V for Victory

From Derek Watt:

These photos were taken recently, with permission, at the Victory Theatre in Holyoke, MA. Built in 1919, the nearly 1,700-seat Victory hosted vaudeville shows and movies until it closed in 1979, according to the Internet. Now owned by the Massachusetts International Festival of the Arts (MIFA), the theater may be returned to its former glory, or something approaching it, if the group can obtain sufficient funding, per an article in the Starts Wednesday blog.

Tobacco Road

From Dave Brigham:

When I was a kid, tobacco barns like this one dotted the outskirts of my suburban neighborhood, and teens could earn money during the summer working the fields in the area. My hometown, Simsbury, was (and to a much lesser degree, still is) part of what was called "Tobacco Valley," a fertile area stretching from Springfield, Massachusetts, south along the Connecticut River and its tributaries to Hartford, Connecticut.

Beginning in 1640, farmers imported seeds from Virginia, according to ConnecticutHistory.org, and for a long time after tobacco farming was the largest industry in the Valley. By the time I was growing up, from the late 1960s through the '70s, the industry had shrunk but was still a vital and visible part of the local economy.

A decrease in cigar smoking, combined with the availability of cheaper, mass-produced cigar wrappers, led to the demise of the tobacco farms. In the 1930's, total acreage in the Valley dedicated to growing tobacco stood at 30,000 acres, according to ConnecticutHistory.org. By 2006, the land for farming had dwindled to less than 2,000 acres. For more on the history of tobacco farming in Connecticut, read this article.

East Granby is just north of Simsbury, and was also part of the tobacco industry. My cousin's wife once mentioned an old building along a relatively new bike path (read: old railroad tracks) in that town. Recently, I got around to checking it out.

As you can see, this humble structure used to be a church.

Located in the Floydville section of East Granby, the church was built by a very determined religious woman in order to serve the spiritual needs of her small tobacco farming community.

Floydville Plantation, as it was once known, was owned by American Sumatra Tobacco, which I believe was a successor to the Connecticut Tobacco Company. The latter company counted among its executives one Marcus Floyd, according to this excellent article about the Nutmeg State's tobacco industry. Taking a wild leap: this plantation was probably named after Marcus Floyd.

"Floydville did not have its own town hall or post office," according to a memory posted by Dave Bergeron on RootsWeb, a community on Ancestry.com. There was a "warehouse where they sorted broadleaf during the summer. A.S.T would bring in Pennsylvania (workers) to work the fields. They would sleep in barracks in the Warehouse.”

Many of those who picked tobacco in Connecticut were African Americans who migrated from the South, or arrived with college groups for the summer (Martin Luther King, Jr., spent time in Simsbury picking tobacco in the 1940's, during his time at Morehouse College). Others came from the Caribbean islands. When I did my initial research online about Floydville, I checked out Google Maps, and saw a beautifully worn-down yellow barn along Floydville Road. This evidently was the warehouse spoken of in the quote above. I was sad to find upon my arrival at the site that the building had been torn down.

There are a few rundown houses along the dead-end Railroad Ave, which parallels the bike path (which follows the former New York, New Haven & Hartford rail line), but the most telling evidence of the old plantation community is the church.

(An old box spring outside the church.)

(Faux stained glass on the ground outside the church. It's in surprisingly good shape.)

So who built this church?

Rushia James came north from Americus, Georgia, in 1917 with her parents and at least four siblings to find better opportunities in Hartford. The granddaughter of slaves and already a teacher in her native Georgia, she found the only employment in the north for blacks was menial. Responding to the call from tobacco growers, Rushia’s family moved to Granby around 1918....By 1920 Rushia was married to another Georgia native, Theodore West, and she worked as a tobacco sorter. In 1921 Theodore was able to purchase about five acres of property along side the railroad tracks in East Granby off Floydville Road. Over the years she and her family made the trek each week to Hartford so they could worship at a Seventh Day Adventist church. The local Congregational churches lacked the welcome and the Pentecostal spirit she and other tobacco workers of color desired.

From The Shade Laborers: Tobacco Worker Recruitment Through the 1940s by Dawn Byron Hutchins

In the 1950's, Rushia's mother was in poor health. The time had come for the daughter to plan the church that she and her mother had dreamed of, according to Hutchins. After paying $50 to have a foundation poured, Rushia spent the next 15 years funding the growth of the one-room church. She ran into permitting issues with the town of East Granby, but eventually a contractor helped her past those obstacles and in 1976 the West Community Church was dedicated, Hutchins writes.

(The light was tough, and I didn't want to trespass inside, so this was the best shot I could get of the inside of the church.)

(A fridge in the basement of the church.)

I'm guessing that parishioners used the church in the years prior to its dedication in 1976. Sadly, though, all use of the building seems to have ended in the mid-'80s, according to Hutchins's book, which is available online as a PDF.

Her dream church caught the attention of the local and national press, who ran articles on it and chronicled its ongoing difficulties – monetary support, its founder’s age, physical access and competing congregational interpretations of the Bible – until 1985 when all mention of it stopped, according to the book. By 1990 Rushia West had passed and along with her the memories of the community she built.

(I was taken aback by this sign, "GRACE," draped over the rickety front steps of the church.)

This Backside trip was unusual in that I brought along a special guest: my mother. I was visiting her for the day, and as I told her ahead of time, "I'm not a man of ulterior motives, except when it comes to the Backside of America. Would you like to join me?" She was quite happy to come along.

After I snapped pictures of the barns at the top of this post, we got off the bike path and onto Railroad Avenue. In short order we came across the church. After a few minutes of snapping pictures, I heard a voice through the bushes, back toward the ramshackle houses we'd passed.

"Hello? Can I help you? This is private property back here."

Uh oh. Was I about to get hauled to the slammer, with my 83-year-old mother in tow?

"Oh, hi," I answered. "I'm just taking a few pictures. I love old buildings like this."

The woman was very nice, explaining that since it was private property, she had to be concerned about people getting hurt exploring the church, which is falling apart on the inside.

"It hasn't been used in about 30 years," she said. If I'd known more of the background of Floydville Plantation at the time, I would have asked this woman if she was related to Rushia West.

To see some very good photos of the church's interior, and read a short post about a local woman's visit to the site, read this Facebook post.

A quick note about the former tobacco-growing land of Floydville Plantation: at some point the business was sold to Culbro Corp. (which was evidently known at some point as General Cigar), which is the name I recall from my youth. With the cigar market floundering, Culbro expanded into several unrelated markets, including nurseries, forming a partnership with Imperial Nurseries, according to Culbro's web site. Imperial Nurseries operates a business directly across from Railroad Avenue today. Along the western edge of the bike trail is a business listed as Monrovia Nursery Company. I'm unclear on whether the two nursery companies, which have pretty massive operations in East Granby, are related.

To cap things off, here's Eric Burdon and War doing a blazing 14-minute version of John Loudermilk's "Tobacco Road," a song covered by numerous artists over the past six decades.

Sad Gobble

From Dave Brigham:

I wasn't one of the countless loyal customers of Owen's Poultry Farm, but I will miss it nonetheless. Located in Needham, Massachusetts, for 80 years, the farm closed last fall due to a mix of rising costs, difficulty in finding dependable employees and the lack of a fourth generation to whom to pass the business.

I never stepped foot in the hen house, took my kids to see the turkeys or other animals, or bought anything from the store, but I've eaten turkey and sides from Owen's, because my mother-in-law would shop there on occasion. I loved the idea of a farm located in the middle of several residential neighborhoods, a slice of the region's rural heritage holding fast.

The farms' owner sold the property to the town, which will raze the buildings and build a much-needed elementary school, according to this Boston Globe article.

I did a little research and was happy to see there are other farms in eastern Massachusetts that sell poultry and other livestock products, such as Lexington's Meadow Mist Farm, Dartmouth's Copicut Farms and Clark Farm in Carlisle.

UPDATE: Closed Circle

From Dave Brigham:

Eight years after shutting its doors, the Circle Cinema, which sat astride the border of Brookline, Mass., and Boston's Brighton neighborhood, is gone.

(A cross-section of the theater during demolition, showing an upstairs hallway.)

The site, which included an Applebee's restaurant, will be redeveloped with a hotel and luxury apartments, as well as restaurant and retail space, according to the Brookline Tab.

To read my original photo and write-up from before the demolition, check out January 5, 2015, "Closed Circle").

Bridge Project Afoot?

From Dave Brigham:

I've ridden under this rusty old bridge countless times over the last several years. Located in Brookline, Mass., along the D branch of the Green Line trolley service, the Carlton Street Footbridge has been closed for more than 40 years. Talk of restoring and reopening the span has gone on for about half that time.

Built in 1894, the steel "pony truss" bridge is about 75 feet long, with staircases at either end bringing the length to 110 feet, according to this article in the Brookline Beacon (read the whole article for complete background and old photos).

(Bridge detail)

The above cited article, written last November, states that the renovation project is under way, with a design completed that calls for access ramps at either end and new decking. The article indicates that working specifications and bid advertisements were next in the process; I'm unsure whether those have taken place. There are, of course, those opposed to this project.

Once begun, the project is slated to take approximately two years; the trolley service would be suspended for two weekends at some point, to allow for the span to be lifted out, and then put back in place.

Stay tuned....

Station In Need of Preservation

From Mick Melvin:

I was making one of my many Backside trips and came across this rundown train station. It's boarded up and the outside of the building is riddled with graffiti.

I was not sure how old the building was until I did a little research. The station was actually built in 1875! The building is a little rough, but has survived for 140 years, even through an arsonist's fire in 2000.

The Windsor Locks (Conn.) Preservation Association was formed in 2004 to help preserve the building, and in December 2014 the town took ownership of the station. The building was originally painted a cream color, but it was washed in 1940 and now has the red-brick look. The building was closed in 1971, and was saved from demolition in 1975 by the Save The Station Committee.

The preservation association is raising money for the building, and is in communication with the Connecticut Department of Transportation about relocating train service to the station sometime in the future, according to the WLPA web site.

UPDATE: Price of Gas

From Dave Brigham:

Not long after I wrote about the long-abandoned former Waltham (Mass.) Gas Company site, the city council approved a 260-unit luxury apartment complex at that location (see February 7, 2015, "The Price of Gas"). I had no idea at the time that a developer had proposed this project, but in my article I speculated that something was afoot because the State of Massachusetts had recently demolished an old railroad trestle and begun adding a walkway along the nearby Charles River.

This is what the site looked like in late 2014/early 2015:

And here's a shot I took recently:

Below is a shot looking north from Pine Street, where there will be another entrance to the project.

Read this article for more on the development.

Chrome & Neon

From James M. Surprenant:

I love the stuff that James M. Surprenant shares with us. Here's a small sample of his more recent shots from around America -- D.B.

(Paso Robles, California)

(Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey)

(Outside Troy, New York)

(Waterbury, Connecticut)

I Seek Newton, Part IV: Waban

From Dave Brigham:

Named for a 17th century chief of the Nonantum Indian tribe, Waban is one of the least commercialized villages of Newton, Mass. I knew I wasn't going to find graffiti-covered factory walls, abandoned mills or cars rusting in the woods of Waban, one of the toniest zip codes around, but I was confident I'd find something backside-y and worth your visit to this blog.

This is the fourth post in an ongoing series about my adopted hometown. Here are the three prior installments:

May 21, 2015, "I Seek Newton, Part I: Lower Falls"

September 20, 2015, "I Seek Newton, Part II: Auburndale"

March 23, 2016, "I Seek Newton, Part III: Highlands"

Waban's commercial zone is small, but has some cool buildings with good back stories.

Strong's Block, the primary commercial building in Waban, was built in 1896. It was named after William C. Strong, a tree farmer and developer who was instrumental in securing the right of way through Waban for the construction of the Highland Branch of the Boston and Albany Railroad.

(Detail from Strong's Block building)

Now home to a Starbuck's, an ice cream store and a shoe repair shop, the building formerly known as Waban Hall was built in 1890. It once was a school, and also featured small shops before being "renovated." According to the Newton Villages Alliance, the hall was also host to Waban Improvement Society meetings in years past.

(Waban Hall today)

Here's what the hall looked like back in the day.

(Photo from Newton Villages Alliance web site)

Heading east on Beacon Street, the main thoroughfare in Waban, I came across the former St. Philip Neri Church.

Built in 1930, the building housed a Catholic church for decades, until the Archdiocese of Boston closed it in 2007. A Korean congregation used the building until late 2014, I believe.

A developer has been talking about demolishing the church and building homes here for quite some time. After hearings, discussions with neighbors and at least one return to the drawing board, the developer has scaled the proposed project back from 48 units -- 12 townhouses and a 36-unit apartment building -- to 10-12 apartments and two single-family homes, according to the Newton Tab.

As I said up top, I knew I wouldn't find too much in the way of typical Backside features in Waban, but I was taken aback when I spotted this broken window in the rear of the church.

The church is located on a busy street, near a busy intersection, amid homes assessed at between $750,00 and $2.4 million, just down the street from the Windsor Club, a neighborhood social club whose history dates back a hundred years. Shuttered churches with smashed windows allowing easy access to vandals and adventure seekers aren't featured on realtors' web sites for this area code.

At least the doors seem secure.

While this village doesn't have visible dilapidation or rust, it does have old aqueducts, which I'm quite drawn to (see November 11, 2011, "History Flows On, Part I," and May 18, 2012, "Aqueduct, My Friend").

The Cochituate Aqueduct was built between 1846-48 and conveyed water from Natick's Lake Cochituate through several towns before reaching its final destination, Boston. The aqueduct was taken out of service in 1951, replaced by other systems.

(Path following the course of the old Cochituate Aqueduct, right through the backyards of some very nice homes.)

(Stone marker along the aqueduct path. I'm not sure what it indicates; perhaps telephone lines?)

(Locked entry into the aqueduct.)

At what I initially believed was the western fringe of Waban, a nursing home sits where the Woodland Sand & Gravel Co. was once located. After consulting ZipMap online, however, I learned that this site is actually part of Lower Falls. Since I missed this in my previously cited post on Lower Falls, I'll mention it here.

The gravel business comprised approximately nine acres. I have found no other information about the company.

Almost directly across the street from the old sand and gravel site stands this striking building, the former Fire Station 6.

Built in 1917, the firehouse was decommissioned in the late '60s. In subsequent years it was used for a number of purposes, including as a space for a Boy Scout troop and an office for a hospice. More recently, however, this beautiful building was the source of controversy in Waban.

Three years ago, the City of Newton aligned with Pine Street Inn, arguably the most well-known homeless shelter/job training/low-income housing advocate in Boston. The partners agreed to convert the station into permanent housing for nine chronically homeless people and one supervisor. At a meeting in the summer of 2013 held by Pine Street Inn and its partner, Metro West Collaborative Development, however, residents asked many angry questions about what types of people would live there. It was a classic "not in my backyard" scenario, with some well-to-do Wabanites professing to care about homeless people, but having no desire for them to live amongst them.

Long story short: the project was eventually scuttled and now three condos are being developed in the old station. For the whole story, read this excellent Boston Magazine article.

Just behind the fire station sits Neshobe Road, which appears as though it was washed out a long time ago.

There is a road like this close to my home in Newtonville. I take pleasure in the fact that there are broken-down side streets in a city filled with so many busy thoroughfares.

Newton-Wellesley Hospital is in this area of Waban, as well, but ZipMap places it in Lower Falls as well. The Woodland T stop is right on the border with Auburndale, as is the old water tower below.

I love how the tower looms over the parking lot. I always think of "War of the Worlds" when I see towers like this, because some residents of Grover's Mill, New Jersey, who didn't realize the Orson Welles radio play was fictional, mistakenly thought a water tower in their town was an alien invader. I wrote a little more about this tower a few years ago (see June 27, 2011, "War of the Worlds.").

Finally, a trip down by the Charles River.

I love any area where two different environments bump into one another, be it a blue-collar neighborhood rubbing up against million-dollar homes, the ocean lapping on a beach or walking paths along a river. In this latter scenario, I feel a part of history, and I imagine the Native Americans and colonists before me treading these paths looking for fish or game, or engaging in or attempting to avoid a confrontation.

In recent years, a group of Waban and Upper Falls citizens decided to reclaim this area of the Charles, which runs between Routes 9 and 128/95 and looks over at neighboring Wellesley. Calling themselves the Friends of the Quinobequin (so named for the Native American word for the river, and for the roadway that runs alongside at this point), the group clears trash, cuts away harmful vines and maintains a path and short lengths of boardwalk that cross small streams as they head into the river.

This web site features great photos of the wildlife one sees along the trail.

Here's a shot of some type of sewer/drainage structure along the path.

So there's Waban. Keep an eye out for the fifth installment, which will feature Oak Hill, another quiet village that at first seemed like it would present difficulties to this Backside seeker.

Last Stop

From Derek Watt:

(Derek Watt took these great photos of a transportation graveyard somewhere in New England -- D.B.)

Pumps Are Empty

From Dave Brigham:

I don't have much to say about this place. It's been torn down since this Google Maps image was made. Located along Route 9 in Brookline, Mass., it was just a gas station, and not even a historic one (for some cool old gas Midwest gas stations, see June 6, 2012, "Fill 'er Up").

This is what it looks like now:

I haven't been able to find out what's going to be built here. Five years ago, the Chestnut Hill Neighborhood Association posted on its web site the following:

There is a "proposal to demolish the US Petroleum gas station on the northwest corner of Route 9 and Reservoir Road and replace it with a five-story masonry and glass medical/office use structure with retail space on the ground floor....Parking would be provided on three below-ground levels."

Stay tuned.