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Quincy, MA: 5 Items Found Inside a Time Capsule

melfrommass — Sat, 12 May 2012 16:01:57 +0000

Wikipedia.org says that Quincy, MA was “named after Colonel John Quincy, maternal grandfather of Abigail Adams and after whom John Quincy Adams was also named.” Knowing that Abigail Adams was the wife of John Adams, reading that made my brain hurt.

After 12 minutes of scratching my head, I finally understood that John Adams married Abigail Adams, and they had a kid and named him John Quincy Adams after Abigail’s mother’s father, John Quincy. The town itself is named after Abigail’s grandfather. Math! Check out archives.com for a comprehensive (John) Adams/(Abigail) Smith family tree.

Historians have said that John and Abigail Adams wrote many letters to each other during the American Revolutionary War, and these letters form an eyewitness account of the war. Abigail was so active in politics that many people called her “Mrs. President.”

On June 17, 1775, during the Battle of Bunker Hill, Abigail and her son, John Quincy Adams, watched the burning of Charlestown from Penn’s Hill. One hundred and twenty-one years later, the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) created the Abigail Adams Cairn to commemorate this.

Abigail Adams Cairn • Quincy, MA

Here’s where it gets interesting. The DAR put a time capsule in there, which was only just discovered four years ago when a construction company was restoring the monument because it was no longer structurally stable. These five items were found inside the soldered-shut shoebox-sized copper box:

The Sons of the American Revolution’s book, Libertas et Patrai
2¢ newspapers such as Boston Post, The Boston Traveler, and The Quincy Daily Ledger
Invitations
A scroll signed by DAR members including Abigail Adams, a descendant of Abigail and John Adams
A poem by Elizabeth Gould called “To the Memory of Abigail Adams,” which was read at the cairn’s original dedication

Sadly, Abigail Adam’s diary was not among the treasures. Check out The Patriot Ledger’s video of Quincy officials opening the time capsule:

There was certainly no shortage of plaques on the cairn, in case you were lost or uncertain of its history and meaning.

Abigail Adams Cairn • Quincy, MA

Another year later, in 2009, The Patriot Ledger reported what was inside the replacement time capsule:

Flash drives with scans of the 1896 time capsule’s documents
Current photographs with aerial views of Quincy
Copies of The Patriot Ledger newspaper that reported the time capsule’s discovery

I wonder what will happen in another 120 years?

Abigail Adams Cairn • Quincy, MA

Avon, MA: Curiosity and Melancholy

melfrommass — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:01:13 +0000

Something about weathered signs makes me wonder about the work that went into the landmark, what everything looked like when it was new, when the upkeep stopped or would stop. I always experience a wistful feeling — curiosity lined with a vague melancholy. John J. DeMarco Park in Avon, MA was only built in 2004 but there’s a sign standing there that looks older than its age.

John J. DeMarco Park • Avon, MA

It appears that the grounds had an orphanage standing on them in the early 1900′s. The funny thing is that the sign doesn’t really fit in with the rest of the park. Perhaps it was already there when the park was built?

John J. DeMarco Park • Avon, MA

A couple of years ago, the park’s fate was up for debate when the town was thinking about replacing it with new police and fire stations. Being that this site is the town’s only remaining open space parcel, citizens were understandably upset. I think it’s so important to conserve what little open land is left. The town needs better stations, but find somewhere else for it.

John J. DeMarco Park • Avon, MA

Oxford, MA: Number One or Number Two?

melfrommass — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 14:20:20 +0000

Much like Webster, there isn’t much to see in Oxford, MA. My family lived there for a couple of years and I do have fuzzy, disappointing memories of being there for some college breaks. My sister would say that’s where all the gangs are.

When there isn’t a whole lot to see in a given town, I default to Googlemaps. Specifically, where are the blue spots?

Number One Pond • Oxford, MA

Number One Pond is located just outside Oxford’s Rod & Gun Club. I happened to pull into their very full parking lot just as everyone was leaving a…meeting? Is that what they call it even though there are guns involved? Pardon my ignorance. My timing was pretty bad for this sort of thing, but no one from the gun meeting yelled at me or told me that I wasn’t supposed to be there. Maybe I look like a gun carrier.

Would you like to wager a guess as to what was across from Number One Pond?

Number Two Pond • Oxford, MA

There weren’t any decent vantage points for Number Two Pond, mainly because I could see some work vehicles parked in what might have been a good spot for photos. Oh well.

Number One.

Number Two.

And that, my friends, is the circle of life.

Webster, MA: Lake Chaubunagungamaug

melfrommass — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 18:00:05 +0000

I once heard via Twitter that Lake Chaubunagungamaug was the longest place name in the US. So, a few months ago, I packed my car — meaning, I grabbed my wallet, camera and sunglasses — and went to take a look-see at Lake Choochoobrownchickenbrowncow in Webster, MA. It’s a long name, obviously, so a lot of people just call it Webster Lake. Thanks, @BostonTweet, for that wonderful piece of information!

Lake Chaubunagungamaug • Webster, MA

It was extremely cold because I thought it would be cool to visit yet another lake in the month of February. Well, it wasn’t cool — it was cold. Freezing. Are you even reading this? When reading about anything related to Massachusetts, you’re likely to come across the Algonquin Tribe a lot. The water’s namesake comes from the Algonquin language, Nipmuc, meaning “Fishing Place at the Boundaries — Neutral Meeting Grounds.”

Lake Chaubunagungamaug • Webster, MA

My bladder was super full, kind of like it is right now, so I didn’t stay too long. Also, it was really cold. Do you see what a real adventure this was? I hope so!

Lake Chaubunagungamaug • Webster, MA

Wareham, MA: Excitement, Wonder and Discovery

melfrommass — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 13:01:58 +0000

In the spirit of “finding buildings that are no longer in use but not actually going inside of them,” my friend Jill and I drove out to the Tremont Nail Company site in Wareham, MA this past weekend. Created in 1819, the Tremont Nail Company is the longest-standing manufacturer of steel-cut nails in the nation.

I should explain that, although the photos below appear as if these buildings were abandoned, the company does still exist. It got a new home in Mansfield, MA just six years ago. The town now owns these still-standing structures, keeping up the mills.