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Burt
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USA
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 Posted - 03/23/2009 : 8:55:53 PM
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LETTERS: Reminiscing about the J.O. Dean Mill
|||Today 1:25 PM|GateHouse Media, Inc.|Easton Journal Homepage RSS
TO THE EDITOR:
Discussion about old buildings in Easton either being tom down to make way for modem ideas or to renovate for use as apartments etc. has been on my mind for a while.
With regard to the J.O. Dean building behind Especially Yours, I’d like to see an artist’s rendering of what the current owner perceives as good use of that location. (“Historic mill subject of negotiations,” Easton Journal, March 13)
In the ’50s the open stalls in the building where hay was kept offered a semi-private meeting spot for teens to sneak a few kisses. A cancelled Girl Scout meeting, usually held at the South Easton fire station, brought a few new girls to join in one night when apparently some farm machinery was driven out of the building or damaged. (I thought that was the night that I received my first kiss but later remembered the first kiss had actually happened in Newton after a weekend visit to my dentist grandfather in Newton led to a lot of work on my teeth. I sleepily visited a neighbor to watch TV and the eldest boy there kissed me — not that could feel anything since I was still numb from the Novocain my grandfather used!).
I left early to be home by the time I’d be expected from the Girl Scout meeting so that my father wouldn’t come looking for me. Nevertheless, the police had a full list of names so we were all questioned privately in the principal’s office the next day at school. When the police officer told me he was going to phone each parent to make sure they’d been made aware of the situation, I naively believed him and confessed leading to a month of being grounded — the more savvy kids knew it was an idle threat. The next time I saw that officer on my way to a babysitting job near his home, he seemed to find it quite amusing when I respectfully told him through tightly gritted teeth about being grounded.
Feelings about historical buildings can be mixed up with old memories or perhaps not facing the dangers if the buildings are no longer safe. Witness the rotting house on Depot Street; I hope no curious child wanders in there and gets hurt. However, if a building is sound, I believe it should be utilized in some manner as to benefit the public. Aren’t there some historical housesthat are inhabited for low rent in order to protect and preserve them? In America, no one should be without a home.
I have always loved the little cottages where the president of Stonehill College resides but have been unable to find any history about them other than Elise Ames gave them to Stonehill. I created a story imagining the inside of those cottages and the view from the windows of the fields, bluebird houses and the lovely tree in the meadow throughout the seasonal changes.
After graduating from Oliver Ames I took the train from North Easton to Boston for my first job. Riders were friendly and chatty; it was a pleasant way to begin and end the day.
I remember seeing the trolley bridge over Turnpike Street tom down in 1946 or ’47 and used to walk along the unused tracks as a child. I don’t believe Hockomock Swamp suffered any detriments at that time, and the critters still inhabit the swamp. Couldn’t a graduated rise in bridge height accommodate raising the trains above the ground and underground tunnels used to pass under North Easton Center and past homes that might be impacted by the train? I would imagine that the cost of car insurances would decrease if more people were commuters. Wouldn’t there be a reduction in air pollution from fewer cars on the road?
Finally, I wish to compliment Richard Hill and the Rev. Baumberger from Unity Church. Mr. Hill’s concerts on Wednesdays and other assorted dates help relieve the stress of these economic times and as one unemployed, I find it a very relaxing way to forget worries for a while. He is a charming and informed host. The book club and fiction writers’ groups are other appealing distractions I intend to check out once my school retraining courses end allowing me the time to attend.
The Rev. Baumberger’s article about gratitude, generosity and justice reminded me how very true it is that in giving, one receives. There are many facets to how giving affects the giver and those who might perceive him or her as an easy target; truly, well chosen words of refusal, gingerly employed, are sometimes needed. For the most part, I find severely limiting my giving for now is upsetting, but I still feel blessed.
Andrea Martin
Washington Street |
--Burt Lewis
EastonMass.com |
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Reminiscing about the J.O. Dean Mill
