LAST PROGRAM
Monday, May 13th, 2013
A History of Woburn Churches
Swedish Evangelical Church, Montvale Ave., 1945The Woburn Historical Society premiered their lastest film titled “From the Wilderness Came Courage, Faith and Community: The History of Churches in Woburn,” The film looked at the early history and founding of 18 Woburn churches and their religious and social contributions to the Woburn community. A presentation by the award winning team of Kathy Lucero and Bob Maguire and produced by Brian Ouellette of Plasma Films, the film included significant contributions from church pastors and members. A copy of the film can be pre-ordered by clicking on the link below. You can print out the order form and send to PO box listed. The film will ship next week.
Woburn Historical Society is going to Gettysburg in September!
Gettysburg FLYER and RESERVATION FORM.pd[...]
Adobe Acrobat document [185.2 KB]
MONDAY FEBRUARY 25, 2013
"A VISIT TO PLEASURE ISLAND"
Billed as Boston's answer to Disneyland, Pleasure Island opened on June 22, 1959. William Hawkes, president of Childlife Magazine, and executives at Cabot, Cabot and Forbes collaborated with Marco Engineering of Los Angeles to build what was called the "Disneyland of the East." Pleasure Island rose from the wetlands off of Route 128 into an 80-acre theme park. Through photographs, Pleasure Island recalls memories of boat rides to Pirate Cove, searching for the great white whale, driving a Jenny car, getting dizzy in the Slanty Shanty, and taking a ride on Old Smoky. At Pleasure Island, children and children at heart entered into a world that traditional amusement parks could not provide, where character actors continually put on a show and the entire park was the stage.
Robert McLaughlin is a Wakefield resident with an interest in local history. He has been researching Pleasure Island since 2000 and is cofounder of the Friends of Pleasure Island, which was established to collect images, film, oral history, and artifacts relating to the park. He has selected images from private collections and the Friends of Pleasure Island's archives to tell the story of Wakefield's own Disneyland of the East. The Images of America series celebrates the history of neighborhoods, towns, and cities across the country. Using archival photographs, each title represents the distinctive stories from the past that shape the character of the community today. Arcadia is proud to play a part in the preservation of local heritage, making history available to all.
Moby Dick Hunt at Pleasure Island
MONDAY, DECEMBER 3RD, 2012
"IN THE CAUSE OF LIBERTY; WOBURN IN THE CIVIL WAR"
A Plasma Films production entitled: "IN THE CAUSE OF LIBERTY; WOBURN IN THE CIVIL WAR" showed lives of Woburn soldiers and the battles they were in; Gettysburg, Weldon Railroad, Petersburg, etc. This production was made in collaboration with the Trustees and contributions of the Woburn Public Library, with additional historic contributions by Leon Basile.
The DVD will be available for sale for $25 and will include a supplement containing many pictures of Woburn Civil War soldiers.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2012 8:30 AM TO 4:00 PM.
A BUS TOUR TO PLIMOTH PLANTATION AND THE MAYFLOWER II
Plimoth PlantationThe Woburn Historical Society's first field trip was a bus tour to Plimoth Plantation and the Mayflower II on Saturday, November 10th, 2012. This trip was partially subsidized by the Society and was offered to paid members only!
Mayflower II
SUNDAY OCTOBER 21, 2012
AN EVENING WITH IRISH TENOR RONAN TYNAN!
A capacity crowd of 700 were on hand to enjoy this amazing performance.
A special thank you to John and Kathy Flaherty for their generous donation making this program possible.
Dr. Tynan was available post performance for a "meet and greet" where his CDs and books were on sale for purchase and fro autographs.
ONGOING THROUGH NOVEMBER ~ FOOTBALL EXHIBIT
The
Woburn Historical Society is pleased to announce the Woburn Football Exhibit at the Burdett Mansion,
7 Mishawum Road, Woburn, home of the historical society.
Designed
by local artist and board director, Michelle Ferullo, the football exhibit features football artifacts, memorabilia
and photos from
Woburn’s high school and semi-pro football teams up to the 1975 Super Bowl team. The
exhibit will continue to be open to the public during October and November on Tuesday and Saturday mornings from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.
The Woburn Historical Society is dedicated to the
preservation and promotion of Woburn’s rich history through various programs and events and is funded by donations from generous members and individuals in the community. The Woburn Historical
Society can be reached at 781-933-5002.
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 23RD
"TROLLEY TOUR OF WOODBROOK CEMETERY; Our Civil War Veterans"
This hour and a half tour honored Woburn's Civil War soldiers whose name you will find etched into the new war memorial to be dedicated on Sunday November 11th, 2012 on the Woburn Common.
The guided tour included:
- a stop at the Soldier's Circle where over 58 Civil War soldiers are interred;
- stops where costumed re-enactors will share stories of brave soldiers and their families, including the story of George Dalton and his wife portrayed by Clare and Christopher Hurley and;
- the tale of Woburn's youngest to serve in the Civil War...at just 12 years old.
The tour was free to the public and sponsored by Bill Sullivan of Edward Jones Financial Services and John and Kathy Flaherty.
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Woburn Historical Society's Farm Film wins two Telly Awards!
Photo by Ellen HamiltonWe are happy to announce that our 2011 film on the farming industry in Woburn titled Woburn: A Farming Community has been awarded two Telly Awards! Click on the picture above for more information
WOBURN: A FARMING COMMUNITY PREVIEW:
Monday, June 25, 2012
VOICES FROM THE BASEMENT
Sue Ellen Holland hosted a PowerPoint presentation about the old stores that used to line Main Street and beyond in Woburn. After that, we showed the documentary short by Michael Bavaro entitled: Voices from the Basement.
Voices from the Basement is a new documentary film about Boston’s beloved 100-year-old icon – the original Filene’s Basement. The film is a journey back to a time when the American Dream was accessible to everyone who walked through the doors of The Basement. The Brahmins of Beacon Hill stood in line with the waitresses from Durgin Park with equal access to the same high-quality, discounted merchandise for which Filene’s Basement is best known.
In the film, celebrities, politicians, employees, and loyal shoppers passionately share their stories about this landmark institution that has been one of Boston’s most visited tourist attractions for generations.
Dr. Susan Edbril embarked on capturing these stories more than 10 years ago to honor her grandmother and the women who worked in The Basement. In 2005, Edbril met filmmaker Michael Bavaro, and they shortly began film production.
The history of Filene’s Basement is captured through newsreels, archival footage, vintage photographs and audio recordings. The founders, Edward and Lincoln Filene, were two of the leading retail pioneers who helped shape many of the social and economic paradigms that have made America great. From employee health care to the formation of credit unions, the Filene brothers were 20th Century visionaries.
Throughout the course of production, the producers were witness to history as it transpired. With the closing of the downtown store in 2007, they were there to capture it all.
Notables interviewed include; Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, Governor Michael Dukakis, Congressman Barney Frank, CBS news legend Mike Wallace, Academy-Award Winning Actress Estelle Parsons, Boston journalists Peter Mehegan and Susan Wornick.
Sunday, May 20th, 2012
Veterans' Movie Night!
In honor of Memorial Day we had an encore showing of two highly acclaimed films that showcased Woburn's boys in two separate wars. "Woburn Over There - WWI" and "Chronicles of War - Vietnam" featuring Tony Santilli.
The WWI film features the heartfelt writing style of the late John D. McElhiney as he also narrates and brings the experiences of the soldiers to life.
In Chronicles of War - Vietnam, Tony Santilli recounts his experiences in the controversal war of the late 60's. His leadership and strength eventually lead to some personal sacrifices suffered in the heat of battle, but through his struggles and perseverence he has turned a tragedy into a surprisingly uplifting ending.
Click Here to see a clip of Tony in the film.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
History of Choate Hospital
This program detailed the history of the Choate Hospital and the many doctors and nurses who worked there. DVDs are available for purchase. Click here.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Guest Speaker: Howie Carr
Columnist and radio personality Howie Carr spoke to a near capacity audience about his new book Hitman: The Untold Story of Johnny Martorano: Whitey Bulger's Enforcer and the Most Feared Gangster in the Underworld. He was be on-hand after the talk to take questions and sign books.
MILITARY EXHIBIT ~ ongoing until May 19th.
Burdett Mansion, 7 Mishawum Road.
The Military Exhibit will feature wartime artifacts, memorabilia and photos and will run through May 19th. The Woburn Historical Society can be reached at 781-933-5002.
Last Program ~ February 13, 2012
MIDDLESEX CANAL - Woburn's First Interstate: Then and Now
Presented by The Burbeen Free Lecture Series
Innitou photo
November 28th, 2011
BEANTOWN SWING ORCHESTRA
Beantown Swing Orchestra
MONDAY, OCTOBER 10th
WOBURN: FROM FAMILY BUSINESSES TO THE INDUSTRIAL AGE.
Bill Cummings with Kathy Lucero
We explored the evolution of Woburn's business community from the small family owned shops along Main Street to today's large business campuses along Routes 93 and 95. The PowerPoint presentation included past businesses such as A&P, Atlantic Gelatin, Tanners Bank, and many more, followed by an interview with Bill Cummings, founder of Cummings Properties and New Horizons.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18TH ~ TROLLEY TOUR
We embarked on a tour of some of Woburn’s impressive points of interest. The two-hour tour took passengers for a ride along the inside of Woburn Parkway bordering Horn Pond and made four stops, including:
» a guided tour of the renovated Old Pumping Station at Horn Pond led by Jay Corey;
» a narrated tour of the new Goodyear School by inventor, Charles Goodyear.
» a drive through Calvary Cemetery where you’ll meet costumed re-enactors at gravesites of Civil War soldiers and other prominent Woburn citizens; and
» a guided tour of a special exhibit of some of the Woburn Public Library’s impressive Civil War museum collection.
Monday, June 13, 2011 ~ "PLAY BALL!"
In June we did a Powerpoint presentation as we rounded the bases of America's favorite pastime...and Woburn's...baseball! Beginning in the playing fields of their childhood and maturing to the fields of leadership, Woburn's children caught the spirit of baseball as it became ingrained in the life and culture of our city through early high school teams, city leagues, PONY league, American Legion league, and the start of Little League in 1952. Program included a filmed interview with George Berardi, Massachusetts Director of Little League.
Monday, May 9, 2011 ~ Woburn: A Farming Community
In May we once again covered the ever popular topic of Woburn farms with a Plasma Films production of "Woburn: A Farming Community". This brand new look at the farming industry in Woburn included new interviews, new pictures and farms that were not covered in the 2007 PowerPoint presentation. Written by Bob Maguire and Kathy Lucero, the film, produced by Brian Ouellette drew a large crowd.
Tilden Farm c1910
April 11, 2011 ~ Guest Appearance by
Micky Ward (The Fighter)
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Photos by:
Gerry Kehoe - Innitou Photo and
Ellen Hamilton Photography
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