Behind the Images
It Could Be Worse: Part II: Jairus Towle Stereoview Mystery Solved!
The Museum of Old Newbury is truly a community endeavor. Generations of knowledge, some geographical, some personal, some genealogical, reside in the considerable brains of you lovely people, and we are so grateful when you share it with us.
Last week we told you the story of the donation of eight stereoviews, inspired by the 2022 It Could Be Worse calendar. (Purchase here).
This week, courtesy of board member and longtime supporter Ed Ramsdell, we bring you the information that solves the mystery of why these images were taken and saved, and why poor Jairus Towle met his end on these tracks. (Read last week’s Disaster Calendar inspired mystery here.)
|
|
“I was reading your piece in the e-Newsletter on Grandpa Towle’s interaction with a horsecar track that led to his demise. A couple of bits of information and a guess concerning same follows.
This was, of course, pre-electric streetcars – the rails are those of the Newburyport & Amesbury Horse Railroad. It was incorporated in 1864 but was not constructed until 1873.
Originally the franchise granted by the legislature gave Newburyport, Salisbury and Amesbury the right to acquire blocks of the stock. However, Salisbury and Amesbury opted not to exercise their rights and ultimately Newburyport and some private capital funded the line. Newburyport owned a controlling block of capital stock and for approximately the next decade the mayor of Newburyport was the ex-Officio President of the horse railroad. The city didn’t actually operate the line but leased it to private operators.
Newburyport sold its interest to local rail promoter and land developer E.P. Shaw in 1886. Shaw also founded the Newburyport Car Manufacturing Company that built streetcars at a factory on Brown’s Wharf near the foot of Green Street from 1887 – 1904.
|
|
Stereoscope views mystery solved by MOON board member, Ed Ramsdell. Donated stereoscope views from long-time supporter, Scott Nason. From the collections of the Museum of Old Newbury. |
|
Anyway, the track in the stereoscope views are Newburyport & Amesbury Horse Railroad rails. The wooden item crossing the rails in the images is a rudimentary device for gauging (measuring the distance between the inside of the railheads) a track. The device also gave some indication of the height of the railheads relative to each other. Both measures are important so as to not have the railcar fall off the rails. I don’t know what the track being in or out of gauge* would have to do with the accident. Railhead height might well, and I discuss that below.
The height of the rail nearest the water is quite high relative to the roadway. Other than crossing this rail at right angles would have been very difficult for a wagon or carriage. An attempt to cross at an angle would likely result in the wagon being deflected away or possibly upset.
The sail-frightened horses and the rail being at fault might both be correct. If a team spooked and started to cross the track at an angle the wagon could well have been upset. Many wagons and carriages suffered this fate in the early days of street railways. Eventually there were regulations requiring the rails to be sunk into the street and/or crossovers provided. However, that was provided more in the center of communities and 1878 was still relatively early in street railway development.
Rail height became even more important with the advent of the motorcar as a rail could grab control of an automobile’s steering.
|
|
General vicinity of Jairus' accident. Courtesy image. |
|
As to location, I suspect it is Salisbury Point (now Point Shore) in the general vicinity of Lowell’s Boat Shop. I can’t think of any Newburyport location that matches the scene. The only track paralleling the water in Newburyport was at Joppa and Joppa doesn’t work because the track was on the water side of the street and not the land side as shown in the stereoscope view. Also, at Joppa the water view is much broader reaching all the way across the flats and the Merrimack.
However, at Salisbury Point the track was on the land side of the street and the width and background of the water is much more akin to that shown in stereoscope view.
|
|
Visual showing how the standard gauge is measured. Image courtesy of SafeRack. |
|
* Standard gauge in the U.S. was 4 feet, 8.5 inches. Why the weird width you might ask – purportedly, it fits the original specifications for an Imperial Roman war chariot. Chariots made ruts so to avoid broken wheels. Wagons and carts were made with wheel widths to fit. Eventually the Roman Empire went away but ruts and wagons were still there. In Britain (Provincia Britannia), wagons continued to be built to these dimensions and a few centuries later, the first tram (streetcar) makers continued with 4 feet, 8.5 inches for rail separation. Since the British Empire was nearing its peak at that time the ‘standard gauge’ was exported across the empire.”
Thank you, Ed, and thanks to all of you who share your knowledge and expertise with us. There is so much to learn.
|
|
Know what goes great with Thanksgiving leftovers?
A 2022 "It Could be Worse" Calendar!
|
|
Each month of the It Could Be Worse: A 2022 Calendar of Local Disasters features a different image of a Newbury-area disaster. The photos and broadsides span the 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. The block-style calendar is perfect for jotting down appointments and reminders; and a notes section at the end is perfect to keep important numbers and names.
The 12-month calendar measures 11"Wx17"L when opened; 11"Wx8.5"L when closed and is printed on heavy, semi-gloss paper. Informative text and image credits accompanies each month's selection. A preview calendar of 2023 precedes the notes page at the end.
Starting at $18 each for members who stop by the museum to pick up, this calendar is perfect for gift giving. Click here to order. |
|
|
|
Annual Fund 2021 – Keep a look out!
William Pitt, the British Prime Minister whose statue graced the parapet of the Lord Timothy Dexter House at 201 High Street, Newburyport, Mass., was best known for efficiency and fiscal responsibility.
And he's looking out the window of the Museum of Old Newbury, hoping to spot your Annual Fund gift on its way to us.
William Pitt says thank you (though he doesn't understand the internet).
|
|
Running now through the end of the year, the team at the MOON will share their favorite family recipes, including a blog about its evolution and the significance of the item. Next week, Susan remembers her father and shares his favorite dish, Gehakt.
|
|
Woman on the MOON
Betty, Shelley & Veggie Chili: A Love Story...a recipe and a blog by Bethany Groff Dorau
|
|
My name is Bethany, but you can call me Stephanie (everyone else does).
I have also been called Brenda, Beth (which I can’t stand) and even, believe it or not, Bertha Croft, by former Amesbury mayor Nick Costello, who was announcing me at a public event. We had a good laugh about it afterward.
But only one person on earth has ever called me Betty.
I met Shelley in 1990, the day after I turned 16.
|
|
The old Storey Avenue Friendly Restaurant, now Provident Bank. Courtesy image by Herb Contos. |
|
Shelly, circa 1991, with author's obligatory Cure posters. |
|
I had long dreamed of donning the polyester uniform and practical shoes of a Friendly waitress, and as luck would have it, I was hired right away, the assistant manager clearly swayed by my impassioned plea to join the Storey Avenue Friendly’s family.
Shelley was the grill cook, and she was a stunner. Perfect milk-white skin, pale blue eyes ringed top and bottom with thick black lines that met in a sweeping point, an electric blue mohawk and knee-high, 14-hole Doc Martens boots. She was dressed in black from head to toe, her fingers and neck ringed with heavy silver crosses and skulls.
I was awestruck and terrified.
|
|
It was a long time before I had the nerve to talk to Shelley, who answered my ridiculous questions about her hair, and the music she listened to, and the stickers on her car, with patience and amusement. She decided to call me Betty. Several weeks later, she picked me up for coffee, my astonished parents trying not to stare or order me back into the house. The inherent goodness of Shelley proved irresistible, even to my parents, and several days later, they allowed me to be bundled into her car and off I went to my first punk rock music show.
It was May 13, 1990, and the band was Social Distortion at The Channel, for those of you who are playing at home. I remember driving home in the wee hours of the morning, a bit bruised and wide eyed and tingling, listening to Depeche Mode on the CD player that plugged into the tape deck. I held it on my lap as it whirred and sputtered.
That show, and my friendship with Shelley, changed everything for me, introducing me to a world of music and art and kids who celebrated, rather than feared, their outsider status. We may not have been the most welcoming sight, hanging out on Inn Street in our ripped army pants and studded jackets, but we had each other, and for some of us, it was the first time we felt accepted and whole, just exactly as we were.
Shelley proved to be a gentle soul, though she did not suffer fools. She was, and is, a champion of the underdog, the downtrodden, a friend to the intoxicated and the heartbroken. Thirty years later, she is still my dear friend, though she may never speak to me again after she finds out I distributed a picture of her in this newsletter.
It is not surprising, perhaps, that Shelley was one of the few vegetarians I knew back then, though I could occasionally talk her into a bowl of clam chowder at the Grog. Years went by, and then decades.
|
|
Orville and Wilbur, who inspired not only my vegetarianism but the creation of a farm sanctuary that included pigs, at the Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm in Newbury. |
|
In 2004, I raised two piglets for a season and then sent them to slaughter, reasoning that if I could eat a pig that I had raised, I could ethically continue to eat meat. I failed this test miserably, turning tearfully away from the bacon and chops that had once been Wilbur and Orville.
Shelley was a model of the kind of vegetarian I wanted to be. She never harangued, never pointed out the dubious ethics of eating animals while volunteering for farm animal rescues. She spoke from her own experience, her own love of all animals, and her conviction that there is enough suffering in the world, and if we can avoid adding to it, we should. And she made delicious, nutritious, filling vegetarian food, and shared it with everyone.
When I told Shelley that I had joined her at long last in the ranks of the meat-less mavens, she made me a pot of my favorite soup, a delicious veggie chili, and when I asked for the recipe, gave some guidelines rather than an actual recipe. Here is Shelley’s veggie chili:
“It’s onion, red bell pepper, toasted quinoa, lentils, black beans, red beans, chickpeas, diced tomato, green chilies, tomato paste, water, chipotle tabasco sauce, smoked paprika, chipotle powder & veggie stock & water. Often there is jalapeño peppers, corn & leeks in there too. It evolves.”
Over the years, as I have made this recipe-less chili, it has been tweaked and adjusted based on my preferences and a whole lot of trial and error. Recently, a friend who is going vegan asked me for the recipe, and I stopped to actually measure the ingredients, though much of the fun is changing it up so it suits your tastes. My kids eat more when it’s mild. My husband adds hot sauce. My friend from Texas scoffs and says this is not chili of any kind, but veggie dip. Each to his own. This is filling, comforting, flavorful, smokey and nutritious. The spinach packs an iron-laden, meaty punch, as do the nuts, so don’t skimp there unless you must.
Thank you, Shelley, for everything.
Love,
Betty
|
|
Someone else's appetizing veggie chili, "stolen" from the internet as mine does not photograph well. |
|
Betty’s Vegan Chili for Wimps
1 green pepper
2 medium yellow onions
1 zucchini
1 celery stalk
3 cloves garlic
2 cans fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 cans chili beans (I use kidney and black)
1 can V8
2 cups baby spinach
1 cup walnuts
1 cup smokehouse almonds
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoons cumin
2 teaspoons oregano
Note: if chili beans are pre-seasoned, adjust above accordingly. Also, you may add heat by adding jalapeños to the roasted veggies or substitute RO-TEL tomatoes for one can of the fire roasted tomatoes.
Chop into large pieces and roast or grill the pepper, onion, zucchini and celery until slightly charred on edges. Pop in a soup pot, add minced garlic and warm before adding the canned tomatoes and beans (do not rinse) and the can of V8. Add veggie stock if desired. Bring to a boil and simmer on low for 10 minutes. Put two cups (or whatever amount you want) baby spinach in a bowl and add 3 cups of the chili. Blend with immersion blender until smooth (looks like green baby food).
Return to the pot. Add one cup of fresh or frozen corn if desired. Heat through. Coarsely grind walnuts and almonds and add to pot. Remove from heat after stirring in the nuts and let sit for 15 min. Remove bay leaves, serve with Fritos or tortilla chips.
|
|
Newburyport's Annual William Lloyd Garrison Lecture featuring Edward Carson
Friday, December 10, 2021 | 7:00 p.m.
Old South Presbyterian Church | 29 Federal Street, Newburyport, MA
Every year, Newburyport celebrates William Lloyd Garrison's legacy on his birthday with a lecture from a well-known author, historian, or public speaker about Garrison's life, and how it is still relevant today.
This year the talk is “The Gospel According to William Lloyd Garrison: Anti-Racism and the American Truth” and will be given by Edward Carson, the Dean of Multicultural Education at the Governor’s Academy and a leading organizer and activist in the Greater Boston area. Carson will discuss Garrison’s relevancy in twenty-first century issues like voting rights, Critical Race Theory, and Black political thought.
Join us in-person (masks required for attendees) on December 10, 2021 at the Old South Presbyterian Church in Newburyport at 7:00 p.m. For more information and to watch live go to lecture.porthistory.com. No registration required.
|
|
The Civil War: Crucible of American Christmas
In-person Event | 98 High Street, Newburyport, MA 01950
Bill Hallett, a former radio announcer covering Baltimore to Boston, as well as locally at 100.3 WHEB and 92.5 the River, has always had a passion for the past with an emphasis on Civil War history.
A re-enactor and board member of two Civil War Roundtables, he’s given talks on various Civil War topics from Maine to Maryland. He stumbled upon some small stories of soldiers at Christmas and further digging brought him to his topic, “The Civil War: Crucible of American Christmas.”
He will take us through the early years, when Americans did or didn’t celebrate Christmas, depending on their location in the new country. But with European immigrants arriving in the early 19th century, the American Civil War accelerated the customs and manners nationally bringing the holiday to what we know today.
When the Civil War began, Christmas was slowly on the verge of becoming what we see now, but as with many parts of our culture, the war accentuated and promoted such a holiday. We owe so much of our American Christmas customs to the years 1861-1865, as the country fought itself. Small customs in various corners or part of the country, emerged with new national traditions that are still carried on today.
This is an in-person event. Free for members of the Museum of Old Newbury; $10 for non-members. Not a member? Join now by clicking here.
|
|
EXTENDED: Be sure to play "Yeat Yeat, Don't Tell Me!" before Dec. 10
An extra week has been added to participate in this month's "Yeat Yeat, Don't Tell Me!" quiz.
Enjoy Jack Santos and Colleen Turner Secino's witty riposte here or skip right to the questions by typing joinmyquiz.com/pro into your browser, then enter the code 5771 9233 to join. As of today, Chrunch is in the lead with six correct answers.
Remember to hit "SUBMIT" in the bottom right corner after making your selection for the answer. NOTE: this is a timed quiz, so read the questions and get your choice made as quickly as possible.
|
|
Puzzle Me This...
Oil on canvas portrait of Martha Gerrish Bartlet Wheelwright (1804-1888). This portrait was probably painted on the occasion of her wedding to William Wheelwright in 1829.
Martha was the sister of Betsey and Lydia Bartlet featured in a story here a few weeks ago.
A longtime supporter of the Society for the Relief of Aged Females, Martha Wheelwright donated her house at 75 High Street to the society in 1888.
The Wheelwright Home for Aged Women, as it became known, served local residents from 1886 to 2005. The trustees of the Wheelwright Home sold the house in 2005 and created a foundation to continue the mission of assisting women in the Newburyport area.
From the collections of the Museum of Old Newbury.
Click on image to begin.
|
|
Museum e-Newsletter made possible through the
generosity of our sponsors:
|
|
|
Museum of Old Newbury
98 High Street
Newburyport, MA 01950
978-462-2681
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
