Hiker Monument and Rockery, circa 1926 [picture] / Wakefield Municipal Gas&Light Department.
description- – 1 picture :
- – "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 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.
- – 2008-06-24T18:36:31Z
- – 2008-06-24T18:36:31Z
- – 2006.
- – 2006.
- – Wakefield Municipal Gas&Light Department calendar 2006 ; Front cover.
- – Wakefield (Mass.) History Pictorial works.
- – History Spanish-American War, 1898 Monuments.
Wakefield High School students, 1900 [picture] / Wakefield Municipal Gas&Light Department.
description- – Photo courtesy of the Wakefield Historical Society.
- – 1 picture :
- – "The Class of 1900, was said (at the time) to have been the class with the greatest number of graduates from Wakefield High School. Of the 39 graduates, 21 successfully completed the Classical Course, and 18 completed the English Course. The graduation exercises were held on Thursday evening, June 28th at the Town Hall. The class motto was Pas a Pas (Step by Step), the class song was music from 'Martha', and a disputation 'Resolved that the Navy of the United States Should be Increased' was led by Owen Long Burdett (affirmative) and William Barron Rogers (negative). The salutatory and essay 'Is Higher Education of Advantage to Women?' was presented by Mary Gertrude Hickey, with the essays and valedictory, 'The Golden Age' presented by Anna Carter Mansfield. In the 1900 Town Report, School Superintendent U.G. Wheeler said: 'The high school occupies a more advanced position then ever before. The graduate of the school to-day (sic) has a better education than the college graduate of less than 100 years ago, and in our town it stands, as it should, at the head of our school system; the goal of which the pupils of the lower grades are working and the number belonging to the high school shows that a good proportion of them attain their object and avail themselves of its privileges.'" -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
- – 2008-06-24T18:36:31Z
- – 2008-06-24T18:36:31Z
- – 2000.
- – 2000.
- – Wakefield Municipal Gas&Light Department calendar 2000 ; June.
- – Wakefield (Mass.) History Pictorial works.
- – Massachusetts Wakefield
Green House, Main Street, circa 1800s [picture] / Wakefield Municipal Gas&Light Department.
description- – 1 picture :
- – "Thought to be built somewhere around the 1750s, the Green house on Main Street was owned by Isaac Green in 1846. According to the Town of Wakefield finance records of 1846, Isaac Green was paid $38.33 for land to be used by the South Schoolhouse. According to 1876 Polls and Estate Tax records, Isaac owned two dwelling houses, a barn, shed, three to four acres of land, and another parcel of land measuring ten acres, all on Main Street. By 1890, the records indicate that Isaac E. Green owned one-acre with buildings, six acres of woodland, and one dwelling house. Some verbal history records, taken in the 1930s, indicate that some people believed that Greenwood might have been named after the Green family, an important family in the village. These records also indicate that William, David, Samuel, Howard and Thomas Green were important in the village and William Green was among the men who petitioned the General Court in the 1720s to let 10 families become residents of Redding rather than Maldon [sic](a separate village of Charlestown.) These records also report that Greenwood may have been named by a train conductor for its 'large and beautiful woods.'"-- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
- – Green House (Wakefield, Mass.)
- – 2008-06-24T18:36:31Z
- – 2008-06-24T18:36:31Z
- – 2006.
- – 2006.
- – Wakefield Municipal Gas&Light Department calendar 2006 ; Inside back cover.
- – Wakefield (Mass.) History Pictorial works.
- – Massachusetts Wakefield.
Wakefield town officials [picture] / Wakefield Municipal Gas&Light Department.
description- – Photos courtesy of the Wakefield Historical Society.
- – 2 pictures :
- – "The first Reading Board of Selectmen was created in 1647, consisting of seven men who were assigned the task of overseeing the settlement and creating the modified, democratic government of the 1600s. The first Reading Board consisted of: Robert Dunton (1647, 1649); Francis Smith (1647, 1649); William Cowdrey (1647 to 1680, excluding 1659 and 1661); Thomas Marshall (1647-1652 and 1654); Henry Felch (1647-1648 and 1651); William Martin (1647-1848 and 1651); Richard Walker (1647-1650 and 1653). It was these first Selectmen who were charged with running the Town Meeting, a meeting which, if not attended by all the men, would punish and fine all those who did not attend. Meetings were held in the early morning, unlike those of today, which are held at night. In 1812, the town of Reading was officially divided and the area now known as Wakefield took the name of South Reading. The first Board of Selectmen for the town of South Reading included: James Gould (1812); Benjamin Badger (1812, 1814); and John Gould (1812-1820). It was during this time that the differences between the First parish (Wakefield) and the Second and Third Parishes could no longer be resolved and a division was approved after 168 years of unity. In 1868 the town of South Reading, whose citizens were contemplating changing their name, decided to honor one of its most influential and active citizens, Cyrus Wakefield, by changing its name to the town of Wakefield. The change was made on July 4th, 1868 and overseeing the change were Selectmen James Oliver, James P. Mansfield, and Richard Britton. Throughout its history as Reading, South Reading and Wakefield, the town has been ably served by hundreds of men and women who have been selected or elected to the Board of Selectmen. Among its ranks have been several generations of Cowdreys, Eatons, Hartshornes, Flints, Parkers and Emersons and individuals like Lucius Beebe. The position of Town Clerk is the oldest of town-elected offices. The first Town Clerk was William Cowdrey who was elected in 1644 and remained in office until 1687. John Gould served as the first South Reading Town Clerk and Benjamin F. Packard was the first Town Clerk for Wakefield." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
- – Captions: 1. The 1902 Board of Selectmen: (left to right) John Maloney; Col. E.J. Gihon; George M. Tompson; E.K. Bowser, Esq.; Thomas O'COnnell; Charles E. Walton, Clerk; and Albert Flint, Town Treasurer. -- 2. The 1949 Board of Selectmen and associated town officers: (standing, left to right) Harry Marshall, John Preston, Harry Denning, Police Chief John Gates, and Charles Cox. (seated, left to right) Burt Whitcomb, William Lindsay, Raymond Dower, Philip Flanders, and William Dill.
- – 2008-06-24T18:36:31Z
- – 2008-06-24T18:36:31Z
- – 1989.
- – 1989.
- – 2004
- – Wakefield Municipal Gas&Light Department calendar 1989 ; June.
- – Wakefield (Mass.) History Pictorial works.
Crystal Lake from Harts Hill,1913 [picture] / Wakefield Municipal Gas&Light Department.
description- – 1 picture :
- – "William E. Eaton's 'Handbook of Wakefield : a stranger's guide and residents' manual' describes this scene from Harts Hill: 'The natural character of the country in and about Wakefield flanked on either side by towering hills, seems to compel the various railway lines coming from the north, northeast and east, to converge at the Junction and to pursue their way together between the steep slopes of Hart's Hill and the margin of Crystal Lake, through the pretty village of Greenwood to the busy metropolis.' The Town of Wakefield took the title to the 23-acre Harts Hill in 1901, with the stipulation that it 'forever be kept open as a public park and reservation for the use of the people.' According to a 1939 Wakefield Daily Item article, the altitude of Harts Hill was 'the highest point above sea level on the Portland division of the B&M Railroad.' The elevation was said to be 111 feet above sea level." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
- – Crystal Lake (Wakefield, Mass.)
- – 2008-06-24T18:36:32Z
- – 2008-06-24T18:36:32Z
- – 2006.
- – 2006.
- – Wakefield Municipal Gas&Light Department calendar 2006 ; Back cover.
- – Wakefield (Mass.) History Pictorial works.
Cartland house and icehouses, Lake Avenue, (undated) [picture] / Wakefield Municipal Gas&Light Department.
description- – Photo courtesy of the Wakefield Historical Society.
- – 1 picture :
- – "This circa late-1800s photograph depicts a bygone era and a look at the area around Wakefield Common as it once was. The photo was taken on the lower Common, looking out at Lake Avenue, near Spaulding Street. According to Town records, Mrs. J.H. Cartland was listed as the owner of the two-family home at 3-5 Lake Avenue in 1876. The ice houses at the right of the photo were probably part of John G. Morrill's Ice Company which was located on Spaulding Street. Although J.H. Cartland was reported to have sold brushes from a location on Church Street, he was also an ice dealer, delivering ice to homes throughout Wakefield. In 1887, the property was owned by Will Wiley who, with his father, Albert Wiley, had operated a boat house on Spaulding Street, beginning in 1872. A new boat house was built on Lake Avenue in 1887, with a dance hall added in 1912. The boat house and the adjacent home were sold to Harold and Gertrude Hill in 1923. Mrs. Hill sold the property to the Town of Wakefield after Town Meeting voted to purchase the boat house/ballroom, garage, house, and 17,850 sq. feet of land for $55,000 in October, 1963. A committee was created to determine a use for the property in March, 1964, and voted to demolish all the structures. A Town Meeting vote in June, 1964, appropriated $9,500 to raze the buildings. Demolition took place in September, 1964. Several uses for the property, including a youth/senior center, were discussed over the years. Today the site is occupied by a playground created for the Town by the Wakefield Center Neighborhood Association." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
- – 2008-06-24T18:36:32Z
- – 2008-06-24T18:36:32Z
- – 2000.
- – 2000.
- – Wakefield Municipal Gas&Light Department calendar 2000 ; September.
- – Wakefield (Mass.) History Pictorial works.
- – Massachusetts Wakefield
- – Massachusetts Wakefield
The third home of the First Parish Congregational Church, circa 1890 [picture] / Wakefield Municipal Gas&Light Department.
description- – Photo courtesy of the Wakefield Historical Society.
- – 1 picture :
- – "The history of the First Parish Congregational Church is woven into the history of the Town of Wakefield. The first house of worship was erected by the citizens of Reading on the westerly side of Main Street near Albion Street. In 1689, a more 'attractive and commodious meeting house' was erected near the present church. This structure sufficed until a third more spacious edifice was built in 1768. This third structure faced west when built and had a tall spire which was blown down in the 'great gale' of 1815. The interior of the structure was completely remodeled in 1838 and again in 1859 when the structure was considered to be 'too small and inconvenient for the growing needs of society.' The building was turned around to face the south; the old steeple was taken down and a new and graceful spire erected; 'commodious' apartments were provided and furnished for evening meetings, Sunday school, ladies' parlor and kitchen; and the interior was greatly changed and modernized. As time went on, the sanctuary was considered too small and its accommodations too limited. A look into remodeling revealed 'conditions of weakness and decay from turret to foundation.' It became evident that extensive and costly repairs would be necessary to make the church suitable, safe and modern. On December 29, 1887, the church members took preliminary steps to erect a new church upon the site of the old one, the entire cost of which was to be defrayed by voluntary subscriptions. It was necessary to obtain additional land which was subsequently secured from the old burial-yard and the open land lying northerly of Church Street by unanimous vote of the town of Wakefield. At the same time, the parish released to the town its rights to adjoining land and received permission from county and municipal officials to widen Church Street in front of the church. Impressive farewell services were held in the sanctuary on May 24, 1890 and the third structure was demolished soon after. The cornerstone for the fourth structure was laid October 11, 1890 at the southesterly corner of the tower." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
- – 2008-06-24T18:36:32Z
- – 2008-06-24T18:36:32Z
- – 1994.
- – 1994.
- – Wakefield Municipal Gas&Light Department calendar 1994 ; September.
- – Wakefield (Mass.) Church history Pictorial works.
- – Wakefield (Mass.) History Pictorial works.
- – Massachusetts Wakefield
Boston&Maine Railroad, 1939 [picture] / Wakefield Municipal Gas&Light Department.
description- – Photo courtesy of the Wakefield Daily Item.
- – 1 picture :
- – "The number of riders on the Boston&Maine Railroad began to decline during the 1920s, leading to the abandonment of one of the three lines which served the town in 1926. Traveling to Boston by car became a more attractive option for commuters, causing the B&M to rely on ads that focused on the convenience of the train. In 1939, there were four stations that served Wakefield: the Greenwood and Wakefield Upper stations on the main line from Boston to Portland, Wakefield Junction, and Wakefield Center, which served the Newburyport line. There were a 'fair number' of daily trains arriving at Wakefield Junction and only a few daily trains to Wakefield Center, with no Sunday service. The main line had 31 inbound and 34 outbound trains each day, with 'ample' Sunday service." - Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Donofrio.
- – 2008-06-24T18:36:33Z
- – 2008-06-24T18:36:33Z
- – 2007.
- – 2007.
- – Wakefield Municipal Gas&Light Department calendar 2007 ; January.
- – Wakefield (Mass.) History Pictorial works.
- – Massachusetts Wakefield.
- – Massachusetts Wakefield.
- – Massachusetts Wakefield.
Wakefield Upper Common, circa 1890 [picture] / Wakefield Municipal Gas&Light Department.
description- – Photo courtesy of the Wakefield Historical Society.
- – 1 picture :
- – "Wakefield has always had 'common lands' since the first division of land among the early settlers. A special committee was selected to lay out the 'ways and watering places' through the Common in 1727, and a vote was taken in 1741 that required that land remain unfenced and that parish land 'never be disposed of for any other use whatsoever, without the consent of every freeholder in the parish.' The Town made a large purchase of land between the 'old Common' and Lake Quannapowitt in 1871, and, in 1883, the towsnpeople accepted a $10,000 gift from the will of Cornelius Sweetser which was to be 'used and expended in furnishing and beautifying a public park.' A Board of Park Commissioners was selected in 1884, and under their supervision, two lots of land were purchased, the park was graded, new concrete sidewalks were added, a mall was laid out, and a new music pavilion 'of unique and elaborate design' was constructed. In the background of the picture (from left) stands the Third Meeting House of the First Parish (razed in 1890), icehouses and private homes, the Park Music Pavilion (referred to as the Pagoda, now the Bandstand, built in 1885), and the Church Street Fire Engine House that was in use on the lower Common until 1891." - Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Donofrio.
- – 2008-06-24T18:36:33Z
- – 2008-06-24T18:36:33Z
- – 2008.
- – 2008.
- – Wakefield Municipal Gas&Light Department calendar 2008 ; Front cover.
- – Wakefield (Mass.) History Pictorial works.
Wakefield Common, July 4, 1887 [picture] / Wakefield Municipal Gas&Light Department.
description- – Photo courtesy of the Wakefield Historical Society.
- – 1 picture :
- – 2008-06-24T18:36:33Z
- – 2008-06-24T18:36:33Z
- – 1990.
- – 1990.
- – Wakefield Municipal Gas&Light Department calendar 1990 ; Back Cover.
- – Wakefield (Mass.) History Pictorial works.
- – Wakefield Common (Wakefield, Mass.)
Three modes of transportation in Wakefield [picture] / Wakefield Municipal Gas&Light Department.
description- – Photo courtesy of the Wakefield Historical Society.
- – 1 picture :
- – "The horse and buggy, the automobile and the electric street railway were prominent at the time this undated photograph was taken. The Wakefield&Stoneham Street Railway Company was organized in 1889, and chartered in May, 1892. The first tracks were laid in the summer of 1892, from the post office to the junction of Main and Elm Streets in Stoneham, a distance of about two miles. The first car made its run on August 14, 1892. Shortly thereafter, the Stoneham line was extended to Central Square in Stoneham, where connections were made with the Lynn and Boston Road to Melrose and Woburn. Tracks were later added to provide electric rail service from Wakefield center to Melrose, Wakefield Park on the West Side of town, Montrose, Lynn via Saugus, and Reading center. Electric rail service was slowly discontinued from 1919 to the early 1930's, when the trolley lines gave way to bus service." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
- – 2008-06-24T18:36:33Z
- – 2008-06-24T18:36:33Z
- – 1991.
- – 1991.
- – Wakefield Municipal Gas&Light Department calendar 1991 ; November.
- – Wakefield (Mass.) History Pictorial works.
- – Massachusetts Wakefield
Main Street looking north, circa 1916 [picture] / Wakefield Municipal Gas&Light Department.
description- – 1 picture :
- – "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.
- – 2008-06-24T18:36:34Z
- – 2008-06-24T18:36:34Z
- – 2006.
- – 2006.
- – Wakefield Municipal Gas&Light Department calendar 2006 ; August.
- – Wakefield (Mass.) History Pictorial works.
Wakefield Council #104, Knights of Columbus, 1923 [picture] / Wakefield Municipal Gas&Light Department.
description- – Photo courtesy of Knights of Columbus Council #104.
- – 1 picture :
- – "The Wakefield Council #104, Knights of Columbus, celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1994. It was on September 16, 1894 that John William Smith, along with William H. Butler, met with Wakefield men who they felt would be interested in starting a local K of C Council. The organization was founded 12 years earlier on the guiding ideals of charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotism. The meeting was held in the Connell&Curley Block building on Main Street in a room used by the St. Joseph's Christian Total Abstinence Society. One week later, 20 men passed a K of C examination and Council #104 was established the next Sunday. On September 30 and October 7, 1894, the first and second degrees were conducted in ceremonies which took place in the Odd Fellows Building in the Walton Building on Main Street. John W. Smith was elected as the first Grand Knight. During the past century, the Council has held its meeting in the Traders Building, Walton Building, Richardson Building, and in the Odd Fellows Hall in the Walton Block which was torn down to make room for the First National Supermarket in 1941. The Council moved to the Hibernian Hall on Foster Street and in 1945, the membership purchased the Council's first permanent home at 15 Foster Street. The current headquarters at 570 North Avenue was dedicated on April 27, 1963." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
- – 2008-06-24T18:36:34Z
- – 2008-06-24T18:36:34Z
- – 1995.
- – 1995.
- – Wakefield Municipal Gas&Light Department calendar 1995 ; January.
- – Wakefield (Mass.) History Pictorial works.
Postman on Main Street, 1931 [picture] / Wakefield Municipal Gas&Light Department.
description- – 1 picture :
- – "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.
- – Postal Service (Wakefield, Mass.).
- – 2008-06-24T18:36:34Z
- – 2008-06-24T18:36:34Z
- – 2008.
- – 2008.
- – Wakefield Municipal Gas&Light Department calendar 2008 ; April.
- – Wakefield (Mass.) History Pictorial works.
Wakefield High School baseball club, 1900 [picture] / Wakefield Municipal Gas&Light Department.
description- – Photo courtesy of Wakefield Historical Society.
- – 1 picture :
- – "Baseball was a popular sport in Wakefield at the turn of the century, thanks to the efforts of the 1900 Wakefield High School Baseball Club. The team shared the Suburban League championship with Melrose and had quite a record, defeating more than 20 strong teams from the Boston area. During their season, the boys were accompanied by the WHS drum corps as they traveled through the square on the electric cars. Visiting teams were often met by the drum corps and escorted from the electric car in the square to the park. Today's baseball players and fans alike will note the striking difference in equipment and uniforms. Players wore shoes with metal cleats, a wire catcher's mask, quilted uniforms with laces and small hand gloves." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
- – 2008-06-24T18:36:34Z
- – 2008-06-24T18:36:34Z
- – 1992.
- – 1992.
- – Wakefield Municipal Gas&Light Department calendar 1992 ; June.
- – Wakefield (Mass.) History Pictorial works.
- – Massachusetts Wakefield
Cheney building and store, 1868 [picture] / Wakefield Municipal Gas&Light Department.
description- – Photo courtesy of the Wakefield Historical Society.
- – 1 picture :
- – "The C.H.R. Cheney sign boasted that it sold 'Jewelry and Fancy Goods,' while the adjacent stores sold the Boston Herald, tonic, and ginger beer, and housed J.A. Cutter's Hair Dressing Rooms. The building was located on the eastern side of Main Street. Statistics gathered from 1868 reveal that there were 37 stores in Wakefield to meet the needs of the town's 3200 citizens. Thirty-four of those stores included eight grocery/grain, etc.; four dry and fancy goods; three clothing, shoes and boots; three apothecaries; three provisions; two fruit and confectionery; two furniture; two wood, coal and lumber; two jewelry; one wood and ice; one bread; one shoe findings; one hard and tin ware; and one periodicals. The annual business of these stores was reported to be $500,000." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
- – Cheney Building (Wakefield, Mass.).
- – 2008-06-24T18:36:35Z
- – 2008-06-24T18:36:35Z
- – 1992.
- – 1992.
- – Wakefield Municipal Gas&Light Department calendar 1992 ; August.
- – Wakefield (Mass.) History Pictorial works.
Wakefield Municipal Light Plant, September 9, 1905 [picture] / Wakefield Municipal Gas&Light Department.
description- – Photo courtesy of the Wakefield Daily Item.
- – 1 picture :
- – "The citizens of the Town of Wakefield established the Wakefield Municipal Gas and Light Department in 1894. In 1905, the Wakefield Municipal Light Plant had 206 electric consumers, an increase of 16 over the previous year, and 834 gas consumers, a gain of 116 consumers. According to the Annual Report for the year ending January 31, 1906 sales of gas and electricity increased more during the year than any other year, and because of the increased demand, a decision was made to provide electric current during the day. Since the department was unable to generate a constant supply of current, a contract was signed with Malden Electric Company to install lines to the plant on North Avenue. From there, the extra 'juice' was distributed over the regular lines to the consumer." - Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Donofrio.
- – 2008-06-24T18:36:35Z
- – 2008-06-24T18:36:35Z
- – 2007.
- – 2007.
- – Wakefield Municipal Gas&Light Department calendar 2007 ; Back cover.
- – Wakefield (Mass.) History Pictorial works.
- – Massachusetts Wakefield.
- – Massachusetts Wakefield.
- – Massachusetts Wakefield.
- – Massachusetts Wakefield.
L.B. Evans, Water Street,1919 [picture] / Wakefield Municipal Gas&Light Department.
description- – 1 picture :
- – "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.
- – 2008-06-24T18:36:35Z
- – 2008-06-24T18:36:35Z
- – 2006.
- – 2006.
- – Wakefield Municipal Gas&Light Department calendar 2006 ; March.
- – Wakefield (Mass.) History Pictorial works.
Wakefield High School Drum Corps, 1900 [picture] / Wakefield Municipal Gas&Light Department.
description- – Photo courtesy of the Wakefield Historical Society.
- – 1 picture :
- – "Members of the Wakefield High School Drum Corps were most likely a part of the Wakefield High School Cadets. Due to the large number of young men who participated in this battalion, two Companies were formed: Company A and Company B. Officers are the young men in the front, differentiated by their uniforms (covered buttons) and swords. The Wakefield High School Cadets had its beginnings in 1885 when the group entered the Second Massachusetts School Regiment, forming a battalion with the Reading and Andover Cadets. Among its activities were annual prize drills, exhibition drills and officers' parties where 'many out-of-town officers and cadets enjoyed their hospitality.' They also escorted the Grand Army Post each May, and on the day of a big baseball game, the Drum Corps escorted the opposing team from the street railway to the Common, where the games were played. Crowded conditions at the high school in 1931 meant the end of the Cadets, although it was reinstituted during World War II, and required of all young men in the junior and senior classes." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
- – 2008-06-24T18:36:36Z
- – 2008-06-24T18:36:36Z
- – 2000.
- – 2000.
- – Wakefield Municipal Gas&Light Department calendar 2000 ; November.
- – Wakefield (Mass.) History Pictorial works.
- – Massachusetts Wakefield
- – Massachusetts Wakefield.
Boat house and ice houses, Lake Quannapowitt, circa 1906 [picture] / Wakefield Municipal Gas&Light Department.
description- – 1 picture :
- – "Ice harvesting on both Lake Quannapowitt and Crystal Lake was a large part of Wakefield's winter scene, starting in the mid-1800s and continuing until the 1940s. According to a lecture given by Town Historian Ruth Woodbury in 1957, there were some three dozen ice houses operating at one time: the 24-ice house Boston Ice Company on the northwest shore of Lake Quannapowitt; the People's Ice Company on Hall Park; the Whipple-Morrill on North Avenue, east of the Hartshorne House; Morrill-Atwood on Spaulding Street; Nichols Ice Company on the site of the Col. Connelly Park; and three on Crystal Lake. The Morrill-Atwood Ice House, next to the Wiley Boathouse on Spaulding Street, began harvesting ice in the 1870s. Owner John G. Morrill built a storage facility around 1878 before joining forces with Boston hotel owner J. Reed Whipple in 1890. Together they purchased a portion of the Hartshorne Meadow (now Veterans Field) and erected ice houses to supply ice not only to Whipple's three hotels: the Parker House, Young's, and the Touraine, but to other large users in Boston. Whipple sold his shares in 1897 to Frank H. Atwood who was by then a partner in Morrill's ice house on Spaulding Street. Morrill-Atwood sold ice locally while Whipple-Morrill exported their ice to other locations. Atwood remained as the owner of both ice houses following John Morrill's death in 1904. In 1919, Atwood left the wholesale business and sold the Hartshorne Meadow ice-houses to the Porter-Milton Company. The buildings were destroyed by fire in September 1929, and the site was subsequently purchased by the Town. The Morrill-Atwood Ice house was sold to Albert S. Anderson in 1926. In April 1945, the Metropolitan Ice Company of Somerville purchased the property, never intending to harvest ice, but to continue the electric ice manufacturing business started in 1932 by Anderson. Just months after its purchase, Metropolitan Ice Company tore down two of the original buildings, and the final part of the original building was razed in 1960." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio.
- – 2008-06-24T18:36:36Z
- – 2008-06-24T18:36:36Z
- – 2005.
- – 2005.
- – 2004
- – Wakefield Municipal Gas&Light Department calendar 2005 ; April.
- – Wakefield (Mass.) History Pictorial works.
- – Massachusetts Wakefield
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