April 2012

What's up with the Wood?

This set of seventeen different wooden artifacts was donated to the Westford Museum in 2001 by the J.V. Fletcher Library. Prior to the existence of the Museum, historical artifacts from various local donors were collected by the Library. Starting in 1983, some of the Library's historical artifacts were transferred to the Museum. Although all interesting, the objects' only connections to Westford are through their donors. G.2001.1

Pieces of Charter Oak: The Charter Oak Tree was cut down by Simon Brown. Location of the tree is unknown. One piece of the tree is bark, and the other is a cross cutting. Donated to Library by E.F. Fletcher.

Sparrow Hawk: This is a piece of the ship Sparrow Hawk. Six months after the Pilgrims landed in Plymouth, the Sparrow Hawk was shipwrecked near present day Orleans, Cape Cod, in 1626. It was bound for Virginia. Donated to Library by Augustus Bunce.

Cumberland: This piece of wood is likely a piece of the USS Cumberland, which was active between 1843 and 1862. It was sunk by Ironclad CSS Virginia in 1862. Donated to Library by Elizabeth Whitney.

Kearsarge: The Kearsarge sunk the Confederate ship Alabama in 1864. These are two pieces of the Kearsarge: one is a piece of the keel, and the other is unknown. Donated to Library Elizabeth Whitney.

Wood Cross: This wood cross was made from the Shiloh Church in Pittsburg Landing, TN, near the Civil War battle on April 6 and 7, 1862. Donated to Library by E.F. Fletcher.

Bark of Tree: The bark came from the tree that served as a flagstaff during the Revolutionary War. The location of this flagstaff is unknown. Donated to Library by Elizabeth Whitney.

Washington Elm: Bark from a Washington Elm in Cambridge, MA. Donated by E.F. Fletcher.

Piece of Tree used for Railroad Ties: This wood is from a tree used for the last railroad ties on the Central Pacific Railroad. Donated to Library by Augustus Bunce.

Relic from Hancock House: The house from which this wood came was built in Boston in 1737 and was owned by John Hancock's cousin Thomas. The house was demolished in 1863. A replica of the house was built by 1926 as a museum in Ticonderoga, NY and is currently run by the Ticonderoga Historical Society.

Constitution: This wooden peg is from the USS Constitution. Donated to Library by Elizabeth Whitney.

In addition, there are four unidentified pieces.

February 2012

Frye's Grammar School Geography, New England Edition

The Frye's Grammar School Geography, New England Edition, was written by Alexis Everett Frye, who was previously the Superintendent of Schools in Cuba. It's a hard cover book containing color maps and instructional text. It was published in Boston, MA, in 1902 by Ginn and Company Publishers, which was part of the Athenaeum Press. Ginn and Co. was later bought out by the Penguin Group.

The preface of the book states that "In this book, man is the central thought … [The book has] a single purpose, namely, to present the earth as the home of man…"

Color printing was uncommon in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The color pictures in the book were engraved primarily from photographs. The specific method behind the coloring process for this book is not stated. However, a common method used around nineteen-hundred was chromolithography. It is a form of lithographic printing. The image is first applied to a flat zinc plate with a grease crayon. A gum and weak acid solution is then applied. It is then dampened, inked, and pressed onto the paper. A separate plate for each color is required, which makes the process labor intensive and expensive.

This book was owned by Alice "Ella" Prescott, a lifelong Westford resident. She was born on December 2, 1886. On October 24, 1984, she married Frank Collins. She died October 24, 1984.

Frye's Grammar School Geography W.2001.83j

January 2012

The "Candid" Television

These televisions were made starting in 1948 by Pilot Radio Corp (Later Pilot Electric Manufacturing Co) of New York City. Pilot was formally organized in 1922 by Isidor Goldberg, and later bought out by Emerson Radio Corp in 1965. The full name of this TV was the "TV37V AC Portable Television Receiver." Its dimensions are fourteen inches wide, thirteen inches deep, and nine and a half inches high. Due to its unusually small three inch screen, a magnifying lens accessory was available.

This TV was designed to be cheaper for 1948 standards. The suggested retail was only $99, as compared to the $435 RCA 630TS of 1946. The very small screen is one example of cost saving. Another cost saving measure is seen through a variable tuner, which requires less parts than a clicking turner. A heavy power transformer is also not included, which forces the set of twenty-one tubes to be placed in two "series strings."

This 1948 television was donated by Connie English, formerly of Carlisle Rd in 1998. Connie English was a very active member of the Historical Society in its early days.

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