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New Exhibit: Iconic Buildings of Kingston

Delano's Wharf block, 2001
Delano’s Wharf block, 2001

As part of the celebrations for Kingston’s 275th anniversary in 2001, the Friends of the 275th commissioned a set of blocks depicting eight iconic Kingston buildings: the old Town House, the Center Primary school (now called the Faunce School), the Pumping Station, the passenger station (now the restaurant Solstice), the First Parish Church, the Major John Bradford House, the now-gone Kingston High School, and Delano’s Wharf, shown here from the rarely seen bay side.

Red Cross swimming lessons behind Delano's Wharf, circa 1945
Red Cross swimming lessons behind Delano’s Wharf, circa 1945

The blocks, along with photographs from the Local History Room, as on display this month in the Library lobby.

 

For more, visit the Kingston Public Library, and the Local History Room, and the full blog piqueoftheweek.wordpress.com.

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Hot enough yet?

Snow on Main Street, circa 1925
Snow on Main Street, circa 1925

Now that the summer weather has arrived, do you miss the snow? The glass plate negative above shows Main Street looking north to Linden Street, while the one below shows the opposite view south on Main near the intersection with Brook Street.

Keep cool!

Snow on Main Street near Brook Street, circa 1925
Snow on Main Street near Brook Street, circa 1925
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The eagle has landed.

G. Palmer Holmes and the World War II Honor Roll outside Town Hall, circa1946
G. Palmer Holmes and the World War II Honor Roll outside Town Hall, circa1946

Around 1946, the Town’s Honor Roll, which listed those Kingston residents who served in World War II, got an eagle. It was carved by Captain Fred Bailey, who fashioned at least two.

When the Honor Roll was taken down — it was replaced by the monument where Main Street crosses Route 3 — Holmes asked for the eagle.  It stayed in his family until very recently, when it landed here in the Library, to be cared for by the Local History Room.

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Eagle, 2013

For more, visit the Kingston Public Library, and the Local History Room, and the full blog piqueoftheweek.wordpress.com.

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“Garden Family”

Despite the chill, spring has sprung so get ready to garden. Here are few inspirational but undated views by Emily Fuller Drew of her “Garden family.”

Scanned by the Boston Public Library 2012.

Garden family, no date, by Emily Fuller Drew.
Garden family, no date, by Emily Fuller Drew.
Garden family, no date, by Emily Fuller Drew.
Garden family, no date, by Emily Fuller Drew.
Garden family, no date, by Emily Fuller Drew.
Garden family, no date, by Emily Fuller Drew.
Garden family, no date, by Emily Fuller Drew.
Garden family, no date, by Emily Fuller Drew.
Garden family, no date, by Emily Fuller Drew.
Garden family, no date, by Emily Fuller Drew.

Source: Emily Fuller Drew Collection MC16

For more, visit the Kingston Public Library, and the Local History Room, and the full blog piqueoftheweek.wordpress.com

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A timely favorite

St. Patrick's Day Cheerful Memories, no date
St. Patrick’s Day Cheerful Memories, no date

One of the things I love about this blog is the list of search terms that people use to get here.  It’s like a secret glimpse of what they want, and the sometimes very specific and other times wildly divergent ways they describe whatever that is.  The top searches are a mix of general and Kingston-centric — Nick’s Rock, delivery wagons, dance cards, famous hermits, Old Colony Railroad, all with hundreds of hits.  But my all-time favorite is a little ways down the list, at 23 searches over the last 4 or so years: leprechaun couple.

So glad I could oblige!

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New Exhibit: Our “Odd” Neighbor

If you’ve ever wondered why the building at 7 Green Street, right across from the Library, has a sign on the front that reads “Adams Lodge, IOOF, 1900” stop by and have a look at this month’s exhibit.

Odd Fellows Hall & School, Kingston, Mass., circa 1900.
Odd Fellows Hall & School, Kingston, Mass., circa 1900.

 

 

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Somber Little Valentine

 

Gravestone of Charles Little, 1925
Gravestone of Charles Little, 1925

From Emily Drew’s photos of the Old Burying Ground, here’s the marker for Charles Little, son to Charles and Sarah Little who passed away, aged 4 month and 5 days, on February 14, 1717.

Source: Emily Fuller Drew Collection MC16. Negative scanned by the Boston Public Library, under a grant from the LSTA via MBLC.  More on that here.

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Digging out

Brockton & Plymouth Street Railway Company snowplow, circa 1915
Brockton & Plymouth Street Railway Company snowplow, circa 1915

The trolley ran through Kingston from 1889 to 1928, and while the traffic definitely increased in the summer, the cars ran all winter too. In 1922, when the Brockton & Plymouth (successor to the Plymouth & Kingston and predecessor to the Plymouth & Brockton) owned the line, the rolling stock included three snowplow cars. One is shown here, scanned from a glass plate negative copy of an earlier photographic print.