mr. History Post #12: Winter Hill Gang HQ

Posted on by Markman

It’s a church now, but the building at 12-14 Marshall Street, a landmark in the history of 20th Century organized crime, served as the headquarters for the infamous Winter Hill Gang.

With 12-14 Marshal St. as its headquarters, Winter and James “Whitey” Bulger directed a criminal organization that fixed horse races along the east coast, corrupted the Boston office of the FBI and provided the basis for an academy-award winning film (“The Departed” was loosely based on Bulger’s role as an FBI informant). From the 1970s until 1994 when Bulger fled Boston to avoid law enforcement, the gang rivaled the local Mafia in brutality and profits. And until 1980, when Winter went to jail and the gang moved to Boston, Marshall Street was the crew’s command center.

In 2008, the garage’s infamous trapdoor, which led to a basement where the Winter Hill Gang tortured or disposed of their rivals, was still intact. A significant place in the history of organized crime in the United States.

A Little Back Yard Love going On

Posted on by Markman

Yesterday was a pretty busy day! In the morning some guys we got to replace some of the falling fence panels in the back yard came by to remove the worst of the offenders. These panels are just so old and waterlogged, one even fell down. Those will be getting replaced piecemeal as time goes on. By the end of a week or two they should be done with the work. Good thing I had finally mowed the lawn a few days ago. We then had our previous massage lady come by and pick up the supplies she had left here, by now a few years ago, like her table and heater and bolster, and it was fun to reconnect. Maybe we’ll do a lunch or something in the future. We then hit the town’s garden flowers sale, something that we do every year. It wasn’t as big this year and it was a bit rainy but we got a few things. LD had a bunch of things to do while caught the Celtics game and then we planted the plants we got earlier, but then the sun had come out and it was a nice day.. We then cooked and baked some things as well, and I ordered a pizza. That’s that, a typical Saturday around here.

Mr. History Post #11: The Birth of Reddit!

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Mr. History post #11: Birth of Reddit.

Some of you might have seen this elsewhere but anyways in 2005, college roommates Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian created Reddit from their apartment at 265 Elm Street in Davis Square, Somerville.

Today, their creation ranks as the 18th most-visited website in the world!

I grew up just a few blocks from this location and must have walked by it thousands of times, especially during that time, and I never even knew!

May the 4th Be With You!

Posted on by Markman

Started out the day walking a trail in Wellesley that I’d been meaning to do for quite some time but never got around to it until today. We had to be in the area so I decided to take the oppurtunuithy to get some steps in. The Fuller Brook Trail is really beautiful. Such a lovely trial to walk and enjoy.

After that I decided to treat us brunch over at The Cottage.

It was also Somerville Open Studios weekend so I decided to relive visiting the Museum of Modern Renaissance.

Time to Start the Garden!

Posted on by Markman

Went to the home improvement store yesterday to get some plants and get a feel for the beginning of our garden season. We also had to get a CO2 monitor since the last one decided at 2:30 in the morning the other day to wake us up and let us know it finally reached it’s end of life. So there I was, groggy and 2:30 am trying to figure out how to shut the damn thing off. I got it eventually although it took me a few minutes. No wonder I was tired later on that day. Anyways, we got some plants, including a lemon tree which I’m apprehensive about keeping alive but we always wanted one so we’ll give it our best shot. We feel pretty good about the yard work we started to do today.

Finding the Daffodil Fields

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Finally got a chance to check out the Daffodil Field over down in Dartmouth. It’s at the end of a short hike over a scenic trail to get there. I believe there’s also something similar somewhere in Rhode Island which may be worth checking out some time. Anyways, according to local lore, the daffodils were planted by Raymond Pettey in the 1940s to sell during WWII when the U.S. was unable to get bulbs from Holland. The war ended and the flowers remained!

Hiking the Mattapoisett Rail Trail

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This scenic and spectacular mile that crosses the Mattapoisett River estuary, salt marshes, and Reservation Beach at the head of Mattapoisett Harbor connects neighborhoods and conservation areas with car-free biking and walking. I also caught a glimpse of an American Oystercatcher, a first for me!

This one is so awesome, especially where the river meets the sea!

The last few pics for from Ned’s Point Light which isn’t too far from the rail trail.

The Museum of Ice Cream

Posted on by Markman

Not generally a place we would normally check out, but we do like to shake things up and try something different now and again. This place surely was that. This was the kind of place you visit just once.

Currently Reading: The Devil at His Elbow: Alex Murdaugh and the Fall of a Southern Dynasty. I happened to see the author of this book doing a talk on C-Span after just flipping around the dial in a moment of boredom and it sounded interesting. I mean we all know the story but this traces the history back to the great-grandfather and all the previous fathers leading up to Alex. Come to find out, they’ve been pretty corrupt all along! When I saw how big it was I started to get a little daunted but the style is perfect and it’s easy to read. I recommend it, especially just to see how corrupt this family was from the start,

Mr. History Post #9: Mourning Victory

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Concord, Mass. In 1897, the Boston businessman James C. Melvin had commissioned a funerary monument from Daniel Chester French to honor his three brothers who had died in the Civil War. French was a famous sculpture who has stuff all over, including Lincoln sitting in his chair in the Lincoln Memorial and the Minuteman Statue in Concord among others. The massive figure of Mourning Victory emerges from the block of stone projecting two moods: melancholy, in her downcast eyes and somber expression, and triumph, in the American flag and laurel she holds high. French captured the sense of calm after the storm of battle, which must have referred to the pride, after the sorrow of grieving, felt by the surviving brother. It’s a pretty impressive tribute.

Since I was here I also checked out Author’s Ridge which has a bunch of famous authors buried there. The list of names of famous authors who died while living in Concord is impressive. There are Thoreau and Emerson, but also Nathaniel Hawthorne, Louisa May Alcott and her family, and William Ellery Channing, all interred near one another.

Mr. History Post # 8: Black Dahlia and Jingle Bells

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he Medford Edition! I’m checking out a few origin stories today. First up, the birthplace of the Black Dahlia. It’s still an unknown grizzly murder mystery that baffles people to this day. Sadly, her childhood home was razed to make way for the Interstate 93 Rotary that abuts this spot. Poor Liz. Also, since it was so close, I also checked out where the Xmas tune Jingle Bells was supposedly written. The old pub is now an eyeglasses store. I’m trying to imagine two horse open sleighs skidding down Medford Center. 🤷

The Goatfather Makes an Offer We Can’t Refuse

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It’s springtime, baby goat season – these little guys were born shortly ago, in fact while we were there a mother goat was giving birth to 4 babies (!) which I hear is unusual to have that many at once, it’s usually 2, or 3 at the most. Glad the rain stopped for us yesterday afternoon! Mt shirt says :The Goatfather” in the logo manner of the Godfather. It was a birthday gift from some pals of ours, I just finally got a chance to wear it out. It’s also a nice feeling to have a baby goat just fall asleep in your arms, so trusting, and they are so warm. The one I had even started dreaming at one point I believe!

Mr. History Post #7: The Viaduct!

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Canton may be best known at the moment for Karen Read, but this awesome structure precedes her by 190 years! The Canton Viaduct, a stone arch bridge that spans the Neponset River, was constructed in 1835 as part of the rail line connecting Boston and Providence, Rhode Island, and it remains in use in the 21st century!

Ended up watching some really old 48 Hours rerun and they had this story on about an event that happened in Falmouth down on the Cape back in 1979. I found it so interesting I had to download the book about the events so, Currently Reading: The Year We Disappeared.

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Posted on by Markman

People say that with age and experience comes wisdom, and with wisdom comes enlightenment. Well, I don’t know how much of it is the truth, but I have grown up and grown with you to realize what love means and what it really means to love someone. Love goes beyond time, age, or even the person, and I have experienced love in its purest form; I feel nothing but gratefulness today. All these years strong with you and more to go, I stand here a happy man thanks to you, and I love you with all my heart.

Our relationship might not be perfect, and certainly has its ups and downs, but our love for each other is still strong and is wonderful all the same, and that’s all anyone could ever ask or hope for. I am truly blessed to have found you. I just want you to know, that when I picture myself happy, it is with you.

In a world where so many things can be uncertain, you are the one thing that I will always be sure of.

Better than I was, more than I am.

I’m so glad to be able to spend this day with you and all the days with you. The good things in life are better with you. Seriously, you’re amazing! This lowly kid from Somerville hit it big when he met this Jersey Girl!

Happy Anniversary, Ladydoc!!

Mr. History Post #6: The Echoing Bridge!

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Mr. History post #6: The bridge that echoes! A National Historic Landmark, this handsome stone bridge, built in 1876 by the Boston Water Works, contains the Sudbury Aqueduct, with a pedestrian walk on top. Visitors standing under the arch can make echoes and view the deep river gorge, waterfall, and steep hemlock-covered banks. Spectacular views atop the bridge! Crazy to think this is basically next to Route 9!