North Attleborough Historical Society

April 2009

Apr 23, 2009

April Meeting
On Monday, April 20 at 7:30 PM, at the Little Red Schoolhouse, area resident, Dan West, will present "A History of Blacksmithing". Active blacksmith West will discuss the evolution of the trade from before the Iron Age to the present. He will connect blacksmithing to this area and particularly to Oliver Ames, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and others.

May Breakfast
Mark May 3rd on your calendars. Our annual May Breakfast will run from 8:30 to 11:30 AM and the open house at the Garrison will be from 9:00 AM to noon. Breakfast will include ham, eggs, muffins, hash browns, beans, juice, coffee, tea and homemade pies.

Please consider providing pies or muffins when our members call for contributions.

Beaver Dam
Thanks go to Bob Lanpher for researching the question about the Beaver Dam in the last Smoke Signals. In Daggett's History, he found a reference to the Beaver Dam Factory, on a raceway to Whitings Pond, at the corner of Whitings Street and Broad Street.

Continued Welcome
To eighteen classes of North Attleborough third graders and one class of St. Mary's/Sacred Heart third graders. We hope you enjoy your day at the Little Red Schoolhouse. Memories of the day of your visit will last a lifetime.

Thank You
To Briggs Nursery for the hibiscus raffled at the March meeting.

Back to School
One wonderful memory experienced by all third graders in this area is their day at the Little Red Schoolhouse. On April 4th, this day is being recreated for "students" of all ages. Participants will have the opportunity to go back in time and spend two hours in the schoolhouse. The first hour will be spent on lessons of the period. During the second hour, former students who attended this Adamsdale School will retell their stories. The session will conclude with a trip to the Garrison House for cookies. There is a $10.00 fee per participant. Reservations are filling, so please call 508-695-0923 to reserve your space. Thanks go to Nancy Campbell for coordinating this event.

Historic District Study Committee
Did you know that North Attleborough has more than four hundred properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places? Yet, only recently has the Board of Selectmen proposed the creation of a Local Historic Study Committee. If serving on this committee, which will work to develop guidelines to protect the town's oldest neighborhoods is of interest to you, please contact Jim Hale. Three people have stepped forward but there is much room for others. This committee would meet approximately once per month.

Welcome
To new members Brian and Virginia Rickard of Plainville.
I want to acknowledge an incredible gift of time and planning by those putting together the wonderful events of our Little Red Schoolhouse Day to be held on April 4th. Nancy Campbell has spent many months coordinating this event. Her time schedule to the Board of Trustees was down to the minute and only she knows how much time she has spent on the phone.

Retired North Attleborough teacher, Barbara Strickland will be our teacher-for-a-day. Barbara spent many days at our schoolhouse with her third graders and she will do it again with you.

Our curators will be stoking the fire on that Saturday morning to present each of you with a griddle cookie.

Thanks to all who are coming to share a story of time actually spent in that classroom. Thanks also to all of you who plan to participate. Memories are made in this program. Reservations are still available at 508-695-0523.

Jim

Other happenings in this area:

Apr. 16 - 10:30 P.M. - Norton Library monthly morning adult program - "Paul Revere's Ride" - Gary Hylander
Apr. 19 - 1:30 P.M. - Blackstone Valley Historical Society - "Post cards from the Blackstone Valley"
Apr. 21 - 7:30 P. M. - Norton Historical Society - "The Common Cemetery"
Apr. 24 - Falls Firebarn Museum Pasta Supper at the Elks Club from 6:00 to 7:30 P.M.
Apr. 26 - 12:30 P.M. at the Rhode Island Post Card Club meeting at the K of C on Volturno St., N. Providence " A post card history of Crescent Park Amusement Park.
Apr. 28 - 7:30 P.M. - Boyden Library, Foxboro -"S.S. Andrea Doria sinking
May 3 - 8:30 to 11:30 P.M. - North Attleborough Historical Society May breakfast.