The Bimonthly Update

​Welcome to the new bimonthly newsletter! Happily for him, the Historical Society's Curator of
many years and author of the weekly newsletter, Frank Meninno, has retired, so I will be trying
hard to fill his large well-informed shoes. Out of respect to him, with a smile on my face, I will
comment on the weather, which as I am writing this, is warm and rainy. Orange and yellow
leaves dampen the sidewalks, raindrops quiver on the blooms of autumn mums.

Although older, I am not too old to learn something new. Did you know Easton is home to a
Mount Pleasant? Looking at an 1871 map of Easton Town North, Bristol County, I spied Mount
Pleasant right in my own neighborhood. It is the name given to the rocky, still tree studded, 
elevated area that lies between Pleasant Street and King Ave. Today, the streets run parallel to
each other from Elm Street to Linden Street in North Easton Village. On the 1886 map Kings Ave
is the name given to both Linden and King Ave. as this area was dominated by William King,
where the map indicates a residence, another dwelling, and a shop where he manufactured awls.

​1886 map showing Mt. Pleasant.

King Ave, today. Mt. Pleasant rises above the wall.

​Mount Pleasant is far from a mountain as the photo illustrates and it is a mystery to me how the
name was acquired. A long and graduated (in height) wall runs up much of King Ave, and
protects the street from the "Mount". I've seen neighborhood children enjoy playing on the hill
on both sunny and snowy days.

Queset House

​On a different note, there's been a bit of excitement at Queset House, currently, where AMC is
filming their upcoming TV series based on the book Invitation to a Bonfire by Adrienne Celt.
Tatiana Maslany, Pilou Masbaek, and Feya Mavor star in the thriller which is expected to be
released in 2023. The setting is a private all-girls boarding school in New Jersey in the 1930's.
While trying to get a glimpse of the action I spotted actors dressed in period costumes, but easier
to see up close, were several period automobiles, some of which are pictured here.

Antique cars parked at Ames Free Library, October 13, 2022.

​Queset House has been through many incarnations, and I have personal memories from the
1960's. My grandfather, Thomas Kent, was a chauffeur for Winthrop Ames during the era he
worked in the theater in New York. My memories are from later when he was caretaker for
Queset House in the '60's. At the time no one was living in the house, and he would visit
regularly to make sure it was secure. When he became ill, my father helped keep an eye on the
house, and his children, including myself, sometimes accompanied him. In addition to the hillside of
spring daffodils and rows of fragrant lilacs, my strongest memory of Queset House is
discovering a very dusty but very real jar of 'bird's nest soup' in the abandoned pantry!

Thank you to Jon Coe and Arielle Nathanson for helping me prepare for writing and sending this newsletter.

Reminder: Annual Meeting of the Easton Historical Society is October 30th from 2:00 to 4:00 pm
at Queset House, 51 Main Street, North Easton. All Welcome!

Anne Wooster Drury

The tilt of the earth
Is changing. All things
Either slow or quicken
Their pace. Depending

Anne Wooster Drury is a native of Easton and has lived in Easton, for most of her life.
A graduate of Bridgewater State College, she taught in both Vermont and New Hampshire before returning to Easton to raise her family. 
After spending thirty-two years teaching Social Studies at Easton Junior High and later the Easton Middle School, she retired in 2017. 
Anne also writes poetry and her poems have appeared in many prints and online journals including:
The Aurorean A Journal of Nature Poems, Blueline, Ibbetson Street, Poem, Muddy River Review, and RavensPerch.