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Weekly Update

5/14/2022

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Hello from sunny Easton!  The sun is shining brightly this morning as children gather at Shovel Shop Pond for the annual Easton Lions Club Fishing Derby.  Hopefully the fish will cooperate and provide fun and fodder for some good fishing stories and memories for these young outdoors boys and girls.
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​This week we venture back into the wilds of the area once known as “Poquanticut” as we take a look at Poquanticut Avenue yesterday and today.  The road was accepted by the Town in 1763, and probably began life as a cart path as early as the 1750’s when there was a need to connect the early foundry industry at Furnace Village with supplies of bog iron and charcoal makers to the north and east of the village.  The 1825 map of Easton clearly shows a well-developed road with a handful of houses stretched out along its path.  One of these houses was built by the Harlow family before 1825.  Called the Tisdale Harlow farm, the house was probably built by Reuben Harlow (1773-1823) who married Hannah Fuller before 1800.  When their son Tisdale Harlow (1804-1883) was born there were two older siblings, so it is likely that the main portion of the house was built by that time.  Following Reuben’s death, the house and farm were inhabited by Tisdale, then his son Tisdale Jesse Harlow (1860-1927).  His son Tisdale Harlow (1904-1986) whom I knew for many years, told me that his great-grandfather Reuben built the old farm house on Poquanticut Avenue.  The various maps of Easton (1825, 1855, 1871, 1886) all attach the name Harlow to the property.  The 1895 map changes the name to William McLeod, who purchased the farm from the Harlow family and later sold it to the Wilbur family, who still owns and runs a farming operation there.  When I was a kid in the 1960’s, the farm was called Clover Valley Farm, and was an active dairy farm for many years prior.  I also remember a small meat packing plant there for a few years.  Today, after a number of years boarding horses and operating a riding stable, the farm has returned to its roots with a herd of cattle populating the fields along Poquanticut Avenue and Chestnut Street.
 
This photo, taken before 1900, looks towards Chestnut Street which lurks just behind the barn.  You can see the farmhouse on the right, and the dairy barn on the left.  Dead center are two small storage buildings.  Although they appear to be in the middle of the road, they are not, as the road takes a hard corner directly in front of them.  One gets a good feel for the rural life in Easton that once permeated much of the Town.  Picture, if you will, George White and his band of thieves galloping through here on a raid, or returning to their nearby hideout with stolen goods, through an area that was sparsely populated and already had a poor reputation.  Picture if you will one hundred years later when men in cars, disguised in robes, drove their cars through here and the back roads of Mansfield in the years before the Great Depression.  Their “hideout” was not far away either.
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​Today this area retains much of its rural beauty.  The farmhouse is partially hidden on the right by growth along the road, but farmyards and fields on both sides of the road are evident that farming still proudly takes place there by hard-working people.  The old dairy barn and a silo stand on the left, and you can see the later long addition to the barn as well.  The two old buildings in the center were replaced by a cement block building in the 1950’s.  That bend in the road caused a few headaches over the years as cars would not navigate the turn and run into the buildings.  When the cement garage was built, several cars ran into the corner of the building, prompting the family to place a large boulder there.  Unfortunately, at least one car hit the boulder so hard that it was pushed into the corner of the building.  The farm continues nonetheless, and it is the last vestige of the many farms that once populated Easton.  Hopefully that will continue for many more years to come.
 
Until next time, stay well,
Frank
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    Curator: Frank Meninno

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Hello! June closes with a beautiful weekend of sun and warm, summer temperatures. This weekend would be terrific for sunning on the beach, working in the yard, cooking out, or taking in a ball game.

Sixty-five years ago that is exactly what was going on at Frothingham Park. In the summer of 1957, someone took a photo of a baseball game being played at Frothingham. The photo is taken from the hill near the Sheridan Street gate, and overlooks the outfield towards home plate. Though the photo is printed in black and white, one can easily see why playing ball at Frothingham Park is such a special experience! The field is well manicured, the basepaths smooth, the infield and outfield grass short and sturdy. Dozens of people are watching from the concrete stands. Others find the shade of the beautiful trees is the best place to watch from. Since the trees are well leafed out, I think this might be a summer game, perhaps our beloved Easton Huskies. How many of us have trekked to the Park to watch the Huskies, or our Oliver Ames High School teams, or Little League teams play? Even better, how many of us played in any of those games? With its beautiful baseball field, shade trees, natural beauty, and welcoming water fountain, Frothingham Park has no equal when it comes to a great place for sports. Today the Park is still a wonderful place to play in, or watch a baseball game. This photo, taken from approximately the same location as the 1957 photo, looks over that same green outfield towards the area of home plate. The field itself, aptly named for the late Robert "Buddy" Wooster who took such great care of the field, the park, and played games there, is as nicely kept as ever. The trees have matured since that 1957 photo was taken, providing even more beauty and shade. Driving by one can still catch a good ballgame, and certainly catch memories of heroics of years past. Does anyone remember Ken MacAfee hitting a ball onto Sheridan Street, over the iron fence? That must have been a truly Ruthian blast! Today the Park provides a safe playspace for young people, basketball, tennis, and pickleball courts, a track and paths for walking. A new pavilion adds a nice piece to an already inviting area. How many people packed a picnic lunch and escaped to the shady places at the Park to escape the summer heat? The Park is many things to many people, and a true treasure to our town since its establishment in 1930 as a gift from Mrs. Mary Ames Frothingham in memory of her late husband, Congressman Louis A. Frothingham. By the way, Mr. Frothingham was an excellent athlete and one of the best baseball players ever at Harvard. During the Great Depression, the Park was an anchor for so many. During this past pandemic, the Park once again proved its importance to so many people as a place to play, a place to relax, and a center of our community. Until next week, stay well,
Frank
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  • Home
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