Dorchester Illustration 2716 Frederick J. Brand
Frederick J. Brand was born in Plainville, Connecticut, and came to Boston after receiving his education in the schools in Plainville. He started out as a salesman for A. B. Crocker & Co., at that time, the largest felt manufacturer in the country. After the death of the senior member. Brand organized the Boston Felting Company, he led the company until the formation of the American Felting Company, which merged all the major felting companies in the country. Brand became manager of the Boston branch of the company.
Felt is a textile that is produced by matting, condensing, and pressing fibers together. It can be made of natural fibers such as wool or animal fur or from synthetic fibers.
In the 1890s, Brand moved to the house at 4 Melville Ave., at that time, called the handsomest house on the street.
Brand was a member of the Boston Common Council in 1908 and served as chairman of the Board of Aldermen in 1910.
Among many other leisure pursuits, he was a president of the Dorchester Gentlemen’s Driving Club, chartered in 1890 but not officially organized until 1899. The club members organized horse races where the horses pulled the carts driven by their masters. Originally, the weekly races were held on Blue Hill Avenue between Talbot and Callender Streets but as Blue Hill Avenue became more of a major traffic artery, the club petitioned the city of Boston to allow them to grade a portion of Franklin Field for a speedway and grandstand.
In the lower part of today’s illustration, Brand is seen with his pacer Dr. G., in front of the carriage house at 4 Melville Ave.