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Old Colony History Museum
Old Colony History Museum

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Aug 1

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)

Jul 5

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)

Jun 1

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

May 2

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”

Apr 1

“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. Her assailant, a…

True Crime

10 min read

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

Mar 1

The Flight of the ZR-3

By William F. Hanna Just listen. In the predawn stillness the sound carries across a darkened landscape lighted only by the nearly full moon. Far in the distance a throbbing, high-pitched whine penetrates the silence. Hardly noticeable at first, it becomes louder as it unspools across the countryside, and although…

Taunton Ma

6 min read

The Flight of the ZR-3
The Flight of the ZR-3

Feb 1

“Scouts of the Plains” Come to Taunton

By William F. Hanna One critic called it the worst show ever written, and in January 1874 it was on its way to Taunton for a one-night stand. It was Scouts of the Plains, a Wild West show starring Buffalo Bill Cody, Wild Bill Hickok and Texas Jack Omohundro. A few months earlier, after…

Taunton Ma

8 min read

“Scouts of the Plains” Come to Taunton
“Scouts of the Plains” Come to Taunton

Jan 3

The Taunton House That Got Away

By William F. Hanna Throughout its almost 400 year history many of Taunton’s most celebrated houses have fallen victim to the wrecking ball, most claimed by avarice or indifference. …

Taunton Ma

5 min read

The Taunton House That Got Away
The Taunton House That Got Away

Dec 1, 2021

A Taunton Teapot and the USS Arizona

By William F. Hanna December 7, 2021, marks the eightieth anniversary of the Japanese attack on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The strike killed more than 2,300 military personnel and heavily damaged the Navy’s Pacific fleet. The next day Congress declared war on Japan and shortly thereafter…

7 min read

A Taunton Teapot and the USS Arizona
A Taunton Teapot and the USS Arizona

Nov 1, 2021

T/Sgt. Bob Doherty and Mischief Maker II: A Tale of Endurance

Part Two (If you missed Part 1, click here.) — By William F. Hanna “All of us prisoners of war heard one repetitive refrain from the Germans . . . They would say, ‘For you the war is over.’ And that was pure B.S.” Within minutes of jumping from the dying Mischief Maker II, Sgt. Bob Doherty and three crewmates were being interrogated by…

World War II

7 min read

T/Sgt. Bob Doherty and Mischief Maker II: A Tale of Endurance
T/Sgt. Bob Doherty and Mischief Maker II: A Tale of Endurance
Old Colony History Museum

Old Colony History Museum

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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