As always, thanks for stopping by and take care.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Springfield Daily News Classifieds, 1938
These scans of a page of classified advertisements from the February 23, 1938, issue of the Springfield Daily News stand today as a type-set footprint in the mud of the past. True to today's classifieds, there is something for everyone...
As always, thanks for stopping by and take care.
Home|Welcome|Table of Contents|Explore|Upcoming Events|Patrons|Marketplace|Contact|Privacy
As always, thanks for stopping by and take care.
Springfield Sky
The lines of Springfield's sky...
"The way of fortune is like the milky way in the sky; which is a number of small stars, not seen asunder, but giving light together: so it is a number of little and scarce discerned virtues, or rather faculties and customs, that make men fortunate." - Francis Bacon
"How prone poor Humanity is to dam up the minutest remnants of its freedom, and build an artificial roof to prevent it looking up to the clear blue sky." - E. T. A. Hoffmann
"The brain is wider than the sky." - Emily Dickinson
"In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true." - Buddha
"Together we can face any challenges as deep as the ocean and as high as the sky." - Sonia Gandhi
"There is the sky, which is all men's together." - Euripides
"The sky is the daily bread of the eyes." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
"The troubles of our proud and angry dust are from eternity, and shall not fail. Bear them we can, and if we can we must. Shoulder the sky, my lad, and drink your ale." - A. E. Housman
"Two things awe me most, the starry sky above me and the moral law within me." - Immanuel Kant
"There is one spectacle grander than the sea, that is the sky; there is one spectacle grander than the sky, that is the interior of the soul." - Victor Hugo
"We are a nation of communities... a brilliant diversity spread like stars, like a thousand points of light in a broad and peaceful sky." - George H. W. Bush
"For age is opportunity no less Than youth itself, though in another dress, And as the evening twilight fades away The sky is filled with stars, invisible by day." - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Home|Welcome|Table of Contents|Explore|Upcoming Events|Patrons|Marketplace|Contact|Privacy
"The way of fortune is like the milky way in the sky; which is a number of small stars, not seen asunder, but giving light together: so it is a number of little and scarce discerned virtues, or rather faculties and customs, that make men fortunate." - Francis Bacon
"How prone poor Humanity is to dam up the minutest remnants of its freedom, and build an artificial roof to prevent it looking up to the clear blue sky." - E. T. A. Hoffmann
"The brain is wider than the sky." - Emily Dickinson
"In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true." - Buddha
"Together we can face any challenges as deep as the ocean and as high as the sky." - Sonia Gandhi
"There is the sky, which is all men's together." - Euripides
"The sky is the daily bread of the eyes." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
"The troubles of our proud and angry dust are from eternity, and shall not fail. Bear them we can, and if we can we must. Shoulder the sky, my lad, and drink your ale." - A. E. Housman
"Two things awe me most, the starry sky above me and the moral law within me." - Immanuel Kant
"There is one spectacle grander than the sea, that is the sky; there is one spectacle grander than the sky, that is the interior of the soul." - Victor Hugo
"We are a nation of communities... a brilliant diversity spread like stars, like a thousand points of light in a broad and peaceful sky." - George H. W. Bush
"For age is opportunity no less Than youth itself, though in another dress, And as the evening twilight fades away The sky is filled with stars, invisible by day." - Henry Wadsworth LongfellowSunday, September 14, 2008
The Captain John Potter House, Storrowton Village, West Springfield, Massachusetts
I consider myself pretty handy. I know how to turn a wrench (lefty loosey - righty tighty). I can hang a picture almost straight. One time I ran a fence that stayed up for awhile. But people like Captain John Potter amaze me. We all know one: That person who can do everything. Like they were born with a comprehensive 'how to' manual seared into their brain. Sheetrock, small motor repair, obscure plant identification, gourmet cooking...they got it all up there (tapping temple for emphasis).John Potter of North Brookfield was such a person. Clockmaker, carpenter, cooper and cabinet-maker. Silversmith, soldier and surveyor. Blacksmith and farmer and prolific pro-creator, father of fifteen. John Potter was an 18th century renaissance man. Born September 12, 1746, in the northeastern Massachusetts town of Ipswich (which, in an interesting aside, was known as "Agawam" to the local native Americans way back when), John Potter was married twice and died once, on October 20, 1818, in North Brookfield, Massachusetts, where he lies at rest today.
And 'tis a well deserved rest, indeed.
Around 1775, John Potter began building, intent on expanding his current living quarters. Every nail and newel, pilaster and panel used in the construction were wrought from John's hands and intelligence. The house on the corner of South Main and Ward Streets, in the middle of the little village of Brookfield's 'North Precinct' (incorporated as North Brookfield in 1812), grew into a work of art as John followed his vision and created a masterpiece. A true patriot, John's labor of love was for a time interrupted by the calling of the American Revolution, during which he suffered the miseries recorded well at Valley Forge.
Nearly two centuries after his passing, Captain John Potter's craftsmanship lives on, the house he so meticulously wrapped around his expansive family like a warm blanket or hug from a father's arms, moved in 1929 to Storrowton Village on the Exposition grounds in West Springfield, Massachusetts, as benefactor Helen O. Storrow followed her own dream of replicating a quaint New England village for the education and entertainment of folks from far and near. To this day, Storrowton succeeds in that mission.
Here are some photos of the Captain John Potter House, taken in 1983 as part of the federally-sponsored Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) and found on the website of the Library of Congress. Better yet, take a peek in when you visit the Eastern States Exposition, which began September 12 and runs through the 28th.
Captions are from the HABS.
Exterior, General View, West Side.
Exterior, South Elevation.
Exterior, Detail of Central Portico, Southwest Entrance.
Exterior, Detail of Windows, Southwest Elevation.
Exterior, Detail of Pilaster Capital Carving, Northwest Porch.
Exterior, Detail of Plaster and Cornice.
Exterior, Detail of Entrance Porch, Northwest Side of House.
Interior, West End Room on First Floor, Detail of Fireplace and Paneling.
Interior, Ballroom from West Corner.
Detail, Fireplace, Paneling and Frieze.
Interior, Dining Hall, View in West Middle Room, First Floor, Fireplace and Cupboard.To learn more about Storrowton, the Potter House and the Eastern States Exposition (the Big E), visit thebige.com, the website that has it all. A previous post here on EWM, 'Photos: The Eastern States Exposition, West Springfield, Mass., September 1936,' might be worth taking a look at, as well.
As always, thanks for stopping by and take care.
Photo 1: Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey, Digital ID: HABS MASS, 7-SPRIFW, 3-5
Photo 2: Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey, Digital ID: HABS MASS, 7-SPRIFW, 3-1
Photo 3: Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey, Digital ID: HABS MASS, 7-SPRIFW, 3-2
Photo 4: Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey, Digital ID: HABS MASS, 7-SPRIFW, 3-4
Photo 5: Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey, Digital ID: HABS MASS, 7-SPRIFW, 3-6
Photo 6: Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey, Digital ID: HABS MASS, 7-SPRIFW, 3-7
Photo 7: Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey, Digital ID: HABS MASS, 7-SPRIFW, 3-8
Phot0 8: Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey, Digital ID: HABS MASS, 7-SPRIFW, 3-9
Photo 9: Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey, Digital ID: HABS MASS, 7-SPRIFW, 3-10
Photo 10: Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey, Digital ID: HABS MASS, 7-SPRIFW, 3-12
Photo 11: Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey, Digital ID: HABS MASS, 7-SPRIFW, 3-13
Photo 12: Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey, Digital ID: HABS MASS, 7-SPRIFW, 3-11
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