​Greetings from ever colorful Easton!  Creation is in all her glory this weekend, and vibrant hues of red, orange and yellow are exploding across the landscape.  There has been a lot of photo activity here this week.  A photographer from the Enterprise took a number of photos in our area (see the  link below for some really terrific ones!) and for two days a student from the Rhode Island School of Design has been photographing the architectural details of our building, using available light at different times of the day.  A number of high school students are having their senior photos taken in this area as well, making good use of the colorful foliage and the architectural gems it frames.


Here is the link to photos taken by Alyssa Stone for the Enterprise:  https://www.enterprisenews.com/photogallery/WL/20201024/NEWS/102409997/PH/1

Today we finish our tour of the Belcher photo album.  The photos included here are not Easton, but wrap up the album in either western Massachusetts or Vermont.  Mr. Belcher eventually escaped the confines of the foundry and made his living as an engineer in several granite quarries.  He continued his photography, taking landscapes such as the lake view presented here.  A mountain setting screams Vermont, but this could easily be a quiet place in western Massachusetts nestled in the Berkshires.  The second photo must have been a favorite of the photographer.  It is a granite quarry, and it is a shining example of the photographer's talent.  Look at the way he uses light and shadow to bring out the drama and textures in this print!  He also captures a few workers and their machinery,  ropes and ladders, and even a name and date written across one of the stone faces.  One gets a sense of danger as well as the reality of working these quarries sets in.  These two photos are a fitting end to the story of our photographer.

Hoping you have a great week and enjoy the colors of fall in New England!
Stay well,
Frank

​Hello from beautiful Easton, Massachusetts!  I like numbers, and today's date is one that grabbed my attention.  The 1010 doubles to 2020 (I wonder what the binary equivalent would produce!).  20/20 vision is something I have not had in many years.  I have heard it said that Ted Williams had 20/10 vision, a reading so good that he could see the spin on a baseball and know if the approaching pitch was a fastball. curveball, or something else.  As a matter of fact, Williams' reputation for superior vision supposedly caused an umpire to once quip to a catcher, upon calling a close pitch a ball, "Of course I called it a ball, if it were a strike Williams would have swung at it."


Before we get to today's photos from the Belcher album, two notes:  Reminiscences: Volume 11 is available at the Museum and through the new Museum store.  Remember to use our new website: www.eastonmahistoricalsociety.org!  Second, you do not have to sign up to continue to receive these emails - you are all still on our list.

Today, we take a look at two early examples of Greek Revival houses in Furnace Village.  Would you have guessed that the Furnace would be a place for cutting edge architecture?  It was, and the village boasts some of Easton's earliest examples of Greek Revival architecture along Foundry Street.

The houses at 541 and 545 Foundry Street were actually owned by two brothers, and both houses today retain their Greek Revival influences, Doric columns and all.  545 Foundry Street is known as the James Becher House.  Built around 1840, it may be a few years earlier since a deed mentions a house already on the property when it was sold by original owner Elisha Page in 1842.  The house was part of the estate of Iron Founder Lincoln Drake.  The house was again sold in 1844 to Abner Drake, a carpenter, and he sold the house in 1852 to foundryman James Belcher.  Belcher was the son of Clifford Belcher, and his brother owned the adjacent Greek Revival house at 541 Foundry (soon to be discussed).  When James died in 1896 of cancer, his wife continued to live at the house until 1917.  The house stayed in the family, next going to John W. and his wife Caroline Torrey Drake.  Daughter Caroline was born 1907, living there until she married Charles Bulfinch and later moved to the former Leach house on the corner of Foundry and Poquanticut Avenue.

The house remains well preserved today, but the old barn, which was already in disrepair, was removed following the Blizzard of 1978.  One other note - One of James Belcher's sons, Edgar Belcher, married Julia Rankin, whose father ran a very successful duck farm on Purchase Street.  She was a successful musician and composer.  The Rankin property on Purchase Street is now the Easton Country Club, and the house on the left as you enter was the home of Edgar and Julia.  We have in our possession an old wheelchair that belonged to Edgar Belcher, which was donated by Leon and Sara Lombardi to the Museum.

The brother's house at 541 Foundry is another example of Greek Revival architecture that still retains its original features.  The Daniel Belcher house was also built around 1840.  In 1837, Belcher married into the Drake family, and that year partnered with Alexander Boyden to open a malleable iron foundry on the south side of Foundry Street.  That is the foundry that was still operating when I was growing up in Furnace Village in the 1960's and 1970's.  In 1839 Daniel Belcher had become superintendent of the foundry.  He and the foundry were recognized in 1847 by the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association with a silver medal for excellence in malleable iron casting.  The Belchers raised a family and also boarded foundry workers at the house, perhaps in quarters in the extension that is off the rear of the family part of the home.  Daniel died in 1890, and his widow lived in the home until 1908.  The house passed through several owners until it was bought by Ellen Keith for her daughter Helen Blaisdell (from Ellen's first marriage).  

Helen lived in the house alone from 1945 until her death in 1975.  I remember her well (we lived next door at 537 Foundry), a small white-haired old lady who lived with lots of dogs and cats.  No one ever set foot in her home that I can remember except a neighbor who would get her groceries for her.  There were a lot of rumors surrounding her death - there was a harp in the house, a wine cellar, and other stories.  The house itself has a curved wall on the interior.  Buried under the front lawn is a large chamber, whose original purpose cannot be determined.  The old barn was long gone before my time.  You may notice to the right of the house, the "conservatory" or greenhouse that was once on the property.  The old house was lovingly restored by Craig and Judy Andrus when they bought the property in 1975.  At that time, there was no running water in the home.  Ms. Blaisdell used a pitcher pump over a well in the house and a chemical toilet.  To rid the house of the many papers that the dogs and cats made messes on, she would burn once a week in an open rubbish barrel.  We always knew when burning day was, and on the days when the wind blew our way, we could tell by the odor who was doing the burning!

I hope you enjoy the photos, and until next week, stay well!
Frank

​Greetings!  A week that began so innocently sure turned difficult rather quickly.  A strong Tuesday night storm brought winds that knocked down some large trees, resulting in more than half of Easton losing power until late Wednesday night.  And the news of the President being treated for the coronavirus complicates an already difficult election season.  These are two powerful reminders that winter is nigh and that the end of the present pandemic is not in sight just yet.  Let's continue to persevere through all these storms in hopes of much brighter months to come.


We all need a little cheering up now and then.  Today I share a photo from the Belcher album that I hope will put a smile on your face!  Gathered for a summer picnic in the shade of a grove of trees are members of the Heath, Belcher, and Drake families.  It may look innocent at first glance, but looking closely, you can see a little fun in the photo.  Henry Heath stands in the back left holding a pouring tin of some concoction.  His wife stands next to him with a basket of apples.  The young ladies are sitting on blankets, and the young men are mostly standing in the back, passing around a bottle of "something" to lift their spirits.  Even the ladies are sharing a little something extra!  As you can see, hamming it up for the camera is nothing new.  If you look close enough I think you'll find lots of little treats in this photo.

Until next week, stay well,
Frank