Jul-Dec 2021 Newsletters
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I for one love this new crisp weather. Now I may be complaining by January, but many of us are coming off a nasty allergy season and welcomed the first frost. And what is there not to like about the festivity of holidays?
FOSTA had a pretty good day selling items to benefit the Town Archives at the recent Shop Sandwich First under the big,heated tent at the Sagamore Inn. I still miss the huge last best craft fair normally held at the Wing School that was always a banner day for the Friends of the Archives sales, but maybe next year?
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By the way, if you did not know, Taylor White and his wonderful crew in the Town Clerk’s office at the Town Hall Annex on Main Street have begun to sell our items to benefit the Town Archives. Credit cards only. They are the updated version of Russell Lovell’s 1984 Sandwich, A Cape Cod Town; the Jenny Jones 1939 map reflecting Sandwich Village in 1825 when the Glass works opened; the colorful Dodge MacKnight watercolor print of the 1909 Kitchen Garden at his home on Route 6A called “The Hedges”; and Marise Fawsett Christmas cards with images using her famous mouse drawings. The original hand painted pictures have been restored. Remember, all sales go directly to benefit the Sandwich Town Archives.
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I am currently working on a couple of articles for both the FOSTA website www.fostasandwich.com and for the Sandwich Enterprise. One is on Gustavus Frankin Swift, (1839-1903) born in what was then West Sandwich (now Sagamore) to Captain William Swift and Sally Sears Crowell. He founded a meat-packing empire in the Midwest during the late 19th century and invented the first ‘refrigerated’ train cars to carry ‘dressed meat’. The other article is on the former Wing Scorton Farm on Route 6A in East Sandwich that is formally called the Edward Wing II house constructed between 1758 and 1761 by Edward Wing I for his son, Edward, on the occasion of his wedding. At one point all lands from Jones Lane to Scorton Creek, then called the Scorton River, were all Wing family farms and a Quaker strong hold.
Wishing all of you good health, the most important thing now.
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Kaethe O. Maguire
East Sandwich
Quite a storm huh? I am surprised by those, like Eversource, which seems surprised at the ferocity of the storm. Didn’t they listen to the local weather people?
Anyway, as I draft this November newsletter we in the hinterlands of Scorton Neck in East Sandwich can hope for a return of power, Wi-Fi land phones….Well, at last some fall chill in the air. How very late our leaf turning is this year. We have waited so long for end of humidity. How are your allergies this year? Mine have been miserable. I am hearing this from many people. How many Zyrtec can one take? I hate to say it, but need a good one-night freeze to kill all the bad stuff!
FOSTA had a very good time at the tremendous Sandwich Fest October 2nd. Perfect cool but sunny day. Did you go? Boy the whole of Sandwich came out it seemed and we met many out of towners too. The Sandwich Chamber did a bang-up job organizing this event.
Thank You to all who bought some of our products that we sell to support the Town Archives. I think after the really strict days of Covid, or months I should say, we were all delighted to get out in the nice weather and mingle.
Do you read some of our articles that appear monthly in the Sandwich Enterprise? Well if you want more or to see those again go to our website fostasandwich.com they are all there. Just poke around a little and you will find many interesting bits, and don’t forget to click on ‘Tidbits”. I gathered those little gems from on line old newspapers.
Speaking of old newspaper, have you ever gone on line through our link to old newspaper, available on the Sandwich Public Library.com site under the heading Town Archives, and read The Observer? It was published beginning in 1840 and is full of fun ‘tidbits’. I have used it over and over as a research tool.
FOSTA is planning to digitize the Sandwich Independent newspaper next. The company that did such a fine job with friendly software for The Observer went out of Business but our Archivist, Deb Rich, has been searching for another company with friendly software of easy searching. We are almost there. The digitizing will be paid for with a CPA grant and we hope to bring more digitized sources to you soon.
As of now the public can only purchase the history inspired items FOSTA sells over the net through our website www.fostasandwich.com or in person from Deb Rich our archivist in the archives room of the Sandwich Library; employees of the library are not allowed to participate in the sale of FOSTA items.
However, Taylor White, our elected Town Clerk and a member of FOSTA, has offered to display and sell our items in the Town Hall Annex. Soon all will be displayed on a table when you enter the Annex and you will be able to make your purchase by cash, check or charge. We are so grateful to bring these treasures to you in a more accessible way. So, pop in and take a look.
My recent article on the Sandwich Alms house, often called the Poor house, was very much enabled by long time Sandwich historian, Carolyn Crowell. Carolyn and I served for years on various committees we could just term “all things Historic”. Carolyn gave me a whole brief case of clippings and historical research she had done before she took ill and had to enter the Sandwich Heritage Nursing Home. Although you cannot visit in the nursing home, send her a card or a note. As always, Carolyn’s mind is very sharp and her memory is perfect for Sandwich History. I am very grateful for our long-time friendship.
Best wishes for everyone’s good health,
Kaethe
October 2021
Is it finally fall? One can hardly tell from the humidity, the lack of glorious colored leaves, and the absence of chill in the air. Oh well, they say it will all come, just a bit late, like 3 weeks late!
FOSTA members have been working hard on research and writing. We are hoping Joan Russell Osgood’s video history of the murder of beloved Sandwich resident, Eugene Haines, will be finally finished and released on our website. It has needed some technical tweaking.
I have taken to researching and writing about a couple of my 9th great grand fathers who were early settlers in Sandwich; namely William Swift and George Allen from whom all the Allen early Quakers descended. I hope you find these two characters interesting.
I continue to be amazed by the bravery of these whole families who got on a boat, most unpleasant in itself, to cross the wide ocean to an unknown future. It reminds me of some of today’s refugees. It takes real courage to leave your homeland for an uncertain future.
We held our annual elections at our September meeting. We had voted earlier to add the office of Vice President to our list of FOSTA officers. So now Joan will be Vice President, and Jean Bondarek, former secretary to the Select Board, will be our able secretary. Sue Driscoll will continue as our amazing treasurer and I seem to relegated to the presidency for at least one more year.
It is almost too late to remind you that we will be participating in the long-awaited October 2nd Sandwich Fest in the Sandwich Village. We will be selling the following to benefit the Town Archives: the new edition of the Russell Lovell Sandwich, A Cape Cod Town, two versions of the Jenny Jones map, color and black and white, showing Sandwich Village in 1825 when the Glass Works first opened, a new batch of Marise Fawsett’s beloved mice Christmas cards and the beautiful Sandwich resident, water colorist, Dodge Macknight’s “The Kitchen Garden” prints.
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Remember, Ann at Picture This in Merchant’s Square gives a 20% discount on any of the FOSTA prints to be framed at her shop.
These items will also be available for sale at the Archives in the Sandwich Public Library.
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Happy Autumn to all! Kaethe O. Maguire
September 2021
Happy almost autumn. Boy after this weird weather we all will be ready to see an end of summer. Tornados on Cape Cod? Who ever heard of that? We all received those annoying, but scary phone alerts all night long.
Some of the board members of the Friends of the Archives happily toured the early opening of the renovated Sandwich Public Library. A very nice party indeed. If we return to meeting at the new archives room, we actually have a huge new table, with matching chairs!
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Even during the last big Covid flare up we managed to meet via zoom and then at my house in East Sandwich. I am so grateful for this dedicated group of volunteers. You can see us all on our website at www.fostasandwich.com
We are now gearing up for the happily anticipated Sandwich Fest on Oct. 2nd. Hope for good weather!
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We will have a few important Sandwich history lover items to sell to benefit the Sandwich Town Archives. Look for our tiny tent wherever they place us. We will have a bowl of candy out front for the taking!
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This year we have items from two favorite Sandwich artists. Marise Fawsett Christmas Card images will be on sale and although we have only a few unsold prints left of the popular Sandwich watercolor artist Dodge MacKnight’s “The Kitchen Garden“, we will bring what we have to the Sandwich Fest.
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We always have the updated Russell Lovell book, "Sandwich, A Cape Cod Town". It makes a great Christmas gift for the history lover.
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You can also purchase these gifts right here on our website.
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Additionally, we will have the charming Jenny Jones Map created to depict Sandwich in 1825, the year the Glass Works opened for the 350 year Sandwich Anniversary celebration. The colorful map was restored at Northeast Conservation Document Center in North Andover and printed for sale. We also offer it in Black and White.
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Hope to see you there at this much needed festive occasion .
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Kaethe O.Maguire-President of the Friends of the Sandwich Town Archives.
August 2021
Hello Sandwich History Lovers!
What a crazy summer weather wise. Oh well, if weather goes into a more normal pattern we should begin to have glorious early autumn weather after August 15th. I keep waiting for great native tomatoes. Mine have been very disappointing this year. Hope yours are better.
As you know the Archives is about to move back into the Library. Our main room will be behind what you knew as the Children’s Room in the old 1909 original section of the Library. Our files will be in the basement. I am not sure how that is going to be managed.
FOSTA, has managed to meet just about every month through Covid. It is a very dedicated group of history and Sandwich loving people.
Just to give you the heads up, FOSTA will be participating in the happily anticipated Sandwich Fest on October 2nd. This year we are selling two of the favorite Marise Fawsett mouse Xmas card scenes. We also have a few of the former 5 different mouse card views to sell.
We are almost sold out of the Dodge Macknight “The Kitchen Garden” prints, but have some small ones left which will be available for sale.
Additionally, we will have the bible of Sandwich history, Sandwich, A Cape Cod Town by the late Sandwich Historian, Russell A. Lovell Jr. which FOSTA managed to update with Russell’s help, and bring back to print.
Everyone loves maps of Sandwich and we try to keep them coming through restoration and then print for sale to the public. We still have some color and B&W white copies of the Jenny Jones map beautifully painted in water colors and created to celebrate the Sandwich Town Anniversary in 1939. This map reflects Sandwich around 1825 with the dawn of the all-important Boston and Sandwich Glass Works.
Don't forget to look for our monthly feature, "From the Archives", in the Sandwich Enterprise published every 2nd Friday, this month's story will conclude the unsolved mystery of "Who Burned Down The Freeman Farm House". You'll find many more interesting stories at our website: www.fostasandwich.com using the "From the Archive's" link.
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One new story in the onset will cover the first Catholic Church on Cape Cod, founded in Jarvesville after so many glass artisans arrived in Sandwich who happened to be of the Catholic faith. The first churches were built and destroyed by situations unplanned and like a phoenix, they kept coming back.
Another in the works and coming soon covers the Sandwich Alms House, more commonly known here as the Poor Farm, then located on Charles St adjacent to the Crowell Farm fields.
Happy end of summer to all,
Kaethe O. Maguire-president of the Friends of the Sandwich Town Archives.
July 2021
Happy Summer! And it certainly is summer weather. Matter of fact, I think we have locked in August humidity in early July. Many of us now have a house full of guests for July 4th and all inside weather! Not the way we hoped it would be!
On a brighter note Joan Osgood and archivist Deb Rich have found a man who is able to transform our old oral history tapes from the 1970s. We hope to eventually be able to bring these restored tapes of many well-known Sandwich characters who are no longer with us to you through our website. soon.
Long time archives volunteer, John Walker, has joined the Friends of the Sandwich Town Archives (FOSTA) and boy are we happy to have his research skills and lifelong Sandwich experiences. We are still in need of at least one more member to add to our happy crew of workers.
I am sorry that the mystery of the arson of the landmark Freeman Farm home is so spread out over weeks in the Sandwich Enterprise, but stick with it on our website and in the newspaper, there will be wonderful pictures of the fire in parts 2 and 3.
I am now researching the old Sandwich Alms House, or sometimes called a “Poor House”. Each town had the responsibility of caring for their poor with proper housing and food. Sandwich was no exception. The Sandwich Alms House and farm was on the grounds of some of the Crowell family homes on Charles Street. Carolyn Crowell, with whom I have been meeting and talking on the phone, did much research on the Alms House and published articles in the old original Sandwich Broadsider which Carolyn kindly made available to me. The Alms house closed in the early 1900’s. Look for an article all about this soon on our web www.fostasandwich.com
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Joan Osgood is also working on a story of Alice Cooke who is primarily known as “Aunt Sally” in Thornton Burgess’ writings and a friend to all animals, but as Joan will explain, she was also a friend to the mentally ill. In the late 1800’s she took women into her home who had some sort of mental illness and was certified as a caretaker of these women by the State.
So this will explore a whole new side of this amazing woman who lived at the corner of Route 6A and Gully Lane in the 1760 Peleg Nye home, now suffering from severe neglect. Seen here.
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Some of us met with the recipient of our 2021 the Barbara L Gill scholarship, Bridget Gleason, to award her the $1,000 check. Look for a photo of that in the Sandwich Enterprise soon. With the passing of Judy Hendy, Barbara’s lifelong friend and a member of FOSTA, Joan Russell Osgood, Barbara MacNeil and John Walker have agreed to take over the running of that Scholarship Program.
Happy summer to all.
Kaethe O. Maguire - President of FOSTA