And now for something just a little bit different: photos taken at night last November, after the annual Gathering of the Webnerdz at Summer Shack in Cambridge, Mass.
What? Not familiar with the Gathering of the Webnerdz? Let me explain.
From 1995 to 2001, I worked (initially for stock options that -- spoiler alert! -- turned out to be worthless) for a digital media company that did business under the name Webnoize. Two dozen years after the company went belly up, I still get together at least twice a year with a cohort of former coworkers.
As part of a 2024 feature about Stoneham, Mass., I wrote about the company's former office (see April 6, 2024, "Strolling Through Stoneham"). I also mentioned Webnoize's Cambridge office in a 2023 post (see June 17, 2023, "Cambridgeport, Part I: MIT/Biotechs/Nuclear Reactor/and Maybe Death Rays").
Anywho....
As I'd done once before, after gorging myself with food and beer and plenty of great conversation, I parted ways with my friends and hit the streets of the Fresh Pond neighborhood, camera in hand. I parked at the Fresh Pond Mall, and headed south on New Street, which runs between the shopping complex and Danehy Fields.
I've driven on this street many times over the years, but had no idea of the history of this area. That's why I wander and make photos - so I can research and learn and share.
Alongside several new apartment buildings and a restaurant, there are auto body shops, a public works parking lot and other remnants of older Cambridge. This Cambridge was more polluted and industrial, something that some newer residents might know nothing about.
Where today stand apartment buildings and life-sciences complexes and athletic fields and much more, there were once industries that polluted the ground and water. While many of those environmental hazards have been cleaned up, the area that I'm covering in this post seems to be in flux.
Located near the southern tip of a long, narrow wedge of land between Apple Cinemas and the eastern shore of Fresh Pond, Black Magic Chimney & Fireplace has been in business since 1978. Less than 1/10th of a mile south is a similar, yet unrelated, business: Adams Fireplace Shop.
"Specializing in antique and reproduction fireplace equipment and antique lighting since 1908," per the company's web site, Adams Fireplace is situated between a Sunoco gas station and an old Cambridge Electric Light Co. property populated with transformers and other serious-looking equipment.
Much of this old right-of-way has been turned into Watertown-Cambridge Greenway. The section along New Street, running behind these businesses and others, is not part of the bike path.
Here's where things get awful, or should I say, offal.
"From 1901 to 1903, the Cambridge Board of Health operated a smallpox hospital on the site of 75 New Street; few of its patients survived," per a post on the Fresh Pond Residents Alliance web site from July 25, 2014. "The City burned the 'pest houses' after the epidemic.
Wow, I was NOT expecting that!
I wrote about this dread disease, and a pest house in Concord, Mass., many years ago (see January 14, 2020, "Of Pests, Pestilence & Death").
So, what became of this site after the hospital and pest houses were razed? "For more than 30 years, from 1928 to 1962, the City of Cambridge owned the land on New Street that corresponds to today’s parcels at #75 and #87. In 1930 it opened a facility to collect offal (up to 8,000 tons annually according to newspaper reports at the time), which it sold to hog farmers." Offal, per Wikipedia, is the internal organs of a butchered animal.
The Fresh Pond Residents Alliance article linked above includes photos of one of the apartment complexes, as well as other sites along New Street, and historic maps, including one listing a site for the City Offal Dept. In 1946, the City of Cambridge bought those two sites and used them as a landfill.
Alright, I don't want to get too far into the muck. I just wanted to share what I learned about this short old street tucked away in a non-descript neighborhood of Cambridge. This is the kind of crap I love to find out about!
At the intersection of New Street, Concord Avenue and Bay State Road is a commercial building that has been empty for perhaps a few years. It was home for a long time to Sozio Appliances, part of a small chain with stores in Revere and Boston's Dorchester neighborhood.
The business was founded in 1949; I'm not sure when it went out of business. In early 2018, the original store in Revere suffered a major fire, and the owners vowed to rebuild it but I don't think they did.
I used to like driving by this store and checking out the colorful appliances and dinette sets prominently displayed in the second-floor windows.
Here's a photo from the Cambridge Assessor web site showing the appliance store in its heyday.
The assessor's web site says this building dates to 1950.
Across a small rotary -- official name, Brodette Memorial Circle -- is Fresh Pond Gas, which, according to the assessor, dates to 1902!
There is a newer garage adjacent to this office/cashier building, so I assume the building above is the original structure. Or at least part of it is. Very cool.
My final exhibit is just northwest of Adams Fireplace, steps from yet another rotary: Ma Magoo's.
Founded in 1992, this family-owned pizzeria has a "cozy interior...adorned with vintage pizza-themed memorabilia, giving the space a nostalgic charm," per its web site. I haven't found an explanation for the restaurant's goofy name, which of course calls to mind this guy:
Back in the early '90s, I (mis)spent a few nights shooting pool at a place called the Hideaway Pub, which was located in the building tacked on to Ma Magoo's. I was lucky enough to be there one night for a Jagermeister t-shirt promotion....
OK, here's your headline explainer. The relationship between this song -- with it's lyric about "The jigsaw jazz and the get-fresh flow" -- and this neighborhood north of Fresh Pond is weak, sure. But hey, the song rocks.
Over the last two decades or so, local and national media outlets have published articles about Davis Square in Somerville, Mass., that use the word "hip." In a January 2012 Boston magazine article about the evolution of Davis Square from a working-class neighborhood to a "hip 'hood," the writer lists some of the old guard establishments (many of which still are in business today) alongside more recent bars, restaurants and stores (not all of which are still there).
A BU Today guide for Boston University students cites a 1997 Utne Reader article that "anoint[ed] Davis Square as one of the 10 hippest places in America," and says "[s]ome residents trace (or lament) the transformation" of the square from somewhat of a backwater to the destination zone it has become.
And Coastal Neighborhoods, which seemingly shouldn't give two clams about a non-seaside city such as Somerville, says that Davis Square is "certainly one of the hippest neighborhoods in Boston, but some might argue it’s actually one of the hippest places in America. That’s illustrated by some of the unique offerings of this northwest Somerville neighborhood. Vibrant Davis Square is made up of plenty of trendy bars and hip restaurants. Instead of chain stores, the neighborhood attracts a mix of mom-and-pop stores, public arts and one of the oldest movie theaters in the area."
Considering the fact that I lived outside Davis Square, and hung out there quite a bit, back in the mid- to late-'90s, a reader might wonder what took me so long to explore the area and write about it here. I have written about other parts of Somerville (see links at the bottom of this post), so I'm not sure why I waited more than 14 years into the blog's life before getting to the hippest of squares. Maybe I thought it was too obvious...or I was turned off by the hype. Doesn't matter.
Located in northwest-ish Somerville, bordering North Cambridge, Davis Square became a booming commercial center in the late 19th century. By the late 1920s, trains that had served the area were rerouted, and the square fell into decline, according to Wikipedia. When the MBTA extended its Red Line subway past Harvard and into Davis Square in 1984, the neighborhood's fortunes began to change.
Alright, enough of all that - let's get to the photos...and the memories!
I had to start my tour at the most iconic site in Davis Square, the Rosebud Bar + Kitchen (aka the Rosebud Diner). I ate breakfast and lunch here several times over the nearly three years I lived about 15 minutes away by foot along Highland Avenue. The diner was built in 1941 by the Worcester Lunch Car company, and was originally about 400 square feet, according to Wikipedia. The owners expanded the eatery by more than 3,000 square feet at some point, with a back room and a full kitchen. I recall looking back there once, and being surprised by how large and un-dinerly the addition looked. But from the outside, the place looked the same.
"In 2013, after 40 years of the family's ownership, Evangelos Nichols sold the Rosebud to Martin Bloom," Wikipedia continues. "Bloom, the founder of a chain of Italian restaurants called Vinny Testa's and owner of the Mission Oak Grill, promised to leave the exterior untouched. [H]owever the original interior was completely removed and the business name changed to 'Rosebud American Kitchen and Bar,' reflecting the shift from a diner-style business model to a mid-tier table service restaurant."
The restaurant now serves modern Indian fare. I haven't been inside in a few decades, but evidently the changes are drastic and no longer hold any of the old diner charm. That's too bad.
The outside, though, still looks good enough to eat.
Heading southeast on Elm Street, I recalled the delectable muffins I used to eat at the late, great Carberry's bakery. I walked past the space, which has been occupied by wood-fired pizza joint Posto for a while now, and was pleasantly surprised to see a physical remnant of Carberry's on a back exterior wall.
These lovely bricks were cast by artist Joshua Winer.
Somewhere nearby -- I don't recall where, but that's not important -- I spied what I dubbed Christian Prince Under Glass.
Somerville is known for its Bathtub Marys, small statues of the Virgin Mother in rounded shrines, but a visitor will also spot other religious icons. I wrote about some Marys in my post about East Somerville, which is linked below.
Back on Highland Avenue, I made a photo of the Tenoch Mexican restaurant.
I've never eaten at this place and probably never will. Why did I feel the need to document this rather plain building? Because I went to the bathroom here in a prior eatery, and it was unlike any such experience I've had.
The oddly named Dolly's at Kay and Chip's was a late-night joint that was open from 11:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. The original place was just called Kay and Chip's, and it was evidently a legendary place frequented by night owls looking to sober up after a night of drinking, dancing and whatnot in bars in Somerville, Cambridge, Medford and beyond, according to this column from The Somerville Times. By the time I moved to the area in 1995, Chip had passed away and the family sold the restaurant to a new owner.
My girlfriend (now wife) and I probably only ate at Dolly's once or twice, likely after hanging out at The Burren, an Irish pub that moved in while we were living there. After ordering food to sop up the beer, I asked the waitress where the bathroom was. She pointed me toward the kitchen, and said to ask somebody once I got in there.
I felt like I was being set up for something, but I really needed to pee, so I walked into the kitchen and asked for the bathroom. Somebody motioned toward a hatch in the floor with a handle on it and told me, "It's down there." This to me was further evidence that I was about to be murdered or laughed at by everyone at Dolly's, but again, I really needed to go, so I opened the hatch and walked down the short set of steps into the basement. And sure enough, not far away were the bathrooms. So I tapped my kidney, walked back upstairs, ate my food and that was that.
I will tell a story later about another Davis Square bathroom, believe it or not. I don't think Dolly's lasted very long.
Walking back toward the main part of the square, I detoured down Grove Street, through the CVS parking lot, across a heavily used bike path and stopped in front of a lovely old industrial building that's been nicely restored.
Built around 1924, 48-50 Grove Street was home to a number of manufacturing companies over the years. Its location was good, situated along the Lexington and Arlington Branch of the Boston & Maine Railroad (now the bike path). "It was first occupied by three companies - the Arthur Harding Company, manufacturers of oil cans, the Hamilton and Parker Company, machinists and inventors, and The American Optical Company," according to MACRIS. Other businesses that called this building home included the AmRad Corporation, which manufactured radios, and a clothing manufacturer and a frozen-food operation.
In 1986, the building was renovated. Current tenants include NGP Van, which calls itself "the leading technology provider to Democratic and progressive political campaigns and organizations, nonprofits, municipalities, and other groups; DDS Lab, which fabricates dental implants, orthodontic appliances, retainers and other products; and ChemoMetec, a company providing automated cell counters and cell analysers to the biotech, pharma and academic segments, per its web site.
I walked north through the square, past a Red Line subway entrance and through Statue Park, a lovely green oasis with some odd sculptures in front of J.P. Licks, Boston Burger Company and other stores. Along Holland Street, I paid my respects to a long-gone, much-loved nightclub that still has a sign hanging.
Johnny D's Uptown Restaurant & Music Club -- known as Johnny D's to locals -- was a 300-capacity room where you could sit at the bar or in a booth enjoying dinner and drinks while seeing local, national and international acts. Opened in 1969, the joint's roster of acts over the years included the likes of Alison Krauss & Union Station, the Avett Brothers, Bobby "Blue" Bland, EmmyLou Harris, the English Beat, Hugh Masakela, Marshall Crenshaw, NRBQ, Townes van Zandt, Wanda Jackson and hundreds more, according to the club's legacy site.
The club shuttered after 46 years in 2015, due to personal choice, not financial reasons, according to this NECN article.
During the '90s, I visited the club many times, and saw acts including Sleepy LaBeef, Susan Tedeschi (before she was famous) and Junior Brown.
Just a few doors down is a shuttered music shop where I once got some work done on my electric-blue Telecaster.
Rockin' Bob's Guitars closed up shop in 2020 after 38 years in business.
My next stop was Dover Street, where I made a photo of the building where Candlewick Press and Bright Horizons preschool are located.
The one-story commercial building dates to 1928, according to the Somerville assessor's database. The building is nothing special, but I like the publisher's logo and name. Founded in 1992, Candlewick started as a children's book publisher, but has expanded in the ensuing decades into the young adult and non-fiction markets.
I believe I applied for a job at Candlewick about a thousand years ago, and I think I sent the manuscript for my children's book, A Wicked Good Trip!, to the company many years back. The book is out of print.
I cut across a parking lot, heading south, to make photos of Somerville stalwart Sacco's Bowl Haven.
Opened in Davis Square in 1939, the bowling alley was part of a chain that the Sacco family had been operating since 1895. I'm not sure where the other locations were, but this is the last one. In 2009, the family agreed to let the American Flatbread Company take over the lanes, and add their food to the mix. It's a great place for family fun or a date night or a hangout with friends.
I doubled back to check out the Somerville Theatre, the oldest of the "old guard" mentioned in the Boston magazine article referenced above (others include McKinnon's Meat Market and Mike’s Food & Spirits, which are both still in business). Of the other businesses cited in the article, most of the "pioneers," which came to the square between 1985 and 1999, are still in business, with the exception of a bar called Joshua Tree. As for the "settlers," places that opened between 2000 and 2009, more of them are gone (Diva Indian Bistro, Kickass Cupcakes, Snappy Sushi and Artifaktori). Of the "newbies" that debuted in the area since 2010, two of the five listed are also out of business: consignment shop Found and The Boston Shaker, a home goods store.
The Hobbs Building, which includes the theater, as well as ground-floor retail space, was built in 1914. Upon its opening, the building included a bowling alley, a billiard and pool room, a cafe and a 750-seat meeting hall. "This sole survivor of the vaudeville era in Somerville is also the oldest theater built for the purpose of showing silent movies and vaudeville acts in the Boston area and was a possible
prototype for the Strand Theatre in Dorchester designed by the same architects," Funk and Wilcox, according to MACRIS.
In the ensuing decades, plays were also performed here, and eventually "talkies" took over and vaudeville fell away. There have been numerous owners over the years, and renovations aplenty. "In 1996, construction began: the bowling alleys in the basement and a portion of the first floor retail space were gutted to create modern bathrooms and two new cinemas," per the theater's web site. "Two more screens were built in the former ballroom space on the second floor. An elevator was installed, new windows and a bright stylish marquee were added, and the third and second floors were re-modeled as attractive office space. The theatre lobby was expanded by incorporating an adjacent storefront, and new seats were installed in the orchestra portion of the original auditorium."
"In 2006, further renovations restored the original auditorium interior to its original color scheme; and the stage was restored to its original size and upgraded with new curtains, rigging, and movie screen. In 2007, the Somerville Theatre became one of the first venues in New England to offer beer and wine to film and event patrons. In the summer of 2009, more renovations took place. The ageing balcony was repaired and all new seating replaced the originals still there from 1914. Dolby Digital Sound and 24 surround speakers were installed throughout the original auditorium. And a revamped projection booth containing two Norelco DP-70 projectors was installed, enabling the Somerville to be one of the few movie theatres in New England that can run 70mm film."
During the time I lived outside Davis Square, I saw several movies here, and one band: Morphine. Among the acts to play the theater are a few you may have heard of: U2, Bruce Springsteen, Cheap Trick, Phish, Tracey Chapman and Joan Baez.
(Ghost sign on the rear of the theater.)
(Back door of the theater.)
Next I checked out Davis Plaza, a strip of concrete running between Elm and Herbert streets, between two old brick buildings. Many years ago, I hung out here with hundreds of folks enjoying Somerville's annual HONK! Festival.
I was drawn in by the array of artwork I spotted on the lower part of one of the buildings.
I was pleasantly surprised by the ghost sign haunting the art display.
The Sprague & Hathaway Company was located in the building that fronts Day Street and backs up to the plaza. Founded in 1874 in what is now Boston's Chinatown, the company originally produced and enlarged portraits "in oil, ink, crayon, water color, and pastel, as well as 'solar and bromide prints, by the sun or electric light,'" according to MACRIS.
Over time, Sprague & Hathaway moved into manufacturing picture frames, easels and mouldings (and later albums, adhesives and a variety of other photo mounting equipment), according to this post on the Bouse Blog. In 1887, the company, which had moved from Boston to West Somerville, constructed a new home at the corner of Day and Elm streets in Davis Square. The company claimed that building was the largest portrait studio in the world at the time.
The building with the art and ghost sign dates to 1890, and was built behind the company's initial Davis Square site. The company faded to black in 1958.
Across the plaza, at 256-260 Elm Street, is a building that dates to 1920, according to the assessor's database. Tenants include Boston Tattoo. That's all I've been able to find out.
A block away, on Chester Street, is the well-known Redbones, a barbecue joint that opened in 1987.
I've eaten here several times, and always filled myself with beer, beef and beans until I'm ready to barf. The place was always packed when I was there, with people squeezing into the bar and getting excited anytime someone would ask the bartender to "spin the wheel" to see what random beer they should drink. There is crazy artwork all over the place and great music pumping through the sound system.
And the bathroom -- my God!
Located in the basement, where there's another bar and more seating, the men's room is unlike any latrine I've ever seen. You walk through a well-decorated door and you look up - up three steps to a toilet on a...what? Stage? Pedestal? Throne? At first it feels wrong to be walking upstairs to stand (or sit) so exposed while doing one's business. But this is a one-holer, so you can relax and just let it flow.
I've heard from a friend that in recent years, things somehow just aren't the same at Redbones, but the last time I was there a while back, I had a great time.
I never made it to the legendary Sligo Pub, which was located on Elm Street until it closed in June 2023 after 75 years, but I'm guessing its bathroom didn't compete with the Redbones one. Below you can see there's still some flair left in the window of the old joint.
A few doors down, heading north, I was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful HIGHLAND SHOES tile entryway for a long-gone store.
Over on Highland Avenue, I found myself thinking of the time I spent flipping through CDs and albums at Disc Diggers. It was a great shop, very casual, great selection, nice people. I don't know how long it was in business, or when it went under. Along the strip of stores where the music store was located, I made a photo of the sign and storefront for Davis Squared. The shop features tons of clothes and other gifts touting Davis Square and Somerville.
The sign predates the store. I'd love to know what store it was created for.
From there I made my back to Grove Street and walked east along the bike path. I knew from a friend's Instagram posting that there were some works of art along this stretch. I wasn't disappointed.
A nod to Woody Guthrie's guitar, which proclaimed "This machine kills fascists."
WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE CORPORATE LOOTERS of the UNITED STATES this one reads in part.
A train table for the kids.
There was more of that sort of stuff, but through a fence and some overgrown trees to my right, I spied something that demanded my attention.
I don't remember being aware of this property on Willow Avenue and Whipple Street when I was living here. But I became interested very quickly. This, my friends, is the former Somerville Electric Light Generating Station, which was built in 1887. "In 1904, the company was acquired by the Edison Electric Illuminating Co. of Boston and the plant became the new utility's principal substation for the Somerville area," per MACRIS.
I'm not sure how long the plant was in operation or when it shut down. This is prime real estate, but I imagine the clean-up would be pretty onerous.
Located in a circa-1900 stucco building that may have been a warehouse or light industrial building at its origin, the architecture firm designs residential, institutional, arts and office spaces around the world.
I circled back toward the Rosebud, and remembered a nearby and very cool building, currently housing a Domino's Pizza franchise, that I figured must have been a service station at one point, so I made a photo.
Sure enough: "No. 360-366 Summer Street is one of the numerous automobile related businesses which thrived in Somerville between 1915 and 1940," according to MACRIS. "The original complex consisted initially of the Texas Company Oils, an oil company located at 366 Summer Street. By 1927 a Willy's car dealership had opened at 201-203 Elm Street and the company maintained a 100 car garage at 360-362 Summer Street." 201-203 Elm Street is the address of the Domino's.
"By 1933 the car dealership had closed as well as the oil company," MACRIS continues. "After 1933 the building was used as a garage and filling station. The building [was] rehabilitated, ca. 1985, by the Dole Publishing Company for offices for the Somerville Journal."
Pretty cool history!
My last shot in Davis Square features the side wall of Dragon Pizza, at the corner of Elm and Grove streets.
I love the simplicity and whimsy of that installation. I believe it lights up at night.
Well, this turned into more of a trip down Memory Lane than I'd anticipated. Brought back some great memories!
Below are links to a bunch of other Somerville posts from over the years.
Known best as the wealthiest town in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Dover is a very horsey town, of that there is no doubt. Located about 15 miles southwest of Boston, it's a beautiful rural town that I've explored a bit before (see bottom of this post for links to previous posts). While I'd driven through the "downtown" before, I'd never stopped to walk around. I found some cool stuff there, and elsewhere in the town. I even drove through the area where, many years ago, some folks sighted a humanoid creature that came to be known as the Dover Demon.
I couldn't resist the Caryl Farm Museum building. It's just so gorgeous and quintessentially New England.
Built in 1777, this Georgian-style house is run by the Dover Historical Society. It served as home to the Rev. Benjamin Caryl and his family, and subsequent generations, until 1928, when it was given to the town. Reverend Caryl served the town as minister for 49 years, according to the historical society.
"Unlike most surviving structures of the period, the house has never been basically altered or modernized, so it may be seen today in close to original form," according to the historical society. "On June 2nd, 2000, the Benjamin Caryl House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places."
Situated behind the house is the Fisher Barn, which also dates to 1777.
Again, from the historical society web site: "When it was learned that the Fisher Barn at 6 Centre Street was going to be demolished by a developer who had purchased the property, and that the barn was historically significant, the Society swung into action and put out a call for help. The Society and the Dover Historical Commission had decided to meet on July 28, 1999....The Commission did not believe that the barn had enough historical significance to stop the demolition order under the town by-law. Since the Society was looking for a barn, the two groups moved to save the barn which was scheduled to be torn down on August 6th.
"The news of the move swept the town, and volunteers came out of the woodwork on that Saturday to save a barn filled with historical trash dating back to approximately the same year as the Caryl House: 1777. The barn was taken apart systematically, and the tagged pieces were stored in the Park and Recreation garages on Whiting Road.
"Immediately after saving the Fisher structure, the Society formed a committee to raise the money to re-erect the Fisher Barn beside the Caryl House on Dedham Street - and to find someone to do the job. By the end of 2000, the 'Old Barn for a New Millenium' project was raising money and a contract had been signed with Early American Concepts to repair and rebuild the barn. On February 14, 2001, the Dover Highway Department dug the foundation hole for the barn and reconstruction began. Some 20 months later, on Old Home Day October 6th, 2002, the Society handed the Fisher Barn over to the Town of Dover."
From there, I headed west on Dedham Street to Centre Street, parked my car and began to explore the center of Dover.
The first building that caught my eye, unfortunately, did so because it was damaged.
The Dover Cafe & Deli suffered a fire on July 10th of last year. Evidently, the building had been home to a drug store prior to the pizza place. From this Facebook page devoted to the drug store/pizza joint: "A sad day today for all of us who loved our Drug Store. A fire broke out in the building around 4 a.m. There is damage to the store, but The Dover Fire Department with help from Sherborn, Westwood, and Medfield were able to extinguish the fire quickly. I feel for the owners of the now Dover Cafe and Deli today. I also feel for the owner of the building. This is truly a sad day in Dover History."
The Colonial Revival structure was built in 1922 as a grocery store, per MACRIS. The small wing was added in the 1930s. It was used by a printing company, as well as by the U.S. Post Office. The main building was converted to a drug store in the 1940s.
I hope the owner is able to rebuild or restore this historic building.
Continuing north on Centre Street, past the Charles River School, I checked out Highland Cemetery.
I don't always walk through cemeteries when I'm exploring a town, but I often find it's worth it. And I wasn't disappointed.
This little beauty is a hearse house, only the second I've stumbled across in service of the blog for the last 13+ years (see December 17, 2015, "Bring Out Your Dead"). Hearse houses were used to shelter the horse-drawn carriage that hauled coffins to the graveyard. This one dates to 1897, according to the plaque above the the garage door.
Exiting the cemetery, I made photos of the Soldiers Monument on the slice of public land between Centre and Dedham streets. They didn't come out well because of the angle of the sun, so on a return trip I tried again and had better luck.
Erected by the town in 1909, the monument is situated on a former training field that Dover's soldiers used for drills from the Revolution through the Civil War, according to MACRIS. The base is made of stones from Whitney Tavern, according to MACRIS, which doesn't give more detail. There was a Whitney Tavern located in Templeton, which is more than 60 miles northwest of Dover. The Wikipedia entry mentions that the tavern was "reduced in size" after it closed sometime in the 19th century, so it's possible that stones were hauled from there to Dover.
There was also a Whitney Tavern in Weston, much closer to Dover. That house, however, still stands.
I was surprised to see an American Legion hall in the center of town, as it doesn't fit my impression of Dover as a hoity toity place.
Chartered in 1919, George B. Preston Post 209 "was named after a town resident named George Bernard Preston (born December 29, 1897) who was killed in Toul-Bourcq, France on April 20, 1918," according to the Legion's web site.
A quick walk past a small stand of trees and you're standing in front of a very important building: Dunkin' Donuts. Oh wait, no, ah (checks notes), the old Dover Railroad Station.
Built in 1865, the station was in operation until some time in the 1940s. In subsequent decades, the quaint little building has been used as various stores, a realtor's office and a cafe. It has been a Dunkin' Donuts franchise for quite a few years. Some of the tracks that used to serve the station have been torn up, but there is a section just south of the donut shop that runs across Springdale Avenue and continues past the Dover Wine Company for quite a ways.
Among the members of the BCT&G is the Bay Colony Rail Trail, which has opened paths in Needham, Newton and Medfield, which borders Dover. As for Dover, there have been discussions in town to construct a three-mile path from the location mentioned above on Springdale Avenue southward to Hunt Drive.
In April 2022, Friends of the Dover Greenway posted on its web site about hopes for the development of a path. I've edited the statement below:
"We are delighted to see our neighbors in Medfield working toward completion of converting their segment of the Bay Colony Railroad into a rail trail. Unfortunately, it has been difficult to move the Dover Greenway project forward...due to the MBTA and the Town of Dover being unable to agree to lease terms, and the MBTA unable to offer the lease to the Friends of the Dover Greenway. Recently, the Friends of the Dover Greenway and the Town of Dover administrators met to discuss options for converting our section of the Bay Colony Railroad to a rail trail. At this time, the Friends of the Dover Greenway are suggesting that the Town of Dover sign the standard lease agreement with the MBTA, similar to what Medfield and Needham have done. In speaking with Town of Dover Administrators, there is a commitment to revisit this process by year-end and highlight the options for moving toward implementation in 2023."
Well, 2023 is over and done with, and nothing has happened as far as I know. I'm not sure why Dover and the MBTA have been unable to agree on lease terms, when surrounding towns have completed such deals. At the bottom of this post, I will feature more photos of the proposed route of the rail trail.
Doing research after my adventure, I realized that I'd missed one interesting thing and ignored something that I shouldn't have. I took care of these things on the aforementioned return trip.
Across from Dunkin' Donuts on dead-end Spring Road is Dover's rebuilt town pound.
I didn't learn about this place until after my first visit, as I was scrolling through MACRIS. Town pounds were enclosed by stone walls and were used for holding stray sheep, pigs and cows until they were claimed by their owners, who were required to pay a fine in order to retrieve their livestock. I've only come across one other such landmark in my backside travels (see March 26, 2020, "A Sliver of Sterling").
Dover's pound was constructed in 1794 and rebuilt in 1965, and again in 2015.
A short walk away at the dead end of Spring Road is the Dover Town Garage, which was once the site of a type of factory that I'd never come across in my travels (and technically, still haven't, as it doesn't exist anymore).
Prior to my first visit for this post, I stumbled across mention of the E.F. Hodgson Company, which once manufactured prefab houses in a factory on this location. I did a little research, but for some reason decided not to make a photo of the spot. I made up for that on my return trip. Located hard by the old railroad tracks, Hodgson manufactured its "Wigwarm" houses here from 1892 to 1944, according to this Facades Confidential blog post.
Competing with larger, more well-known companies including Sears and Montgomery Ward in the prefab house market, Hodgson evidently did fairly well, although more so in Europe. From the above-referenced blog post: "The Wigwarm construction was a framed house, lighter than a standard timber frame construction, based on several timber sections fastened together with key bolts of special design. With just a blow of a hammer the wedge key tightened up the bolt, saving time during erection or dismantling. Frames were covered with a very heavy waterproof fibre or lining and then with a rabetted siding....Mr Hodgson didn't just prefabricate houses, he also sold...tool houses, dog houses, car garages...or, during war periods, barracks for the military. In the '20s and '30s you could see Hogson houses in places as Europe (Belgium and Italy), Israel, Africa and South America."
Hodgson moved from Dover, and in 1966 sold the property to the town. The town or the company demolished all but a few buildings, according to MACRIS, with the garage and its attendant office building evidently left standing. Dover's assessor's office lists the current garage build date as 1998, so I assume nothing remains of the factory.
I love learning about factories of times gone by, especially in rural towns where I least expect to stumble across their footprints. Years ago I explored Weston, another well-to-do town in Greater Boston, and was thrilled to learn about a former organ factory, traces of which simply do not exist, just as with the old Hodgson plant (see June 23, 2017, "A Walk Through Weston's History").
While the town garage is a utilitarian place of little architectual value or appeal, there are two lovely churches in the center of Dover. Just steps away from the old train station and up a small hill from the site of the former town pound is the Dover Church.
Built in 1839, this Greek Revival beauty sits on what is known as Meetinghouse Hill. Two previous houses of worship on this site had burned, which was a common occurrence in the 18th and 19th centuries. I mentioned this church in a previous post about an outdoor worship center the congregation maintains in a wooded area in another area of town (see link at bottom of this post).
Like its neighbor across the street, this house of worship rose in 1839, and was known as Dover Second Congregational Church. At some point a cupola was removed and the building was used as a Masonic Hall. These days, as you can see, a steeple rises into the sky.
Down a slight hill on Springdale Avenue, I was charmed by the horse-head hitching posts outside the aforementioned wine store.
Along Whiting Road, I was pleasantly surprised to find three neat old buildings. The first, home to Dover Automotive, dates to 1924.
Directly across the street is another garage owned by Dover Automotive, but this one has a cool history.
Built in 1838 as -- wait for it -- Dover Baptist Chapel, this Greek Revival building was originally located on land beside the Charles River near Fisher's Bridge on Center Street, according to MACRIS. It was used by Needham and Dover Baptists until 1860. It was moved to its current location in 1911, and used as a fire station until 1977.
Just south of the old chapel is 7 Whiting Road, which is currently home to Nu Top, a kitchen and bath cabinetry company, as well as Lift, a fitness center.
The Dover assessor's office indicates this building rose in 1926 and that it was at some point an auto repair garage.
From downtown, I drove a bit west along Springdale Avenue to Channing Pond, where I found a big blue chair.
(My baseball hat is there to give some perspective on the size of the chair.)
While tromping along Springdale Avenue near the pond, I spotted something I'd never seen or heard of before: a witness post.
Installed by the U.S. Army Corps or Engineers, the post is designed to indicate that a survey marker is located nearby. As this area is swampy, the survey marker is likely located in a spot that's difficult to find. As to why the Corps has surveyed this area, I couldn't tell you. I believe a natural gas pipeline runs through this area, so perhaps these things are related.
From the pond, I drove a little further west, to the point where Springdale Avenue intersects with Farm Street, which goes south, and Main Street, which heads north. There, I enjoyed a brief walk around Springdale Field, a nice expanse owned by the Dover Land Conservation Trust.
As you might expect in a town like Dover, residents (and, ugh, non-residents) use the 17-acre field to run their dogs and horses. The Norfolk Hunt Club, located in Dover, uses the site for a few "hunts" each year.
(Horsey jumpy things.)
From the serene setting of Springdale Field, I set out south-southwest along Farm Street, hoping against hope to summon a devilish spirit from the past: the Dover Demon.
From The Yankee Express: "On April 21, 1977, the small town of Dover, located just 15 miles from Boston, was thrown into world recognition. In this little quiet community, a strange creature was witnessed by several people over two days. William Bartlett, then 17-years-old, was the first person to see the Dover Demon. As he and two friends, Mike Mazzocco and Andy Brodie, drove along their local Farm Street just past 10 p.m., Bartlett witnessed a creature 'standing on a wall, its eyes glowing [in the headlights]. It was not a dog or a cat. It had no tail. It had an egg-shaped head.' Its body was thin with long spindly arms and legs. The fingers resembled tendrils as they grasped the broken wall."
Over the next 24 hours, two other teens, John Baxter and Abby Brabham, claimed, separately, that they saw the demon in the area.
Well, OK then! I love stories about are-they-real-or-were-the-witnesses-high creatures such as this, from Bigfoot to El Chupacabra, the Loch Ness Monster to the Yarp (the latter a creation of fiction writer Barry Hannah). I've never driven past the alleged locations of any of those creatures, but I can say I've been in the same energy space as the Dover Demon.
I drove along Farm Street to the intersection with Bridge Street, which is the general area of the first sighting. And, like apparently every adult and 99.9% of the teenagers living in Dover in April 1977, I didn't see any frightening creatures with glowing eyes and long, scraggly fingers.
Nonetheless, a well-known cryptozoologist interviewed the teens and believed them.
Again, from The Yankee Express: "Noted Maine native and Cryptozoologist Loren Coleman spoke to the teens within a week of the sightings and concluded they were credible. The Dover Demon was sighted at night, for two days within a 2-mile radius, near water. Some authorities passed the creature off as a foal or a moose calf. Still, it soon became apparent that none such animals had been spotted in the area and any such young animals were out of season. If a moose was wandering the site, it would have been easily seen and captured. Another aspect that shot holes in that theory was that the witnesses saw the creature standing upright and walking like a human."
The story of the Dover Demon is fairly widespread on the Internet. In 2008, Animal Planet aired a two-part episode of its "Lost Tapes" show about the alleged creature. I've posted the videos below. Fans of "The Blair Witch Project" may enjoy the concept.
Below is a photo I made from the point where dead-end Smith Street intersects with Farm Street, just north of Bridge Street. Nearly forty-seven years ago, perhaps the Dover Demon creeped along here, looking for stray dogs or small wildlife to devour whole.
I turned around the checked out the sign for Smith Street. It was unlike any other street sign I've ever seen (I've said that quite a bit in this post).
I assume this sign is really old. Anyone else ever seen a stencil-type street sign?
Continuing south on Farm Street, I eventually got to Hunt Drive, where I knew there were some remnant railroad tracks.
Above is the view north from Hunt Drive. Looking to the south, I got a nice surprise. Where I expected to find an overgrown, impassable set of tracks, I instead found a lush, inviting tunnel of trees.
I walked along for a few hundred yards, feeling, as I always do when I explore abandoned railroad tracks, like I was in an early episode of "The Walking Dead" (see November 30, 2015, "Walking Dead Tracks"). The light at the end of the tunnel is neighboring Medfield, which maintains a rail trail from the Dover line for 1.3 miles south.
As I've said before, I enjoy rail trails, and am opposed to communities that oppose them, but I also like stumbling across scenes like the one above every once in a while.
For more posts about Dover, see below:
December 30, 2017, "Rail Trail Mix," which discusses a portion of the Bay Colony Rail Trail in Needham, as well as the Cochrane Dam in Dover.
April 9, 2012, "Beyond the Mill," about Noanet Woodlands and the old Dover Union Iron Mill.
March 22, 2012, "Fresh-Air Salvation," about the Abigail Draper Mann Woodland Worship Center of the Dover Church.
