Pique of the Week
Pique of the Week is a quick, fun way to dip into the collections as we put them online. We want to share what piqued our curiosity this week, but we also want you to talk to us. Let us know what you think and what you want to see.
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- Winter is coming…The original caption is “the dugway, Winthrop St thru sand hill” Source: Emily Fuller Drew Collection MC16 pla-02-0215-ed-nContinue Reading
- Joyful Thanksgiving to all!An old favorite from the Joseph Finney CollectionContinue Reading
- Memorial Day 2021Kingston first observed Memorial Day — known then as Decoration Day — in 1879. Here are a few images and documents of Kingstonians commemorating those who lost their lives in war.Continue Reading
- Mustard squirt-gun anti-protest, 1966“8/10/66-KINGSTON, MASS: Brandishing her own protest U.S. involvement in the Viet Nam war. UPI Telephoto”Continue Reading
- Winthrop Street and the Hidden Historical Hand of HoratioKingstonian Horatio Adams has appeared in the Pique of the Week a few times (here, here and here… well, that last one isn’t exactly about him, but it’s a favorite!) He was an prominent figure in Town history, but who knew he’d be right in the middle of a hot online ...Continue Reading
- In “my late mother’s random yard sale junk, we found this framed gem…”In a post to the Kingston Town Locals group on Facebook , Will Perry described a recently uncovered 1810 document that describes the line between Pembroke and Kingston. It appears to be a “Notice of Perambulation” documenting a joint walk along the border by the Selectmen of both Towns. By law, ...Continue Reading
- Welcome 2021!Source: Joseph Cushman Finney Papers MC11Continue Reading
- For Veterans’ Day: Melvin SimmonsNaval Constructor Melvin Simmons, born in Kingston on April 19, 1806, served as Master Carpenter for the first steam (or screw) frigate the USS Merrimack. Launched in June 1855 from the Charlestown Navy Yard, she was christened by Simmons’ daughter Mary Elizabeth, then 23. When Virginia seceded from the Union in ...Continue Reading
- Elder’s Spring“Elder’s Spring was the water supply for the house-holds of Isaac Allerton, the Mayflower Pilgrim, and of other occupants of the farm, until it came into possession of Elder Thomas Cushman, for whom the present name was given. The old spring was a lovely spot, shaded by huge willows, and ...Continue Reading
- A new idea, from 101 years ago.In 2018, a new farmer’s market opened in Kingston. The Library’s usually there; check us out! It’s a great new venture with some interesting echos of the past. In 1917, Kingston also had a new community market, this one located at the Point, right where Summer Street splits from Main. The Old Colony ...Continue Reading
- Indian Pond summerSource: Emily Fuller Drew Collection MC16Continue Reading
- In other spelling newsGray’s Beach Park is named for Edward Gray, who arrived in Plymoth Colony in the 1642 and eventually became one of the the richest men around. He owned land along what later became Kingston’s shoreline, including as this notable land record, the site of Kingston’s little beach. And we know it’s ...Continue Reading
- Happy Birthday toOur distinguished and beloved Town Historian! Source: MC11 Joseph Finney CollectionContinue Reading
- And the correct spelling is…Here’s a detail of an early brochure for the summer cottage development called Ah-De-Nah, circa 1930. The name was pitched as a Native American term, but descendants of the developers, Edgar and Waldo Loring, might tell you it was just made up.Continue Reading
- Welcome Home!Why, thank you! It’s good to be back.Continue Reading
- Watering trough at the PointIn 1888, Henry R. Glover, a wealthy manufacturer of mattresses and “curled hair” from Cambridge, donated the “Henry Glover Watering Trough” to the town for public use at the Point, the triangular plot of land at the intersection of Main and Summer Streets. Glover was the son of Rev. Samuel Glover, ...Continue Reading
- What a mustache!The following is a portrait of Frederick G. Brackett (1854-1941). In 1889, he purchased the house at 126 Brookdale Street, built by the Chandler family around 1790, along with the sawmill located off Hall’s Brook just east of the house. Brackett continued to operate the mill (which burned down in 1924) ...Continue Reading
- Swimming lessonsSource: Image from the Mary Hathaway Collection MC21.Continue Reading
- Happy Father’s DayIn honor of Father’s Day this weekend, here is a sweet moment captured by Kingston historian and photographer Emily Fuller Drew of her niece, Norma, jumping into the waiting arms of her father, Clarence Drew (Emily’s brother). Source: Image from the Emily Fuller Drew Collection MC16.Continue Reading
- June 1924This photo from June 1924 shows an especially happy bunch of schoolchildren from the Center Primary School, renamed the Faunce School later that same year in honor of Walter H. Faunce, a former teacher, superintendent of schools, and town selectman. Source: Image from the School Photograph Collection IC5.Continue Reading