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Old Colony History Museum
Old Colony History Museum

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Mar 1

Fire and Ice: Some Calamities of the Old Colony (part II)

Eric B. Schultz In part I of this post, we described some of the Old Colony’s most devastating fires, including the Granite Mill Blaze in Fall River (1874), the Grover Shoe Factory Disaster (1905) and the Strand Theatre Fire (1941) in Brockton, and the Myles Standish Forest Fire (1964). We…

Weather

9 min read

Fire and Ice: Some Calamities of the Old Colony (part II)
Fire and Ice: Some Calamities of the Old Colony (part II)
Weather

9 min read


Jan 2

Fire and Ice: Some Calamities of the Old Colony

Eric B. Schultz Some say the world will end in fire. Some say in ice. Some, like the residents of Taunton in 1886, may have thought their world would be swept away in a great flood. (See our blog post about “The Great Flood of 1886.”). Readers old enough to…

Disaster

14 min read

Fire and Ice: Some Calamities of the Old Colony
Fire and Ice: Some Calamities of the Old Colony
Disaster

14 min read


Dec 5, 2022

Charles Monroe Baker, Taunton’s “Architect of Big Buildings”

Eric B. Schultz In 1864, Timothy Crowell Baker (1838–1925) arrived in the newly-minted city of Taunton, seeking work as a tinsmith. It was a good time and place for his occupation, as the Taunton stove industry was flourishing. …

Architecture

8 min read

Charles Monroe Baker, Taunton’s “Architect of Big Buildings”
Charles Monroe Baker, Taunton’s “Architect of Big Buildings”
Architecture

8 min read


Oct 3, 2022

Loves Me Like a Rock: Eight Old Colony Hunks You Should Know

Eric B. Schultz “Remember the Maine, Plymouth Rock and the Golden Rule!” –”Ya Got Trouble” from The Music Man There’s something about rocks. Search the web for “famous rocks” and you’ll discover everything from the Rosetta Stone to Ireland’s Blarney Stone. …

History

13 min read

Loves Me Like a Rock: Eight Old Colony Hunks You Should Know
Loves Me Like a Rock: Eight Old Colony Hunks You Should Know
History

13 min read


Sep 1, 2022

A “Generation of Vipers”: The Taunton Trials of Thomas Coram

By Katie MacDonald and William F. Hanna In compiling material for our upcoming book, Tetiquet to the Sea: A History of the Taunton River, we have found a boatload of fascinating characters. Rivers seem to attract entertaining people with interesting stories, and one of our favorites is Thomas Coram. Born in Lyme-Regis, on the south coast of…

8 min read

A “Generation of Vipers”: The Taunton Trials of Thomas Coram
A “Generation of Vipers”: The Taunton Trials of Thomas Coram

8 min read


Aug 1, 2022

The Authors of the Old Colony: A Summer Reading List (If You Dare)

By Eric B. Schultz The Old Colony stretches from Rehoboth to Provincetown and from Scituate to Dartmouth. It is the historic home of New Bedford’s whaling fleet and Fall River’s textile factories, the Ames brothers’ shovels and Reed & Barton’s silver. Its soldiers and political leaders range from Myles Standish and Robert Treat Paine to Major General Darius Nash Couch and the brave WWII American GIs buried at the Normandy American Cemetery.

12 min read

The Authors of the Old Colony: A Summer Reading List (If You Dare)
The Authors of the Old Colony: A Summer Reading List (If You Dare)

12 min read


Jul 5, 2022

The Golden Age of Radio in the Old Colony (Three Acts)

By Eric B. Schultz Act One: An Old Colony First December 1906. A 420-foot tubular steel antenna rises from Brandt Rock, a snowy, desolate spot along the Atlantic coast in Marshfield some 40 miles northeast of Taunton and 20 miles from where the Mayflower landed. Under the direction of radio pioneer Reginald Fessenden, this monstrous tower is sending and receiving…

Radio History

9 min read

The Golden Age of Radio in the Old Colony (Three Acts)
The Golden Age of Radio in the Old Colony (Three Acts)
Radio History

9 min read


Jun 1, 2022

Defending the Homeland: Nike Missile Sites in Southeastern Massachusetts

By William F. Hanna The Cold War has been over for more than 30 years, so a generation of young people has come of age without ever having lived under the immediate threat of nuclear annihilation. Older Americans, however, have no trouble recalling those days of tension and political brinksmanship…

Cold War

6 min read

Defending the Homeland: Nike Missile Sites in Southeastern Massachusetts
Defending the Homeland: Nike Missile Sites in Southeastern Massachusetts
Cold War

6 min read


May 2, 2022

George G. Polley, the “Human Fly”

By William F. Hanna George G. Polley had a breathtaking view over Taunton in the twilight hours of September 19, 1921, but to fully enjoy it he had to overcome several nagging distractions, each demanding his immediate attention. Not least of these was that he was doing a hand-stand on…

Daredevil

7 min read

George G. Polley, the “Human Fly”
George G. Polley, the “Human Fly”
Daredevil

7 min read


Apr 1, 2022

“Basely Murthered”: The Shocking Death of Elizabeth McKinstry

By William F. Hanna Dreadful news reached Robert Treat Paine as he rode into Taunton on the morning of June 4, 1763. Elizabeth McKinstry, his friend and the sister of one of Taunton’s most prominent physicians, had been viciously attacked in the kitchen of her brother’s home. …

True Crime

10 min read

“Basely Murthered”: The Shocking Death of Elizabeth McKinstry
“Basely Murthered”: The Shocking Death of Elizabeth McKinstry
True Crime

10 min read

Old Colony History Museum

Old Colony History Museum

141 Followers

We are a local history museum in Taunton, MA and this is our blog! Visit us online at www.oldcolonyhistorymuseum.org to learn even more. Enjoy!

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