To All My Friends!

From Dave "Members Only" Brigham:

Located in Keene, NH, this abandoned Fraternal Order of Eagles social club is a touchstone for me. While attending Keene State College in the mid-'80s, I went on a "back lot" tour with two friends. Kristen sang, Peter played guitar and I tapped on a set of bongos as we strolled off Main Street. We dubbed ourselves the Spittin' Nightstalkers, and entertained (perhaps) random people along our route. When I spied the FOE building, all lit up, people milling about outside smoking, music and loud conversations spilling through the open door, something pulsed through me. "What IS this place?" I asked.

I grew up in Simsbury, Conn., a rural town with a Masonic Lodge, a grange hall and probably some other social clubs. My parents weren't members of any of these clubs, and I never gave them any thought. So when in my early 20s I stumbled across a lively hangout among the old mill buildings of Keene, I was intrigued. While I've never joined such a club, I've been intrigued by what goes on inside them ever since (see August 31, 2012, "I Wanna Walk" and March 14, 2017, "Working Our Way Around Winthrop," and scroll through each of them).

Part of my fascination stems from that age-old desire many of us have to find a place "where everybody knows your name." The thing is, I don't drink much and am not great at socializing with friends, never mind strangers. Still, I love the idea of places where people gather to drink, talk politics, watch soccer/football/hockey/baseball/jai-alai, crack dirty jokes and, oh yeah, once in a while raise money for some charitable organization.

Hibernian Hall in Watertown, Mass., looks great, doesn't it? Sometimes these social clubs look a bit down at the heels, but this one is bright and shiny and flying some great flags. Established in 1894, The AOH Tomas Cardinal O’Fiaich Division 14 fundraises for charities and holds events such as St. Patricks' Day dinners and music performances. "We are an Irish Catholic organization established to preserve our Irish heritage and perpetuate our Roman Catholic faith," per the web site.

The Ancient Order of Hibernians is "America’s oldest Irish Catholic Fraternal Organization," per the national organization's web site, "founded concurrently in the coal-mining region of Pennsylvania and New York City in May, 1836. The Order can trace its roots back to a series of similar societies that existed in Ireland for more than 300 years. Today the AOH exists in America, Canada, Ireland, England, Wales and Scotland, however, while the organizations share a common thread, the American AOH is a separate and much larger organization."

Headline explainer:

Exchanging Flowers for Life Science

From Dave Brigham:

From 1971 to 2016 this long, low building in Boston's South End was home to the Boston Flower Exchange. The Exchange was founded in 1909 when the Boston Cooperative Flower Growers Association, which was founded in 1892, merged with the Boston Cooperative Market, which dates to 1903. Over the ensuing 68 years the organization was housed at various locations, including Winthrop Square and the Cyclorama Building.

Two-thirds of the group's shareholders agreed in late 2015 to sell the property, a smart move given the amount of money involved: more than $40 million. The Exchange closed up shop here in early 2017 and most of the wholesale vendors moved to Chelsea. Located between the Southeast Expressway and Albany Street, the site is close to Boston Medical Center and is just one of several rehab and new projects that have been completed or approved in recent years (stay tuned for a more comprehensive look at this part of the South End in the near future).

So what's going to rise here? Boston-based developer The Abbey Group has announced plans for Exchange South End, a 1.6-million square foot, four-building "life science and technology urban campus" featuring lab and office space, as well as restaurants, retail and park space. The buildings will range between six and 20 stories, with parking both above and below grade.

When I visited this site I thought the adjoining Jacobson Floral Supply building was part of the deal. But it's not. In fact, one of the Boston Flower Exchange vendors, Quinlan-Wasserman, Inc., moved into part of the Jacobson space when other flower wholesalers relocated to Chelsea. I'm curious how long these businesses can hold out before selling to a developer.

Finding Some Cool, Mostly True, Memorials in Sudbury

From Dave "Old Yankee" Brigham:

Opened in 1976 in the historic district in the center of Sudbury, Mass., Heritage Park presents a quaint, peaceful respite in a lovely wooded location. In addition to a small stone bridge and several benches, the park features numerous stone memorials. Let's take a look at them.

The first one features a quote from John Weighton, a soldier from Sudbury who fought in the Revolutionary War. "May the present generation and those unborn, preserve unimpaired the liberties, sivil (sic) and religious, as long as time endures."

"I have left myself wholly in the hands of God." That's what Capt. Samuel Dakin, selectman, deacon, assessor and soldier from Sudbury, said as he led a Sudbury militia company to Fort Ticonderoga during the fourth French & Indian War. He was killed in battle in 1758.

In the third memorial, we get a sense of how democracy was birthed in the colonies, but also learn that history is open to misinterpretation. "We shall or should be judged by men of our own choosing." Underneath the quote, it says: "With these words Selectman John Ruddock, in the spring of 1655, speaking for the town defied the Committee of Reverend Elders led by Reverend Increase Mather, and announced for all time the separation of church and state."

As impressive as this quote and the circumstances under which it was said may be, there is a major error on this plaque. Putting aside the issue of whether a small-town selectman really "announced for all time" that government shall not infringe upon religious freedom, we need to look at the leadership of this "Committee of Reverend Elders." Increase Mather, who served as president of Harvard College from 1685 to 1701, was 16 years old in 1655. So he obviously wasn't leading a Committee of Reverend Elders before graduating from college. According to the Sudbury Chamber of Commerce web site, it was instead the Rev. Edmund Brown to whom the fiery Ruddock made his demand:

"In 1654, a frustrated Rev. Brown made his final stand, insisting on the divine power of the church over the citizens of Sudbury, and calling in a delegation of ministers from Cambridge, Watertown and Concord in an effort to enforce his rule. Solemnly assembled in Parmenter’s Tavern, the delegation was met by John Rudduck, now Town Selectman, and the issue of church and state separation was dispatched in short order. His words were sure and confident with a wisdom beyond his years.'We shall, or should, be judged by men of our own choosing.'"

I'm a writer and editor, so I can't help but wonder if the committee that put together these wonderful memorials got this piece of information wrong, what else might be incorrect in Heritage Park? And how did they get it so wrong?

Moving on.

The fourth stone honors Rev. Israel Loring, namesake of the nearby Loring Parsonage. Loring was a minister in Sudbury for 67 years.

Next is a memorial to the three victims of the 9/11 terror attacks who were from Sudbury: Geoffrey Cloud, Peter Morgan Goodrich and Cora Hidalgo Holland.

The sixth stone marker commemorates a 1676 battle between the residents of Sudbury and soldiers loyal to infamous Native American leader King Philip. Captains Wadsworth and Brocklebank, according to the plaque, were among the 74 soldiers killed in the fight. "Their defense of the five garrisons broke the back of the Indian Confederacy, and saved the town and the colony," the memorial states. This seems hyperbolic, but I'm no Indian Wars expert. To read something tangentially related to King Philip, check out August 30, 2016, "The Tavern of Death."

Hmm. This memorial puzzles me a bit. Or rather, information I found subsequent to my Sudbury visit confounds me. "Four miles to the southwest on Nobscot Mountain lived the Indian Tantamous, called Jethroe, a Nipmuc sachem." OK, I'm with this so far. "Friend to Sudbury, converted by Reverend Eliot, he sought brotherhood, peace and justice. Hanged in Boston September 26, 1676, to the everlasting sorrow of a saddened Sudbury."

Per Wikipedia, Tantamous transferred land in what is now Concord and Maynard "by defaulting on a mortgaged horse and mare." During King Philip's War, he and his family were sent to Boston's Deer Island (see February 27, 2015, "Digesting Deer Island" for some background on the island). Tantamous escaped, but his son ratted out his location and the older man was captured and executed. Here's the thing that gets me: if Wikipedia is to be believed, Tantamous was 96 years old when he was hung in what is now Boston's North End. Sure, one of his nicknames was Old Jethro, but he was almost a century old?! I've searched online and haven't found anything to dispute the basic facts of this story, even though no source actually takes the time to mention how old Tantamous allegedly was.

The Sudbury Oath. I can't find much about this online. Presents further proof that Sudbury residents truly believed in separation of church and state. "The Oath of Allegiance to the Town substituted for that to the Church...." it begins.

The final stone memorializes The Confidence, a ship that sailed from Southampton, England, in 1638 carrying passengers who were to become the first settlers of Sudbury, including Peter Noyes, who, with Edmund Rice and the Rev. Edmund Brown, "created here a new concept of open democratic government," says the plaque. But wasn't Rev. Brown the guy who wanted town residents to pay fealty to the church, and not the state? Hmm.

Note of personal connection: Edmund Rice's second wife was my grandmother several times removed. Her name was Mercy Hurd, and her first husband was Thomas Brigham, considered the first "Brigham" in Colonial America. I am directly descended from Thomas and Mercy, who were married in 1641 and lived in Cambridge. After Thomas died in 1653, Mercy married Rice in 1655 in Sudbury. After Rice died in 1663, she married William Hunt as his second wife. Hunt died in 1667 in Marlborough. Mercy Hurd Brigham Rice Hunt died in 1693.

Cricket Pond is small and, I'm just guessing here, a popular vacation spot for the Gryllidae family.

This bridge is lovely, but a little small for trolls isn't it?

It's a Long Way to the Longwood Top

From Dave "Posh Spice" Brigham:

Ever since I laid eyes on this place in Brookline, Mass., I've dreamt of retiring here.

Longwood Towers opened in 1925 as Alden Park Manor, according to the Brookline history section of the CommunityWalk web site. "It was the largest and one of the most fashionable of several apartment complexes that replaced some of the original houses of David Sears' development," per the history page. Sears was a well-off merchant and landowner who built the nearby Christ's Church (see November 25, 2018, "American Church, British Style, Napoleon-Inspired Name").

As I've documented on this blog, I have WASP-envy (see November 29, 2018, "Leavitt & Peirce: For All Your Hoity-Toity Tobacco Needs," March 22, 2018, "WASP Wanderings and Wonderings" and September 9, 2010, "The Privilege Is All Mine"). I like to imagine that if I lived in Longwood Towers I'd hobnob with blue bloods, trading genealogy tidbits about our privileged ancestors while tossing back gin and tonics galore.

In 1925, the then-Alden Park Manor was the second property of that name to be built in the United States. The first was in Detroit four years earlier. A third rose in Philadelphia in 1927, according to this article. Longwood Towers also includes what seems to be a stunning event space.

The complex has been undergoing renovations for a while. Prices range from a half-mil for a 1-bedroom to a cool $3.5 million for a penthouse.

If you look closely, you can see wrapped-up gargoyles in the left side of the photo, and above the garage door. I can't wait for these wonderful architectural details to be back on public view.

Here's your headline explainer:

A Southie Diner Fit for a King

From Dave Brigham:

The Galley Diner in South Boston has been serving up classic fare for nearly 20 years, although the place has been open since at least the 1960's. Perhaps the "Rumpy's" indicated on the sign references a previous incarnation? Anyway, I love the sign and I'm sure if and when I sit down at the counter, I'll love the food as well. Just like Anthony Bourdain (R.I.P.), the king of foodie travel shows, did.

From Garden to Eden?

From Dave Brigham:

Mahoney's Garden Center operates seven retail locations in Greater Boston and Cape Cod, along with a growing facility. Launched in Winchester, Mass., 60 years ago, the company is a well-known, family-run business. Mahoney's used to run an eighth store, in Wayland, but that place, seen above and in photos below, closed in the summer of 2017. Developers have had their eye on the Weston property for at least a decade.

In July 2017, Eden Management applied to the Town of Wayland to demolish the Mahoney's buildings and erect 60 apartment units in a 5-story building (later amended to 4) with 98 parking spaces. In January of this year, the Wayland Zoning Board of Appeals voted down all of the waivers the developer requested. As such, Eden Management will need to scale back the size of the project. The company said it planned to appeal the decision, which it would have needed to do by January 28. I'm guessing that happened.

As you can imagine, residents of Wayland, a relatively sleepy suburb of Boston, albeit one with major roadways (Routes 20 and 27) running through it, have organized to fight this project, which they deem too large and potentially harmful to the environment.

Who will get the Christmas present? The developer or those fighting the proposed development? Stay tuned....

UPDATE: This Town Ain't Big Enough

From Dave "Nostradamus" Brigham:

Turns out, I don't know anything about suburban planning. In late 2015 I wrote about efforts in Maynard, Mass., a town of just over 10,000 located 22 miles west of Boston, to develop a former Digital Equipment Corp. property (see November 8, 2015, "This Town Ain't Big Enough"). In my conclusion of that post, I wrote: "It's hard, though, to see a way in which the small city can also support numerous other retailers just a short drive/long walk out of town, at Maynard Crossing." This was in reference to what I viewed as too much competition for consumers' dollars at the former Digital site and in the nearby downtown, which at that time had numerous vacant storefronts, in addition to a recently cleared-out mill complex that also once was a Digital Equipment site.

Three-plus years later, development is under way at the former Digital site, as evidenced by this photo I took recently.

In the background of this photo are residential units under construction. Known as Maynard Crossing, the development is slated to include a mix of retail, restaurants, a bank, a grocery store, a fitness center and 300 residential units. The explorer in me would love to have seen this site left to decay, or, failing that, to have been returned to nature. But that doesn't pay the town's tax bills.

I'm happy to report that the former downtown mill complex -- where job search company Monster.com vacated in recent years -- is showing signs of life. Known as Mill & Main Place, the development is being overseen by Artemis Real Estate Partners and Saracen Properties. To date, the partners have completed "upgraded landscaping and hardscaping, base building work, lobby renovations, upgraded security features, a new 6,000 SF fitness center with lockers and showers, a 24/7 mini-mart and the creation of wayfinding signage throughout the site," per this press release masquerading as a news story.

Keep your eyes peeled for a future post featuring lots of shots of downtown Maynard and Mill & Main.

Kickin' It Root Down in Sudbury

From Dave Brigham:

I love driving through the rural towns just west of I-95 outside Boston, with their horse corrals, small farms and vast conservation areas. Lincoln Meadows is owned by the Sudbury Valley Trustees, a land trust focused on protecting the natural resources of the Sudbury, Assabet and Concord river basins.

Located near the line with Lincoln, the meadows land is at the base of Round Hill. I'd love to know just how long this land has been farmed. According to the Trustees web site, there are community gardens on the property, and a commercial flower grower leases land and uses the root cellar pictured here (notice the AC units).

I like the look of this barn. I want to see the vehicle that the mag wheel belongs on.

For more about Sudbury, see October 20, 2017, "Dead Reckoning", August 30, 2016, "The Tavern of Death," February 17, 2016, "Bunker Buster" and October 24, 2011, "Love Barn."

For more about Lincoln, see March 27, 2017, "The Land of Lincoln" and February 27, 2017, "Stone Cold Surprise."

OK, here's your headline explainer:

Last Stop Wonderland

From Dave Brigham:

This building doesn't exist anymore.

Wonderland Greyhound Park in Revere, Mass., was open from 1935 to 2010. The dog racing track's lifespan was defined by actions of the State. The park debuted a year after the Massachusetts Legislature legalized pari-mutuel wagering, and closed in the wake of passage of the November 2008 Massachusetts Greyhound Protection Act ballot question, according to this history of Wonderland (which spells the name of the park incorrectly in the title of the web site...oh well.)

Since moving to the Boston area in the early '90s, I was always vaguely aware of Wonderland. It was this place at the far end of the MBTA's Blue line subway, near Revere Beach. Since I've never been much of a gambler -- I can count on one-and-a-half hands the number of times I've been in a casino -- the dog track might as well have been halfway around the world. Sure, I've been to Connecticut's Plainfield Dog Track - once. It, too, is long out of business. I used to gamble at Hartford Jai-alai with my high school buddies a long time ago, but I was chicken to wager very much.

I took these pictures last fall. I'm pretty sure the site has been cleared by now. To see photos of the park in its heyday and at the end of its business life, check out this Boston Globe article and gallery. Prior to opening as a dog track in 1935, this site was home to a bicycle track, and before that, an amusement park.

To get an idea of what bicycle tracks at the turn of the 20th century were like, check out "Get On Your Bikes and Ride!" from May 2016, about a Waltham, Mass., course.

Demolition at the Wonderland site was halted for several months in 2017-2018 when crews discovered asbestos, according to this article. It's unclear at this point what the site's owners will seek to develop on the property. Best guess: multi-use development, with housing, retail, hotels and office space.

(Where the track itself once stood.)

For more on gambling facilities and projects in Massachusetts, see:

June 25, 2013, "Roll the Dice," about the neighborhood around what is soon to be the Encore Boston Harbor hotel and casino in Everett, Mass. This post dates back 5 1/2 years; I plan to post an update featuring tons of photos of the casino and surrounding neighborhood soon.

June 30, 2018, "Losing Bet at Suffolk Downs," about the loss of another former gambling mecca that straddles Revere and East Boston.

February 20, 2011, "Lose, Place or Show," about the former Great Barrington Fairgrounds horse track, which was recently leased by the owners of Suffolk Downs for the purpose of reopening for racing, perhaps as soon as this year.

Here's your headline explainer: