Preserving the Past
Looking around town there are a lot of visual links to Ashland’s past. Most of them are in the form of buildings or parks like John Stone’s Inn, the Shepard house, Stone Park, and the like but there is one that was a little less stationary. At the turn of the 19th century Ashland was changing along with the times. […]
» Read moreEver drive though cities and towns and wonder about the people that the squares were named after? Ashland has three squares honoring citizens who made a major contribution to our town. They are located in a close proximity to each other, and are used for memorial services and local events. The first one, Gordon A. Green Square, is located at […]
» Read moreAs we have visited Ashland’s past numerous times, I have spent a lot of time on the rivers that pass through us. The Sudbury is one of my favorites because it parallels Cordaville road across from my house all the way downtown and beyond. Despite all the efforts of various companies over the years to tame the Sudbury, and even […]
» Read moreHow many times have we heard the phrase “life is too short?” It really can’t be overstated because in the grand scheme of things, life is too short. Today I would like to visit the works of an accomplished architect that who never saw his 48th birthday. Henry Hobson Richardson, or better known as H. H. Richardson, was born on […]
» Read moreThere are a lot of streets in Ashland named after prominent citizens. Most were successful businessmen, clergymen, politicians, and the like but occasionally you’ll find one with an interesting story. This one dates back to before the Revolutionary War in the part of Ashland that was originally Hopkinton. We are looking at Frankland Road, and the story of Sir Charles […]
» Read moreGreetings everyone! And I would like to thank everyone who called, wrote, and e-mailed me regarding last month’s column “Then and Now.” I enjoyed listening to people’s recollection of where they were, and what they were doing 30, 40, and even 60 years ago. I ran out of room before covering everything I wanted to, but we will visit this […]
» Read moreHello everyone! Before we start today’s discussion I want to touch on a couple of subjects that affect the Ashland Directions and the Ashland Historical Society. First of all, the Directions is quickly approaching a critical crossroad. We have a volunteer staff of highly dedicated members who manually assemble the newspaper for publication. It is what is known as a […]
» Read moreDoes anybody remember the lone grave stone behind the David Mindess School on Concord Street? The grave lies about 15 feet from the rear of the building in an area surrounded by a concrete retaining wall, and adjacent to the athletic field. There is a well worn path around the stone from years of inquisitive visitors both young and old […]
» Read moreEvery September the Ashland Day Committee and the Citizen Award Committee chooses a Grand Marshall and a Citizen of the Year. While I am overstating the obvious, these are people who have dedicated their time and resources to make Ashland the premier community it is today. I was sifting through the Ashland Historical Society’s collection of Ashland Directions to find […]
» Read moreWelcome back! Last month we visited the honorees from the first Ashland Day through A’Day 1991. Everyone I mentioned had contributed, and in a lot of cases still contribute to the town in a variety of ways. This installment starts with A’Day 1992. Ben Montenegro – 1992 Grand Marshal. Many of the honorees returned for another tour of duty. Ben […]
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