© Damianos Photography
Thanks to everyone who stopped by my booth or rode around in a trolley with me last Saturday. The event was a smashing success; congratulations and thanks to everyone on the committee who worked so hard to put it all together.
There are plenty of new Shiretown tales coming this fall, with an emphasis in October on the mysterious, the scandalous, and the just plain weird!
These three shots were taken in 1981 for a photography class I was taking at Bridgewater State College. At the time I took the photos, the brick building that stands on top of the hill was the S.M.A. Fathers’ Queen of Apostle Seminary. The barn once stood on the George Nickerson estate on Common St., on property now owned by Northeastern University. Nickerson was the brother of Albert Nickerson, who built the castle at his “Riverdale” estate, which has been home to Noble and Greenough since 1922.
The barn, which was red, stood behind the seminary. There was also a run-down log cabin in the woods of the Wilson Mountain Reservation.
The grainy quality of this picture was not my attempt at being artsy. The negatives were stored in my basement for years, and this one got stuck to its glassine envelope.
This is the artsy picture. Kind of Stephen King like…
This Sunday will be my second James Joyce Ramble Road Race in old Shiretown. Oh, I won’t be running; my running days ended when I was struggling up a hill in a corporate “Fun Run'” in Boston and got passed by a guy dressed as a bag of Smart Food.
I will be pitching my tent on the lawn of the Endicott Estate and peddling my wares- copies of Dedham: Historic and Heroic Tales from Shiretown as well as some attractive Dedham notecards. So come on by and say “hi,” get your Mother’s Day shopping done, and find out about my latest book project!
Here’s a link to the Ramble website: www.ramble.org
My sister got these for everyone in the family. It pretty much sums up the whole experience.
Today it’s Joe’s American Bar and Grill. When I worked there for a month as a sophomore in high school in 1975 it was Boraschi’s Villa, and the decorative sign from that incarnation can still be seen in the main dining room of the Route 1 eatery. But in 1978 it was J.C. Hillary’s, and for several days during the Great Blizzard it became home to stranded motorists who trudged up from their abandoned cars on Route 128. Over 500 motorists stayed at both Hilary’s and the Showcase Cinema across the street, which became a Red Cross shelter for several days. Another 20 refugees from Route 128 made their way to the Caulfield home on Vincent Rd. where they were given shelter.
The lobby of the old Showcase Cinema with stranded motorists
Roads were closed by order of Governor Dukakis, and both state and local police were busy handing out citations to people who disobeyed the order.
School in Dedham was closed for 7 days, with Dukakis declaring that the days did not have to be made up, so Dedham students only went to school 176 days that year.
A portion of the roof of the Dedham Mall collapsed over Cummins, a women’s clothing store.
During the storm burglars broke into The House of Sports on Eastern Ave. and made off with $5000 worth of sporting goods, including the toboggans that they used to transport their plunder.
And I walked around with my little camera, taking fuzzy pictures of the Tower St. neighborhood.
Below: The house on Tower St. after the Blizzard of ’78. The bottom picture was taken after another memorable storm, the April Fool’s Day Blizzard of 1997.
This Dedham eatery may be long gone, but it figures in my next tale of the Blizzard of ’78. Do you know where you can find this remnant of the past in present-day Dedham?
Rte. 128 at East St.
Driving around the narrowed streets of Dedham and listening to the news stories of buildings collapsing under the weight of snow naturally causes one to think back to the Blizzard of ’78, which occurred 33 years ago this week. Now 33 years isn’t all that long ago, yet I find it hard to recall many specific details about the storm. Some of my recollections include: walking out to Rte. 128 near East St. to look at all the abandoned cars- people walking from Roche Bros. in Westwood pulling sleds with groceries-watching some guy in a tiny jeep try to plow Tower St. (he finally gave up and left the jeep there in front of the mountainous pile of snow he’d created).
I was working at Wrangler Wranch in the Mall at the time, and I remember some time after the blizzard getting a check from the state for the missed work days due to the state of emergency that kept the Mall closed. What are your Blizzard of ’78 memories?
Etna Rd. and Capen School
LATER THIS WEEK- Blizzard Tales from Dedham!
It’s been a long time since the last post, but now as Dedham celebrates 375 years as a town, it is time to share more tales from old Shiretown. If you are new to the blog, be sure to read all the old posts. Let me know what you think- suggest possible topics- send photos. Let’s celebrate Dedham’s birthday together!
Catching Air in Tower St. Backyard; February, 1971
We had a small hill in the backyard and would build jumps out of snow. Those plastic coasters were the newest thing at the time. In the background, my older sister is about to go down the hill with my year and a half year old brother in his plastic bathtub.
When I visited the old neighborhodd a few years ago, the family that bought the house on Tower St. from my parents told me they also sled down the hill, which they have named “Mt. Wilcox.” I love when traditions are carried on through the years.
Come on down this Saturday, June 5th from 10:00- 8:00 and enjoy the Dedham Square Music and Arts festival. I am pitching a tent and selling and signing my book, so be sure and stop by and say hi. Check out the festival’s website for the complete schedule: http://dedhamfestival.org/
While you’re there, take a look at the front door latch of the 1795 mansion. Some people believe the X shaped mark inscribed into the metal is a hexmark to keep witches out. What do you think?
These scans are ads from the Dedham Transcript’s 1986 supplement celebrating the town’s 350th anniversary. The first pic shows that odd little sunken garden where people could sit and relax. Also visible is one of my favorite stores- Paperback Booksmith. I would browse there while my father did the grocery shopping at Stop and Shop down the other end. I remember once spotting this creepy looking paperback with a silver reflective cover and being immediately drawn to it- Stephen King’s The Shining.
This ad lists all the stores that were still in business in September, 1986. Woolworth’s was still hanging in there in ’86, but. alas, looks like Wrangler Wranch had reached the end of the trail.
Jim Parr
Dedham Tales 