Lewis Hine caption: Hiram Pulk, 9 years old, cuts some in Seacoast Canning Co., Factory #1. "I ain't very fast--only about five boxes a day. They pay five cents a box." Location: Eastport, Maine, August 1911. Among the many thousands of child labor photographs taken by Lewis … [Read more...]
Stories From The Dowlin Block, Chapter Eight: Gloria Marony (December 2013)
I have been visiting and writing about North Adams for almost 18 years. One of my favorite landmarks in the city has been the sign for "Gloria's Beauty Shop," facing Main Street in one of the fourth floor windows of the Dowlin Block. I don't know how many times I have wondered … [Read more...]
Stories From The Dowlin Block, Chapter Seven: Ellen Murphy (December 2013)
Ellen Murphy, who lived at the Dowlin Block for many years, worked as a weaver at the Eclipse Mill from 1902 to 1940, a total 38 years. William and Theresa Alderman, whose story appears earlier in this article, also worked at the Eclipse for many years. In 2004, a … [Read more...]
Stories From The Dowlin Block, Chapter Six: Demolition and plans for renovation of the Dowlin Block (December 2013)
Scarafoni Associates bought the Dowlin Block in 1972, from North Adams Realty Trust, a partnership of local businessmen. In the past few decades, the building has housed street level stores, and a mix of professional offices, small businesses, and single-occupancy-style … [Read more...]
Stories From The Dowlin Block, Chapter Five: Leo Frisby (December 2013)
Leo W. Frisby lived in the Dowlin Block for about three years, from 1919 to 1921, as recorded in the North Adams directories, but his apartment number was not listed. He was born in Castleton, Vermont, on April 11, 1895, according to his official Vermont birth record. His father … [Read more...]
Evelyn Langlois
While searching for articles about the Dowlin Block, I ran across this account of an accident at its construction site. I immediately wanted to know if young Evelyn sufficiently recovered from the mishap, and how her life turned out. According her official birth record, Helene … [Read more...]
Stories From The Dowlin Block, Chapter Three: Edwin Thayer Barlow (December 2013)
The architect was Edwin Thayer Barlow, who was born in 1869, and lived almost all of his adult life on Church Street, in North Adams. He received a degree in architecture from Cornell University in 1891. In addition to the Dowlin Block, he designed the Boardman Apartments, a … [Read more...]
Stories From The Dowlin Block, Chapter Two: Fred Forest Dowlin (December 2013)
The following was published in 1906, in Historical Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Berkshire County, Massachusetts: Fred Forest Dowlin, who is known as a man of high attainments and as one who has achieved success at the bar, was born in North … [Read more...]
The Courriers: Still Carrying On (2014)
"When he (Pete Seeger) sang 'Wimoweh,' and he got the whole audience to sing, I had an epiphany. I knew that this is what I wanted to hear, what I wanted to know more about, and what I wanted to play." -Mark Max, co-founding member of the Courriers "We did a gig at the Bitter … [Read more...]
The Greatest Hustler (2010)
"The Nats swept their second doubleheader in five days when they defeated the Kansas City Athletics at Griffith Stadium last night, 5-4 and 10-9, before 7291 spectators. The double victory boosted the Nats into a third-place tie with the Boston Red Sox. The second game saw the … [Read more...]
Making “Misty”: The Legendary Johnny Mathis Recording (2010)
"I heard Erroll Garner play it when I was in my teens. There were no lyrics yet. I blurted out, ‘Mr. Garner, I am going to record your song if I ever make a record.'" -Johnny Mathis "Look at me/I'm as helpless as a kitten up a tree." I was sitting in my favorite diner … [Read more...]
You Can’t Win If You Don’t Shoot (2009)
On the evening of Valentine's Day 1963, Calvert High School lost to La Plata High School by the score of 4-1. The two Southern Maryland schools weren't playing soccer, baseball or hockey; they were playing basketball. I know, because my brother, then called Bobby Manning, was a … [Read more...]
NORTH ADAMS, MASSACHUSETTS
North Adams is a small city in the Berkshires. This strangely beautiful community is surrounded by hills dotted with rows of large tenements and Victorian houses, and the steep roads that wind up to them. Its incredible skyline of church steeples symbolizes the indomitable spirit … [Read more...]
No Empty Chairs At Milton Hall (2007)
Open Mic In Milltown, a poem by Joe Manning Main Street, Friday evening. I count ninety-six windows in the tall gray building; all are dark except one which reflects the half moon. Two boys in college windbreakers hang out by the clothing store. Several people … [Read more...]
Lizzie McKenzie & The Baxley Children, Dillon, South Carolina
Lewis Hine caption: Dillon Mill (tallest) Lizzie McKenzie, Has helped 1/2 year. Mamie Baxley (holding baby). Been in mill 3 years. Runs 4 sides = 40 cents a day. Maud & Daisy "help." Location: Dillon, South Carolina, December 1908. "She said she was on her feet 12 to 14 … [Read more...]
Warren Franklin family, Guilford, Vermont
Jack Delano caption: Children of Warren Franklin, FSA (Farm Security Administration) dairy farmer near Guilford, Vermont, Aug 1941. On the Library of Congress website, there are over 700 photos taken in the summer of 1941 by Jack Delano, for the Farm Security Administration. … [Read more...]
Tony Valenti, Tampa, Florida
Lewis Hine caption: One of America's youngest newsboys. 4 years old and regular seller. Tampa, Florida, March 1913. "The first time I saw the picture, it was in the magazine for the 13th Annual Italian-American Invitational Golf Tournament. That was in 1990. The picture was … [Read more...]
Carmine & Edward Zizza, Newark, New Jersey
Lewis Hine caption: Eddie and Carmine Zizza, twelve year old twins who make $1.50 a day. They belong to a family of 13 children many of them newsboys, August 1st, 1924. Location: Newark, New Jersey. "He worked for the A & P food market for over 30 years. He was a vegetable … [Read more...]
Mancini’s Peter Gunn Score Launched Dozens Of Careers (2007)
On a late summer evening in 1958, at Radio Recorders, a legendary recording studio in Santa Monica, California, a mild-mannered 34-year old conductor, pipe in mouth, gives the downbeat, and a guitarist, also 34 years old, starts grinding out a heavy, rolling ostinato. Two bars … [Read more...]
Crossing A New Bridge (2012)
At the lower end of Rita Street, in Springfield, Vermont, there is a short, steep path through the woods that leads down to the intersection of River Street and North Main Street. Just across River Street is a footbridge that crosses the Black River and connects to the front … [Read more...]
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