Happy 13th Anniversary to the Blog!

From Dave Brigham:

(The future's so bright, I gotta wear 3-D glasses.)

On March 1, 2010, I launched this blog with a terrible photo and a reminiscence of how I first got interested in what, as a young man, I dubbed the backside (see "Take Me to the River").

Thirteen years is a long time in anybody's life, and an eternity for a blog. I'm proud that I've kept this online journal of my journeys going for that long. For several years, I had collaborators who brought fresh perspectives, and great photos, to readers of The Backside of America. As each of them dropped away for various reasons, I worried about my ability to keep this thing going by myself. But, to paraphrase George W. Bush, I misunderestimated myself.

I didn't realize how obsessed I could become about this project. I mean that in the best possible way. I took comfort in knowing that I had help here for the first half-dozen years or so. Sure, I had to bug people and edit their words and seek them out on Flickr and bug them some more to publish stuff on the blog. But I was ok with that. Once I stood on my own, I realized that there is no end to the backside of America, and that as long as I can walk, I can fill these pages with photos and fascinating history of all sorts of places.

My mantra is, "I have no ulterior motives in life...except when it comes to exploring the backside." I concoct side trips, annoy my family on vacations and go into withdrawal if a weekend goes by and I haven't ventured out with my camera.

Over the last several years, I have become quite enamored of documenting neighborhoods, villages, towns and the main commercial/industrial areas of cities. I get into a zone when I'm doing this, talking to myself as I roam around, vibrating with excitement when I see ghost signs or named buildings or diners or abandoned (or renovated) factory and mill buildings. I am dedicated to chronicling the past. This is crucial in Greater Boston, as so many towns and cities in the area have changed so drastically in the last 10 years with the booming economy.

Is it strange that I sometimes wish things weren't humming along so well, so I could find all of the backside stuff before it gets bulldozed or painted over or modernized?

So while I'd love to have company on the blog, I long ago stopped worrying about how to fill this space. To the best of my 'ciphering, the last time someone whose initials aren't "DJB" posted on this blog was on January 12, 2018, when Joe Viger shared a photo of a religious-themed sign in Chichester, New Hampshire.

Lately, I have had discussions with a few folks about contributing, and in the case of Mick Melvin, rejoining the squad so he can continue posting great stuff. If you or someone you know is interested in sharing photos with the blog, drop a message at the bottom of this post. I'm happy to do research and writing to support your photos if you're not into doing that part yourself.

In the meantime, though, I will continue exploring whenever and wherever I can, happy to fulfill what I've come to think of as one of my life missions. Below are some of my favorite posts from 2017-2022.

February 1, 2017, "Bon Voyage, Lady," in which I write about a church built in 1952 to meet the needs of Boston's longshoremen and their families. The Chapel of Our Lady of Good Voyage was torn down and a new sanctuary was built nearby in the booming Seaport District. There aren't any longshoremen (or women) left in this part of town, so I'm not sure who worships and prays here.

May 25, 2017, "Duke City Downtown," in which I prove that I don't only write about Greater Boston by featuring photos of Albuquerque, New Mexico, a city where I lived for a short time in the late '80s.

(Albuquerque's El Rey Theater.)

September 13, 2017, "Hub Holdout," in which I write about the MidTown Hotel, a circa-1962 spot located in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood that has somehow managed to avoid the wrecking ball.

January 20, 2018, "The Fabulous Baker Estate," in which I detail my looooooooong pursuit of Ridge Hill Farms, "an 800-acre amusement park/fantastic folly built by industrialist William Baker in the late 1800's in Needham, Mass."

(Remnant of Baker Estate train station.)

March 29, 2018, "Udderly Monstrous," in which I wonder why a mastodon of a building that looks like a Victorian penal institution or something out of a late '70s Pink Floyd video sits on the campus of UMass Boston.

April 8, 2018, "Tom Cruise Slept Here...Well, Maybe," in which I name-check the World's Favorite Scientologist while discussing a historic hotel that's been in disrepair for way too long. The old Hotel Alexandra was built in 1875; the Boston Planning & Development Agency in 2021 approved a redevelopment project that will "retain and restore the façade...and construct a new, approximately 150 room, thirteen story residential building with ground floor restaurant and café space, and a rooftop level bar/restaurant."

(The former Hotel Alexandra.)

August 26, 2018, "You Have Been Un-Matriculated," in which I stumbled across an abandoned college campus in Lancaster, Mass. This type of thing is happening around the country more since the pandemic. The town of Lancaster has been in talks with the Atlantic Union Conference of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church about using part of the old campus for affordable housing.

October 6, 2018, "Scratching Around the Flea Market," in which I feature photos from a bazaar on Cape Cod. Hey, as the only guy on the masthead at this blog, I had to find new stuff to profile!

(Pop-up record players from the Sandwich Flea Market.)

February 23, 2019, "Exchanging Flowers for Life Science," in which I talk about something that's become a regular occurrence in and around Boston: the sale of a property that for decades was used for one purpose (in this case, a flower wholesaler cooperative) leading to a total demolition in favor of life science and technology purposes.

May 4, 2019, "Roll the Dicee: Encore!" in which I visited Everett, Mass., to see how things had changed in the four-plus years since I'd visited the neighborhood where Wynn Resorts was building the first Boston-area casino. The gambling mecca opened in June 2019.

(The Encore Boston Harbor casino under construction.)

June 29, 2019, "Back Streets, Oh Boy," in which I explore an area of Boston's South End I never knew existed, a neighborhood filled with a mix of great old buildings and new development.

July 7, 2019, "A Shrine Lost as Development Looms," in which I wrote about the loss of a religious shrine as a proposed development seemed likely to rise. Unlike so many other skyscraper projects in the city, however, 1000 Boylston has yet to materialize, more than three-and-a-half years after I wrote this post. I do a lot of research for my blog, and I have to say, trying to figure out what used to be on this lonely patch of dirt and grass behind Bukowski Tavern in Boston's Back Bay took a LOT of toil.

(Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, in ruins.)

September 25, 2019, "Seattle, Part IV: Pioneer Square," in which I once again prove that I know where places outside of New England are, by visiting an area of the Emerald City teeming with great old buildings, statues, ghost signs and neon.

October 20, 2019, "Hyde-in In Plain Sight," in which I profile a historic home in Newton, Mass., that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated as a Newton Landmark Preservation Site. That latter designation provides the highest level of protection for properties deemed to be architecturally or historically significant. Alas, after I published this post, a builder tore the damn house down without city approval.

(The Gershom Hyde House, which was razed by an idiot.)

November 13, 2019, "A Tale of Brahmins, Terriers, Murder, Clever Inventions and, Perhaps, Tom Cruise," in which I prove that I may be a bit obsessed with the World's Favorite Scientologist. I also learned about the patriarch of Boston Terriers, as well as a Back Bay mansion's history as a dining club, a secretarial school, the home of some wealthy Brahmins and the Church of Scientology's regional base.

January 14, 2020, "Of Pests, Pestilence & Death," in which I explored the exterior of a long-abandoned house in Concord, Mass., as well as a tiny cemetery, and learned about pest houses.

(Condemned house along Route 2 in Concord that has since been torn down.)

February 27, 2020, "Shoot It If You Got It," in which I put into practice something I'd learned during a camera club presentation: "If you find something you like, shoot the hell out of it." In this case, it's a barn in Windsor, Connecticut.

August 19, 2020, "Nailing a Great Find in Wareham," in which I present two of the best freeform finds I've had for this blog: the Mill Pond Diner and the old Tremont Nail Company complex, both in Wareham, Mass.

(Mill Pond Diner.)

(Tremont Nail Company.)

April 24, 2021, "Zooming Through Loom City, Part I: The Mills," in which for the first time I put into action a plan whereby I visit my mother in Connecticut for the day, and find some backside destinations either before or after (or occasionally both) seeing her.

September 3, 2021, "Many Barns, Two Minds," in which I make photos of barns in my hometown of Simsbury, Connecticut, and learn that the tobacco industry still has a hold in that area.

(Two barns [also known as sheds] in West Simsbury, Conn.)

January, 22, 2022, "Jamaica Plain, Part I: Shopping & Snapping," in which I test out a novel concept: simultaneously Christmas shopping and photographing the backside of a Boston neighborhood. It worked out quite well.

February 12, 2022, "New York City Flashback: Views from the High Line," in which I find a clever way to create content by using photos taken years prior in New York City.

(Airstream trailer in front of The Standard High Line hotel. One of my favorite photos.)

April 23, 2022, "A Wonderful Walk in Wellesley Hills," in which I wake up and smell the coffee, realizing that the backside of America isn't only in gritty old mill towns, but also in tony Boston suburbs.

May 15, 2022, "Busting Ghosts in Boston's Newmarket Square," in which I go hog-wild chasing down ghost signs in an industrial neighborhood.

(Newmarket Square ghost sign.)

September 16, 2022, "Free-forming in Ashland," in which I explore Ashland, Mass., on a whim and discover a great Masonic Temple, a few old factories and an abandoned Dairy Queen.

October 8, 2022, "Learning Things About My Hometown," in which I, well, read the headline.

(Former Probate Court building in downtown Simsbury, Conn.)

Thanks for checking out some of my favorites from the past six years. Looking ahead, expect a lot more of the same type of quality posts you've come to expect; perhaps some input from other folks (fingers crossed!); and field trip opportunities for Backside enthusiasts to places I've been before, as well as some new and exciting locations.

To see my favorite posts from the early years of the blog, check out the post below, in which I write about my top stuff from the year 2016, and feature links to the prior years.

June 9, 2017, "Anniversary Post #7: My Favorites from 2016."

Scratching Around the Flea Market

From Dave Brigham:

Venturing out to do something different during my annual vacation to Pocasset on Cape Cod this past summer, I checked out the Sandwich Flea Market (aka the Sandwich Bazaar). I may just have stumbled on a new favorite type of place to shoot photos. And while I didn't buy anything, I can see myself hanging out more at these types of events.

I loved the incredibly wide variety of stuff people had laid out on tables and blankets, from old baseballs to military knives, beer steins to LPs, books about Hitler to costume jewelry. And I loved the community, as many of those selling their wares obviously know each other well, in addition to many of the folks perusing the offerings. I felt the need to buy something, but I didn't. I spent so much time last year getting rid of junk in my basement in advance of a home renovation project, I just couldn't see adding more stuff to that space. In fact, I'm still culling through old toys, books, games and other household clutter. Maybe next year when I'm back on the Cape I'll actually buy some stuff at the flea market, most likely albums, coins or a guitar.

OK, let's get to what I found interesting.

My father had a shoe shine kit like this. I always found it quite exotic, for some reason, with its mix of brown and black polishes, buffing cloths and brushes. On the rare occasion when I had to wear shoes, I felt privileged to be able to open up the case and take care of my shoes, just like my father did. You can pick one up like this online for $25-30.

Man, this one brings me back to my childhood, too. There was a time in the mid-'70s that my dad played tennis just about every Saturday with my Uncle George. So we had rackets in our basement, and they looked like this, with covers that you secured with wing nuts. My buddy Andy and I tried to play tennis with old rackets in high school, but we found it too hard. Instead, we invented the game of tennis jai-alai with a few other buddies. We were the best in the world! You can pick up a racket like this for $20 or so online.

I'm a numismatist, although I don't honestly know the correct way to pronounce that word. I collect coins and, to a lesser extent, paper money. Well, collect is a bit strong. I collected when I was a kid, gaining most of my loot from my dad's store of European coins he gathered when he was in the service, and from my grandmother, who used to send me old pennies. Still, once a coin dork, always a coin dork. When my father passed away in 2014, one of the things I asked my mother about keeping was something I'd never seen before: his official, uncirculated $2 bill issued on the first day of availability, April 13, 1976.

Oh boy, this is a sweet spot. I love music and these vintage record players melt my heart and bring back fond memories. My brother, sister and I listened to a LOT of 45's and albums on a pop-up record player like these when we were young. I seriously thought about buying one of these, but I already have a more modern turntable. These are candy, art, music and nostalgia all mixed together.

Not only was I a coin dork as a kid, but I was also a clarinet dork. At Henry James Junior High School I was in both the coin club and the band/orchestra. It will not surprise you that girls did not flock to a clarinet-playing numismatist who wore braces and glasses. Anyway....I played clarinet from 5th through 8th grades, but had no desire to be in my high school marching band, so I quit after junior high. I took up guitar, which I've stuck with to this day. When my daughter announced in 4th grade that she wanted to play clarinet in school, I was thrilled. I still had the one I used as a kid, so I thought it would be really cool if she used it. Turns out that after decades of sitting in its original case in my basement, my clarinet had "pad bugs," which you can look up on Google if you want. Would've cost waaaaay too much money to have the old instrument cleaned, so I tossed it out and we rented her a clarinet. She didn't particularly enjoy playing, and gave up after one year.

I'm not sure if this container was for water, coffee or something else. I just like the look of it, and the fact that it's from "DOTTY'S CATERERS" in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

Another flashback to childhood. I didn't collect beer cans, although I had friends who did. No, I was into beer bottle caps. I still have a handful. The cans in this box all appear to be in pretty good shape. One of my favorite local restaurants, Brewers Coalition, has a pretty great can collection.

I'm a big fan of the Man in Black. But I didn't buy this album.

A box of nice antique glass insulators.

Ceremonial sword and belt from the Masons or a similar group. And a beer stein that reminds me a little of one that my parents used to have, which I think my father brought back from Europe in the 1950's. I've looked high and low for their stein in recent years, but I fear it was sold or given away more than a decade ago, before they moved from the house where I group up.

While I think flea markets are cool places to find some rare items, I wonder who would want any of the stuff in this photo.

Dave Maynard was a beloved radio and TV personality in Boston for nearly five decades, beginning in 1952. He started as a rock 'n' roll DJ and during his career worked as a talk radio host and a newsman. He was also the host of "Community Auditions," a talent showcase on WBZ-TV for two decades. Evidently he had a statue of a giant rabbit in his front yard, hence this sign.

Perhaps the rabbit was an homage to Harvey:

Aren't those Gaiety Theatre playbills awesome? The Broadway playhouse opened in 1909 and was torn down in 1982, per Wikipedia. "The office building that housed the theatre, the Gaiety Building, has been called the Black Tin Pan Alley for the number of African-American songwriters, who rented office space there," according to Wikipedia.

I took a lot of pictures at the flea market, but didn't buy anything. The only seller who asked what I was taking pictures of, was probably the youngest vendor. He actually wanted to find something cool for me to shoot. I wasn't interested in the commemorative spoons and costume jewelry, but when he opened the 1926 N.Y. Whist Club Scoring Rules book, I got excited. "Not sure what it is - alligator, maybe?" he said.

Nerds beware!

At first I thought this was a chastity belt. Well, not really, but I couldn't imagine what the heck else it could be. One of my Instagram followers made an educated guess that this is a ceremonial belt from the Masons or a similar group.

I took this photo because of the wooden metronome in the rear middle of the table. This is very similar to one my mother has on her piano. I believe it was her father's and he passed it along to her. My grandfather taught my mother well, and he was no slouch himself. He played in a group with Henny Youngman in Brooklyn back in the 1920's, according to family lore.

Here's how the metronome works:

I was very tempted. Very.

A physician's ledger and some U.S. military pins.

Well, that's it. I hope to visit other flea markets in the near future and shoot more photos. And perhaps actually buy something.