Granite from Cape Ann

Cape Ann hosts many Granite deposits. As a result the town of Rockport Massachusetts hosted many immigrants from Scandinavia with a tradition in Quarrying, although neighboring Gloucester maintained it's mainly Italian and Portuguese population due to being a major fishing port. Granite was shipped throughout New England and beyond, however the end of the 19th Century saw cheaper alternatives to Granite and the industry slowly died, resulting in multiple artificial lakes across Rockport and Gloucester. The main usage of Cape Ann Granite was not for countertops but for construction projects both for foundations and roads.

Granite and other quarried rocks are separated with multiple "feathers" and wedges" that are struck down by hand with hammers until a rectangular block is made

Steel Derrik in Summer, Rockport MA

Babson's farm Quarry is situated right next to the ocean, Halibut Point State Park, Rockport MA

The town of Rockport used this Granite to build multiple breakwaters, supposedly with the purpose of building a future Naval base but halted the construction during World War 2, leaving several unfished projects by the sea.

The Initial plan called for an extensive Break water off the coast of Rockport Harbor, but never came to fruition.
Rockport Ma

Rockport Breakwater Downtown, creates artificially smooth conditions for boats. Rockport MA

For further reading, see
https://capeanngranite.wordpress.com/
http://www.capeannmuseum.org/collections/granite-quarrying/
http://quarriesandbeyond.org/states/ma/pdf/rockport_massachusetts_granite_quarries_scientific_american_nov_16_1878.pdf

Lynn Woods Reservation

Lynn Wood's Reservation

Entrance to Lynn Woods from Lynnfield St.

Lynn Woods Reservation was founded in 1881, created by what was a massive plot of public grazing lands for farmers in the towns early history. These grazing lands were portioned off for specific animals to graze at and many trails and walls within the park were formed from this very reason. Lynn Woods is the second largest municipal park within the U.S. covering 2,200 acres of land and waterways. Lynn Woods doesn't just serve as a recreational park but also as Lynn's reservoirs, supplying the town with its drinking water.

Walden's Pond

Map of Lynn Woods Reservation, please note the placement of north on the map

Lynn Woods has plenty to do besides its 30 miles of trails, it provides scenic lookouts from having the highest points within Lynn and also plenty of sightseeing locations throughout the park. Stone Tower, the park's highest point, was built in 1936 by the WPA and used as a lookout point for the park to observe for disastrous fires. This point provides a beautiful full 360 degree view of the entire park and the surrounding area, including Boston's skyline. This isn't the only scenic lookout either, going north of Walden's Pond provides another vantage point of how vast the park is, proving that it really does take up 1/5 of Lynn's area.

Stone Tower

The viewpoint from Stone Tower, Walden's Pond to the north and Boston to the south

The overlook near Balanced Boulder, north of Walden's pond, over looking most of the southern portion of Lynn Woods

Lynn Woods is also an excellent location for climbing boulders, bouldering for those that love this activity, especially if you enjoy a nice hike to the location. Lynn Woods has plenty throughout the park that are also site-seeing locations themselves, especially Dungeon Rock. Dungeon Rock itself has a very rich and old history that brings legends of pirates and treasure to the park. Back in 1658, a black ship that flew no colors arrived within Lynn, and it was crewed by pirates. 

"The pirates made camp in a place now known as Pirate's Glen near the Saugus River. British soldiers stationed nearby heard about the pirates and set off to capture them. Three of the buccaneers were captured and hung but the forth, Thomas Veal, escaped into the woods. It was believed that he took the stolen hoard with him as he headed deeper and deeper into the woods. finally arriving at a natural cave in what is now Lynn Woods. Veal lived in the cave for some time and became a member of the Lynn community. The story says he mended shoes for spending money and lived in relative peace with his neighbors. Suddenly, an earthquake rocked the Lynn area, causing a gigantic piece of the rock to tip forward and permanently seal the cave opening. Poor Veal was either trapped inside or crushed to death with his treasure, locked forever in Dungeon Rock." Friends of Lynn Woods

Dungeon Rock

Dungeon Rock was left relatively alone for nearly 200 years until Hiram Marble began his treasure hunting lifestyle at the site for the rest of his lifetime. He and his son would spend decades digging within this location looking for the treasure, not for themselves but for the community and to show proof that they could speak to the dead (which proved false). During his time there, he started to believe in the idea of a public park and wanted to use any proceeds from the treasure hunt to be spent on this dream. However, Hiram and his son never found the treasure and when he passed in 1868. Hiram Marbles asked to be buried at the entrance marked under a large rock, which is still there. To this day, the gravel surrounding Dungeon Rock are what's left of Hiram and his son blasting their way through the rock and throwing it outside. As for the rest of Dungeon Rock's site, you'll have to explore it on your own treasure hunt through Lynn Woods.

There is so much to Lynn Woods that it's nearly impossible to complete it all in one day, and if you do go on an excursion to this wondrous park be prepared to bring supplies. Its important to make sure you bring plenty of water, snacks, and most importantly a map of the area. Also, wear comfortable walking shoes as its easy to hike a few miles without realizing it to get to your destination.Since you'll be in the wilds of Lynn, make sure to watch out for animals (coyotes and circling vultures) and please don't go swimming in the reservoir since that is the drinking water! 

Links for Lynn Woods Reservation

City of Lynn's website on Lynn Woods

History of Lynn Woods

Friends of Lynn Woods

Stone Tower

Dungeon Rock

Bouldering

    

 In a similar vein to my highlighting of Lynn English High School as a historic landmark in Lynn deserving of a spotlight, I’ve again decided to highlight a historic landmark in Lynn that is a part of everyday life for many of us but is nevertheless important due both to its own historical significance and how it helps to educate the local populace about events that have taken place in the past. I’m talking of course about the Lynn Public Library, which for over 100 years has provided the people of Lynn with access to a wide variety of different texts through which they can seek to widen their knowledge in relation to a number of different subjects. The Library is located at 5 N Common Street, and as such it is located across the street from the Lynn Commons (Wiki). There were library like institutions in Lynn from 1815 onward, however it took until the opening of the Lynn Public Library in 1900 for there to be a permanent public library (Wiki). Construction for this new library began in 1898, and the library first opened its doors on April 2, 1900 (Lynn PDF). The cost of construction for the library was $175,000 dollars and the construction was completed with no public funding (Wiki). There was a certain element of controversy surrounding the building of the library as the architect (George A. Moore) was related to one of the trustees for the building of the library (Wiki). Even though the library was established over one hundred years ago, it continues to provide valuable service to the Lynn community as, in its own words, the Lynn Public Library strives to serve “the needs of a diverse population whose interests range from scholarly research to cultural pursuits to entertainment” (Lynn Public Library). According to the same website the Library’s collection includes “almost 125,000 volumes” (Lynn Public Library), which provides ample evidence of the Library serving its function to the community of Lynn as a place where a large number of different texts can be obtained and utilized. I would make the case that the access that the library provides to the populace of Lynn to valuable texts (many of which are no doubt historical in nature), is indicative of its historical significance to the city of Lynn.

Works Cited

http://www.noblenet.org/lynn/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynn_Common_Historic_District

file:///C:/Users/pjdt2/AppData/Local/Packages/Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe/TempState/Downloads/lyn_530.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynn_Public_Library

Martin Luther King Jr Boston Home

                      https://boston.curbed.com/2016/1/11/10848190/martin-luther-king-jr-boston

Martin Luther King Jr was born in Atlanta, Georgia on January 15, 1929. King stayed in Atlanta until he graduated from Morehouse College in 1948. He then attended Boston University from 1951-1955. While studying at Boston University, King lived at this home (pictured above). I have driven by this building many, many times and did not know of its historical background until I actually walked by it when I exited the subway located next door. There is an official plague commemorating his tenancy. In the Spring of 1954, King was invited to become the new minister in Alabama and although his classes in Boston had ended he was still writing his dissertation so he traveled back and forth from Boston to Alabama. He received his degree on June 5, 1955. Six months later the Montgomery bus boycott ended.

Irzyk Park - M60 Tank

Every morning and evening as I travel to and from work, I pass by a tank sitting idle in a park. Even though this tank catches my eye every time I pass by, I had no clue as to why it is there and what it represents. I didn't even know the name of the park, to be honest. I do now.

The park is called Irzyk Park. It is located in Salem Massachusetts  at 17 Fort Avenue. "The park is named in honor of Brigadier General Albin F. Irzyk, a Salem native who served in World War II, the Berlin Crisis of 1961, and the Vietnam War. Initially joining the United States Army in 1940, he gave a total of 31 years in its service." (1) 

To amplify the parks meaning, an M60 tank is on public display. "The M60 Patton is a main battle tank (MBT) introduced in December 1960. With the United States Army's deactivation of their last heavy tank battalion in 1963, the M60 became the Army's primary tank during the Cold War. (2)

The tank on display is easily accessible. Anyone can walk right up to it. 

(1) https://www.salem.com/veterans-services/pages/irzyk-park
(2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M60_Patton

On a more solemn note...

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

A place that pleads to the world a simple notion: "never again".

I first visited this museum during a middle-school trip to D.C., and I still remember how deeply it impacted me. The museum's goal is to show the world as much personal testimony and artifacts of the Holocaust as possible, creating a more personal and emotional view of it. Here, those affected by the Holocaust will never be forgotten.

The Holocaust was the systematic, bureaucratic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million Jews by the Nazi regime and its collaborators. The Nazis, led by Adolf Hitler, came into power in Germany in January of 1933 and later that year established the first concentration camps. Before this, over nine million Jews lived in Europe.

What I also found very interesting and important is the museum's newest exhibit, called "Syria: Please Don't Forget Us". This exhibit gives a voice to those currently being persecuted under the Syrian government and compares the imprisonment, torture and killing to that of the Holocaust. Most importantly, it puts it into a perspective and asks us why we care so much about the Holocaust if we cannot accept and aid those fleeing from the same thing happening in Syria?

~
All information comes from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Official Website

National Cherry Blossom Festival

Today I want to share with you all the beauty of our nation's very own Cherry Blossom Festival!

In 1912, Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo, Japan gifted the city of Washington, D.C. 3000 cherry trees in celebration and honor of the two countries' friendship. Through mutual effort from both American and Japanese agriculturists, the voyage of the trees was successful. Then, "in a simple ceremony on March 27, 1912, First Lady Helen Herron Taft and Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador, planted the first two trees from Japan on the north bank of the Tidal Basin in West Potomac Park."

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I had the pleasure of visiting Washington D.C. earlier this March where we saw a few early blooms, like the one above. Cherry Blossoms themselves come in different shades, from bright pink to white. In Japan, celebrating the bloom of the cherry blossom trees is a Spring tradition, called "hanami". It often involves picnics, outdoor markets and lots of picture taking!

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In the United States, the tradition began in 1927 when schoolchildren would reenact the gift-giving. In 1935, Civic groups expanded the notion into festivities. 2012 marked the 100 year anniversary of the gift, and the capital celebrated with a 5 week long festival. Today, the festival spans 4 weeks and welcomes more then 1.5 million eager visitors to usher in the Spring season!

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

All information in this post comes from the National Cherry Blossom Festival Official Website 😊