Easton Historical Society and Museum
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Weekly Update

12/31/2021

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​Hello, and a Happy New Year to all!  It sure has been another up-and-down year for many of us.  As we prepare to welcome 2022 in a few hours, I want to thank all of you who have been such wonderful supporters of the mission and work being done at the Museum.  There have been some really bright spots this year past, including Arielle Nathanson who has been working with our collections and has placed a number of materials and finding aids on the web site.  Her work will make our collections more accessible to historians and researchers.  Thank you, Arielle, for all you are doing!


I wish each of you a very Happy New Year, with good health and blessings.  Looking forward to seeing you next year,
Frank
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Weekly Update

12/24/2021

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​Christmas greetings, one and all!  Waking up to a covering of snow was an added bonus as final Christmas preparations begin today.


We had a very good December beginning with the annual Holiday Festival and Village Stroll sponsored by the Easton Lions Club and a fun filled day spent with our friends from the Easton Garden Club and their annual Holiday Greens Sale.  Many of you have visited the Museum to get ornaments, books, puzzles, and other gift ideas, and your support is very much appreciated.  It is great to see so many smiling faces again!

Today I have a little Christmas treat for you, compliments of my good friend and member Ron Somerville.  When McMenamy's Hamburgers closed, he was able to purchase a photo that hung in the restaurant for many years, and he presented that photo to us last month.  That photo is a timely one, as it records an early appearance of good ol' St. Nick!  Taken with a group of children in front of the former Ames Store that once stood opposite the Ames Free Library on Main Street, it features a large group of children, store clerks, and Frank McMenamy near the doorway.  One fellow stands out from the crowd though, and a quick look at those white whiskers and hat immediately reveals his identity.  What a thrill this must have been for the children!  Do you suppose they had their Christmas lists ready for Santa?

The photo is undated, but a few clues lead me to believe it was taken right around 1930.  The clothes and hats worn by the children look to be 1920's / 1930's, and the sign over the entry that notes Frank McMenamy running the business also ties the time to the end of the 1920's.  If that is correct, then Santa's appearance at the beginning of the Great Depression probably instilled some hope into these young children at a difficult time.  That is my wish for you - that you will find carefully placed under your tree, or observe in the faces of children as you gather your families, or reflect during a quiet time, the Hope of Christmas.

Christmas blessings, stay well, and remain hopeful,
Frank

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Weekly Update

12/18/2021

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​Good morning, afternoon, or evening!  I hope this finds you all well and healthy as we prepare to navigate another long winter.  A wintry mess is expected here in Easton sometime today and it looks like our neighbors to the north and west will get fresh snow for skiing season.


We have been pretty busy at the Museum as people come in to purchase a number of our unique gifts!  Puzzles, ornaments, and photography books are big sellers.  Thank you for doing your shopping with us and supporting the Society through your purchases!  The Museum will be open next week between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and will be open from 9 a.m. to noon on Friday to help you complete your Christmas shoppng.  I may have a quick errand to run as the week gets busy, so if you are going to be in Easton any specific day, please feel free to give me a call or email so I can make sure I am available.

Christmas shopping isn't new by any stretch of the imagination.  This ad, taken from the Easton Journal, December 1885, lists gift ideas sold by one of our Easton merchants, George G. Withington.  He had a pharmacy on Center Street where he also sold goods and sundries for special occasions.  Pharmacies of those old days were not much different than today's pharmacies, where one can find a selection of gift items and stationery as well as the usual medicines and health related items.  In a time when limited transportation options (and a lack of online shopping!) kept things local, our merchants were counted on to supply a wide variety of items to meet household needs.  This ad from Withington gives us a sample of gifts that could be purchased for someone special.

Until next week, stay well,
Frank
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Weekly Update

12/11/2021

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​Hello!
As we close in on the holidays, we will open Sunday from 1-5 p.m., and I hope you will have a chance to drop by, say hello, and shop our unique offerings.  Coffee and conversation is also readily available!  The new puzzles are selling well, and they can be found on the Museum website store.  Volume 12 of Reminiscences features extensive writings about the once popular Toll House Restaurant, founded by Easton's own Ruth Wakefield.  Pick up your copy and one to use as a gift!  If you can't make it in tomorrow, we will be open most weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday mornings until Christmas.

Director Jonathan Coe has been a pretty busy guy around the Museum, and this week, he made shelves to display some special items.  Upon entering the building, you can see a model steam engine, coal tender, and caboose from the Boston and Albany Railroad and a great model truck from the McCarthy Freight System.  Inside the Women's Waiting Room, look up above the ticket window to see a nice train set from the Lackawana Railroad.  It includes a steam engine, tender, and five cars!  We hope that this might inspire someone who has an Old Colony Railroad or New York, New Haven, & Hartford Railroad set to add to this collection, as these are the two railroads that once owned our Museum building.  A third item is a vintage ad for Simpson Spring.  The photos taken by Jon are featured below.

I hope to see you or hear from you in the coming weeks.

Stay well, and stay safe,
Frank
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Holiday Update

12/9/2021

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​Hello everyone!


New puzzles have been added to our website!  These puzzles, featuring the photographs of Jonathan Jackson Coe, are available individually at $20 each or as a set of four for $75.  Each 250 piece, 11" x 14" puzzle forms a photo of a well-known Easton landmark: Queset House, the Barn at the NRT (with animals, a great puzzle for kids), the Main Street Clock and World War I Memorial, and the Barn at the Clock Farm.  Check out the store on our website to order yours!

Emmy Ducharme of Emmy's Hair Salon, 860 Washington Street, S. Easton, has graciously donated four special gift baskets featuring goodies!  Each visitor to the Museum will receive a ticket, and four winning tickets will be drawn at the end of the day Sunday.

Arielle Nathanson, who has been interning at the Museum since summer, donated a number of hand-crocheted doilies in various sizes and colors.  These are available for purchase as well.

Our hours this weekend are Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon, and Sunday afternoon from 1-5 p.m.  The Museum is also open most days between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.  I am out running errands at times, so if you are coming in feel free to give us a call first.

Stay well,
Frank
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Weekly Update

12/4/2021

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​Hello to all! The Easton Holiday Festival and Main Street Stroll is here! It will be great to welcome people back into the Museum. Many thanks to the Easton Lions Club and all those who participate in this fun day-long event!
We will be open today from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the Easton Garden Club is joining us with their annual Holiday Greens and Wreath Sale today from 9 a.m. to noon. If you miss the main sale, come anyway as we usually sell any leftover items from the Greens Sale.
Sunday we will be open from 1-5 p.m.
Join in the fun and visit the Museum! We have available new Easton puzzles, a nice selection of books featuring Reminiscences Volume 12, the very popular photo book A Beautiful Image of Historic Easton and many other gift ideas. And of course, great coffee and conversation too!
I look forward to seeing you!
Stay well,
Frank
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    Author

    Anne Wooster Drury

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For more information feel free to contact us at:
508-238-7774              eastonmahsmuseum@gmail.com
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  • Home
    • Our Story
    • Membership
    • Events and News
    • Curator's Corner
    • Tours
  • Discover
  • Gallery
    • Richardson Buildings
    • Records
    • Maps
    • Ames Mansions
    • Event Photos
  • Research
    • Anne C. Ames Cookbook
    • Cemetery Records Collection
    • Crimes and Disasters Collection
    • Easton Churches Collection
    • Easton Ledger Collection
    • Easton's Neighborhoods
    • Folklore Collection
    • Frank Seymour Hersey Papers
    • George Warren Andrews Collection
    • Hayward Family Collection
    • Morse Family Collection
    • Randall Genealogical Papers
    • TECCOE Collection
    • Unity Church Collection
    • William L. Chaffin Papers
    • Links
    • PDF Newsletters
  • Store
    • Books
    • Novelty Items
    • Prints and Maps
  • Donation Policy
  • Find Us
  • Contact