This month’s exhibit is a glimpse into the long history of cranberries in Kingston. Stop by the Library to gather some trivia to show off at Thanksgiving dinner!
Back in the classroom, open your books
Captioned by the teacher’s grand-niece, this photograph shows the seventh and eight grades at the Center Primary. This school house is now known as the Faunce School. For another class photo, see here.
New exhibit: Sailing, Sailing
Kingston’s storied history of building ocean-going sailing vessels stretches from about 1713, when shipwright Samuel Drew and his son Cornelius set up shop on the Jones River, until 1874, when Edward Holmes launched the brig Helen A. Holmes, or perhaps until 1898 when Edward Ransom built only Kingston’s only steamer, the Tiger. As the era of great sailing ships passed away, for a short time Kingston ruled the yachting world.
This month’s exhibit highlights some of the knockabouts, catboats and spritsails built in Kingston and raced in local waters by members of the Kingston Yacht Club, whose annual regatta is this weekend.
Cushman’s Store – Outside and In
The house at 196 Main Street, partially visible on the left in the photo above, stands on land purchased in 1785 by David Beal, and was probably built around then. The store wing was added in 1794. Beal’s son, David Jr., then his son-in-law Horace Collamore ran the store until Henry Hunt and his son-in-law Azel Sampson bought the store and house. George E. Cushman started as Sampson’s assistant but eventually took over. He ran the store in this annex until it was demolished by Mrs. Sampson in 1902. Cushman’s horse-drawn delivery wagons were featured in an earlier post.
Here’s the inside, and a word or two from Emily Drew:
[The lantern slide above] shows the “hat shop”, medicine drawers, “office” niche and way into the Sampson house where shoes were on sale. A door opened from this (south) end of the main store into the shoe store, the north front rooms of Mrs. Sampson’s house.
Perhaps more varied in goods offered for sale in country stores but typical of the sort of store, the forerunner of our modern department stores. Shown left to right: George E. Cushman, owner and proprietor; in background, Ezra S. Wright, clerk; on settee John Mange, helper and store-boy, who lived at #39 [Main St.]. Between Mr. Cushman and Mr. Wright is the Post-office with its boxes into which mail for the neighborhood was distributed. When the government office was moved to Stony Brook, Mr. Cushman, at the request of the neighborhood, maintained a branch office.
Sources: Emily Drew’s card file; Major Bradford’s Town by Doris Johnson Melville (Town of Kingston: 1976).
New exhibit: Building the Bailey Playground
New Exhibit – Congratulations Graduates!
Stop by the Library and take a look at this month’s exhibit, which highlights Kingston graduates and graduations from 1862 on.
This photograph was donated by the daughter of one of the graduates pictured. The inscription on the back reads “Vesta Porter. Mamma first girl on left, next to her (front) Susan Quinn & Margaret Holmes. Others are Freda Tobey, Abbie & Adaline Harrub, Philip Smith, Ralph Drew, Stanley Skakle.” Vest Porter wrote the Class Prophecy, which peered into the future lives of her classmates.
New exhibit: Three Letters
In 1938 and 1939, the author Henry Beston wrote three letters to Kingston resident Mrs. Alexander Holmes. The two had met at a retreat on Star Island, N.H. Beston is perhaps best know for his 1928 work Outermost House: A Year of Life on the Great Beach of Cape Cod. Included with the letters is an autographed first edition inscribed by the author for Mrs. Holmes.
There is a wealth of online information available on Henry Beston. The Henry Beston Society focuses on Beston, his wife, the poet and novelist Elizabeth Coatesworth, while the Friends of Henry Beston place more emphasis on the Outermost House and Beston’s philosophy. To complement the photographs of Beston available on these sites, here is one you won’t see anywhere else — Mrs. Alexander Holmes at Star Island.
Please stop by and have a look at this unique sample of a great writer’s work.
Coconuts!
Ah, the tropics! Here Henry M. Jones, author of Ships of Kingston standing at the far left, and four unidentified friends enjoy a refreshing treat under the palms. The woman may be Henry’s wife Abby Bosworth Holmes Jones, though between the hat and the coconut, it’s difficult to tell. The dog is also anonymous.
‘Tis the Season…
Christmas and Santa Claus are meant for children. This Christmas party was held in 1949 at the Beal House on Main Street for the Sunday School of the First Parish Church. Frank Randall served as Santa and Helen Williams, the director of the Sunday School, stands to his right. Some of the excited children have been identified. Do you know any of them?
How times have changed: that is a REAL evergreen tree decorated for the holiday!
