Your Monthly News & Updates | |
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"Opinion History" – What the, what the? | |
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History, we know, is supposedly factual.
Some historical facts are indisputably true (despite allegations to the contrary from holocaust deniers and other purveyors of “alterative facts” and conspiracy theories). Other “facts,” not so much, as in conflicting accounts from two or more honest, perceptive persons who were eyewitnesses to an event. This is where interpretation and assessment come into play.
Opinion History is a Zoom discussion group that I participate in once a week.
Ron Greenwald, a retired history professor, moderates hour-long discussions that sometimes enlighten me on topics I knew little about, e.g., was Hannibal the greatest military commander of all time? On the other hand, last week’s topic was equally interesting and much more relatable – the history of Boston’s North End.
In launching the group last year, Ron asked, “Did you have a hard time in history class? Was it a mass of memorizing a continuous batch of presidents, kings, and battles that felt meaningless, so you forgot all about them very quickly? This course is very different.
“First, there are no right answers.
“Second, there are only your opinions.
“Third, I am the moderator. I do not have an opinion. I want to hear your thoughts and help to sharpen your opinions. All research will be done by you individually. I will not try to sway you by giving you material to study. GOOGLE, GOOGLE, GOOGLE and THINK!”
If you’re interested in trying it out some Wednesday at 1 pm on Zoom, email me, and I’ll send you a link.
I’ve also found a lot on interesting Zoom groups at the Academy for Lifelong Learning at Cape Cod Community College.
The Portal is free to all. But at this time of year, we ask readers to renew or to become members so we can cover the costs of running the Medfield Historical Society. If you have not already done so, please click on the JOIN OR RENEW button below.
In addition to joining or renewing your membership, why not consider an additional donation today and show you are committed to preserving and sharing Medfield’s rich history? Click on the DONATE button below. Thank you.
As president of the historical society, I feel like the guy heading to Las Vegas who said, “I hope I break even. I really need the money.”
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Medfield Man, In Uniform, Reenacts His Father, WWII POW | |
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Monday, Feb 6
7:30 pm
First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church
26 North Street, Medfield
At age 11, Richard Gray moved with his family from the Ozarks to California during the Depression…only to be relocated months later, after his father died at 35, to the home of an aunt and uncle in Iowa.
There, as a 16-year-old, he joined the National Guard band to earn money to help his family and to buy a clarinet. Little did he know that his small unit would soon be among the first US ground troops to go up against the Germans, taking on “Desert Fox” Rommel’s Afrika Korps.
Gray’s introduction to combat was in the Battle of Kasserine Pass in February 1943. The U.S. Army’s II Corps, under the incompetent Major General Lloyd Fredendall, were beaten, and Gray was wounded and taken prisoner. Fredendall was relieved of his command – sent back to Washington, D.C. – and promoted!
Richard’s proud son, Jonathan Gray of 87 North Street, Medfield, has been reenacting his father’s story for over 10 years, performing at schools, at scouting events in Medfield, and other Massachusetts locations. He will be performing it for the Medfield Historical Society on Monday, February 6, in the basement of the old meetinghouse, aka First Parish Unitarian Universalist church.
The presentation is free and open to the public. Mark your calendar!
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The Curious, Convoluted History of Norfolk County and Its Courts | |
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by Tom Connors
Longtime Medfield resident Tom Connors sat as a judge in three Norfolk Country district courts and then moved up to spend over 16 years in the Dedham Superior Court. At the November 7 meeting of the historical society, he spoke about little-known aspects of the evolution of our court system. Much of Tom’s information came from Robert B. Hanson’s writings on Norfolk County history. Tom also spoke about some intriguing trials, which will be the subject of an article in next month’s Portal.
From the earliest colonial days, the Massachusetts courts have been a county-based system. Eastern Massachusetts was defined in its early days by the two main historical settlements – Plymouth Colony, founded by the Pilgrims in 1620, and the Massachusetts Bay Colony 10 years later, centered on the Shawmut Peninsula we know as downtown Boston.
The period after 1630 – the Great Migration – was one of explosive growth, considering the distance English settlers had to travel across perilous seas in ships of the era. The Plymouth Colony expanded through Duxbury and Scituate and inland and toward Buzzards Bay through what are now the present Plymouth and Bristol counties. The growth of John Winthrop’s Boston-based colony, from its inception a more well-heeled group, fanned out through the surrounding area – across the Charles to “Newtowne,” now Cambridge, and significantly for our purposes, to the southwest to a place along that river and near to the other major eastern Massachusetts river, the Neponset, Dedham.
The period after 1630 – the Great Migration – was one of explosive growth, considering the distance English settlers had to travel across perilous seas in ships of the era. The Plymouth Colony expanded through Duxbury and Scituate and inland and toward Buzzards Bay through what are now the present Plymouth and Bristol counties. The growth of John Winthrop’s Boston-based colony, from its inception a more well-heeled group, fanned out through the surrounding area – across the Charles to “Newtowne,” now Cambridge, and significantly for our purposes, to the southwest to a place along that river and near to the other major eastern Massachusetts river, the Neponset, Dedham.
Eventually, the “Dedham Grant” came to encompass all the land from what is today Boston’s southwest border to the Rhode Island line. That area eventually was carved into a myriad of towns; in the familiar story, the first settlement formally to separate was Medfield, recognized by the colony’s legislature as a separate entity in 1651.
Click here to read more>>
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A Piece of Revolutionary War History Returns Home to Medfield | |
Update on Project at Clark Tavern Site | |
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The original Clark tavern – nearly 300 years old – is gone. But the replica being built on the site at 359 Main Street moves toward completion late next spring, according to developer Rob MacCready of Open Space Builders.
When completed, there will be a total of five units, each around 2,200 square feet. Two will be in the tavern replica. The remaining three will be in two all-new buildings that are designed to look like outbuildings which could have existed there in the 18th century.
Photos show the original Clark tavern from about 2000, the replica under construction, and the great room in the replica, using beams from the ballroom in the original building.
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The original Clark Tavern c. 2000. | |
Clark Tavern replica exterior. | |
Great Room of Clark Tavern replica showing original beams from the ballroom. | |
People and Places of the Past | |
Joe Marcionette – Living to See Change | |
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by Tim Flaherty
My grandfather, Joe Marcionette (1901-1991) gave us memories of the way things used to be! He was an incredible man and larger than life figure. Joe was a town selectman in the 50s and 60s, and he enjoyed the office and position immensely.
He also owned the Jenny gas station, now the site of the Middlesex Bank, across Main St. from the United Church of Christ. That location was perfect for Joe, who loved being where whatever action there was in the center of the town and the Medfield Town Hall.
Joe had a flamboyant streak and liked to meet and greet his customers and press the flesh. He often pumped the gas himself – it was cheap in those days, just 26 cents a gallon - and most of the profits came from the done by the mechanics.
Here’s a brief glance at his world. In the mid-fifties and, Joe bought a boxer puppy, and he named her Jenny after his station. Joe and Jenny went just about everywhere together. It was remarkable how smart Jenny was. Over time, Joe taught her many tricks that she would perform in front of everyone at the gas station or at home. Joe even had a regular routine with Jenny “speaking” - only in dog language, of course.
As the town selectman, Joe never missed the chance to be in the public eye. On the Memorial Day in 1957, Joe was asked to throw out the first pitch of opening day of the Little League season. He was very dapper, in a light gray suit and tie and a fresh white shirt and shined shoes. The crowd in the stands, as well as the two teams about to play, remembered the way he threw the ball. It was smooth, clean and straight down the middle. No fast ball necessary. It wasn’t a perfect strike, but Joe got the job done and had a gift for making things look easy. He was very nimble for such a big man.
Click here to read more >>
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