Dorchester Historical Society

Dorchester Illustration of the Day no. 1684

St. Peter’s parish was organized in 1872.  Its young pastor Father Peter Ronan had the vision to push for the construction of a great church and convinced the archdiocese to hire Patrick Keely, an American Gothicist, to design the new building.

Postcard. Caption on front: Dorchester, Mass. St. Peter’s Church and Parsonage. Postmarked Oct 6, 1908. Dorchester Station, Boston. With one cent stamp. On verso: The Hugh C. Leighton Co., Manufacturers, Portland, ME, U.S.A. 27887.

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The Dorchester Illustration of the Day (DIOTD) is sent weekdays. If you receive this e-mail by mistake, please reply to be taken off the e-mail list. If you know others who would like to receive the daily e-mail, please encourage them to join the group by going to http://groups.google.com/group/dorchester-historical-society. You may contact Earl Taylor at ERMMWWT@aol.com

If you value receiving the DIOTD, please express your appreciation by making a donation to the Dorchester Historical Society, either by regular mail at 195 Boston Street, Dorchester, MA 02125, or through the website at www.DorchesterHistoricalSociety.org

Dorchester Illustration of the Day no. 1683

The third church in Dorchester was the Unitarian Church, formed when a controversy at Second Church between Unitarians and conservative Congregationalists forced a split in 1813.  The building pictured in today’s illustration was their second and was located where the CVS store is located today.   The church building faced Richmond Street and was built to an Asher Benjamin design in 1839-1840.

Postcard. Caption on front: Unitarian Church, Dorchester Lower Mills, Mass.  Postally unused. On verso: No. H 12790  The Robbins Bros Co., Boston, Mass. and Germany.

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The Dorchester Illustration of the Day (DIOTD) is sent weekdays. If you receive this e-mail by mistake, please reply to be taken off the e-mail list. If you know others who would like to receive the daily e-mail, please encourage them to join the group by going to http://groups.google.com/group/dorchester-historical-society. You may contact Earl Taylor at ERMMWWT@aol.com

If you value receiving the DIOTD, please express your appreciation by making a donation to the Dorchester Historical Society, either by regular mail at 195 Boston Street, Dorchester, MA 02125, or through the website at www.DorchesterHistoricalSociety.org

Dorchester Illustration of the Day no. 1682

Postcard. Caption on front: Codman Square, Dorchester, Mass. 2nd Church.  High School.  Postally unused.  On verso: No. 6891. Pub. by Robbins Bros., Boston, Mass. Made in Germany. Circa 1910.

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The Dorchester Illustration of the Day (DIOTD) is sent weekdays. If you receive this e-mail by mistake, please reply to be taken off the e-mail list. If you know others who would like to receive the daily e-mail, please encourage them to join the group by going to http://groups.google.com/group/dorchester-historical-society. You may contact Earl Taylor at ERMMWWT@aol.com

If you value receiving the DIOTD, please express your appreciation by making a donation to the Dorchester Historical Society, either by regular mail at 195 Boston Street, Dorchester, MA 02125, or through the website at www.DorchesterHistoricalSociety.org

Dorchester Illustration of the Day no. 1680

Postcard. Caption on front: Resthaven, Dorchester, Mass. Postally unused.

Today’s image is a scan from an undated real photo post card from about 1920 showing a building labeled Resthaven, an Italianate-style mansion with a mansard roof. Resthaven stood on Washington Street, between Tremlett Street and Melville Avenue, now the site of the Dorchester District Court (notice the granite wall in front that still survives). On the left of Resthaven was the Reed house, moved to 51 Melville Avenue, and on the right was the Bull House, moved to 6 Parkman Street.  Resthaven was demolished about 1923-1925 to make way for the Dorchester Municipal Court House.

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The Dorchester Illustration of the Day (DIOTD) is sent weekdays. If you receive this e-mail by mistake, please reply to be taken off the e-mail list. If you know others who would like to receive the daily e-mail, please encourage them to join the group by going to http://groups.google.com/group/dorchester-historical-society. You may contact Earl Taylor at ERMMWWT@aol.com

If you value receiving the DIOTD, please express your appreciation by making a donation to the Dorchester Historical Society, either by regular mail at 195 Boston Street, Dorchester, MA 02125, or through the website at www.DorchesterHistoricalSociety.org

Dorchester Illustration of the Day no. 1679

The monument to William G. Walsh is located in the William G. Walsh Playground on Washington Street near Lower Mills.  Gunnery Sergeant William Gary Walsh (April 7, 1922 – February 27, 1945) came from Roxubry and was a United States Marine who heroically sacrificed his life to save the lives of his fellow Marines during the Battle of Iwo Jima during world War II.  For his action on February 27, 1945, he posthumously received the Medal of Honor.  

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The Dorchester Illustration of the Day (DIOTD) is sent weekdays. If you receive this e-mail by mistake, please reply to be taken off the e-mail list. If you know others who would like to receive the daily e-mail, please encourage them to join the group by going to http://groups.google.com/group/dorchester-historical-society. You may contact Earl Taylor at ERMMWWT@aol.com

If you value receiving the DIOTD, please express your appreciation by making a donation to the Dorchester Historical Society, either by regular mail at 195 Boston Street, Dorchester, MA 02125, or through the website at www.DorchesterHistoricalSociety.org

Dorchester Illustration of the Day no. 1678

Putnam Nail advertisement from The Youth’s Companion, Jan. 9, 1902.

Silas Putnam made his first fortune with curtain rollers.  Then he invented a method of producing machine-made horseshoe nails.  For fifty years his factories on Port Norfolk produced the majority of horseshoe nails in the country.

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The Dorchester Illustration of the Day (DIOTD) is sent weekdays. If you receive this e-mail by mistake, please reply to be taken off the e-mail list. If you know others who would like to receive the daily e-mail, please encourage them to join the group by going to http://groups.google.com/group/dorchester-historical-society. You may contact Earl Taylor at ERMMWWT@aol.com

If you value receiving the DIOTD, please express your appreciation by making a donation to the Dorchester Historical Society, either by regular mail at 195 Boston Street, Dorchester, MA 02125, or through the website at www.DorchesterHistoricalSociety.org

Dorchester Illustration of the Day no. 1677

Belvidere Hall was an elegant mansion that once stood on Blue Hill Avenue, near Franklin Park.  It was built c. 1840 by Frederick Gleason, publisher of Gleason’s Pictorial Drawing Room Companion.  Landscaped with serpentine drives, fountains, and stands of mature trees, the estate was testimony to Gleason’s success as a newspaper publisher.

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The Dorchester Illustration of the Day (DIOTD) is sent weekdays. If you receive this e-mail by mistake, please reply to be taken off the e-mail list. If you know others who would like to receive the daily e-mail, please encourage them to join the group by going to http://groups.google.com/group/dorchester-historical-society. You may contact Earl Taylor at ERMMWWT@aol.com

If you value receiving the DIOTD, please express your appreciation by making a donation to the Dorchester Historical Society, either by regular mail at 195 Boston Street, Dorchester, MA 02125, or through the website at www.DorchesterHistoricalSociety.org

Dorchester Illustration of the Day no. 1676

Lyceum Hall and First Parish Church.  Lyceum Hall was taken down in the 1950s, leaving a piece of vacant land.

Postcard. Caption on front: Lyceum Hall, Old First Church, Meeting House Hill, Dorchester, Mass. Postmarked Oct 15, 1909. Dorchester Station. With one cent stamp.  On verso: No. 6963 Pub. by Robbins Bros., Boston, Mass. Made in Germany.

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The Dorchester Illustration of the Day (DIOTD) is sent weekdays. If you receive this e-mail by mistake, please reply to be taken off the e-mail list. If you know others who would like to receive the daily e-mail, please encourage them to join the group by going to http://groups.google.com/group/dorchester-historical-society. You may contact Earl Taylor at ERMMWWT@aol.com

If you value receiving the DIOTD, please express your appreciation by making a donation to the Dorchester Historical Society, either by regular mail at 195 Boston Street, Dorchester, MA 02125, or through the website at www.DorchesterHistoricalSociety.org

Dorchester Illustration of the Day no. 1675

Hollywood Two Hour Cleansers folding card with needles.  You may have to zoom in on this one to see the needles.

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The Dorchester Illustration of the Day (DIOTD) is sent weekdays. If you receive this e-mail by mistake, please reply to be taken off the e-mail list. If you know others who would like to receive the daily e-mail, please encourage them to join the group by going to http://groups.google.com/group/dorchester-historical-society. You may contact Earl Taylor at ERMMWWT@aol.com

If you value receiving the DIOTD, please express your appreciation by making a donation to the Dorchester Historical Society, either by regular mail at 195 Boston Street, Dorchester, MA 02125, or through the website at www.DorchesterHistoricalSociety.org

Dorchester Illustration of the Day no. 1674

Scan of photo in possession of Emy Thomas showing Neponset Circle on Dec. 18, 1935. Photo taken by Fairchild Aerial Services.

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The Dorchester Illustration of the Day (DIOTD) is sent weekdays. If you receive this e-mail by mistake, please reply to be taken off the e-mail list. If you know others who would like to receive the daily e-mail, please encourage them to join the group by going to http://groups.google.com/group/dorchester-historical-society. You may contact Earl Taylor at ERMMWWT@aol.com

If you value receiving the DIOTD, please express your appreciation by making a donation to the Dorchester Historical Society, either by regular mail at 195 Boston Street, Dorchester, MA 02125, or through the website at www.DorchesterHistoricalSociety.org