Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, Wakefield, Mass.

Items

• South Main Street, circa 1930
  "The Atwell High School, built in the early 1920's, was the site of the former Cyrus Wakefield estate. At the rear of the school was a tennis court, football field and baseball diamond. The Wakefield Theatre was opened in 1916 in the Appleton Building by Charles W. Hodgdon, owner of the Premier Theatre (later the Princess Theatre) on Mechanic (Princess) Street. The theatre closed in 1972. L.B. Evans' Son Co. Shoe Manufacturer building was built in 1893 with additions in 1903, 1911 and 1920. The building and the company were sold in 1979. The Elizabeth E. Boit Home for Women was established in 1894 and is located at 5 Bennett Street (far left, near the center of the photo.) Additional information about the Boit Home is provided elsewhere. The Henry F. Miller Piano Company moved to Wakefield in 1884 to a six-story building behind the former Town Hall at the corner of Water and Smith Streets. The company manufactured pianos at the site until 1929 and relocated back to Boston in 1932. Wakefield Town Hall was built during the late 1860's after Cyrus Wakefield presented the town with a donation of $30,000 and a building lot in 1867 for the purpose of erecting a soldiers memorial hall. The town hall was dedicated on February 22, 1871. The building was destroyed by fire and was subsequently razed in 1958." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• South end of Lake Quannapowitt, August 1948
  "This photo was probably taken when a Tydol dirigible, formerly used by the US Navy, flew over the area in August 1948. The blimp was east of Wakefield when the pilot changed his course to the northwest to fly over the north ward and the head of the lake, along its shoreline and over the common where it circled back and left the area. The blimp was in the area for three weeks and was operated by the Tide Water Associated Oil Company to advertise 'Flying A Gasoline' with its slogan 'A Whale of a Deal.' The 254' blimp featured a 200' animated whale on one side that was made up of 4,500 light bulbs. The whale 'swam' in an ocean of 2,000 light bulbs, flapped its tail and spouted water. There were a total of 11,500 lights attached to both sides of the blimp. During the day, the blimp's advertisement featured painted signs that measured 37' high by 178' long. Prominently featured in the forefront of the photo is Hills Boathouse, which was razed in 1964 part of the former Morrill-Atwood Ice Company (then the Metropolitan Ice Company), razed in 1960 and the bathhouse, built in 1940 and moved to the Forest Glade Cemetery in 1994." - Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Donofrio.
• Sons of Italy, Water Street, July 4, 1922
  "Members of the Sons of Italy, Lodge 359, were among the representatives of fraternal groups that participated in the annual Fourth of July Parade sponsored by a special committee of the Chamber of Commerce. The two mile parade began at 10 a.m. and was held despite threatening skies that later postponed the highly anticipated $1,000 fireworks display. The parade divisions included military, fraternal, industrial, automobile, and horribles. Musical accompaniment was provided by Gallo's Band, Teel's Band, Waltham Watch Company Band, Chapman's Band, St. Joseph's Band, and the Wakefield Fife and Drum Corps. In addition to the Sons of Italy, fraternal organizations included the Holy Mary del Carmine Society, The Moose, Knights of Pythias, Odd Fellows, Hibernians, Eagles, and the Elks, all of whom wore 'special effects.' The Italian societies turned out in large numbers, wearing regalia and carrying banners. The money for the 1922 parade was raised by popular subscription. Because there were showers in the early morning, the parade committee was able to collect $1,000 in insurance, even though the parade went on as planned. The Executive Committee of the 4th of July parade committee of 1922 voted in May 1930 to give the surplus money to the Tercentenary committee and 4th of July parade committee of 1930." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Settlers' Day procession
  "As part of the 250th Anniversary of the 'Settlement and Incorporation of the old Town of Redding', a procession through several streets began on Main Street and traveled up Sweetser Street to Pleasant, Park, Main, Yale Avenue, Railroad (North Avenue), Chestnut, Park Avenue, Dell Avenue, Converse, Gould, Albion, Railroad, Chestnut to Main Street where the procession passed in review before Governor Frederic T. Greenhalge. The procession included dignitaries from throughout Massachusetts, followed by four divisions of marchers, barges and wagons. Among the participants were more than 1,000 school children, occupying 30 barges, and local tradesmen and businesspeople. The extensive list of participants does not mention the group pictured. A letter to the editor in the Wakefield Daily Item a few days later mentions the lack of recognition for the Town's Indian heritage. Just 15 years later, Wakefield's Wahpatuck Tribe 54, Improved Order of Red Men received its charter and eventually became the largest tribe of Red Men in the state. The name originated from Chief Wahpatuck, Sachem of the Massachusetts Indians, who was killed in 1669 while on a raid against the Mohawks. With a membership of over 250 in 1944, the Red Men had what members referred to as their wigwam at 33 West Water street." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Santoro's Cafe, 1935
  "Santoro's Cafe (as spelled by the establishment) at 502-504 Main Street in 'lower' Wakefield Square, opened in mid-1934 as a 'clean and orderly establishment,' a place where a man could bring his wife, sweetheart, or sister. In January, 1935, proprietor Michael Santoro took over the adjoining store, made it a 'neat, clean and attractive' annex with 12 cozy booths, one of which was big enough to accommodate 10 to 15 people. This annex was reserved solely for ladies, and was decorated in a tropical theme with soft colored lights, palm trees, beautiful wall paintings, a smooth dance floor and a melodious three piece orchestra. The caf??, which opened just one year after the repeal of Prohibition, advertised that all drinks were properly mixed by an expert bartender and all liquor regulations were observed." - Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Donofrio.
• Rosson's Quannapowitt Grove, circa 1910
  "Located at the northern end of Lake Quannapowitt, Rosson's Quannapowitt Picnic Grove and Boat Livery may have been a stop along the Wakefield and Stoneham Street Railway system's Lakeside Route. Moxie, first sold as a soft drink in 1884, was prominently featured on the front of the building. Moxie outsold Coca-Cola until the 1920s. In 1910, the Town was taking action to buy most of the land at the north end of the Lake, from Rosson's Grove to the Boston Ice House, and to use funding from the Metropolitan Park Service parks program. In October 1910, Town representatives and the Park Service 'tramped through the marshes at Rosson's Grove' to contemplate the validity of making a road connecting North Avenue and Main Street." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Rosson's Quannapowitt Grove, circa 1899
  "According to Town of Wakefield Polls and Estate Tax records of the 1890s, Rosson's Boat Livery was located at 19 Lowell Street at the head of the Lake. Although the 20-acre lakefront property was referred to as the Charles P. Rosson estate, the taxes were assessed to Emma Rosson. In 1895, the Rosson property included a dwelling house, 20 acres of land, 25 horses, cows and swine, barns and a shed. By 1899, the property list also included a boathouse and a shop. The boathouse and picnic grove hosted many community events including fireworks and a dance on July 3rd, 1900 to celebrate Independence Day. Canoes and rowboats were also 'at the disposal of the patrons.' An advertisement of the same time noted that C.P. Rosson's Quannapowitt Grove was open to the public for pleasure and picnic parties with boats and canoes for rent or sale. Also referred to as Rosson's Quannapowitt Picnic Grove, the property was near the Reading Citizens Ice House owned by E.E. Nichols and Son of Reading, an ice company that sold ice only to Reading residents. The icehouse was reported to be located where Col. Connelly Park now stands." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Richardson Light Guard, Richardson home, Main and Richardson Avenue, 1877
  "The Richardson Light Guard marched to the home of the late Dr. Solon Richardson in full dress, which may have been prior to the 'mammoth military pageant' in Boston to honor President Rutherford B. Hayes on June 26, 1877. The Richardson home at the corner of Main and Richardson Avenue was built in 1817 and immediately occupied by Dr. Nathan Richardson and his family, including his son Solon, who was instrumental in the founding of the Richardson Light Guard. The house faced Main Street and had extensive land between Main Street and North Avenue. The land was divided during the late 1890s and the house was moved to the corner of Foster Street and Richardson Avenue. Following the death of Solon Richardson, Jr., the house was sold and was purchased by the jeweler, H.S. Sorenson. It was also home to the Colonial Inn. The Richardson Building, a commercial building, was erected on the original site of the house on Main Street in 1901." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Removing the street railway tracks, July 1949
  "According to published reports, the town was to receive more than $42,000 in Chapter 90 funds from the state's Highway Department to rebuild and resurface Main Street, from the Common south to the Greenwood School. To enable the work to be done at one time, the town 'put up' an additional $10,000 for the work, and the state agreed to give the 1949 and 1950 Chapter 90 fund allotments at one time. The project was estimated to cost $52,000. Work on the section from the Common to Water Street was done by S. Rotondi & Sons. The company used a 60-ton digger to rip up the old trolley car rails that were buried under the old macadam. After being ripped out of the old paving, the rails were piled on the side of the center excavation and removed by S. Casper & Sons, the 'junk dealers' who were awarded the $12 per ton bid. The works also included putting in granite capstones to cover a center drain that ran down the middle of Main Street, and the removal of two fire cisterns in front of the library and Lane's Drug Store. The cisterns were used to hold water for fighting fires before the town had its own water system. The broken macadam, gravel and old paving blocks were used to fill in the old skating rink at Hall's Park." - Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Donofrio.
• Reception parade for Company A, August 25, 1917
  "Thousands of Wakefield residents, business owners and their employees turned out for the welcome parade for the boys of the Richardson Light Guard Company A who returned home from training in Ayer on Saturday, August 25, 1917. Less than 24 hours later, the soldiers were on their way back to Ayer where they would soon be off to war. After their arrival at the Center Station on Water Street was heralded by the 'old Military call on the fire alarm,' Company A disembarked from the train on the factory field side and formed in line with the Special Committee on Public Safety. Led by the committee president Charles E. Walton and a platoon of police under the Chief Pollard as escort, the parade was greeted by cheering crowds as they marched up Water Street to the square, up Main Street to Avon Street, where they turned and proceeded to the Armory. They disbanded only to return to the State Armory for an informal reception for the soldiers and their 'lady friends' later that evening. The following day, 'long before 10 a.m.,' crowds again began to gather in Wakefield square for the 10:30 a.m. sendoff parade which left from the Armory and proceeded to the Common, down Chestnut Street and to the Upper Station where the 'wives, parents, sisters, brothers, sweethearts and friends bid tearful farewell to the boys in khaki.' The expenses associated with bringing Company A to Wakefield and entertaining them was borne by the members of the Fine Members Association of the Richardson Light Guard, an association comprised of civilians who each paid annual membership dues of $3. The association decided to fund the reception rather than hold its annual banquet." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Rattan factory
  "The rattan industry, brought to South Reading by Cyrus Wakefield, was more than just a manufacturing operation. It is the reason Wakefield is what it is today. Founded by Mr. Wakefield in 1856, the Wakefield Rattan Company was at one time the largest employer and taxpayer in the town and was the reason why so many workers moved to South Reading. The employees of the plant were required to work a 55 hour week during the company's most productive period. This, however, was changed in 1917 to a 50 hour week, or 9 hours per day. The Wakefield Rattan Company factory was located on 11 acres on the north side of Water Street and earned a reputation for its rattan furniture, railroad car seats, trolley car and bus seats, baby carriages, cocoa mats and matting. The Wakefield Rattan Company was absorbed by the Heywood Brothers of Gardner in 1897 and subsequently became known as the Heywood-Wakefield Company. The industry remained strong until 1931 when changes in the economy and furniture styles resulted in the dismantling of the Wakefield plant and consolidation of the operation into the Gardner plant. What could have been dealt a fatal blow to the town was averted when the Heywood-Wakefield Company had the foresight to rent portions of the buildings to small companies and industries. The result was a thriving industrial establishment with several smaller and diversified industries, many of whom flourished during World War II. The industrial complex was the victim of fire, once as the Heywood-Wakefield Company in 1881, the other as the Robie Industrial Park in 1972. The industrial park now houses several businesses and is relatively small compared to the once thriving hub of the town." -- Text from calendar.
• Quannapowitt Yacht Club, Linda Road, circa 1948
  "The first mention of a Quannapowitt Yacht Club appeared in a news article in April 1895, which stated that a group of men gathered at the home of Will H. Wiley to organize the club, elect officers, and adopt a constitution. Its purpose 'shall be the promotion of rowing, canoeing, and sailing and the encouragement of sociability among its members.' Anticipating great interest in the club, membership was offered at a fee of $2.00 and was limited to 100 people. Little mention is made of the yacht club from the early 1900s to 1912 when another reorganization meeting was held, again at Mr. Wiley's home. With a fee of $5.00 and no annual dues for the first year, the Quannapowitt Yacht Club revised the former yacht club constitution and bylaws on May 17, 1912. The club had three classes of boats with a cup awarded in each class after a seven-race series. Interest in sailing on Lake Quannapowitt fluctuated during the next two decades, with renewed interest in 1931, and again in 1936. On April 26, 1936, a reorganization meeting was held at Hill's Boathouse and a charter was written, modeled after the Boston Yacht Club charter. The club's red, white and blue triangular shaped pennant was adopted in 1938. In 1940, a new charter was written and the Quannapowitt Yacht Club was incorporated. Although plans for a permanent home for the club were initiated in 1942, it wasn't until spring 1947 that club members towed their floats from Hill's Boathouse to a site 'near the old Boston Ice Houses,' on property owned by club member Wendell Vidito. The club subsequently purchased the 9000 sq. ft. property on Linda Road for the sum of $1100 and a 12' x 20' club house was built near the beach. It was built so that it could be moved or added to in future years. On Memorial Day, 1948, after the members dug the foundation by hand, the clubhouse was moved to a concrete foundation on a hill. Additional land was purchased in 1953, and in 1961 the present clubhouse was built, with a porch added in 1971." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'On
• Purrington Power Sprayer, circa 1900
  "The Purrington Power Sprayer was built in Wakefield by E.I. Purrington, Machinist, in his shop on Centre Street (near Main Street.) The sprayer was used for pest control and tree spraying, as well as for the spraying of gypsy moths. The machine was horse-drawn, with the driver seated at the top. The machine was used not only in Wakefield, but in area communities by individuals who were hired to spray. In addition to the Power Sprayer, Mr. Purrington's newspaper advertisement showed he was a 'jack-of-all-trades': 'automobiles, gas engines and machinery, bought, sold and repaired, pattern and model making, machine work of all kinds in wood or metal.' He also built many homes in Wakefield." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Pumping station at Crystal Lake, 1905
  "For more than three decades, there was substantial discussion and debate regarding domestic water supply to the town of Wakefield. In 1872, a group of concerned citizens petitioned the legislature to charter the Quannapowitt Water Company to give the provate company the right to take water from Quannapowitt and Crystal Lakes with the tributary waters which flow into them. The bill was hastened by the fact that the cities of Lynn and Boston had made preliminary examinations of the lakes for the purpose of adding them to their own water supplies. The town of Stoneham challenged the bill, and it was later amended to include the neighboring town. After several years of inactivity, Wakefield residents authorized a contract in 1882 with the company for 60 hydrants at $50 each per year, for a total of ten years. The same arrangement was made with Stoneham in 1883. In April 1883, a contract was signed with a Springfield company to build the water works and lay pipes in the two towns. Work progressed quickly, and the company began supplying water to the town from Crystal Lake on December 1, 1883. The works consisted of a pumping station with two large pumps capable of pumping three million gallons in 24 hours, a boiler house, pipe factory, coal shed, stable, superintendent's house and a large iron standpipe (with a capacity of 563,000 gallons) which was built on the highest point in Stoneham. In 1883, the company changed its name to Wakefield Water Company and on December 2, 1903, the town aquired the company and all its rights, pipes, hydrants, plant and equipment through an act of the legislature." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Proctor family, circa 1899
  "The Proctor family moved to the Town of Wakefield from Maine when Edward Everett Proctor took a job with the newly created Municipal Light Department. The family took up residence on the western part of Chestnut Street. Among family members pictured in the buggy: (back row) Edith Proctor (who later married Henry Miller of the Henry F. Miller & Sons Piano Company), Hattie Proctor and Grace Otis Proctor. (Front row): Arthur Proctor, Edward Otis Proctor (who later served as Assistant Attorney General under Massachusetts Governor Paul Dever) and Edward Everett Proctor." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Princess Theatre, circa 1944
  "The Princess Theatre opened for business on Mechanic Street (later Princess Street) on October 5, 1912 under the ownership of Charles W. Hodgdon. The building was previously used for storage and once housed a mattress factory owned by Thomas E. Staples. Using equipment he purchased from the owners of the former Premier Theatre, Hodgdon began operations and by 1914, the Princess theatre was showing moving pictures as well as presenting 'drama.' During that time, state law required five minutes of music or vaudeville for every 20 minutes of film to avoid a harmful effect on the eyes from the flicker of the film (so-called for the jerky film sequences). It is reported that W.C. Field [i.e. Fields] and Fred Allen appeared at the Princess on their way to stardom. Hodgdon leased the Wakefield Theatre in 1916, keeping it open throughout the year while closing the Princess Theatre during the summer. Since theatres could not have commercial showings on Sunday, several local organizations, civic groups and other associations were given special permits to sponsor one Sunday movie each year. On March 14, 1930, Wakefield residents voted 1225-1173 to allow commercial showings on Sunday, with each program to be approved weekly by the Board of Selectmen. A blanket approval was granted on February 6, 1934. In 1938, the Princess Theatre underwent a complete remodeling and modernization, making it one of the most beautiful and finest theaters in the area. The Theatre reopened in October, 1938, with 'Letter of Introduction' starring Edgar Bergen, Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd. The Princess Theatre was closed for a short time during World War II due to 'lack of employees' only to reopen six weeks after the end of the war. At the time, a two-feature move cost $.35 per ticket. The Princess Theatre was air conditioned in 1946 and Cinemascope was added in 1955. The Theatre was razed in June 1971 to make way for the Princess Plaza, a three-story professional office building." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Princess Theatre, 1914
  "More than 150 people were turned away from the 8 p.m. showing of 'The Last Days of Pompeii' the 'longest and best-ever' film presented at the Princess Theatre. All but the first two rows of seats on the floor of the 1000 seat theatre were taken during the afternoon showing. Many in the audience had never been in the theatre, and most had never seen anything but the 'ordinary run of motion pictures.' According to an article in the next day's paper, the audience had 'their eyes opened to the real greatness of the photo-play industry. Especially thrilling were the scenes showing the chariot races, the lion's den and, capping the climax of all, the realistic eruption of Vesuvius and the mad flight of the inhabitants.' The performance of Boston's Tremont Temple soloist Mme. Wilhelmina Wright Calvert was said to be 'superfluous'." - Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Donofrio.
• Postman on Main Street, 1931
  "Before the town's first post office opened in 1812 on Main Street, private citizens returning from the Charlestown Toll House delivered mail to a central location. In 1854, Postman Samuel Kingman built a new post office at the corner of Main and Albion Streets. It was Kingman who introduced mail delivery to the community when he stood outside various churches on Sunday to deliver mail to the intended recipients. Rural free delivery was introduced to the United States in the 1890s as an experiment to deliver mail to farmers and others living outside urban areas, and parcel post became law in 1912 with service beginning in January 1913. The mail truck in the picture encouraged savings while the Postman made his rounds. In 1910, an Act of Congress established a postal savings system in post offices designed to encourage savings, especially for immigrants who were accustomed to saving at post offices in their native countries, and to furnish more convenient depositories for working people, since many post offices were open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., six days a week. By 1929, $153 million was on deposit, reaching $1.2 billion during the 1930s. Savings jumped again during World War II, peaking in 1947 at almost $3.4 billion." - Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Donofrio.
• Post Office, Albion Street, April 1, 1924
  "After more than 20 years in the Richardson Building on Main Street, the Post Office moved to a new home at 9 Albion Street, between the Kingman and Caldwell Buildings, in 1924. When the Post Office opened for business on April 1, 1924, customers had to walk around the temporary shelter at the front of the building while construction workers finished the second floor. The Wakefield Item noted that the two-story brick structure 'presents a business-like compact and neat appearance from the outside with a revolving, four-sided door in the center. It is flanked on either side by mullioned windows.' The new building provided 2,000 square feet of working space, while the old quarters had 1,100 square feet of space. The lobby measured 26' x 13.5' with parcel post and general delivery windows to the right 'almost in front of the door'. An emergency general delivery and stamp window was located around the corner, open only in 'times of rush, such as Christmas. The call boxes of more approved types than the ones in the old building' were located to the left. Behind the window partitions were the rooms used by the carriers to sort the mail. At the rear of the building was the loading room and the platform, the entrance for which was from Chestnut Street. It was noted that the entrance would be available when the 'bank building is completed.' The carrier could wheel his routing cart beyond the swinging doors to the platform. The basement, 'known in the postal parlance as the swing room,' contained the carriers' lockers and equipment, as well as lavatories and a washroom, which were not quite fully installed in time for the opening. The Post Office occupied the building until January, 1937. The Wakefield Municipal Gas & Light Department bought the building in 1943." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Post Office, Albion and Main Streets, 1894
  "The Post Office was among the many public and private buildings and homes which were decorated for the Town's 250th anniversary celebration in 1894. The building was draped in the national colors, with a large portrait of George Washington at the center of the building's facade with the words 'Welcome' placed above the entrance. The 'stately building' was built in 1860 by Davis and Bryant under the guidance of postmaster Samuel Kingman. A tailor by trade, Kingman was a member of the Board of Selectmen and was the town's representative to the Massachusetts Legislature. Although a member of the democratic party, the town's minority party, his election in 1850 was attributed to to a coalition of the 'Free Soil Party' with the anti-slavery element of the democratic party. He was also a lieutenant in the Richardson Light Guard and a commander of a military company, the Washington Rifle Grays. He was appointed as South Reading's sixth postmaster in 1853 and, when the town changed its name in 1868, he was reappointed as Wakefield's first postmaster. He retired from the position in 1873, and has been credited for the first free mail delivery in the community. The Kingman block remained in the Kingman family until it was bought by the Middlesex Traders, a local citizen-based realty investment organization, in June 1895. The building housed the post office until 1901 when it moved to the corner of Main Street and Richardson Avenue. It has also been home to the Richardson Light Guard, the Ancient Order of Hibernian Hall and the Red Men's Hall." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Police department
  "The 1935 Wakefield Police Department had 13 regular officers patrolling the streets of Wakefield under Chief James J. Pollard. The force included the chief, two sergeants and ten patrolmen. To effectively protect the citizens of Wakefield, their annual operating budget for that year was $35,000. Today, over 50 years later, there are 12 commanding officers and 35 patrolmen on the Wakefield Police Department. John G. Gates and George B. DeRoche were the first Sergeants appointed to the Wakefield Police Department. Sgt. DeRoche was then promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, making him the first Wakefield police officer to attain the rank. Today, the 12 commanding officers include 1 Chief, 4 Lieutenants, and 7 Sergeants." -- Text from calendar.;Captions: 1. The 1940 Wakefield Police Department - (front row, left to right) James F. Hartnett, John A. Peterson, Sgt. Merritt Wenzel, Lieut. George B. DeRoche, Chief John G. Gates, Sgt. Walter E. Peterson, James A. McFadden, Joseph A. Preston, Eugene McDonnell. (second row, left to right) Joseph Fazio, Eugene Hathaway, John J. Mahoney, Peter Quinn, Harold Maloney, Morton B. Griffin, Winslow Smith, William Jack, Charles Sullivan. (third row, left to right) John E. Martin, Raymond J. Beane, Edwin M. Rowe, George Sheridan, Ernest J. McWhinnie. -- 2. Wakefield's first ambulance. -- 3. Wakefield Police officers Edwin Poland, left, and Jim McFadden.
• Pleasure Island,circa 1959
  "Pleasure Island, 'New England's biggest family amusement center" opened on June 22, 1959. The 80-acre site was located off Route 128, adjacent to what is now Audubon Road (formerly Pleasure Island Road). Formerly swampland, the area was converted into a 'dramatic and colorful entertainment park' in a record four months. In addition to the dredging, pile driving and installation of utilities, engineers created an inland sea four feet deep which accommodated a variety of sea creatures. This included the famous fiberglass and steel Moby Dick which was created by a special effects studio in Hollywood. Attractions also included the Strange House, Pirates Cove, Wreck of the Hesperus, The Chisholm Trail, the Old Smokey Line (with a restored Greenwood B&M Station), panning for gold at Goldpan Gulch, and the Diamond Lil gay-nineties show at the saloon. The park also included an 'authentic' 150-year-old New England whaling village and a western frontier town. According to published reports, several sites were initially reviewed, but the Wakefield Industrial Park was selected because of the amount of acreage under water, its proximity to Routes 1 and 128 and other major highways, and its potential to attract industry to the area. The opening weekend featured a press-only party attended by 5,000 invited guests on Saturday, and a charity benefit which attracted another 2,000 people on Sunday. More than 13,000 people were turned away during the weekend after radio and TV announcements erroneously reported the general public opening. Pleasure Island employed 400 people when it opened. The park closed in 1969." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Pleasure Island, 1959
  "This year marks the 50th anniversary of the opening of Pleasure Island. In this picture, a pirate boat heads toward Pirate's Cove, complete with its tree house, fort and pirate, as the Pleasure Island and Western Railroad train makes its way to the old Greenwood train station. The train was operated and run by Edaville Railroad. Pleasure Island was billed as Boston's equivalent of Disneyland. Bill Hawkes, president of ChildLife Magazine, and executives at Cabot, Cabot & Forbes, oversaw the project. Hawkes met with C.V. Wood, the first general manager and Vice President of Disneyland, and was said to have agreed to collaborate with Hawkes to build a Disneyland of the East. The company hired many former Disney employees to work on the project. In October, 1958, Pleasure Island, Inc. announced its plans to build a $4 million family amusement center in Wakefield. Pleasure Island opened on June 22, 1959." - Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Donofrio.
• Pleasure Island
  "Dubbed by its owners in the late 1950s as the 'Disneyland of the East Coast', Pleasure Island was a fantasyland for children of all ages. Although it was in operation for less than a decade, thousands of local youngsters and their parents passed through the gates to ride on 'Old Smokey', the Pleasure Island and Western Raildroad and spend the day watching the shows and riding the amusements - over and over again! For the price of admission ($2.25 plus tax for 'grown-ups' and $1.75 plus tax for children under 12), everyone could take rides on the Wreck of the Hesperus, Continental Carousel, Moby Dick Hunt, the Skyscraper Slide, the antique cars in the Horseless Carriage Land, Pirate Cove Adventure, and see the shows throughout the day at the Show Bowl, Magic Land, the Chisholm Trail, and Indian Village. Children could also pet the animals at Baby Animal Land, Monkey Island, and even take a burro ride through 'the Old West.' There was something for everyone at Pleasure Island - food pavilions, shopping areas for souvenirs, and big name entertainment at the Show Bowl. Many youngsters had the opportunity to see Ricky Nelson, the Lone Ranger, Rin Tin Tin and Lassie, to name only a few. Today the site where Pleasure Island once stood is now home to several office complexes. The area is dotted with an apartment complex and several industrial and commercial buildings." -- Text from calendar.
• Pitman estate, 840 Main Street, Greenwood, 1923
  "Known for many years as 'Brookside,' the Pitman Estate was located at 840 Main Street in Greenwood across from Cooper Street. The house was owned by Lawrence J. Pitman who was for many years associated with his father, Ezekiel Pitman, in the merchant tailoring business in Boston's Dock Square. Although a critical illness forced Lawrence to retire from active business at the age of 35, he recovered and lived to the age of 89. Mrs. Pitman was the former Euphronia J. Whittemore, a resident of Greenwood sicne the age of 14. 'Brookside' was said to have one of the largest and finest private residences with some of the most attractive grounds in Wakefield. His son, Richard, operated the Brookside Greenhouses in Greenwood until he died in 1925. After Lawrence's death in November 1925 at Woodland Rest, a private hospital on Linden Avenue, the estate was left to a distant relative and was said to be in a state of disrepair when it was razed in 1945. The land was developed into a 20-house subdivision by Ralph Morel of the Morel Building Trust of Greenwood." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Pine Street, 1910
  "Although there was a Pine Street off Cedar Hill (Fairmount) Avenue in 1875, this Pine Street may have been in the village of Greenwood, off Pitman Avenue. According to the Wakefield Street List of 1910, many Pine Street property owners were listed as residents of other communities, including Charlestown and Boston, and several homes were listed as having New Hampshire owners. The majority of Greenwood Village was deeply wooded, with many streets, or lanes, the width of an oxen cart. Like other sections of Wakefield, the population of Greenwood rose significantly after 1845 when the railroad began operating through town. Verbal history records note that there were 20 families in Greenwood in 1862 in 1895, there were said to be 601. Maps of the period show roads without names." - Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Donofrio.
• Perkins Block, October 9, 1940
  "Located in the Perkins Block at the south corner of Main and Albion Streets, Bonney & Dutton's Old Corner Drug Store was owned by Riberot Dutton until 1940 when it was purchased by clerks Albert LeBlanc and George H. Logan. At the same time, plans were made to demolish the 3 1/2 story wooden building to construct a modern one-story business block by the building's new owners: Crystal Realty Corp. Part of the property which faced Main Street was not affected when the remainder of the building was razed because that part of the building had been completely altered and rebuilt with fireproof materials as a single store by the First National Stores. The upper stories were not used for commercial purposes for many years, the last occupant being the photographic studio of A.C. Saunders on the third floor. The second floor was used used for storage and laboratory purposes by Bonney & Dutton. During construction, Bonney & Dutton's drug store was open for business at 14-18 Albion Street, the former site of the Spero Bros. furniture store. The Charlie Chin Hand Laundry occupied a one-story ell in the back of the Drug Store, but relocated at 20 Albion Street before the building was razed. When the building was completed, the drug store occupied the former laundry space. The building later housed the Ames Rexall Drug Store until that store was destroyed by fire in March, 1974. Plans for the modern office building now at the corner of Main and Albion Streets were started in July, 1974." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Peaceful Main Street
  "Appropriately titled 'Peaceful Main Street,' this photograph shows downtown Wakefield as it looked in 1898. The photo was probably taken from the top floors of the Perkins building at the south corner of Albion and Main Streets." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Park estate, corner of Bennett and Main Streets, 1893
  "Built somewhere between 1875 and 1888, this home operated as a boarding house in 1893. The house was purchased in the fall of 1895 by a committee of five who represented the Wakefield Home for Aged Women, and organization that received its charter in April 1894. The first annual meeting of the Wakefield Home for Aged Women was held in Union Hall in the spring of 1895. The meeting was attended by a large number of members of the corporation who heard from the officers that in one year, their treasury had grown to $6,108.92. Action was also taken regarding an offer made by Dr. Charles Jordan on a lot of land on Converse Street, 'as a suitable location for the Home.' Although the generosity of the offer was noted as 'highly appreciated,' the members thought it best not to accept it. Later that year, the Town of Wakefield accepted Dr. Jordan's offer for the lot of land on January 18, 1896, and built the Warren SChool in 1897. A special meeting of the corporation was held on September 5, 1895. A vote was taken to open the home within months, and a committee was selected 'with full power to buy or hire an estate.' The committee included Mrs. Joseph Morton, Miss E.E. Boit, Mrs. T.J. Skinner, Mrs. E.A. Carlisle, and Mrs. Maria H. Murdock. On February 1, 1896, all four applicants had been approved by the managers, and the first residents moved into the Wakefield Home for Aged Women on February 8, 1896. A dedication ceremony was held on February 17, 1896" -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Panorama of Wakefield, 1949
  "This panorama of downtown Wakefield was taken from the Harts Hill fire tower in 1949. The steel tower, perched 40' above the summit of Harts Hill was erected in the spring of 1913. Wakefield's ownership of the Harts Hill area, said to be named for Dr. John Hart, occurred in 1901 when the Town of Wakefield voted to take title of the 23 acres, with the stipulation that it be 'forever kept open as a public park and reservation.' The Town also voted to purchase the Flint estate at a cost of $5000 with the Metropolitan Commission offering an additional $5000. Eight 'public-minded' citizens purchased and gave to the Town eight properties and one acre not included in the Town's original purchase. In 1924, Park Commissioners voted to keep the playground at Harts Hill." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Opening of Route 128, August 1951
  "During the 1920s and 1930s, Route 128 consisted of a series of streets which formed a circumferential route from Hull to Gloucester. Wakefield's Route 128 ran along Albion Street, North Avenue, Water Street, Vernon Street, New Salem Street, and Salem Street where it connected to Lynnfield. The idea for a 'circumferential highway' that would connect radial routes around Boston came from Massachusetts Department of Public Works Commissioner William F. Callahan in 1934. Because of the Depression, he could do little more than create a patchwork of existing roadways. A change in administration in 1939 left the project uncompleted in Danvers, until Callahan was reappointed as a DPW Commissioner in 1949. The project was re-christened as the Yankee Division Highway. The Federal Highway Act of 1944 paid for half the cost of the new MA 128, while state and local governments paid the rest. In its original design, the highway was to have four 12-foot lanes (two in each direction) separated by a 24-foot wide grassy median. In 1951, Massachusetts DPW completed a 22.5 mile stretch of MA 128 from Wellesley (MA 9) to Lynnfield (US Route 1 and MA 129). The new section connected the Lynnfield to Danvers section which was built in the late 1930s. The route was extended to the north from Danvers to Gloucester in 1953, and to the south from Wellesley to Dedham in 1955. The highway extended to the Braintree-split, connecting it to the Southeast Expressway in 1958, and to the Rockport rotary in 1959. By the time it was completed, the Yankee Division Highway was said to have cost $63 million in construction and right-of-way expenses. The job was awarded in seven sections. Callahan traced the roadways through farms, fields and wetlands to avoid the center of town. The official opening of the highway featured ribbon-cutting ceremonies in Waltham, Burlington, Woburn and at the Main Street overpass in Wakefield with Governor Paul A. Dever, Highway Commissioner Callahan, and Traffic Engineer Edgar Copell. A dinner for 800 state officials, members of the legislature, contactors [sic], town and city officials, and others was held at the Suntaug Inn, Lynnfield." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Open and covered delivery wagons, Cutler Brothers, Main and Lincoln Streets, 1885
  "In the autumn of 1875, Nathaniel Everett Cutler and his brother, David C. Cutler, leased a portion of the lower floor of the Wakefield Building for their 'modern' grocery and grain business. Cutler Brothers opened for business in April, 1876, and subsequently earned a reputation for being 'the finest and best equipped modern grocery store in this part of Massachusetts.' Among the products sold at Cutler Brothers were hay, grain, seeds, paint, oils, crockery, hardware and fertilizer. By 1891, business was so extensive that additional space was required. Nathaniel Cutler, the sole owner of the business at the time, purchased a lot of land on the southeast corner of Main and Water Streets. He erected a three story building with a floor area of 28,000 sq. ft., into which he moved his grocery and grain business. Cutler Brothers Grain Mill & Elevator was destroyed by fire after being struck by lightning on July 6, 1911." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Old Home Week, Wednesday, August 15, 1934
  "Wakefield's first Old Home Week was sponsored by the Wakefield Chamber of Commerce during the week of August 12, 1934. Activities included special church services, a flag raising ceremony, exhibits by the Historical Society and the Arts and Crafts Society, a products and mercantile show, sporting events, a water carnival on Lake Quannapowitt, band concerts and an historical pageant. As a Wakefield holiday, factories and stores were asked by the Chamber of Commerce to close at 12 noon on Wednesday. All factories which closed at noon blew their whistles for two minutes to indicate the opening of Wakefield Holiday at Walton Field. Between 5,000 and 7,000 people attended the day's events which included 45 exhibit booths staffed by local merchants and manufacturers, and a host of field events. More than 600 children and adults participated in athletic events which included an adult horse shoe competition, track and field championships (50 yard dash, 220 yard dash, 360 yard dash, shot put, running broad jump), hose coupling contest, push ball contest, the 'official welcome home of P.R. Osperity', baseball (Wakefield A.A. vs. Twilight League), Drum Corps Prize Competition, Indian Corn Dance, and the presentation of cash awards which ranged from $15 to ten $1 awards." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Officer Joe Preston, Corner of Main and Mechanic (Princess) Streets, 1926
  "Patrolman Joseph Preston was a member of the permanent force of the Wakefield Police Department for 37 years. Although he was first appointed as a permanent officer by the Board of Selectmen on June 12, 1913, Patrolman Preston had been a member of the force for many years prior to that. He had the distinction of being Wakefield's first motorcycle officer in 1914, driving a Harley Davidson motorcycle rented from Albion Street dealer Charles Martin. Joe Preston was one of 12 children. In 1921, his brother James, also a member of the Wakefield Police Department, was the first Wakefield officer killed in the line of duty. His brother, John Preston, served as Town Counsel and was one of the town officials who attended Joe's retirement party at the Town Lyne House in November 1943. In a letter to Joe upon his retirement, the Selectmen noted: 'No black marks are on your record in all the years of your service, and your fairness and impartiality towards all whom you came in contact with speaks for itself.'" - Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Donofrio.
• Office force, carriers and sub, Wakefield Post Office, 1892
  "The first 'regular' post office in Wakefield was established in 1812 in a small building on Main Street. John Rayner served as the town's first Postmaster. In 1852, or soon after his appointment, Postmaster Samuel Kingman built a new home for the post office at the corner of Main and Albion Street, now known as Bourdon's Block. According to Wakefield history, Postmaster Kingman also initiated the first 'free delivery' of mail in town. Each Sunday morning he went to the post office and took some mail to various sections of town. There he waited for the churchgoers and presented them with the mail he carried in his hat. The post office was later moved to the corner of Main and Richardson Streets, to the building at 9 Albion Street (now home of the Wakefield Municipal Light Department), and to its present home at the corner of Main Street and Yale Avenue." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Odd Fellows Building, Main and Avon Streets, 1923
  "This three-story structure was built at the corner of Avon and Main Streets in 1895 for John Flanley, a prominent furniture dealer and real estate owner. The building, 'one of the largest and best blocks in town,' was built in the Italian Renaissance style and was originally trapezoidal in shape to fit on the lot. The Souhegan Lodge No. 38, Independent Order of Odd Fellows purchased the building on February 9, 1918 from Flanley's family, with a dedication held on June 25, 1918. At the time, the land and building were assessed at $20,000. From the date of purchase until the dedication, the Odd Fellows made extensive changes and improvements to the third floor to 'make the hall and anterooms suitable for fraternal purposes.' The second floor remained in use as office space, while the first floor was occupied by stores. The Odd Fellow's purchase of the building was the culmination of several years of plans 'extending over a period of years to acquire larger and more modern quarters.' Ten years earlier, the organization bought the 'old John Henry Eaton estate on Albion Street, next to the former Atherton grocery', but later decided it was unsuited to their uses. The lodge was instituted in 1844, with objectives of good fellowship and benefits to members and their families. The Odd Fellows building suffered extensive damage in a January 24, 1997 fire. It was subsequently purchased, rebuilt and restored by The Savings Bank." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• North corner of Main & Center Street, 1894
  "The building which housed the J.W. Poland Co. dry goods store (in the corner) and Quannapowitt Club (on the second floor) was decorated for the Town's 250th anniversary celebration. Known as the Gould Block, the building 'appeared in tasteful and brilliant array, under direction of the occupants.' In addition to a parade, other anniversary events included a concert by the Salem Cadet Band at the 'pagoda,' games and sporting events at the common, 'historical, literary and memorial exercises' attended by ticket holders at the Town Hall, a fireworks display near the southerly shores of Lake Quannapowitt, and the exhibition of historic articles and relics at the Guild Hall in the Wakefield Block." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• North Avenue, 1898
  "Taken in 1898, this photograph of Railroad Avenue (now North Avenue) depicts what much of the area across from the railroad station looked like until the 1940's. Pictured, from left to right, the old Walton homestead, George L. Teague's store, the Gilman Drug Store (subsequently Nat Eaton's Drug Store), and the Thorndike Market. The stores were decorated for the departure of the Co. A, 6th Regiment which left Wakefield for the Spanish American War. The flag was raised in May, 1898. It was reported that before the flag was raised, a dummy of Spanish General Weyler was 'pulled to the peak and blasted to pieces with shotguns and revolvers using live ammunition.'" -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Municipal Light Department
  "The Wakefield Municipal Light Department, as it is known today, was formed as a result of a vote of Wakefield citizens at the Annual Town Meeting on August 1, 1894. Because of their dissatisfaction with the Citizens' Gas & Light Company of Reading, South Reading and Stoneham, the citizens voted to purchase the plant, land and all the manufacturing equipment of the firm at a cost of $180,000. At the time of its founding, 18 people were employed by the MLD and the three member Board required to oversee the operation was established. The MLD's progress continued throughout the next three decades and in 1923, an influx of 446 customers brought the total number of electric meters in town to 2,800, compared to the 10,000 meters in use today. Prior to the 1950s, electric current was only generated during the evening hours and the only appliances used in homes throughout the town were irons and fans. Streetlights were extinguished each night at 1 a.m. due primarily to the cost of generating electricity. The MLD, at the time, paid 1.9 cents per kilowatt hour, it was delivered at a cost of 5.6 cents and sold to the customer at 12 cents. But progress soon came to town and Wakefield became the first suburban community in New England to leave its lights on throughout the night. In the mid-1960s there were 8,533 electric meters in use. The cost of generating the electricity was considerably lower than the pre-1950 prices: the electricity cost the MLD 1.23 cents, it was delivered at a cost of 2.1 cents, and sold to the customer at 2.3 cents with a low step residential rate of 1.4 cents (net). Today, 54 men and women are employed by the MLD." -- Text from calendar.;Captions: 1. Christmas lights adorn downtown Wakefield in 1940. -- 2. The Wakefield MLD crew, 1920.
• Montrose Station, 1915
  "Located on Salem Street between Walton Street and Wiley Street (now Montrose Avenue), the Montrose Station served patrons of the Salem Branch of the Boston and Maine Railroad, first built as the South Reading Branch Railroad. Maps indicate that the tracks ran behind the rattan factory and Newhall Court where it crossed Montrose Avenue near the Salem Street end. The station was located in the area across from what is now Audubon Road. In 1848, a group of investors received a charter to build a railroad from South Reading (now Wakefield) to South Danvers (now Peabody). From there, the South Reading Branch had obtained rights to use two miles of track owned by the Essex Railroad to reach Salem. This South Reading to Salem route officially opened in mid-1850, taking business away from the larger Eastern Railroad which offered service from Salem through Lynn to East Boston, requiring passengers to take a ferry into Boston. The South Reading Branch enabled passengers to disembark at the Centre or Junction Stations in South Reading to take the Boston and Maine Railroad directly into Boston. Intense rivalry between Eastern and B&M led to Eastern's purchase of the majority of the South Reading Branch Railroad stock in 1851. The legislature subsequently required Eastern Railroad to buy all the stock and run a certain number of trains each day for many years, mostly at a financial loss. The competition between Eastern and B&M resulted in each line constructing branch lines to raid each other's markets, eventually leading to Eastern's bankruptcy in 1875 and B&M's lease of the entire Eastern system by the mid-1880s. The railroad from Wakefield Junction to Peabody made little sense because it paralleled the Newburyport line, which also traveled through Wakefield, and riders preferred cars and street railways to the train. The Lynnfield Community Bus Line also traveled through Montrose, as it continued to do until the 1970s. By 1925, only 60 passengers rode the trains daily, leading to the B&M's petition to abandon the line. Permission to abandon the line was granted by the Interstate Commerce Commission in November 1925. The last train arrived in Salem at 6:38 p.m. on Saturday, January 2, 1926. The tracks were removed in 1927." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Montrose Chapel, Salem Street, circa 1895
  "The Montrose Chapel was located on the south side of Salem Street near the intersection of Lowell Street. Local history reports that the extreme easterly portion of Wakefield realized the importance of having religious services within its own area. As a result, meetings of a 'religious nature' were held in the schoolhouse and were conducted by various laymen from nearby churches. A 'union Sunday School' was started in 1873, gaining the attention of the YMCA who supported the school, as did other laymen from town churches. A 'society of ladies' was formed in 1877 with the building of a chapel in mind. A chapel society was created in 1881, and four years later, $1400 had been raised for this purpose. A lot of land was deeded to the society by Mr. and Mrs. Henry Stowell, with the stipulation that it be used as a place of worship for Evangelical Christians. The debt-free chapel was dedicated on April 28, 1886, thanks to a number of outside donations. he chapel held Sunday school and services which were conducted by members of different denominations. The Montrose Chapel also housed the Montrose Branch of the Lucius Beebe Memorial Library from 1946 to 1981. It is now a private residence." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Miller Piano Company
  "Wakefield was home to several thriving industries during the mid to late 1800s, one of which was the manufacturing plant for the Henry F. Miller Piano Company of Boston. The building which housed the Miller Piano Company was built in the early 1870s, the same time the Taylor Building at the corner of Lincoln and Main Streets and the former Town Hall (razed in 1958) were built. The piano company moved into the building at Water and Smith Streets in 1884 and manufactured pianos for its Boston showroom until 1929. Because of the decline in piano use after World War I, the company was forced to discontinue the piano line and later produced a high quality line of furniture. The building was purchased by William T. Curley, Sr. in 1930 and remained in the family for several years. After the Miller Piano Company moved from Wakefield, the building housed several businesses including an antique shop, furniture stores, several shoe manufacturing concerns and was eventually used for storage. The building was razed in June 1960 to make way for the Surety Bank and Trust Company. The site is now occupied by the local branch of BayBank Middlesex." -- Text from calendar.;Captions: 1. The company ceased manufacturing pianos for the Boston showroom in 1929. The building was still standing in 1940, but housed several ither businesses until it was razed to make way for the Surety Bank and Trust Company. -- 2. Today, the land is occupied by BayBank Middlesex.
• Mike's Bob Shop, 1935
  "The 'bob' was a blunt haircut for women that was level with the bottom of the ears all around the head. The bob, made popular in the 1920s, was a dramatic change from the long feminine hairstyles usually worn by women during the Gibson-girl era of the early 1900s. The haircut was so popular that hairdressers found it necessary to embrace the style after losing customers to barbers. According to the Washington Post, bobbed hair started a new industry, referred to as the beauty industry. The number of 'hairdressing shops' in the United States increased from 5,000 in 1920 to more than 21,000 established shops and several thousand more 'transient' shops in 1924. After they became more skilled and comfortable with the bob, hairdressers introduced more sophisticated cuts, including the waved and shingled styles popular in the 1930s. Mike's Bob Shop claimed to be among the first in the area to introduce the 'new styles in hair-dressing.' Bobbing led to other hairdressing adornments, including the invention of the bobbie pin." - Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Donofrio.
• Middlesex Cycle Club, circa 1890
  "Cycling was a popular sport in the late 1800's, as seen by this photograph taken at 617 Main Street. It appears that most of the members of the Middlesex Cycle Club rode three-wheel cycles and tandems (a bicycle built for two). Through the 1890's, bicycles sold for an average of $100 to $125, causing many people throughout the country to save their money to buy one. This prompted one desperate hat maker to try to persuade Congress to pass a law requiring every bicycle owner to buy at least two felt hats a year. The bicyle provided a form of recreation that men and women could enjoy together." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Methodist Church, Albion Street, 1927
  "The landscape of Albion Street was quite different when the Methodist Episcopal Church occupied a site on the street, east of the railroad tracks. Organized on June 4, 1865 with a membership of 26, the congregation held services in the vestry of the Universalist Church on Main Street until the Albion Hall (at the corner of Albion and Foster Streets) was purchased in 1870. After three years of continued growth, a new site was purchased further west on Albion Street in 1873. The building was completed and dedicated in February of the following year at an expense of $25,000. According to published accounts, the church edifice occupied a 'prominent and central' position on Albion Street. From one corner rose a 'graceful spire 130 feet. A vestry provides room for the Sunday school and social meetings. It is the home of a prosperous and growing religious body, recognized in the community as earnest and aggressive in the support of moral and religious movements.' Other reports indicate that the vestry and kitchen were 'below stairs' and the building itself was of Swiss timber construction adapted to 14th Century Gothic outline. The steeple was struck by lightning three times: 1916, 1917 and again in 1926. During the Hurricane of September 21, 1938, the church's newly rebuilt chimney crashed through the roof's east corner and fell inside, damaging part of the auditorium and balcony. The estimated $3000 damage did enough harm to structurally weaken the building, resulting in the building being condemned and subsequently torn down by the Mystic Building Wrecking Co. on October 11, 1938. The church conducted an auction of bricks from the church chimney to finance the campaign for funds to rebuild the church." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Meriam Street, early 1900's
  "This house on Meriam Street in Greenwood was the home of John Kidney Ferris, left, his second wife Sara (Duchess) Ferris, standing next to him, and his daughter Eleanor Hutchinson Ferris, third from right. Eleanor later married into the Greene family. A larger dwelling which was built by a Capt. Newcomb occupied the site until it was destroyed by fire. The house was later rebuilt by Mr. Ferris." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Members of Post 12, Grand Army of the Republic, 250th Anniversary Parade, Settlers' Day, Monday, May 28, 1894
  "Wakefield residents were awakened on Settlers' Day by dynamite salutes and the ringing of bells. Soon after, the streets of Wakefield were filled with carriages, bicycles, horsemen and a moving 'throng' of men, women and children in gala costumes, all of whom waited for the parade, the first event of the day. The line of march for the grand procession was taken up near the Wakefield residence on Main Street (site of the Atwell School and Junior High School complex). The Governor of Massachusetts, Frederic T. Greenhalge, attended the celebration and participated in the procession as it traveled along the parade route: Main Street to Sweetser, Pleasant, Park, Main, Yale Avenue, Railroad, West Chestnut, Park Avenue, Dell Avenue, Converse, Gould, Albion, Railroad, Chestnut to Main Street. The parade participants, many of whom either rode in a carriage or on a float, passed in review before the Governor and other invited guests opposite the Town Hall on Main Street. Parade participants included civic and fraternal organizations, school groups (including 25 barges containing 1200 school children), volunteer hose companies and fire departments, and merchants. Municipal and state officials, invited guests and military groups preceded the five divisions. Forty members of the H.M. Warren Post 12, under the direction of Commander Stephen W. Lufkin, rode on horseback with bugler Walter Hunt. The remaining participants rode on the float with Quartermaster A.D. Merritt. The float contained a cannon at each corner and was appropriately decorated with flags and bunting." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Map of Wakefield, 1889
  "A map of Wakefield, produced in 1889, shows the streets of Wakefield, some of which have changed names during the past century. North Avenue was once Railroad Avenue, and Princess Street was Mechanic Street. In 1880, the population of Wakefield was 5,547. In 1890, the population jumped to 6,982 and by 1900, the census numbered 9,260. The total value of real estate in 1889 was $3,823,400 ($1,390,825 land and $2,432,575 buildings). The value of real estate and machinery of corporations was $731,050. The Town Report of 1889 noted that there were a total of 2,693 taxpayers in Wakefield: 1,489 of whom paid taxes on property, and 1,204 of whom only paid a poll-tax. Poll taxes of $2 were paid by a total of 1,945 Wakefield residents in 1889." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Map of Wakefield, 1875
  "The 1875 map of Wakefield features large estates, streets and landmarks, as well as railroads and town boundaries. Several of the streets have been renamed since 1875, including Brown Street (now Spring), Wiley Street (now Montrose Avenue), and Railroad Street (now North Avenue). There was a Pine Street off Cedar Hill Avenue (now Fairmount Avenue), a Spring Street off Water Street, and a Charles Street off Chestnut Street. The map also features the Newburyport and South Reading Railroad lines and their stations." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Major James H. Keough & Captain George W. Chesley
  "Two Wakefield men attained international prominence during their lifetimes as two of the most famous rifle shots in the world. Major James H. Keough and Captain George W. Chesley both won countless trophies and achieved world records for their proficiency with rifles. Major James H. Keough was born in Southbridge in 1864 and later moved to Wakefield. In 1888 he joined the Richardson Light Guard, Wakeield's military company and served through the Spanish-American War as a quartermaster and musician. He was later commissioned as a captain and was recalled to active duty in World War I. During this time he served as an instructor in rifle practice at Camp Perry. His achievements in rifle shooting span a period of over 40 years. Some of his most distinguished accomplishments include high man of the US team which won the international rifle match in England in 1903 high man of the US team which won a similar match in 1912 in Canada member, captain and coach of the Massachusetts state rifle team from the mid 1890s to 1912 holder of many world records including two at a New Jersey rifle range in 1908 and 1910 which gave the national championship to the Sixth Massachusetts Infantry of which Old Company A of Wakefield was a member a world record of 499 out of a possible 500 at 600 yards in England in 1910 in a match among American, English and Australian teams. At the age of 74 he made a perfect score at 200 yards enabling his team to win a Spanish War Veteran's championship of New England. Major Keough won hundreds of trophies over the years, several of which were donated to the Lucius Beebe Memorial Library. He also donated $2500 to the library for the purchase of books and magazines pertaining to rifles and rifle shooting. He was the owner and operator of the Crescent House prior to his death in 1946. Born in Providence, Rhode Island in 1873, George W. Chesley and his family moved to Wakefield in 1874. Captain Chesley joined the Richardson Light Guard and served during the Spanish-American War and World War I. During the World War he was captain in the ordnance department and an instructor in rifle camps throughout the country. He was highly regarded by his comrades in the Richardson Light Guard for his disposition as well as his rifle skills. He won numerous trophies in state, New England and national tournaments as a member of the Massachusetts Militia and the Connecticut National Guard. He, along with Major Keough, had the distinction of winning more trophies and breaking more records than any other men who served in the Massachusetts Militia. Captain Chesley's countless achievements include breaking the world's record at 1200 yards; making 45 of 50 bullseyes in 1909; making 25 consecutive bullseyes at 1000 yards in the New England shoot in 1909; scoring 224 of a possible 225 at 800 yards in 1913 as a member of the Winchester Arms Company of Connecticut; and a consistent winner in the New England Military Rifle Association tournament in which the best shots in New England competed, winning more than a half dozen of the individual matches each year. He passed away in 1923 at his 637 Main Street home." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Maj. Suell Winn home, Elm Street
  "The Suell Winn House, at the corner of Elm and Winn Streets, was built around 1813 on the site of the homesteads of Capt. Richard Walker and Ebenezer Damon. Walker, one of Reading's first settlers, was the soldier and surveyor of the original settlers and the captain of the first training band. Born in 1610, Walker was allotted 200 acres by a 1638 grant by the General Court and was one of 32 settlers listed in the land map of 1647. Damon was reported to have built his home before 1775. The extensive land holdings of Samuel Winn were divided by the railroad in 1844. Winn was killed while crossing the railroad tracks near his home following a Town Meeting where he voiced his opinion about the need for a safeguard at the crossing. The home was later owned by Town Historian, Edwin Purrington, and his family." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Main Street, Wakefield, spring, 1934
  "The new 1934 automobiles which were featured in the General Motors Exhibit in Boston paraded through downtown Wakefield as part of the promotional activities prior to the show. To encourage the sale of the new car models, exhibits were held in large cities throughout the country including New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Detroit, and Chicago. The Boston exhibit was held at the Boston Garden from June 4th through June 11th. According to newspaper reports, General Motors planned to produce a record 100,000 'units' in 1934, up from the 38,000 automobiles produced the previous year. The exhibit which traveled through Wakefield must have attracted considerable attention, as evidenced by the students who watched from the windows of Wakefield High School, at left." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Main Street, Wakefield in 1887
  Image from the Wakefield Municipal Gas and Light Department annual calendar, 1990
• Main Street, Wakefield
  Photo courtesy of the Payro family and Louis Picardi.;"Lucius Beebe, author of 'Boston and the Boston Legend' and 'High Iron', a book about railroads, penned an article for the 1939 issue of 'House and Garden'. In this article, he spoke fondly about the history of the Beebe farm and the Town of Wakefield. He described Wakefield as 'twelve miles north of the Boston Stone on the western division of the Boston and Maine Railroad. (In 1840,) it was a rural community with its squire on the hill, its horse trough in the public square, its Main Street, Railroad Street and Mechanics Street, its common surrounded by various approved Protestant churches, its bandstand where the Richardson Light Guard's band achieved approximate harmony two evenings a week in the summer and its Lake Quannapowitt dotted with modest pleasure craft.'" -- The same area is now the Rockery. -- Text from calendar.
• Main Street looking south, circa early 1900s
  "This street scene on Main Street was photographed near Chestnut Street. The buildings, at right, include a fish market, the Kingman Block, and the Perkins Block. The Perkins Block housed the Old Corner Drug Store, which was established in 1845 by Dr. Joseph Mansfield and William Willis. Josiah Bonney became a partner with Dr. Mansfield in 1885, eventually becoming the sole owner, and the store was known as Bonney's Drug Store, with its slogan, as noted on the sign, "The Best is as Good as Any." Riberot Dutton, a former clerk, joined him as an owner in 1906, and the name was changed to Bonney & Dutton." - Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Donofrio.
• Main Street looking north, circa 1916
  "The east side of Main Street near the Rockery has housed many businesses and residences since the mid-1800s, as well as the Universalist Church, now the Unitarian-Universalist Church. In 1858, this section of Main Street included the Eben Wiley house (pictured at the left of the church), Henry Knowles Dry Goods Store (with the Town's first dentist, Dr. Cogswell, occupying an office on the second floor), a grocery/dry goods store that later burnt down when the Old Yale Pumper was at a muster, and Edward Mansfield's dry goods store. In 1916, the area looked much the same as it did in 1858, although the Universalist Church had been moved back, the four massive pillars removed, and a steeple and a front portion added. A new chain store, Gavin Bros. Store, opened its fifth store at what was 390 Main Street in 1916, and offered prompt delivery by auto truck. Gavin Bros. ads boasted that all stores were stocked from large orders bought at the lowest wholesale prices. On Wednesday, August 2, 1916, over 500 people traveled by electric street railroad to attend the 7th annual Merchants and Business Men's Association's outing at Salem Willows. Activities included field sports for men, a baseball game which pitted firemen vs. traders, bowling matches, band concerts, dancing, theatre and roller-skating. The streetcars returned at 6 p.m. The majority of Wakefield's downtown merchants, including McMaster, Thayer, Verge, Boothby, Taylor, Hodgdon, Dolbeare, Curley and Bowser were instrumental in planning the outing. The newspaper was not published that day." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Main Street Junction, Main Street & North Avenue, 1940
  "Located at 591 Main Street in the Junction area of Wakefield, the Curley Brothers fuel and grain company started operations in a building near the Wakefield Junction Railway Station, subsequently moving to enlarged quarters when increased patronage and sales necessitated a change. The company became incorporated in January, 1939 as Curley Grain and Fuel Company. The business was owned by William T. Curley, Sr. owner of several significant parcels of real estate in the area, inlcuding the Miller Piano building, Traders Block, Curley Block (Main and Mechanic Streets), Eastern Mass. Street Railway Company car barns on Water Street, Hathaway Stables, as well as several residential properties. Curley Brothers Grain and Fuel Company manufactured Crystal poultry, rabbit, dairy and horse feed, and Crystal dog food, as well as ground corn, wheat, oats and barley. The company also handled building supplies, shingles, roofing paper and paints in addition to 'Williams Oil-O-Matic' America's leading oil burner. To round out their diverse product line, Curley's also sold New England coke, Blue coal, cement, flour, and fuel oils. The building had several fires throughout the years including one in 1947 which destroyed the coal sheds, and another in 1957 which affected the grain elevator. The last fire occurred in 1969 when a general alarm blaze began in a sub shop which was located in the center of the two-story section of the wooden building." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Main Street at Lawrence Street, circa 1890
  "This photograph looks south toward downtown, capturing a piece of the lower Common and Lake Quannapowitt. The unpaved road leads toward Salem Street. Pictured on the Common is the bandstand, erected in 1885 and the brick firehouse that was moved from the Common in 1891." - Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Donofrio.
• Main Street and Rockery, circa 1909
  "Proposed in 1883 and built in 1884, the Rockery was erected as part of the $10,000 bequest from Cornelius Sweetser and through private donations. A Parks Commission was created by the Town to oversee the project which included the laying out of the common and the building of the bandstand. The grotto-like structure, with its pyramid of rocks surrounded by ivy, shrubbery and a fountain, was proposed by Parks Commissioner James H. Carter. An attempt to remove the Rockery failed in 1898. The tablet at the front of the Rockery was donated by 'one hundred of the townspeople' in 1909. The watering trough was erected in 1892 and was removed in 1921. The YMCA, at left, was built in 1908 at the site of the former home of Burrage Yale and the Thomas Emerson & Sons Shoe Manufacturers." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Main Street (east side) looking toward Water Street, 1940
  Image from the Wakefield Municipal Gas and Light Department annual calendar, 1996
• Main and Avon Streets, circa 1921
  "In 1916, 1,200 Wakefield residents contributed a total of $12,000 to buy the land to build a new public library. Soon after, Junius Beebe donated an additional $60,000 to build the library in memory of his father, Lucius Beebe. According to the 1917 Town Report, the Library Building Committee and Mr. Beebe decided to postpone the project due to the unsettled conditions in the business world and the high cost of building materials. The money was put into the Wakefield Trust Company. Other members of the Beebe family made generous donations to the fund by the time the building was erected, it was said that the fund had risen to more than $200,000. Progress was made in 1919 when Town Meeting voted to accept the deeds of Edward Mansfield and the Cushing family, both of which were already in the name of building committee treasurer Arthur Evans, and Mrs. Hickok. John White deeded an additional tract of land at 361 Main Street, at the north of the lot, to the Town in 1921. His lot was later used for the Post Office. The project was delayed again, until 1921 when the building committee selected its architects, Cram & Ferguson, and work began. It appears that the committee wanted to save on demolition costs the sign on the building read: 'This building is being torn down by New Eng. Contracting Company, building wreckers. All materials offered for sale on the premises.' The cornerstone for the new building was laid on March 17, 1922. The new library was dedicated on April 15, 1923." - Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Donofrio.
• Mail and communications room, American Mutual Life Insurance Company, 1958
  "The opening of the new Route 128 in 1951 led to the development and relocation of businesses along the highway, including the Boston-based American Mutual Life Insurance Company. Formerly located at 142 Berkley Street in Boston, the company began negotiating with the Town in 1954 to construct its $2 million home office along the shores of Lake Quannapowitt. The company opened its new building in October 1958 with more than 1,000 employees. The home office served four regional offices which were located in Los Angeles, California White Plains, New York New York, New York and Upper Darby, New York along with 90 branch offices scattered throughout the country. In 1958, the Mail and Communications Room was staffed by (from left) Communications Supervisor Eileen Tillman, Mailroom Supervisor Phil Sheehan, unknown gentleman, John Neiss, Sterling Chapman, Jack Callahan, John Frazier, and Paul Sheridan." - Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Donofrio.
• Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, January 1934
  "After more than 50 years at the Wakefield Town Hall at the corner of Main and Water Streets, the library moved to a new home in April, 1923. The town's first official library was established in 1856 at the old Town House on the Common. Soon after the Town Hall was built, the library was moved and renamed the 'Beebe Public Library' after a $500 donation from Library Board Chairman Lucius Beebe. In 1916, $12,000 was raised by local residents, many of whom were children, to purchase the land at Avon and Main Streets. Junius Beebe subsequently donated the funds to build a new library in his parent's memory. Construction on the library was delayed until the end of World War I. An addition to the original building was completed in September, 1969." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Lowell Street Station, 1929
  "At one time, Wakefield had six railroad stations, servicing the three branches of the Boston & Maine Railroad: the Main line, the Salem branch, and the Danvers-Newburyport branch. The Lowell Street station accommodated the latter branch. The extension of the Boston and Maine Railroad from Wilmington to Boston in 1845, placed the Town of Wakefield on the main line, eventually leading to an increase in population and status as an important railroad center. The later construction of the Danvers-Newburyport Railroad and the South Reading Branch (the Salem Branch) through Wakefield brought residents closer to other parts of the state and New England. In 1894, the three branches of the railroad attracted over 1,500 riders to and from Boston each day. Forty trains passed through Wakefield daily. Usage dropped off in the early 1920's, and in 1924, there were 20 incoming and outgoing trips daily. This lead [sic] to an announcement in December, 1924 that the Boston & Maine would abandon 76 miles of 'unprofitable tracks, 30 of which were in Massachusetts.' Service from Wakefield Center station (Water Street) to Newburyport and beyond was targeted. The railroad company blamed the 'unprofitable mileage' on the fact that 'the system is a combination of many small roads constructed years ago' and 'the rapid development of the motor bus and motor truck and the extensive program of highway construction and improvement.' Service continued, and in September, 1925, the railroad company made another announcement that the Danvers-Newburyport line would be curtailed to one trip each way through Wakefield. At the time, the line had an operating loss of $106,000 annually. Opposition from other communities mounted and an agreement was made that two trips on the Danvers-Newburyport branch would be kept, leaving Newburyport at 6 a.m. and 7:02 a.m. (reaching Wakefield at 7:14 and 8:21 a.m.) and leaving Boston at 4:49 p.m. and 5:28 p.m. The only stops between Wakefield Center and Newburyport were in Georgetown and Topsfield. Several stations were closed along the way, including the Lowell Street and Lynnfield stations. B & M Transportation Company provided busses [sic] from Lynnfield to the Lowell Street station to Center Station to the present upper station. The passenger stations were retained for shelter purposes only." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Looking up to Albion Street, February 1, 1898
  "Wakefield residents and business people tried to get back to business following a January 31 - February 1st snow storm which dropped 14.3 inches of snow on the town. It had the distinction of being listed as one of the 'Great Storms of the Past', according to records from 1888 to 1935. In 1898, the street car companies plowed their tracks, and the Town plowed only the sidewalks. The streets were not plowed until the early 1920s. The street railway in Wakefield began operations in 1892 as the Wakefield and Stoneham Street Railway, from Wakefield Square to Farm Hill, Stoneham. The system expanded rapidly with lines to Melrose, Lynn, and Reading, eventually allowing travel by street railway to Lowell, Lawrence and Peabody. Its demise began in late 1918 when conditions deteriorated to the point where the lines were deemed unsafe. The original line was discontinued in 1929 and buses played a prominent role in transporting people to neighboring communities and beyond." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Lincoln School, circa 1896
  "These students appear to be in the first grade. The Lincoln School, now the site of congregate housing, was built in 1892." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Lincoln School circa 1910
  "The Lincoln School on Crescent Street was built in 1892 and was one of four schools built from 1883 to 1902. The Town Report of the year ending January 31, 1893, stated that 'according to Section 46 of Chapter 43 of the Constitution of the State, every town not divided into school districts shall provide and maintain a sufficient number of school houses, properly finished and conveniently located for the accommodation of all children therein entitled to attend the public schools.' Section 4 of Chapter 46 added that 'every child must be in school for at least 20 weeks of the year, from the time he is 8 until he reaches the age of 14.' When the Lincoln School opened at the beginning of the 1892-1893 school year, several changes were made to the 'Centre' schools: the Centre First Grammar School was transferrred from the third story of the high school building (it was determined that the third floor was not a suitable place for young children), and the Hamilton First Grammar School students moved from the Hamilton School to the new school (to relieve crowded conditions). The school was built on Academy Hill, with the two schoolhouses on the site moved to the west side of the lot. Town Meeting appropriated $50,000 in March 1891 and ground was broken in April. An additional $8,000 was approved in March 1892 for furnishings and to grade, fence, and improve the grounds and sidewalks. A vote was also taken at the meeting to name it the Lincoln School. When it opened, the school had 10 school rooms, two 'good' recitation rooms, a teachers' room and several minor rooms. It was noted that the building 'though plain, presents an imposing appearance, being well-proportioned and finely situated. It will be a credit to the town and to the architects, Messrs. Wait and Cutter.'" - Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Donofrio.
• Lilley Eaton home, corner of Main and Salem Streets, circa 1912
  "Erected by Lilley Eaton in 1804, this house at the corner of Main and Salem Streets was said to be by far 'the most imposing dwelling in the village and occupied a position which was then accounted the centre of population and business for the South Parish.' A shoe manufacturer until his early 30's, Lilley Eaton opened a country store in his home which he operated until his death in 1822. For three of those years, from 1809 to 1812, it was operated by T & A Evans. In 1813, Lilley Eaton opened the first temperance grocery ever kept in the town. As a 'pillar of the Baptist Church and Society' he furnished for many years, free of charge, a room in his house for the society to use for their religious, social and conference meetings. An unfinished hall on the third floor was used on Sabbath evenings and was known in the family as the Meeting Chamber. The house was also known as the 'Pilgrims' Hotel' because it was a 'general resort' of traveling clergymen, and other brethren and sisters of faith. His son, Hon. Lilley Eaton, was born in 1802. He went on to be instrumental in the town, serving as Selectman for 25 years, a member of the school board for nearly as long, Town Clerk for 20 years, Representative for seven years, Senator for two years, Justice of the Peace for 38 years, and a member of the Constitutional Convention in 1853. He was instrumental in establishing the Mechanic and Agricultural Institution. The house was torn down in 1913. " -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Library
  "In 1856, the residents of South Reading voted at the annual town meeting to establish the town's first official library. With an annual budget of $300 for both the purchase of books and the librarian's salary, the library's first 'home' was in the old Town House at the head of the Common. During the first six months in operation, 4135 books were borrowed by the town's 3000 residents. Then in 1868, the library was moved to the newly erected Town Hall at the corner of Water and Main Streets. After a generous donation of $500 from Library Board Chairman Lucius Beebe, the library was renamed the 'Beebe Public Library.' By 1909, the library was lending over 50,000 books per year. As a result, in 1916, over 1200 residents, many of whom were school children, raised $12,000 to buy a parcel of land at the corner of Avon and Main Streets to erect a new library. During the Christmas holidays that same year, Junius Beebe donated the funds necessary to erect a new library in his parents' memory. Construction on the library was delayed until the end of World War I and on March 17, 1922, the cornerstone for the Lucius Beebe Memorial Library was laid in place. The library was officially opened on April 16, 1923 and during the first year of operation the library lent nearly 115,000 books. In 1964, the library had again outgrown its quarters. The Board of Trustees requested and received an appropriation from the town's funds to finance the construction of an addition to the original building. On September 14, 1969, the addition was opened to the public. T oday the Lucius Beebe Memorial Library is an educational, cultural, and recreational resource for Wakefield residents of all ages. Residents may use over 80,000 books, records, and cassettes in the library's collection and have access to 400,000 more items through the computerized North of Boston Library Exchange (NOBLE). During 1985, over 180,000 items were lent to community residents. In addition to traditional library services, the library offers story hours, s;Captions: 1. The Lucius Beebe Memorial Library in its early stages. -- 2. Laying the cornerstone of the Lucius Beebe Memorial Library on March 17, 1922. -- 3. Library's Youth Room.
• Lane's Drug Store, 1950
  "Lane's Drug Store was located in the new business block at the corner of Albion and Main Streets during the early 1940s. The store was similar to today's drug stores that sell health and beauty products such as Vaseline and rubbing alcohol, along with sundry items like beach balls and ice trays. Formerly Bonney & Dutton, the drug store was razed and a new building erected in 1940 by its new owners, LeBlanc and Logan. The new Bonney & Dutton Drug Store opened in March 1941, only to be bought at auction by Himmel Drug of Lynn and Salem in January 1942. Lane's Drug bought the business in March 1944, with Ames Drug becoming the new owner in 1957." - Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Donofrio.
• Lakeside, circa 1912
  "This 1912 Model T Roadster is parked on Main Street near the Fitz residence at Lakeside. The car may have been owned by Dr. Joseph Heath, a resident and physician whose automobiles were frequently photographed in Wakefield, or to the Purrington family who also owned one of the town's first automobiles. The Fitz residence was built somewhere around 1894 by Peter S. Roberts, a retired Boston merchant, on the site that was once occupied by the home of John White, Sr., and Mary Eaton (White) Aborn. That house was moved to Aborn Avenue. After Roberts' death, his mansion was sold to David Slade, a spice manufacturer. Slade's daughter, Adeline F. Fitz, sold it to the Wakefield Lodge, No. 1276, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, in May 1914. It served as the Elks Home until 1956." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Lakeside Cemetery Chapel, circa 1932
  "The Lakeside Cemetery Chapel on North Avenue was built in the late 1930's, and, according to its architect, it was designed to be a 'beautiful and dignified' setting for funeral services. It was located on the 'spacious lawn, east of the new driveway, set back 100 feet from the highway.' Of English Gothic style with a slate roof, the chapel's exterior walls are granite faced in warm shades of color 'and laid in a coursed random pattern, together with dressed stone trim and stone tracery windows.' The building was designed to accommodate 100 people in pews with a wide center aisle. When built, the front of the chapel contained an altar which had a carved reredos (an overhanging shelf) with a gold banded blue velour curtain. A 'triple Gothic stone tracery window' filled with leaded glass was placed above the altar. An area for the organ was to the right of the chancel, separated by an open tracery screen, and to its right was a separate area for the family, away from the main chapel. Intricate details also graced the interior walls which were of gray buff brick, trimmed with dressed stone, and oak dado, paneling and floors. The floors in the vestibule were of heather brown quarry tile. Specially designed wrought iron lighting fixtures and hardware were located throughout the building, and the plumbing, heating and electrical systems were all 'modern.' Architectural reports of the time indicated that the 'chapel will meet a long-felt need and will be of increasing use and pride to Wakefield people for many years to come.' The rear of the building housed the cemetery superintendent's office." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Lake Quannapowitt, a changing landscape
  "It's hard to imagine Lake Quannapowitt without the office complexes and homes which dot the landscape. Yet it wasn't that long ago that the Beebe family home was one of the few homes on the lake's shore. The Beebe Farm was built in 1810 as one of the last works of Samuel McIntire of Salem. Originally built as a gentleman's farm, the house was purchased by Lucius Beebe, a prominent businessman who founded Lucius Beebe & Sons Leather Merchants (Boston), Lucius Beebe & Sons Lumber (Boston) and Lucius Beebe & Sons Cotton (New Orleans). The Beebe Farm boasted old-fashioned flower and vegetable gardens, along with over 100 milking cows, stable horses, truck gardens and acres of woodland. Today Beebe's Cove remains one of the most picturesque areas in Wakefield. The landscape of Lake Quannapowitt was altered in the mid-1950s with the construction of the American Mutual Liability Insurance Company. Officially dedicated in October 1958, American Mutual was designed by Chester Churchill and was warmly accepted by both townspeople and town officials. When it opened, the company employed closed to 1000 people. The building and its land was purchased in 1987 by the Beal Company who plans to redesign and rebuild the property." -- Text from calendar.;Captions: 1. Beebe's Cove today. -- 2. Beebe's Cove was named for the Beebe Farm, the only home in the vicinity for a number of years. A lone car rides along Main Street in the cove area in 1900. -- 3. Lake Quannapowitt has always provided hours of entertainment for local residents, as pictured in this 1930 photograph. Pre-American Mutual, residents were afforded an ample view of the Lake's shore. -- 4. Lake Quannapowitt has still retained its beauty throughout the years. American Mutual Liability Company provides a backdrop.
• Lafayette Building, Wakefield High School, 1907
  "Wakefield Town Meeting voted on April 3, 1871 to consider building a new high school to replace the South Reading Academy (site of the current Lincoln School) which had outgrown its usefulness. This task was assigned to a committee of five: Cyrus Wakefield, Lucius Beebe, Oliver Perkins, Richard Britton and George Packard. in May, Town meeting voted to purchase the old Prentiss property at the northwest corner of Lafayette and Common Streets. The property was once home to Rev. Caleb Prentiss, the seventh minister of the First Parish Congregational Church, who served from 1769 to 1803. The Prentiss house was moved to Traverse Street before the high school's groundbreaking in October 1871. The house fell victim to several fires over the years, and was eventually gutted by a fire. The high school was completed at a reported cost of $59,700 and was dedicated on October 10, 1872 in a ceremony presided over by J.S. Eaton, Esq. In his report to the Town in early 1873, School Committee Chairman Charles R. Bliss noted that the 'building, though larger than present needs require, will doubtless be none too large for our necessities in the future.' In 1900, the Town appropriated $15,000 to enlarge the school. The addition of 'six cheerful and commodious rooms to the old school building' was designed by Harland A. Perkins, an 1896 graduate of the school, and was completed at a cost of $12,000. The building remained as the high school until 1923 when a new school was built on Main Street. The building housed all eighth grade students, with the exception of the Greenwood students. It was renamed the Lafayette Builing and later referred to as the Junior High School. When the eighth graders returned to their neighborhood schools in 1936, control of the Lafayette building was transferred to the general use of the Town. The building was remodeled for municipal and veterans purposes in 1937 as part of a WPA project." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Ladies' Day at the Wakefield Elks Home, circa 1915
  "The Wakefield Lodge of Elks dedicated its 'handsome new home at Lakeside' on May 20, 1914. The festivities were attended by approximately 200 Wakefield and out-of-town members of the order. The festivities were led by Ex-mayor Charles Barton of Melrose, deputy grand exalted ruler of the district. Following the dedication ceremonies, the visiting officers were entertained on the third floor of the home, while the members and other guests retreated to the large stable which was later to become a lodge room. The Elks' Home was formerly the Fitz residence. The organization had its home on Main Street until 1956." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• L.B. Evans, Water Street, 1919
  "Lucius Bolles Evans began making shoes in 1831 at the early age of 12. He started his own shoemaking business in 1841 in a building at the rear of a dwelling house at 9 Salem Street. At the time, cutting and finishing were performed in the shoemaking shops the shoes were stitched and made into shoes in the kitchens of employees scattered throughout the town. Lucius' son, Harvey B. Evans, joined the business in February 1881, just three months before his father's death. The first factory was built across the street, at 8 Salem Street, in 1884. The company, L.B. Evans' Son, moved to Water Street in 1894, at the site of the Episcopal Church which had moved to its present location at the corner of Main and Bryant Streets. Harvey Evans' sons incorporated the company as L.B. Evans' Son Company in June 1905 following their father's death the previous March. The 12,800 sq. ft. factory was enlarged in 1904 (to 46,400 sq. ft.), and again in 1914 (to 67,400 sq. ft.). There were many more additions to the building over the years, the last in 1968, which brought the total square footage to 117,000 sq. ft. The company was best known for its slippers and casual shoes. L.B. Evans was sold in 1979 to the Anwalt Corporation of Fitchburg. Operations a the Wakefield plant began to be phased out in 1980, eventually closing in 1987." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• L.B. Evans
  "Early Wakefield was known as an industrial community, linked to the city of Boston by the Boston and Maine Railroad. One of the industries that flourished in the late 1800s and into the mid 1900s was the L.B. Evans Son Co. Shoe Manufacturers which was in operation until the early 1980s. The L.B. Evans Building was built in 1893, although the Evans family began making footwear in 1805 at home shops located throughout the town. The first real 'factory' was on Salem Street at the home built by Lucius Bolles Evans for his bride and was officially established in 1841. The Water Street factory built in 1893 measured 60' by 40', was three stories in height and employed 80 people. A 40' addition and a fourth story were added in 1903 with further additions made in 1911 and 1920. The company was once recognized as the oldest shoe manufacturing concern in the United States and the oldest industry in Wakefield. The company and its building was purchased by a Fitchburg Company in 1979 and the company slowly phased out its operation. Today the site is the home of Warner Cable Communications and the Wakefield Technology Center, an office complex with an underground garage." -- Text from calendar.;Captions: 1. The L.B. Evans' Son Company in 1933 was employed to thousands of Wakefield and Wakefield area residents. The company manufactured a complete line of shoes and men's slippers. -- 2. The site is now an office complex and has been thoroughly modernized.
• Kurrachee rugs, Wakefield Rattan Company, Arthur Dulong, driver, circa 1890s
  "Although the Wakefield Rattan Company was best known for first manufacturing rattan into skirt reeds and baskets, and later into cane for chair seats, chairs, car seats, cradles, flower stands and a host of other diverse items, the company also made rugs at the Water Street site. When Cyrus Wakefield bought the land on Water Street in 1855, just east of the Center Train Depot, the site consisted of a few small buildings, including Green's grist mill, and two mill ponds. The company continued to grow over the next two decades, factory buildings were added, and the Wakefield Rattan Company was organized in 1873, just a few months before Wakefield's sudden death. At the time of his death, the manufactories and storehouses covered an area of 10 acres of flooring, and more than 1,000 men and women were employed. Although the company lost many of its original buildings in a fire on March 12, 1881, the rebuilding was swift and the company continued to thrive. There were five main four-story brick factory buildings. Building number four was used exclusively for the weaving of rugs and mats, and for storing of dyestuffs. There were approximately 30 factory buildings on the 11-acre site during its heyday. the company merged with Heywood Brothers and Company and the Heywood and Morrill Rattan Company in 1897 and became known as the Heywood-Wakefield Company." - Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Donofrio.
• Junius Beebe's farm, 1908
  "Mr. Daley, foreman, and three of his workers, stand amid the 12-foot high cornstalks in the Beebe cornfield. It was reported that the corn grown on the farm was a perennial prize winner at the annual Reading-Wakefield Fair. Built in 1810, the Beebe farmhouse was designed as a 'gentleman's estate' for a member of the Forrester family of Salem. The house was purchased by Lucius Beebe in 1852. The farm, with its vegetable and flower gardens, milking cows and horses, flourished in the late 1800's and early 1900's under Junius Beebe's supervision. The eighth son of Lucius and Sylenda (Morris) Beebe, he was the first of their children to 'come into the world beneath the roof of the new homestead.' It was Junius who added considerably to the estate's acreage and increased its productivity." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Junction railroad station, circa 1907
  "The Wakefield Junction Railroad Station, the smaller of the two buildings, was, at one time, one of six train stations in town that serviced the Boston and Maine Railroad. The station was located near the intersection of Main Street and Railroad Avenue (North Avenue) and serviced riders on the Boston and Maine Portland Division. The tracks to the left led to the Upper Station where riders could travel all the way to Portland, Maine, while the ones to the right led to the Centre Station on Water Street where travelers could travel to Peabody and Salem via the South Reading Branch, or Danvers via the Newburyport Branch. According to published reports, the station was remodeled into a house that was located 'on the east side of Main Street on the town (north) side of Franklin Street.' The larger of the two buildings was the old locomotive house of the Boston and Maine and South Reading branch. It was later torn down." - Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Donofrio.
• July 4, 1889
  "This gentleman was captured by the photographer in 1889, under the South Reading town banner which was originally carried in the July 4th, 1844, birthday celebration. The banner reads, 'Protection to our manufacturers - razor straps (strops) - shoe tools - bitters - boots - shoes - tin ware.' The musket and powder horn were originally carried in the Revolutionary War, while it is claimed that the tin lantern was one of the lanterns which hung at the Old North Church on the night of April 18, 1775, for Paul Revere's signal to 'Ride and spread the alarm through every Middlesex village and farm.' The present Wakefield town seal was adopted in 1878." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Joseph C. Payro
  "Wakefield's history has been captured by many individuals over the years, one of whom was Joseph C. Payro of 17 Curtis Street. Mr. Payro was well informed on the history of Wakefield and sought to capture the town's history through the paintbrush and the camera lens. Although not a native of Wakefield, he was a resident for over 70 years. He grew to love the community and became a student of its past. As a member of the Wakefield Historical Society, he created oil paintings of old buildings and landmarks, many of which are no longer standing, to preserve for future generations. He painted his pictures with photograph-like attention, paying close attention to detail. Mr. Payro was employed as a reed worker for the Heywood-Wakefield Company and took many photographs of the company products which now serve as a historical reference source. Following Mr. Payro's death in 1953 his family donated several of his paintings to the Lucius Beebe Memorial Library's permanent art collection. Mr. Payro's family and family friend Louis Picardi have been generous contributors of photographs for this calendar." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• John J. Round
  "John J. Round was one of Wakefield's foremost benefactors and leading citizens and was primarily responsible for the Crystal Lake area as we know it today. Born in East Boston on September 30, 1872, Mr. Round moved to Wakefield in 1878 and was a resident of 627 Main Street for many years until moving to 7 Francis Avenue. Mr. Round is best known for his generous donations of land to preserve the beauty of the community. He was also active in local affairs, serving as a member and former Chairman of the Board of Selectmen, Chairman of the Building Committee for the Atwell Junior High School, Trustee of the Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, President of the Wakefield Club, President of the Wakefield Improvement Association, and a director of the Wakefield Trust Company. He was also active on many boards and committees through the years. He presented several gifts to the community over the years including thousands of trees which he donated to beautify the town and protect the watershed around Crystal Lake. 10,000 trees were donated for the west shore of Crystal Lake on land which he bought and deeded to the town, 3,000 trees for the Mapleway Playground on abandoned land which he also bought and gave to the town, trees around Main Street and the Junction station on land which he eventually bought and gave to the town, pine trees at the foot of Crystal Lake, trees to replace those lost in Greenwood during the hurricane of 1938, and two large elms which were lost when the present Junior High School was built. Mr. Round also donated several additional acres of land around Crystal Lake which prevented encroachment of residential property and preserved the natural beauty of the lake. He was responsible for the wide width of Main Street south of Water Street after having convinced the town to move a retaining wall in front of the armory (now the Americal Civic Center) back nearly 20 feet. He also built the retaining wall which graces the front of the park which bears his name. In 1953, the community immortalized Mr. Round by dedicating the former Harts Hill Reservation in his name. Mr. Round passed away in April, 1958." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• J.J. Newberry Co. fire, December 4, 1938
  "A general alarm fire early on Sunday morning, December 4th caused an estimated $50,000 damage to the J.J. Newberry Store in the Trader's Block on Main Street. Firefighters were joined by crews from Melrose, Stoneham and Reading in battling the stubborn fire, which 'lacked the spectacular features of a general alarm fire.' Reserveman Harold Maloney discovered smoke coming from the freight elevator on the sidewalk in front of the Main Street store just after 4 a.m. The fire started in the basement, causing smoke damage to several adjoining businesses, including the J.B. Blood Co., and Bud's Apparel Shop, as well as the businesses on the second floor: Scott Bullard Taxi quarters, Bernice Fitzgerald Dancing Studio, Delphina Beauty Shop, and the law office of Christopher Dinan. More than 20 firefighters were overcome by fumes from the celluloid novelties and cellpohane wrappings which had just arrived for the Christmas season. During the early hours of the fire, an estimated 3,000 spectators 'packed' the east side of Main Street to watch the firefighters. By daybreak, less than 500 remained." - Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Donofrio.
• Ira Wiley House - Main Street, circa 1896
  "The Ira Wiley House was located on the west side of Main Street at the site of the present Traders' Block. The house was moved further back on the lot shortly after the photo was taken, to accommodate the Traders' Block which was built for the Middlesex Traders in 1897. The Ira Wiley House was operated as a boarding house where residents could 'board by the day or week.' It was conveniently located next to the Wakefield & Stoneham Street Railway Company office and waiting room. It is reported that the family was active in business, with a relative of Ira Wiley the proprietor of a shoe store at the corner of Main and Mechanic Street. The house was razed in 1930, when the Traders' Block was remodeled and enlarged for the J.J. Newbury Co. store." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Intersection of North Avenue and Albion Street, June 24, 1930
  "Although the building at the right rear of the photograph remains standing, the building which housed Roche's Hardware/Houseware and the adjoining one which housed First National Stores and Beasley's Variety Store were torn down. The site was the location of a gas station before it was occupied by the present business. The South Reading Mechanic and Agricultural Institution, incorporated in 1833, and the South Reading Bank, organized in 1854, both occupied the second floor of the building at left. Everett W. Eaton opened a grocery store in 1864 where he conducted business for nearly 50 years. Roche's Hardware/Houseware later occupied the site and remained there for several years. The store's window displays advertised radio supplies, sporting goods and cutlery, while Beasley's Variety Store advertised its many wares in the local newspapers. One such advertisement offered sleds, skis and childrens' snow shovels." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Hurricane damage, 29 Lafayette Street, September 21, 1938
  "Wakefield was hit by the tail-end of a southern hurricane during the early evening hours of Wednesday, September 21, 1938. Although the day's hard-driving rain stopped shortly after 5 p.m., the high winds picked up and battered the town, causing substantial damage and downed trees until 7 p.m. Gales were reported to be 90-100 miles per hour. During the two hours of fierce winds, several hundred trees, many over 200 years old, were uprooted and blown down, blocking streets and causing damage to homes and businesses. Town officials and workers, joined by WPA forces, worked throughout the night to clear trees from the roads. They succeeded in opening nearly all roads by 8 a.m. the following day. Three streets remained closed until the afternoon hours. Those streets were Lafayette, Bartley and Orchard Streets. This elm in front of 29 Lafayette Street, the home of William E. Jones, 'toppled over, coming to rest on the roof of the home.' Crews using hand saws climbed into the tree to remove the tree, one limb at a time. The damage also included many downed electrical wires which were repaired by the MLD. School children were given the day off by School Superintendent Willard B. Atwell because of the large number of fallen wires." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Hughes Garage, Main Street at Armory Street, circa 1915
  "Joe Hughes, center, and mechanic 'Bucky' Bartlett, second from right, at Hughes Garage, which was built around 1910, before Armory Street existed. Hughes, reported to be the first person in Wakefield to own a car, also owned the Town's first garage and automobile agency. In 1909, he petitioned the Selectmen for a permit to establish a 42' x 75' garage at 503 Main Street because his repair shop on Center Street was 'wholly inadequate.' He also wanted to give the town 'an up-to-date garage.' He owned the garage until 1920 when it was purchased by David Barry. Barry's Garage was enlarged in 1922 with a new building erected on land south of the garage and to the rear, which necessitated the purchase and razing of the Abram Sweetser house. This enlargement occurred at the same time that Main Street was to be widened and a curve in the road straightened to accommodate the high school (present Galvin Middle School), and shortly after Armory Street was extended to Main Street. The new garage was built of tapestry brick, the same used in the high school and the armory (present Civic Center). It was built to hold 125 pleasure cars for storage, repair facilities and a raised showroom on Armory Street to display the latest models of the Buick line of automobiles. A 50' x 98' addition was added at a cost of $15,000 in 1925. A 'granolithic' sidewalk along Armory Street to the rear of the building was also constructed. Business for the Barrys increased and they built similar facilities in other towns, eventually getting out of the business in early February, 1932. The property was sold to Boston automobile dealer, J.W. Walker. The Barrys moved their business across the street at 510 Main Street two weeks later as Barry's Motor Parts." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Howlett's Mill, Wakefield/Saugus line, circa 1901
  "Howlett's Mill was one of many mills located on the 13-mile long Saugus River, beginning at Lake Quannapowitt. The river passes through Wakefield, Lynnfield, Saugus and Lynn and was a vital part of the economy for centuries. The river, with its eight tributaries, was instrumental in fish harvesting and was the source of water power for the Saugus Iron Works, as well as many grist mills, chocolate mills, wool and flannel mills, and a tannery that were established aloing the river. The first saw mill in Wakefield was built by John Poole on the west side of Vernon Street. The mill site was later given to the town by Harriett Potter, along with the mill rights, in 1924." - Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Donofrio.
• Howard Johnson's Lakeside, circa 1936
  "Howard Johnson's ice cream stand and restaurant opened for business and restaurant opened for business on June 14, 1936, at the head of Lake Quannapowitt. The popular roadside 'stand' was built by Pasquale DeCristofaro (formerly of Wakefield) on the site of the former Wes Parker clam stand when that eatery moved across the street. On opening day, area residents flocked to the restaurant in droves, creating traffic jams for the five Wakefield policemen who were on duty for the opening. When the restaurant closed at 10 p.m. that evening, more than 900 chicken dinners, 1,150 gallons of ice cream, and 4,500 frankfurters (their specialty) were served throughout the 11 hours. The restaurant closed in October, 1954, and enjoyed a 'good reputation' for many years. After Howard Johnson's, the site was occupied by the Lakeside Villa and Lanai Island." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Horse drawn ladder truck, Wakefield rattan factory, 1900
  "The Wakefield Fire Department purchased its first horse-drawn ladder truck from the Abbot-Downing Company of Concord, New Hampshire in 1892, replacing an 1871 hand-drawn ladder truck. The new truck was placed into service on July 4, 1893 with its predecessor loaned to the Wakefield Rattan Company. The horse-drawn ladder truck is shown without its ladders at a fire at the factory on May 4, 1900. The 'Washington Hook and Ladder,' a double-ladder bank, city-service truck, was used by the Hook and Ladder Company No.1. The horse-drawn truck was spared from the Hathaway Stable Fire that destroyed 18 buildings including the Central Fire Station in October 23, 1899, along with its fire alarm system, 1852 Jeffers hand tub, and 1895 supply wagon. It was among the first inhabitants of the new brick Central Fire Station on Crescent Street when it opened on December 22, 1900. The 1892 Abbot-Downing ladder truck was replaced in September, 1914 by a Peerless city-service type ladder truck." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Holy Mary del Carmine Society Chapel, 1923
  "The Holy Mary del Carmine Society chapel and meeting-house at 94 Water Street was officially dedicated on August 8, 1923. The chapel was built by the Santissima Maria del Carmine Society to enable Catholic Italians to practice their faith in their own neighborhood. St. Joseph's Band and members of the building committee led a parade to the chapel. The exercises were opened by Nicola Pirro, chairman of the dedication committee, who 'spoke to the society members in their native tongue, emphasizing the importance of continuing the co-operative spirit that made the building possible.' He also 'appealed to the public in general to avail itself of the other use of the building in any manner which tended toward the uplifting, educating, and Americanizing of their fellow countrymen.' Guest speakers included Rev. John F. Meheran who represented Rev. Florence J. Halloran, pastor of St. Joseph's parish Selectman Charles F. Young Attorney Christopher Dinan, who acted as legal advisor to the society Major Samuel Brooks Police Chief James J. Pollard John MacGillvray Edward B. Kelly Patrick McLaughlin and John T. Stringer. Following the speeches, a reception was held in the basement with selections played by St. Joseph's Band. 'Mary SS del Carmine Society March,' composed for the occasion by bandleader Michael Sibelli with words by Nicola Pierra, was played for the first time at the dedication. Local electrical contractor Joseph W. McInnis supervised the building construction. The building was constructed of concrete blocks 'about 40 feet x 60 feet' with an upper hall used on Sundays for religious services. The hall could seat 300 with a lower hall of the same size that was used as a meeting place. The title to the building and land was transferred to the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Boston. On April 24, 1947, as the Catholic population grew, the mission chapel of St. Joseph Parish became a part of St. Florence Parish, named in honor of Rev. Florence Halloran. On May 22, 1959, a 5.9-acre parcel was purchased on Butler Avenue. The first Mass in the new church building was celebrated on Christmas Eve, 1960." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Hitchcock Bicycle Shop, circa 1919
  "Ed Hitchcock, right, owner of the E.S. Hitchcock Bicyle Shop, joins an unidentified employee in his 34 Albion Street shop. Located at the corner of Albion and Foster Streets, the shop also sold automoble tires and other supplies. In 1919, Wakefield automobile owners could buy a 30 x 3 1/2 non-skid Firestone tire for $17, and a 30 x 3 1/2 non-skid Fisk or Ajax for $18. All tires came with a 6000 mile guarantee." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Hill's Boathouse, circa 1930's
  "In 1872, Albert S. Wiley established a one-story boathouse at the end of Spaulding Street to accommodate the many boaters who enjoyed sailing, rowing and canoeing on Lake Quannapowitt. In 1887, the Wiley's [sic] erected a new, one-story boathouse at the end of Lake Street. The building received a second story in 1912, which housed a dance hall and soda fountain, frequented by servicemen stationed at Camp Curtis Guild during World War I. The boathouse was sold to the Hill Family in 1923. The Hills were provided with an inventory of their purchase: 80 public canoes, 43 private canoes (with 4 in the shop), 21 public rowboats, three private rowboats, one sailboat, one power boat, one private power boat, 109 rugs (for the canoes), 84 cushions, 153 pillows, 83 paddles, and 57 oars. The boathouse did a 'thriving business for several years, prior to the widespread use of the automobile, summer camps, vacation trips, the upsurge of the summer resort business and other forms of recreational and time consuming competition.' In addition to the boat facilities, the building housed the Quannapowitt Yacht Club for several years. When sold to the Town in 1963, the property was referred to as 'a large two-story wooden structure...the first floor of which is occupied by the storage, sale and rental of canoes and boating equipment, a sales and display room, a luncheonette counter in the southeast corner, a service shop for outboard motors and motorboats the second floor being used in its entirety for public dancing and ballroom purposes.' The boathouse was taken down shortly after the Town's purchase. To the right of the boathouse stood the Morrill-Atwood Ice Company." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Hiker Monument and Rockery, circa 1926
  "The Hiker Monument and Rockery, a memorial to the men who fought in the Spanish-American War, was dedicated at the rockery on Columbus Day, October 12, 1926. The monument was erected after a Town Meeting vote in the spring of 1926 to appropriate $5,000 to honor the veterans. Theodore [i.e. Theo Alice Ruggles] Kitson's Hiker was typical of the 'infantry men.' of 1898. The Town celebration included a parade and the dedication, rifle contests at Camp Curtis Guild, a reunion of Spanish-American War Veterans of Company A and the 'Old Sixth Regiment,' a banquet celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Richardson Light Guard, and an evening parade on the Common, featuring battalions of infantry for the review of the Spanish War veterans. The event was said to be the biggest celebration since the Town's 250th anniversary festivities in 1894. The parade stepped off at 2 p.m. from the Armory, traveling a route that took the marchers along Main Street to Chestnut Street, North Avenue, Avon Street, Main Street, Park Street, Pleasant Street, White Avenue, to Lakeside to the monument via Main Street. Over 2,000 people attended the dedication. The evening parade on the common featured the 182nd Infantry, Company E of Wakefield, Company F of Waltham, Company G of Woburn, and Company M of Everett. The anniversary banquet at the Armory was attended by 400 guests and was the largest gathering since the dedication of the Armory in 1913." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Highway Department garage, North Avenue, 1930
  "The Highway Department was one of several public works-related departments that operated independently of one another. In 1812, there were three Surveyors of Highways and by the end of the 1800s, the Town was separated into sections, with one person responsible for repairs and maintenance of the streets in each section. By the early 1900s, the work was overseen by the Superintendent of Streets. A metal building, manufactured and erected in 1928 by the Wakefield Garage Manufacturing Company, was located at the rear of the highway lot on North Avenue and used for storage purposes. In 1930, the wagon shed at the yard was converted into a six-stall garage, and the lantern room at the end of the wagon shed was made into an office. The second floor of the barn was altered with an office built in the front part of the building and a stock and tool room in the back. On June 12, 1950 a special election was held to elect the first Board of Public Works, a board created by an Act of the Massachusetts Legislature which stated that a 'Board of Public Works was to officially take over the operations, duties and obligations of the Moth and Tree, Park and Cemetery, Water and Sewer, and Highway Departments, as well as all Town buildings under the supervision of the Selectmen, the care of the dumps, and the collection of garbage' by September 1, 1950. An Engineering Department was also created. The members of the first Board of Public Works, R. Francis Shea, R. Lee Lillie, and Richard J. Volpe met each week to familiarize themselves with the duties of each division and to hire a Director, Joseph H. DeFeo of Winthrop." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Highway department
  "Getting around Wakefield is a relatively easy task for approximately 25,000 vehicles in town. Passable roads and highways in harsh weather have become commonplace, often taken for granted. Wakefield residents at the turn of the century were not as lucky as the 24,149 residents today. The method of transportation in the early 1900s was the horse and buggy which was forced to travel on unplowed roadways in the winter and muddy roads during the spring thaw. If left unattended, the roads were deeply rutted, often causing carriage wheels to break and horses to stumble. The Wakefield Highway Department in the early 1900s used a coal-fired steam roller on watered-down roads to smooth the roads for easier travel. When the first automobile arrived in Wakefield the care of the roads became a top priority. Wakefield was fortunate to have paved roads by 1911. Today the Department of Public Works Highway Department is responsible for the 96 miles of roadway in Wakefield. A fleet of 32 trucks tend to the roads in all seasons, plowing, sanding and salting in the cold months and updating, paving and repairing during the warm months. During a typical Wakefield winter, 2000-3000 tons of sand and salt are used to tend the roadway." -- Text from calendar.;Caption: In this photograph taken in the mid-1930s, members of the Wakefield Water Department thaw a drain on the corner of Main Street and Richardson Avenue. The department is now a division within the Wakefield Department of Public Works.
• Hathaway's six-horse barge, 1885
  "Hathaway's Stable on Mechanic Street (now Princess Street) featured this six-horse barge, 'The Queen of the Turf.' The barges were rented from a livery stable and were used as a charter bus. The original Hathaway Stable was destroyed by fire on October 23, 1899. In 1900, the 'city stable,' owned by George H. Hathaway and managed by Otis M. Cutler boasted a 'new fire proof, steel clad stable acknowledged to be a model.'" -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
• Hathaway Stable, Mechanic (Princess) Street, April, 1925
  "By 1925, the historic Hathaway Stable was in a 'dilapidated' state, contrary to the once thriving business operated by George H. Hathaway in the mid-1890s as a 'Livery, Sale and Boarding Stable' which also provided hacks and carriages to meet all trains, as well as transportation for parties, weddings and funerals. The carriages and horses were also used to move furniture. The stable was rebuilt after a devastating fire in October 1899. It fell into disrepair again when a portion of the roof collapsed under the weight of snow in February 1920 following a severe storm. Damage was set at $15,000 and the building was never fully repaired. The building was purchased by William Curley in November 1920. Firefighters eventually shored up the walls to make the building safe for the 'children who used the building as a playground' and for the Wakefield Fife and Drum Corp who leased a portion of the building for its rehearsals. Although the Selectmen requested that the building be removed in September 1923, it was still standing in 1925." - Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Donofrio.
• Hathaway Stable fire ruins, October 23, 1899
  "The Hathaway Stable fire on October 21, 1899, destroyed 13 buildings, including the horse stables, the wooden central fire station, two blacksmith shops and several houses. Thirty-nine horses perished in the fire. The stables were located on Mechanic Street (now Princess Street). The area now houses the fire and police stations, an office complex, and several businesses and homes." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.