North Attleborough Historical Society

March Meeting

Mar 13, 2005

March Meeting
On Monday, March 21st at 7:30 PM at the Little Red Schoolhouse, George Shelton of the Attleboro Area Industrial Museum presents "Ice Harvesting in the Attleboro Area". It is hard to imagine that ice was cut from many of the area ponds and stored for year-round household use, but the population supported a number of ice houses including Rioux's on Whiting's Pond and Todd's in Oldtown. George will talk about what the AAIM has learned about the ice industry and the tools used in harvesting the ice.

Eagle Scout Project
The North Attleborough Historical Society was the fortunate beneficiary of a North Attleboro scout's Eagle Scout project. Michael Despres approached the society last summer looking for a potential project and chose to refinish the wood floor in the society's circa 1850 schoolhouse.
The project required Michael to research what tools and materials would be required, approach businesses for donations of materials and equipment, put together a work plan that would utilize the help of other members of his troop and then execute the plan. Michael, several parents and several scouts first set any protruding nails, covered the doorways into the kitchen and bathrooms with drop clothes to keep dust out, used a belt, floor sander and edger to sand the floor, used an oak stain to blend the color of the areas that all of the finish was sanded off with areas where some finish remained thus preserving an old-looking floor, and then putting down four coats of a polyurethane protective finish. The project was accomplished during the recent weeklong school break.
Michael was presented with a Certificate of Appreciation at the last North Attleborough Historical Society Board of Trustees meeting.

Ruth
On January 4th the Society lost one of its most important members when Ruth Rickard unexpectedly passed away. Ruth was a tireless worker for the society, many times behind the scene, and the very deserving recipient of the first William and Dorothy Rice Award for Service to the North Attleborough Historical Society. Ruth worked on every fundraiser and encouraged many others to become involved. She enjoyed her time spent with the other "mice ladies" working on various projects for our fairs, sitting around her table and catching up on what was going on in their lives. Ruth held dear her family, friends, birds, even the squirrels that stole the bird feed, and the historical society.

Happenings at Area Societies
March 15 at 7:30 PM "Home Delivered Milk and some of the Dairies of Norton" by Bob Lanpher at the Norton Historical Society
March 17 at 2 PM "A Treasure Ship Tragedy" at the Old Colony Historical Society, 66 Church Green, Taunton
March 22 at 7:30 PM "Dark Tide - Boston Molasses Flood" at the Boyden Library for the Foxborough Historical Society
Apr. 13 at 6:30 PM "Earthquakes and Tsunamis" at the Women At Work Museum ($10 for non-members)
Apr. 14 at 7:30 PM "Scots for sale: Fate of Scottish war prisoners in 17th Century New England" at the Wrentham Library for the Wrentham Historical Society ($5 for non-members)
Apr. 27 at 6:45 PM "Ted Charron - History of an Artist" at the Attleboro Area Industrial Museum

President's Letter
Our last meeting was held at the Women At Work museum. Katherine Honey, the woman behind the museum, has accomplished much in the short time that the museum has been in existence having hosted numerous exhibits, lectures and educational presentations. Katherine would very much like your help in forging the future mission and form that the museum takes. If you are interested, contact Katherine at 508-222-4430 or khoney@comcast.net.

Katherine sent the following description of her next event: "The New England Southcoast Section of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) is hosting this engaging and informative presentation on the earthquake activity associated with the terrible tsunamis in Southeast Asia. The presenter is Michele Fitzpatrick, U.S. Coast Guard, Lt Commander, retired. Michele is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Connecticut in geophysics. Light refreshments will be served; the cost is $5 to members of SWE or other professional societies and $10 to non-members. There is no charge to students."

The third grade visitation program has started again. Claire Harrison, Dorothy Conroy and their helpers are once again entertaining and enlightening the third graders of North Attleborough; a tradition that the Society has been providing the town of North Attleborough since 1974. It is one of the highlights of our year and theirs.

I miss Ruth Rickard very much. Ruth was always available to answer the questions that I had. "Ruth, how should we do this or Ruth, where did this come from." She always had an encouraging word. Somehow she got me to join the Board of Trustees and then to co-chair the Ways and Means committee. I couldn't believe the news when we received the phone call from her son Peter. I immediately got the word out to as many people as I could through emails and phone calls.

Many of our members attended her wake and gathered with her family at her funeral, her grandson officiated. Many of her family and friends shared stories of the many ways that Ruth touched their lives. I could almost hear Ruth's delightful laugh during some of those stories. We will all miss her.

Hope to see many of you on the 21st. Come and see the "new" old floor at the schoolhouse,
Bob Lanpher