George Wright House, Savin Hill: potential Boston Landmark

UPDATE: The Boston Landmarks Commission designated the house as a Boston Landmark, and Mayor Menino signed off on it,  but the City Council voted to override the designation in mid-December 2013. The house was demolished in April 2014 - see Dorchester Reporter article.
Boston Landmarks Commission Study Report on the Kehew-Wright House, 24 Grampian Way, Savin Hill will be presented at a BLC public hearing on August 13, 2013 at 5:50 pm, Room 900, Boston City Hall. The house has several prominent owners, most famously George Wright (1847–1937) a pioneering sportsman and Baseball Hall of Famer with many, many outstanding sports accomplishments. In 1871 Wright founded the Boston Red Stockings, who became the Boston Braves, now Atlanta Braves "the oldest continuously playing team in major North American sports." The BLC study report link can be found at this link.

Development & Preservation: positive potential for Dorchester's historic commercial centers

The Historic Boston Inc.Neighborhood Centers program did great work in Fields Corner and pointed the way for future exciting projects, such as the O'Hearn Storage Building, pictured. HBI developed Commercial Casebooks for two other Main Street districts in Dorchester - Ashmont/Peabody Square (St Marks) and Upham's Corner - to highlight buildings that are significant locally and whose preservation may restore an important historic resource or expand economic opportunity in the neighborhood. The information in these documents guides the development of HBI’s pipeline of potential Historic Neighborhood Centers projects, and is intended to help neighborhood leaders and property owners identify opportunities for investment by the private and public sectors. Presented in light of major development potential and planning underway in these and other areas of Dorchester in time for May, which is Preservation Month.

USS Constitution sails Boston Harbor

21 gun salute, USS Constitution 8/19/12

On Sunday August 19, 2012, exactly 200 years after a key sea victory during the War of 1812, we were able to watch the USS Constitution sail under her own power off Castle Island* in Boston Harbor. It was a stirring sight! Loved the loud booms of the ship's 21 gun salute - the incredible noise helped give a sense of what a full blown battle at sea must have been like 200 years ago.

Excerpt from the 8/20/12 Boston Globe: The USS Constitution set sail for the first time since 1997 to mark the 200th anniversary of its victory over the HMS Guerriere, a Royal Navy frigate, during the battle of the War of 1812 that earned the ship her “Old Ironsides” nickname, officials said in a statement. The ship was tugged just before 10 a.m. with 285 people on board. Once Old Ironsides reached President Roads in the Boston Harbor, crews set three sails and detached the ship from the tugboats, officials said. The ship sailed under her own power for 17 minutes at a maximum speed of 3.1 knots.

*Castle Island is in South Boston, formerly Dorchester's cow pasture, where a key Revolutionary War victory led to the British evacuating Boston.

Dorchester, birthplace of American chocolate!

On Sunday Feb 19th we were finally able to attend the annual chocolate event at the Dorchester Historical Society - what fun! The capacity crowd learned about the history of chocolate, introduced to the US in Dorchester in 1765 (factoid via presenter and judge Rebecca Scheier of Tie Your Apron), celebrated the 3 cook-off winners (congratulations Jack Dennerlein, Candice Gartley and Judy Raup!) and tasted lots and lots of delicious homemade chocolate-y treats. Afterwards, walked the dog for 20 miles or so to work off all those calories!

Great New England Blizzards: DHS talk on Jan.16

On Sunday, Jan. 16, 2011, at 2 p.m. New England weather historian John Horrigan presents a chronology of the great snow storms that have socked our region over the last 400 years. A free event, with refreshment, open to the public, at Dorchester Historical Society headquarters, William Clapp house, 195 Boston Street, Dorchester MA.  Donations are always cheerfully accepted!

Dorchester history preserved in the new Museum of Fine Arts wing

Roswell Gleason's (1799-1879) House: click on this link to see two lovely rooms originally from Dorchester that the Museum of Fine Arts has preserved and installed as part of its new wing. Roswell Gleason was a successful silversmith in the 19th century and his 1837 house, called "Lilacs", and adjacent factory complex were originally situated on Washington Street near Park Street. In the 1890s the 25-acre Gleason estate was subdivided for development and the house moved to face east on Claybourne Street. Preserved by the MFA in the 1970s at the request of a descendant of Gleason, the dining room and parlor have been reconstructed to give a sense of living in an architectural showplace.  The image above is a painting on brick of "Lilacs" in the Edward A. Huebener Brick Collection at the Dorchester Historical Society. The house was destroyed in 1982. For more information on Roswell Gleason, photographs of the house and his work, please see the Dorchester Atheneum website, and definitely visit the MFA to see this new exhibit!

Dorchester Descendants project

from the Dorchester Descendants website

Read this interesting Dorchester Reporter article about a fascinating project by the Dorchester Historical Society to find and connect anyone with ties to Dorchester, whether their family heritage goes back to the original settlers around 1630, or 1890, or 1970. Plus there is a big 350th birthday celebration planned for the Blake House in June 2011. Sounds like fun!

Anna Clapp Harris Smith's house saved

New Life for Old House in Dorchester from Chris Lovett on Vimeo.

Dorchester Heights and Evacuation of Boston: Sunday March 21

Earl Taylor, President of the Dorchester Historical Society, will present an illustrated lecture about the fortification of Dorchester Heights and the Evacuation of Boston in 1776.

Sunday, March 21st
2-4 pm
William Clapp House, 195 Boston Street, 02125

Chocolate! Sunday Feb. 21 at the Dorchester Historical Society

Help DHS make Sweet History: Baker Chocolate Talk & Great Chocolate Cook-off Extravaganza 2010!

Chocolate! That creamy, rich, delicious confection we adore is something that few can resist, refuse, or deny themselves. Yet this sweet and decadent delicacy is far different than what was enjoyed just a few centuries ago when it was a delicious and flavorful drink referred to as the "Food of the Gods." Anthony M. Sammarco's new bestselling book The Baker Chocolate Company: A Sweet History chronicles the history and development of this venerable and delicious industry. In his illustrated lecture Sammarco outlines chocolate from its evolution from chocolatle to cocoa. Mr. Sammarco is a past president of the Dorchester Historical Society, and this is his fifty-seventh book.

After Mr. Sammarco's talk, sample chocolate creations by amateur cooks and professionals alike, who are invited to submit their best creations to the Great Chocolate Cook-Off 2010. To participate, fill out this form and send in to the DHS, 195 Boston St., Dorchester MA 02125 or contact Earl Taylor via email. Then deliver your creation by 11 AM on Feb. 21 to the Dorchester Historical Society. A panel of judges will perform a blind tasting to determine the top three winners, whose names will be announced during the program. Then after the talk everyone gets to enjoy the goodies as long as they last. For non-cooks who would prefer to just taste (yum!) at the event, there will be a $5 admission fee. Copies of Mr. Sammarco's book will be available at $21.99.

Dorchester Historical Society
Sun., Feb. 21, 2 pm
Visit the DHS website for more details.

uphams corner walk tour article

Dorchester's history can be easier to uncover at a walking pace: see this link to recent Globe article

Why preserve old buildings?

You may sense a history/preservation theme going on here, that's because Preservation Month is coming up, in May. There are those of us who feel that old buildings ought to be saved and recycled, not torn down and replaced by cheap unattractive structures that maximize profit. Lo and behold, it is actually more sustainable to work with what you got, because of the embodied energy or, the energy it took to build in the first place. So new is not always better, as far as energy saving goes. Retrofit and weatherization can be less expensive in the long run, and help retain the old buildings that provide neighborhood flavor. The photos above show the ca. 1800 Foster House that once stood at 1615 Dorchester Avenue and the multi-unit housing that replaced it.

Vote to Preserve St. Peter's

Vote to Help St. Peter's Church!
American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation have selected 25 sites of historical, cultural and aesthetic significance in Greater Boston as candidates for the Partners in Preservation program.

From April 14 - May 17, 2009, you have the opportunity to cast one vote each day online for the historic place that you care about most. At the end of the voting period, the site with the most votes is guaranteed funding from a total of $1 million that American Express will give away to support the preservation of historic places in Greater Boston. See this Dorchester Reporter article.

The Dorchester Historical Society's Architectural Preservation Committee encourages you to visit the link here and to vote daily from April 14 - May 17, 2009 for St. Peter’s Church.
It is an architectural and cultural cornerstone that has been at the heart of its community for over a century. While it remains rooted in serving its community, the structure is showing the wear of a public building. A grant would allow St. Peter's to clean and restore the nine stained glass windows and wood trim on the sanctuary’s eastern side.

If the link above does not work, cut and paste this url into your browser - http://www.partnersinpreservation.org/boston/index.php?sec=vot
Please send this message along to interested folks, and vote daily!

Gleason Pewter Exhibit at UMass Boston

Made in Dorchester: Roswell Gleason, Pewter Manufacturer

Roswell Gleason (1799-1887) master metalsmith, manufactured pewter and silverplate in Dorchester from the 1830s to the 1870s, a period of time when tastes were changing from the traditional to the more elaborate.
Examples of Gleason’s work are included in an exhibit at the Healey Library, UMass Boston, both in the cases inside the Special Collections Department and outside the Department in the main gallery.

Originally through the month of February, 2009, the exhibit is now extended through April.

Exhibit mounted by the Dorchester Historical Society.

photos of lost Dorchester - Fields Corner building

Here is another gasp-worthy photo. This is from the famous Earl Taylor's images of the day. He sent this one out to tweak interest in Field's Corner Main Street's gathering on Weds. The guest speaker is Alex Krieger who wrote Mapping Boston and is originally from Dorchester apparently. Historic Boston has been doing some research on similar hidden historical gems in Fields Corner. They are looking for people to bring in old photos. I definitely plan to go - June 18, Dorchester House, 1353 Dorchester Avenue, 6 p.m.

Oh, and this is an early photo of the Robinson Building at the northern side of Fields Corner intersection with a later photo showing how the building was expanded. Today the building exists, but without its third floor. amazing.
I added a link to my online calendars, just to see if it works...

surprising facts about Dorchester

Inspired by the more constructive tone of my fellow Dorchesterites on lowerdot, I am breathing deeply and concentrating on figuring out new ways to respond to infuriating and/or inaccurate comments about my adopted community. rather than attempts to be scathing. which often doesn't come across well.
now, I just read [on about.com] that the North End is Boston's oldest neighborhood.
but - Boston has grown over the years, through cutting down hills to fill in wetlands and through annexation of several separate towns. One of these towns was Dorchester, a large town founded several months prior to Boston in 1630, prospering for 240 years, then annexed to Boston in 1870.
So the North End may be said to be the oldest part of the original Boston peninsula, the boundaries of which also contain Chinatown, part of Beacon Hill and Washington Street.
but Dorchester is Boston's oldest neighborhood.

oh, and by the way, the James Blake House (built 1661) at the intersection of Columbia Road and Pond Street in Dorchester is the oldest in the city of Boston.