text on the reverse, on occasion he employed novel means to promote his

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-60595846158576417012011-10-20T09:13:00.000-04:002011-10-20T09:13:24.756-04:00

Standing to the left of the entrance of the Pratt Farm on East Main Street are the ruins of a seemingly once formidable structure. A broken concrete pad, a circular foundation and the remains of a large dry-laid stone ramp are the remnants of the former barn built in 1905 which stood upon the site of the original Pratt Farm barn. The original Pratt barn was built about the same time as the

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-73940298504631913612011-10-17T22:01:00.001-04:002011-10-17T22:02:25.216-04:00

Despite its rich animal life, the Pratt Farm offers even greater diversity in the variety of flora it contains, and the conservation area is a veritable botanical garden for those who wish to explore its plant life which speaks to both the natural and cultural history of the farm. Ironically the profusion of wildflowers which attract butterflies and other insects to the meadows of the Pratt Farm

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-26096928021143257282011-10-15T22:14:00.001-04:002011-10-15T22:16:41.889-04:00

Beginning in 1912, Ernest S. Pratt began retailing coke through the agency of the Ernest S. Pratt Company.  Coke used as a heating fuel in place of coal (from which it was produced) was purchased from the New England Coke Company and received by the railroad carload at the Middleborough depot.  To facilitate the receipt and offloading of his coke, Pratt in November, 1920, purchased the former

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-62799385562744747422011-10-13T23:48:00.001-04:002011-10-15T22:16:03.457-04:00

During the 1880s and early 1890s, one profitable business venture associated with the wood business undertaken on the Pratt Farm on East Main Street in Middleborough in conjunction with the sale of cordwood for heating was the manufacture and distribution of charcoal. Charcoal is believed to have been first produced by L. Brad Pratt in charcoal pits on Cedar Street, opposite the brick Jonathan

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-35382906285798177192011-10-12T22:15:00.001-04:002011-10-12T22:17:02.482-04:00

Two hundred and more years ago the Pratt Farm was largely devoid of trees, save for an area centered about the confluence of Stony and Morey Brooks which is now under the waters of the new ice pond.  As late as the 1940s, large portions of the Pratt Farm remained bare of tree cover. Since the abandonment of the property to farming purposes in 1964, the land has been rapidly reclaimed by white

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-22177008140113078922011-10-10T23:28:00.001-04:002011-10-10T23:29:55.513-04:00

At the entrance to the Pratt Farm Conservation Area are located a number of building foundations marking the location of the former farmstead which was the heart the economic and social lives of the Pratt family for nearly two hundred years. Remaining foundations tell the tale of the Pratt family’s numerous operations and include the foundation of the former Pratt homestead.  The Pratt House (

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-55034223014676238072011-10-10T05:51:00.000-04:002011-10-10T05:51:09.209-04:00

This year, the Pratt Farm Conservation and Recreation Area in Middleborough celebrates its 25th year under municipal ownership.  The Pratt Farm comprises 160 acres of abandoned fields, successional woodlands and wetlands near the southeast corner of East Main and Sachem Streets and is managed by the Middleborough Conservation Commission “for the protection and preservation of the purity of

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-84659935537411665452011-09-21T21:28:00.000-04:002011-09-21T21:28:13.675-04:00

Tispaquin Pond has long been a site for camps, including hunting camps and summer camps for children.  One of the earliest summer camps was Camp Ascension, sponsored by the Church of the Ascension of Boston, which operated for a few years beginning in 1908.  Though conducted by the church, it was operated in accordance with the principles of the Y. M. C. A., and its directors were trained at the

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-89754048518244678082011-09-19T08:54:00.000-04:002011-09-19T08:54:24.781-04:00

The architectural significance of the Peter Oliver House was recognized in 1936 when it was documented as part of the Historic American Buildings Survey, a Federal program conducted under the auspices of the National Park Service designed to provide work for unemployed architects, draftsmen and photographers.  On October 3, 1936, photographer Arthur C. Haskell (1890-1968) photographed both the

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-57279235328547297652011-09-18T08:32:00.000-04:002011-09-18T08:32:38.270-04:00

The Peter Oliver House on Plymouth Street at Muttock, sometimes called the "Small Oliver House" in distinction to Oliver Hall, was built in 1769 by Judge Peter Oliver for his son, Doctor Peter Oliver, Jr., who wed Sally Hutchinson, daughter of then Lieutenant-Governor Thomas Hutchinson in February, 1770.  Judge Peter Oliver was an influential Loyalist in Massachusetts and the owner of a grand

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-76396321812142761502011-09-16T09:47:00.001-04:002011-09-16T12:58:38.447-04:00

The mission of the Friends of Middleborough Cemeteries is "to preserve, maintain, and restore the cemeteries located in Middleborough, including the graves, burial grounds, and burial plots; to promote an improved awareness of the history and care of Middleborough cemeteries; and to preserve and promote the memory of those persons interred within Middleborough."  A worthy cause, indeed. There has

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-44371964802713590092011-09-15T19:30:00.000-04:002011-09-15T19:30:44.701-04:00

Expectations this autumn for a decreased harvest of apples in Massachusetts echo similar forecasts from a century ago.  In 1901, the pronounced decline in the local production of cider apples was noted, as was the consequent increase in price of the fruit.  Cider apples in Middleboro have advanced to ten cents a bushel, while down in Nova Scotia the same grade of fruit is rotting beause it is so

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-31559943285153863572011-09-04T22:20:00.001-04:002011-09-05T12:58:55.520-04:00

Historically, Middleborough has had a number of diverse ecosystems, including what would have been classified as coastal Atlantic white cedar swamps. Such swamps were noted for the profusion of Atlantic white cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides) and provided ecologically important habitats supporting a wide diversity of wildlife and other flora. Today, however, most of Middleborough’s historic

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-74209252023435096552011-08-29T01:02:00.001-04:002011-08-29T01:08:40.966-04:00

Herbert L. Wilber (1890-1984) of South Middleborough was known during his life as a local pastor and teacher of Latin and Ancient History at Middleborough High School.  Less well known was the fact that he kept a daily diary for much of his life, beginning in 1919.  Among the many items Wilber recorded in his diary was the September, 1944, hurricane and its impact both at South Middleborough and

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-80116782954883186582011-08-27T18:15:00.000-04:002011-08-27T18:15:40.506-04:00

Middleborough has witnessed its share of severe hurricanes, including the Great Colonial Hurricane of 1635,the Storm of October 1804, the “Great Gale” of September 1815, the New England Hurricane of 1938, the Great Atlantic Hurricane of 1944, and Hurricane Carol (1954), among others. One of the most damaging of the 19th century hurricanes was the Eastern New England Hurricane of 1869, which

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-77791558053697363452011-08-26T06:31:00.000-04:002011-08-26T06:31:58.126-04:00

On September 6, 1901, while visiting the Pan-American Exposition at Buffalo, New York, President William McKinley was shot by anarchist Leon Czolgosz.  McKinley survived the shooting for eight days before ultimately succumbing.  He died September 14, 1901.  In Middleborough, in the wake of the tragedy, a shocked and grief-stricken community assembled on Thursday, September 19, in Town Hall to

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-29236758063592893582011-08-25T19:17:00.000-04:002011-08-25T19:17:42.558-04:00

Prior to the development of push lawn mowers and their widespread adoption, lawns were mown with scythes if they were cut at all.  Roadways, on the other hand, were generally left untended and grass occasionally grew in strips where wagons and carriages passed over.  The situation at North Middleborough in August, 1887, was typical when residents contemplated an alternative solution for their

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-86470101965594673132011-08-22T21:55:00.000-04:002011-08-22T21:55:35.090-04:00

Despite its poor reputation as a weed, the common milkweed played a vital role locally and throughout the nation during World War II when it became a strategic resource gathered by schoolchildren. Milkweed is a distinctive plant. Growing some 3 to 6 feet tall with a single stout stalk in abandoned fields and along the margins of roads, milkweed takes its name from its latex or milk-like sap.

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-52492696103874612022011-08-19T09:49:00.000-04:002011-08-19T09:49:11.957-04:00

In the first decade of the twentieth century, Muttock faced a potential health crisis of epidemic proportions when between 1909 and 1914, that community was afflicted by an outbreak of malaria, a disease seemingly unknown in Middleborough before 1896. The fact that it was able to avert such an outcome was the result of extreme vigilance on the part of a number of members of the community rather

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-23293181216054851062011-08-15T22:21:00.000-04:002011-08-15T22:21:10.936-04:00

One of the most controversial men to have served in the ministry in Middleborough was the Reverend Thomas Palmer, who served as pastor of the First Congregational Church of Middleborough between 1696 and 1706, and who was, by the standards of today, an alcoholic. Following the August, 1695, death of the church's first pastor Reverend Samuel Fuller, Isaac Cushman was called to the pastorate,

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-64813482790985281332011-08-11T20:58:00.000-04:002011-08-11T20:58:06.607-04:00

Lucy Morton Robinson, M. D., death notice, The Journal of the American Medical Association, 85: 132, July, 1925. Though Mertie E. Romaine's History of the Town of Middleboro states that Dr. Helen Ham of North Middleborough was the Town's first female physician, Dr. Ham in fact was preceded in that role by Dr. Lucy Morton Robinson (1840-1925), also of North Middleborough. Lucy Robinson

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-79479276945142100902011-08-06T09:44:00.002-04:002011-08-06T10:17:17.101-04:00

Family of Wong You, Middleborough, MA, photograph, c. 1921. From left to right: Yee Wah Quock with Robert Seeto Wong standing in front, Jew She holding William Henry Wong, Wong You holding Florence Mary Wong, Elizabeth Wong, Wong Nen Hi [Sue Wong], Philip Francis Wong. Photograph published by kind permission of M. K. Wong. The Wong family was Middleborough’s first Chinese nuclear family,

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-11848779104054182872011-08-04T19:56:00.000-04:002011-08-04T19:56:35.973-04:00

Graduating Class, Assawompset School, Lakeville, MA, photograph, 1914. Photo courtesy of Scheren (Smalley) Dunham. Among the graduates are Mary Agnes McGuinnness seated in the second row, second from the right. The school's principal, Mrs. Elizabeth Benson, stands at the rear.

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-78203587303707614452011-08-03T23:03:00.000-04:002011-08-03T23:03:06.328-04:00

Students, Assawompset School, Lakeville, MA, photograph, c. 1913. Photo Courtesy of Scheren (Smalley) Dunham. Students stand outside the newly-erected Assawompset School which was constructed in 1912 and opened in September of that year.  Pictured along with the students are teacher Esther M. Barnes and school principal Elizabeth H. Benson.

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-81949756394548421992011-08-02T20:55:00.000-04:002011-08-02T20:55:17.194-04:00

"Ocean House" with Middleborough MunicipalElectric Light Plant, Wareham Street, Middleborough, MA, photograph, c. 1900. Located on the west shore of the mill pond at Wareham Street was once a ramshackle building known around 1900 as the “Ocean House”, possibly as a satiric barb aimed at seaside luxury resort hotels of the era. For lower class Middleborough children, this was their oceanside

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-60977491131836166912011-08-01T08:06:00.000-04:002011-08-01T08:06:26.008-04:00

During the period of Middleborough's most rapid growth in the last half of the nineteenth century, the Middleboro Gazette was but one of a number of periodicals published at Middleborough. Others including the Middleboro News, Washburn’s Fireside Journal, and People’s Fireside Journal along with the Gazette, formed a fraternity motivated by shared interests and common challenges. The

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-38255908972577580422011-07-31T09:56:00.000-04:002011-07-31T09:56:30.986-04:00

Located on the western shore of Lake Assawompsett south of Nelson's Grove, Green Point Grove is a less well remembered venue for summer outings, but as these two small advertising cards attest, the site was popular during the summer season for music and dancing in the last quarter of the 19th century.  Dating possbly from 1886, the cards advertise a "social assembly" featuring John M.

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-60578019038546789482011-07-30T10:59:00.000-04:002011-07-30T10:59:14.543-04:00

Bird's Eye View of Trinidad, Colorado, late 19thcentury.  Courtesy Denver Public Library, WesternHistory Collection. The 1878 death of Kendrick Washburn of Middleborough in Trinidad, Colorado, was clearly a case of being in “the wrong place at the wrong time.” However what most Middleborough residents of the day found shocking about the occurrence was not the circumstances of Washburn’s death

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-36446847614729190772011-07-15T09:43:00.000-04:002011-07-15T09:43:13.064-04:00

Begun in 1902 and completed in 1904, the Middleborough Public Library Building was erected as a symbol of the intellectual advance of the community during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Middleborough Public Library was organized by vote of the Town Meeting of September 19, 1874, as a successor to a number of previous private subscription libraries that had operated locally. In the

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-76295123209177329242011-07-09T19:21:00.000-04:002011-07-09T19:21:20.038-04:00

Brett's Clothing Company, Middleborough, MA, advertising trade card, late 19th century.

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-48114142423118399432011-07-08T21:30:00.002-04:002011-07-08T21:34:01.553-04:00

Brett's Clothing Company, Middleborough, MA, advertising trade card, late 19th century.

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-72190405493172724282011-07-07T23:12:00.004-04:002011-07-07T23:16:48.503-04:00

Middleboro' Shovel Company advertisements.  Top, mid-1870s. Bottom, 1874, from The Boston Directory Embracing the City Record, A General Directory of Citizens and Business Directory.  No. LXX.  For the Year Commencing July 1, 1874.  (Boston: Sampson, Davenport, and Company, 1874). Organized in the early 1870s, the Middleboro' Shovel Company operated for a short period of time as the

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-69039410560986092742011-07-06T18:48:00.004-04:002011-07-07T18:16:08.756-04:00

One hundred years ago, Middleborough experienced an extended heatwave and drought, then one of the most severe on record.  July 3, 1911, was reported as the hottest day for many years with the temperature hitting “101 in the shade at the postoffice at noon.” Masons who were at work on the stonework of cellars here had to give up.  Farmers in South Middleboro and the Green neighborhood quit

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-48398749010315197052011-07-02T11:40:00.000-04:002011-07-02T11:40:34.771-04:00

 Memoirs of the Life of SamuelSmith (Middleborough, MA, 1853) THE APPEARANCE OF a slim, privately-printed pamphlet in Middleborough in 1853 received little notice, despite its relative rarity.  It was a first-hand account of a common soldier’s experience in the Revolutionary War.  Had Samuel Smith of South Middleborough not been noted at the time of his death July 7, 1854, for authoring his

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-74297111262140437862011-07-01T09:06:00.000-04:002011-07-01T09:06:06.432-04:00

Fourth of July postcard, early 20th century.  Virtually unknown today is the practice of sendingIndependence Day greetings such as cards and postcards,a common part of late 19th and early 20th Fourth of Julycelebrations. Independence Day celebrations of late 19th century Middleborough were usually confined to small family get togethers or a quiet day spent relaxing.  Evenings might be devoted

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-40700355717092271322011-06-30T20:28:00.001-04:002011-06-30T20:28:40.837-04:00

Prior to the state ban on their commercial sale, fireworks were readily available each summer to Middleborough and Lakeville residents as evidenced by this photograph of Farrar's fireworks stand from the summer of 1932.  Local vendors were licensed by the Board of Selectmen to sell fireworks, fire crackers, sparklers and other pyrotechnic novelties, and their locations were required to be 

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-62161413731852064922011-06-23T16:53:00.000-04:002011-06-23T16:53:52.059-04:00

Nemasket River, Middleborough, MA, photograph, early 20th century. A young man on the Nemasket River gathers water lilies which fill the stem and stern of his canoe. Other lilies grow in the river, too, that are like roses...- Herodotus, The Histories Common on local lakes and ponds, as well as the Nemasket River, water lilies have long been part of local history.  Native Americans employed

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-3389061406682600142011-06-19T11:43:00.001-04:002011-06-19T11:43:21.442-04:00

On Saturday, July 18, the Middleborough Historical Commission and Rock Village Church sponsored an historic walking tour of a portion of Rock Village.  For those readers who may have missed the well-attended event, a self-guided tour which may be printed appears below. This tour encompasses Miller Street from the Rock Church south to Highland Street with brief excursions to the Rock Cemetery and

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-71150691596996933212011-06-19T11:43:00.000-04:002011-06-19T11:43:02.532-04:00

I'd like to thank the Rock Village Church and Pastor Brian Cook for sponsoring a wonderful Community Day at Rock yesterday - a celebration of history and community on the occassion of the 250th anniversary of the church's foundation.  The history of the Rock Church and its predecessors, the Third Baptist Society of Middleborough and the Independent Congregational Church of Rock, as well as that

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-37272211146517792792011-06-17T22:33:00.000-04:002011-06-17T22:33:02.082-04:00

Rock Baptist Church, Highland Street, Rock, MA, real photo postcard, early 20th century.  The view depicts the 1852 church which was constructed on Highland Street and which burned December 4, 1918.  To the left of the church may be seen the Ephraim Tinkham House (1767) and the Baptist Parsonage (c. 1872) on Miller Street. Contradicting the old adage that lightning never strikes in the same

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-24196545843066218532011-06-16T08:02:00.000-04:002011-06-16T08:02:53.367-04:00

Rock Station, Rock, MA, photograph, c. 1900.  The view depicts the former New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad station at Miller Street at Rock.  The building at the far left isthe station freight house; the passenger depot stands opposite.Behind the passenger depot, the Independent CongregationalChapel (now the Rock Village Church) may be seen.  Beyondis the Atwood Building, later site of

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-21601904519251592392011-06-15T07:10:00.000-04:002011-06-15T07:10:09.436-04:00

Rock, MA, photograph, c. 1905.  The view depicts a portion of the granite outcropping or ledge which gives the community of Rock its name.  In the distance at the far right background is the Rock mill at Walnut and Miller Streets. The village of Rock takes its name from a large ledge or outcropping of granite which runs a considerable distance parallel to and west of Miller Street.  Though

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-83342316541908404322011-06-14T10:41:00.002-04:002011-06-14T14:02:37.576-04:00

Rock Village Church (1880, 1920-21), Miller Street,Middleborough, MA. Photograph by Mike Maddigan,May 20, 2006.  Between 1879 and 1921 Rock was the site of two churches: the Third Baptist Church on Highland Street which had originally been established in 1761 at South Middleborough and the Independent Congregational Church on Miller Street which was founded in 1879.  The maintenance of two

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-76688397285522680102011-06-13T21:39:00.001-04:002011-06-19T11:45:18.981-04:00

Map of Rock, Massachusetts, from New Topographical Atlas of Surveys: Plymouth County Together with Town of Cohasset, Norfolk County, Massachusetts.  Springfield, MA: The L. J. Richards Co., 1903.  The historic walking tour scheduled for Saturday, June 18, will investigate the history of the southern portion of the village from Smith Street to Highland Street. MIDDLEBORO — Many local residents

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-11367956068779236272011-06-07T19:52:00.001-04:002011-06-07T20:05:21.098-04:00

In 1948, the Middleborough Rotary was set upon by out of town pop corn vendors intent upon selling their snack to passing motorists.  Ultimately, opposition by local merchants to what they saw as unregulated competition resulted in the matter coming before the Board of Selectmen as recorded in the following item carried in the Brockton Enterprise on May 18. The area about the traffic circle at

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-36161542576292818612011-06-05T00:04:00.000-04:002011-06-05T00:04:55.116-04:00

Henry L. Thatcher and Allan R. Thatcher, Thatcher's Row, Middleborough, MA, photograph, c. 1908 One of the most exciting periods in local automotive history was assuredly the turn of the last century when Middleborough began to transition towards automobiles, first as a means of recreation and later as a method of transportation. In the early 1900s, Middleborough residents took avidly to the

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-19993421360760045852011-06-04T10:12:00.000-04:002011-06-04T10:12:44.059-04:00

  In 1908, the Middleborough High School baseball team posed for a team photograph for Walter Beals on the steps of Middleborough High School (later the bates Junior High School).  Back row (left to right): Melvern (Mel) Gammons, Charlie McCarty, Reginald Drake, Principal Walter Sampson, Bradford Swift and Harry Belmont.  Front row (left to right): Chester (Chet) Witbeck, James Williams, Everett

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-76860728520516276342011-05-25T20:00:00.003-04:002011-05-25T20:00:02.801-04:00

Photos courtesy of the Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-71771462287258068992011-05-24T20:00:00.003-04:002011-05-24T20:00:01.534-04:00

Photos courtesy of the Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection The elk on the Nemasket Elk Range were enclosed by a mesh and barbed wire perimeter fence as seen in the photographs here.  Though it was intended that the elk would forage on the extensive range, supplemental food including possibly dairy feed was provided with the animals being fed from large metal basins. 

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-3453996250654649082011-05-23T20:00:00.002-04:002011-05-23T20:00:03.868-04:00

Photos courtesy of the Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection In February, 1926, large numbers of elk began arriving on the Nemasket Elk Range, transported from the Middleborough railroad depot in enclosed trucks.  The first two photos capture antler-less bucks being unloaded, their horns having been removed for the safety of the animal during transport.  The man on the right

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-68278181402722749312011-05-22T12:58:00.001-04:002011-05-22T12:59:26.063-04:00

Courtesy of the Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection. In 1925-26, Percy R. Jones established the Nemasket Elk Range off Rocky Meadow Street in Middleborough in conjunction with his father and brother.  Giving an indication of the size of the animals is the elk antler held in this photograph by Jones and his wife, Lillian M. Jones.  As seen here, Jones for publicity purposes

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-81130243024224391482011-05-13T20:53:00.000-04:002011-05-13T20:53:22.132-04:00

The Brockton Weekly Gazette carried the following interesting item on July 16, 1874, regarding the Revolutionary-era wealth of Middleborough:  "One hundred years ago, Middleboro stood the twelfth town in the state in the amount of its assessment, exceeding that of Taunton, Roxbury, Charlestown and Cambridge."  The town's extensive agricultural development and the presence of the Oliver iron

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-40629301131597152152011-05-07T22:39:00.001-04:002011-05-08T10:13:07.220-04:00

Nemasket Automobile Company, MiddleboroughMA, stock certificate, early 1900s The Nemasket Automobile Company was one of the earliest Hudson dealerships in southern New England and likely the first in southeastern Massachusetts. In operation between 1911 and 1942, the firm was prominent among Middleborough’s early automobile dealerships, retailing not only Hudsons and Hudson-built Essex,

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-21993028331604725212011-05-04T20:18:00.000-04:002011-05-04T20:18:02.072-04:00

Plymouth County SugarDistribution Coupon, December, 1918 Unlike during World War II with its ration books and O. P. A. tokens, Middleborough and Lakeville in World War I were not subjected to compulsory food rationing, though the voluntary rationing of foodstuffs was encouraged by such organizations as the United States Food Administration and more locally by the Plymouth County Food

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-38564089900935187932011-05-02T08:31:00.000-04:002011-05-02T08:31:48.737-04:00

As originally surveyed in 1889, the proposed route of the Plymouth & Middleboro Railroad between the Green at Middleborough and Darby in Plymouth was much different than the course finally accepted.  Rather than running most of the way north of Plymouth Street as it ultimately did, the course of the railroad as originally surveyed crossed to the south side of Plymouth Street near Short Street

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-23286983653928073552011-04-30T19:33:00.002-04:002011-05-02T19:18:25.524-04:00

On August 9, 1913, an overloaded power boat, Farina, sank in Long Pond with the loss of seven lives. Historically, it is the worst single tragedy to have ever occurred on the ponds in Lakeville. The party which embarked aboard Farina, a craft owned by Albert Joan of Brockton, planned an evening cruise to Lakeside Park at the southern end of the pond in Freetown where they proposed attending a

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-46500875901976142152011-04-23T23:38:00.002-04:002011-04-23T23:42:32.408-04:00

Woodward's Bridge and the Taunton River between Middleboroughand Bridgewater, MA, photograph, early 20th century.  On Monday, the Summer Street bridge over the Taunton River between Middleborough and Bridgewater is scheduled to be closed in order to permit its replacement.  Historically, a succession of bridges have been situated over the Taunton River here, all known since at least the

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-47457159350759589192011-04-18T18:36:00.000-04:002011-04-18T18:36:13.587-04:00

In 1932, downtown Middleborough was a vibrant shopping mecca for both the local community and neighboring towns, as this photograph of Center Street clearly indicates.  Restaurants, grocery stores, other retail operations and professional offices filled the downtown district.  Recognizable businesses captured in the photograph include the Central Cafe, Tripp's Candy Kitchen and Buck's Drugstore

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-88276484462971521502011-04-10T18:58:00.000-04:002011-04-10T18:58:13.034-04:00

Barden Hill Water Tower, Middleborough, MA, plan, 1914,from Engineering and Contracting, “Design and Constructionof World’s Highest Reinforced Concrete Water Tower-Tank,Middleboro, Mass.”, Vol. XLIV, No. 25, December 22, 1915, 473+. The concrete water tower which formerly stood at the crest of Barden Hill was an engineering landmark, being the first of its kind as well as the tallest

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-57601716099201360992011-03-31T23:40:00.000-04:002011-03-31T23:40:07.146-04:00

The Rotary Mill, Middleborough Rotary, Middleborough, MA, advertisingcard, 1935. Built about 1932 and named for the newly-constructed rotary upon which it was situated, the Rotary Mill with its distinctive windmill quickly became a landmark for passing motorists, as well as a convenient stopping place for lunch.  This card produced in early 1935 clearly sought to appeal to motorists,

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-73598992330425788702011-03-26T16:57:00.000-04:002011-03-26T16:57:15.262-04:00

View of Middleborough Center from Barden Hill Standpipe, Middleborough, MA,photograph by G. W. Davidson, 1915 One benefit of the construction of a new concrete standpipe on Barden Hill in 1915 was the vista which it afforded from the catwalk which circled it partway up its side.  At that time, this photograph picturing the view towards Middleborough center was captured.  Still recognizable

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-76958616393025192902011-03-20T21:42:00.000-04:002011-03-20T21:42:55.501-04:00

"School Street School, Middleboro, Mass.", postcard, John H. Frank, publisher,Middleborough, MA, c. 1910  During the 1930s, a series of short informal histories of the various Middleborough school houses were compiled by J. Stearns Cushing, Superintendent of Middleborough Schools from 1927 until 1955.  Mr. Cushing prepared these histories for publication as a series in the Middleboro Gazette

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-7085230016087607142011-03-18T17:45:00.000-04:002011-03-19T17:54:38.515-04:00

Facade, Thompsonville School, ThompsonStreet, Middleborough, MA, photographedby Mike Maddigan, March 18, 2011 During the 1930s, a series of short informal histories of the various Middleborough school houses were compiled by J. Stearns Cushing, Superintendent of Middleborough Schools from 1927 until 1955.  Mr. Cushing prepared these histories for publication as a series in the Middleboro

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-86920200475714192002011-03-17T13:44:00.001-04:002011-03-17T13:56:45.009-04:00

West Side School, West End Avenue, Middleborough, MA, cabinet card, 1890s. During the 1930s, a series of short informal histories of the various Middleborough school houses were compiled by J. Stearns Cushing, Superintendent of Middleborough Schools from 1927 until 1955.  Mr. Cushing prepared these histories for publication as a series in the Middleboro Gazette beginning on February 24, 1933.

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-28823591620290331692011-03-16T19:45:00.000-04:002011-03-16T19:45:56.323-04:00

1903 Map of Middleborough, detail showing the intersectionof Chestnut and Purchase Streets with the location of theThomastown School, from New Topographical Atlas of Surveys:Plymouth County Together with Town of Cohasset, NorfolkCounty, Massachusetts (Springfield, MA: The L. J. RichardsCo., 1903).  During the 1930s, a series of short informal histories of the various Middleborough school

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-73096482746107746152011-03-14T18:51:00.000-04:002011-03-14T18:51:36.578-04:00

Carrie E. Soule, George T. Putnam,photographer, Middleborough, MA,1880s Caroline ("Carrie") Elizabeth Soule was born May 3, 1839, the daughter of Otis and Irene (Cushman) Soule of the Soule Neighborhood of East Middleborough.  Miss Soule never married, devoting her life to public school teaching.  The bulk of her career in Middleborough public schools was spent at East Middleborough, and she

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-85811415760274459342011-03-12T20:30:00.000-05:002011-03-12T20:32:39.720-05:00

Original Soule School, Winter Street, Middleborough, MA, photograph,1902.The photograph depicts the original Soule School which stood on thesouth side of Winter Street nearly opposite the site where its successorwould be built in 1902.  This is presumably the last class to have attendedschool in this building.  The teacher is Carrie E. Soule who spent manyyears teaching in the school and who

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-41700947633954030322011-03-10T20:11:00.000-05:002011-03-10T20:11:26.128-05:00

Union Street School (1875), Union Street, Middleborough, MA, photograph,early 20th century.Though construction of a new schoolhouse on Union Street in 1875 helpedease congestion in the nearby School Street School, its plain appearance waswas severely criticized immediately following its construction.  Poor conditions within the building following the turn of the century and a fire onOctober 11

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-74561320490847383812011-03-07T12:27:00.000-05:002011-03-07T12:27:16.551-05:00

 During the 1930s, a series of short informal histories of the various Middleborough school houses were compiled by J. Stearns Cushing, Superintendent of Middleborough Schools from 1927 until 1955.  Mr. Cushing prepared these histories for publication as a series in the Middleboro Gazette beginning on February 24, 1933.  With information culled largely from town reports, the series entitled "The

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-14097770507780317112011-03-06T23:22:00.000-05:002011-03-06T23:22:44.739-05:00

Maude DeMaranville, photograph, early20th century.A young Maude DeMaranville capturedabout the time of her graduation from Middleborough High School in 1905.  Thesubsequent year, she entered the public school system as a teacher and remainedthere for nearly half a century.  She was remembered for "her quiet, gentle ways anda stern look that captured the attention andhearts of all her students.

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-24121906292149788912011-03-05T09:01:00.000-05:002011-03-05T09:01:20.864-05:00

Waterville Schoolhouse, Plymouth Street, Middleborough, MA, photograph early 20th century.  The 1877 schoolhouse pictured above was constructed on the site of theoriginal Waterville school which occupied the quarter acre of land at thejunction of Plymouth and Carmel Streets acquired in 1854 by MiddleboroughSchool District No. 2 from William S. Eddy.  Following its closure in 1944 andsale in

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-14563187243457703222011-03-04T10:56:00.008-05:002011-03-17T13:59:54.973-04:00

Flora M. Clark (formerly Forest Street) School, Forest Street, Middleborough,MA, photograph, c. 1900. During the 1930s, a series of short informal histories of the various Middleborough school houses were compiled by J. Stearns Cushing, Superintendent of Middleborough Schools from 1927 until 1955.  Mr. Cushing prepared these histories for publication as a series in the Middleboro Gazette

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-48894640236679987512011-02-24T07:51:00.000-05:002011-02-24T07:51:33.795-05:00

 James L. Jenney, coal and wood dealer, Middleborough, MA, billhead, 1890.In 1890, local coal dealer J L. Jenney sold a ton of coal to Clarence L. Hathawayfor his School Street residence for $7.  Thirteen years later, during the "coalfamine" of 1902-03, the same ton sold for exactly twice as much - $14. Reliance upon fossil fuels, fuel shortages and consequent high fuel prices are not

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-62192286766896743902011-02-23T18:41:00.000-05:002011-02-23T18:41:52.276-05:00

Carole Tracey, great granddaughter of Savory C. Hathaway, founder and senior partner of the Hathaway, Soule & Harrington shoe manufacturing firm which operated a plant on Cambridge Street in Middleborough between 1887 and 1900 has generously shared the following pieces of business stationery from the firm. Hathaway, Soule & Harrington envelope, 1882.  Courtesy ofCarole Tracey.Among the firm's

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-46983650626118076092011-02-21T08:34:00.000-05:002011-02-21T08:34:29.761-05:00

A new feature has been added in the sidebar: links to local history blogs. Presently Green School History and History of the First Church of Middleboro are featured.  The two blogs are invaluable resources for the history of those institutions, as well as general educational and religious history in Middleborough. It is hoped that additional web logs devoted to the preservation and publication

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-50765203546453230062011-02-20T13:39:00.003-05:002011-02-24T07:57:10.323-05:00

The All-Wright Diner, Station Street at Everett Square,Middleborough, MA, photographic halftones,February, 1958; October, 1969; and August 1971. During the 20th century, Middleborough had a number of diners including most notably Sisson’s Diner in South Middleborough and the “Wind Tunnel” on Wareham Street. Perhaps less well remembered was the All Wright Diner which was located on Station

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-19148325964527136722011-02-14T17:09:00.001-05:002011-09-22T07:39:16.990-04:00

In January, 1904, Kendrick Harrison Tribou (1881-1960) of Middleborough and Grace Whittaker (1883-1968) of New York scandalized some local residents when they married without notice while the bride’s mother and step-father were absent in Connecticut. The reason for the surprise was the perceived insuperable financial and social differences between the couple. Tribou was an employee at Moreland

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-71768274894560467862011-02-11T19:37:00.000-05:002011-02-11T19:37:45.927-05:00

"Simple Milk Loaf", photograph, April 9, 2009,byjuanelos.  Reused under a Creative Commonslicense. Half-way down Peirce Street, at number 122, just around the corner from Pearl Street, stands an unobtrusive-looking house which blends inconspicuously with its neighbors. Despite its present-day residential appearance and use, 140 years ago it housed Middleborough's only bakery, an operation

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-58275470822318358502011-02-07T19:02:00.001-05:002011-02-07T19:04:55.545-05:00

James Soule Blacksmith Shop, Cedar Street, Middleborough, MA,real photo postcard, 1898.The handwritten caption on the card reads:"Middleboro, PlymouthCo., Mass.  On the road from Eddyville to Halifax.  Before and after1860, this was the blacksmith shop of James Soule.  Grass & flowers, in the foreground, grow where was formally [sic] the lane.This picture was taken 29th of June 1898." This

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-38913590778748503752011-01-29T19:00:00.001-05:002011-03-04T11:04:45.479-05:00

Pupils, Bell School, Lakeville, MA, photograph, c. 1908.  Photo courtesy ofScheren (Smalley) Dunham. Students of the Bell School pose for a class photograph in the rear of the school building on Bedford Street, Lakeville.  Mary Agnes McGuinness (second row, far right) is the sole pupil identified.  The teacher, Miss Maxwell stands in the back at the far left.

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-43224381685455596542011-01-28T21:26:00.001-05:002011-03-04T11:05:29.786-05:00

Pupils, Bell School, Lakeville, MA, photograph, c. 1906.  Photographcourtesy of Scheren (Smalley) Dunham. Students of the Bell School on Bedford Street in Lakeville pose for their class photograph in front of the building.  Mary Agnes McGuinness is the young girl in the front row, third from the right.  The teacher, Mary B. White, stands on the top step at the right.  The view is believed to

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-78339011085857004852011-01-26T22:30:00.000-05:002011-01-26T22:53:34.628-05:00

Increasingly following the Civil War, the Precinct Church building at Lakeville was a problem.  Built in 1835, the church was considered drafty, difficult to heat, acoustically poor and generally outmoded.  In response to these concerns, the Lakeville & Taunton Precinct constructed a small chapel building onto the northwest corner of the church in 1885.  The following poem which recounts the

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-2439404166482699182011-01-25T20:00:00.001-05:002011-01-25T20:23:54.465-05:00

Precinct Church in 1850, Jane(Montgomery) Seaver (Lakeville, MA:Lakeville & Taunton Precinct, n. d.),title pageMrs. Seaver's recollections wereoriginally published by the PrecinctChurch as a small commemorativepamphlet sometime in the early 20thcentury. Towards the end of her life, Jane (Montgomery) Seaver left a record of her childhood recollections of the Precint Church in Lakeville.  Born

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-75325140112465204932011-01-24T23:30:00.001-05:002011-01-24T23:48:01.192-05:00

"Holy Bible", photograph by Leo Reynolds, July 26, 2009,republished under a Creative Commons license. The following is a catalogue of members of the Middleborough and Taunton (later Lakeville and Taunton) Precinct from its organization in 1725 through 1880. PASTORS Benjamin Ruggles, ordained 1725, resigned 1753 Caleb Turner, ordained 1761, died Thomas Crafts, installed 1801, died 1819 John

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-87357077590539986692011-01-23T20:00:00.000-05:002011-01-23T20:20:24.424-05:00

The following is an historical sketch of the Precinct Church, formally known as the Middleborough and Taunton (later Lakeville and Taunton) Precinct Church, published in 1881.  Organized in 1725, the Precinct Church remained an important organization in the Precinct neighborhood of Lakeville and Taunton for many years, providing cohesiveness and identity to the area surrounding Precinct, South

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5406925495753134449.post-21448039188827062142011-01-22T22:04:00.000-05:002011-01-22T22:04:25.670-05:00

Letter, William S. Eddy to Lazell,Perkins & Co., February 22, 1851 Among the most important manufactures in Middleborough during the second quarter of the nineteenth century were shovels which were produced by a number of local makers including William Shaw Eddy (1789-1875) who operated a shovel works at East Middleborough during the 1840s and 1850s. Eddy was the son of Captain Joshua Eddy

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12950591025983948991noreply@blogger.com0