Author Archives: earltaylor

Dorchester Illustration 2551 Wooden Snow Shovels

Posted on January 30, 2022 by earltaylor

Dorchester Illustration 2551 Wooden Snow Shovels Many of you are waking up to the task of dealing with the snow from yesterday’s storm. Today’s photo shows snow shovels in the collection of the Dorchester Historical Society. They are displayed in … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 1920, blizzard, Dorchester, snow | Comments Off

Dorchester Illustration 2550 Hendries Restaurant

Posted on January 23, 2022 by earltaylor

Today’s illustration shows two views of the former Hendrie’s Restaurant, which was located on Talbot Avenue near Blue Hill Avenue. The section of Talbot Avenue from Blue Hill Avenue to Codman Square was laid out in 1888. The building was … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off

Dorchester Illustration 2549 Gamewell Fire Alarm

Posted on January 16, 2022 by earltaylor

Gamewell Fire Alarm Advertisement in Fire Engineering magazine, April 1949, featuring a picture of eight-year-old Thomasina De Beneditto who pulled the fire box alarm when she observed a fire in a nearby factory in Dorchester, Massachusetts. In 1949, the Gamewell … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Dorchester, Gamewell Fire Alarm | Comments Off

Dorchester Illustration 2547 Pennant Postcards

Posted on January 9, 2022 by earltaylor

Within the postcard industry in the early twentieth century, there was a subset of generic postcards with space for a town name to be printed or stamped with a rubber stamp. We have two examples today, where the sender thought … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Dorchester | Comments Off

Dorchester Illustration 2546 Coal Schooner at Commercial Point

Posted on January 2, 2022 by earltaylor

Today’s illustration shows a four-master schooner delivering coal to the Cutter coal yard on Commercial Point. The location of the schooner in the photograph would be at the bottom of the detail from the 1898 atlas, just under the red … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Commercial Point, Dorchester, Fuel, Schoone | Comments Off

Dorchester Illustration 2545 Happy New Year

Posted on December 26, 2021 by earltaylor

Order a house history for a house in Dorchester or Mattapan. Check it out on the house history page on the Dorchester Historical Society website. Today’s illustration is a news photograph with caption affixed to the back side: Make Merry. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 1940, Dorchester, New Year | Comments Off

Dorchester Illustration 2544 ‘Tis the Season

Posted on December 19, 2021 by earltaylor

Today’s illustration is one of many advertisements issued by the Walter Baker company in the period from the 1890s well into the mid-twentieth century. The company’s logo, the Baker chocolate lady, can be seen on the tavern’s sign. Winter weather … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Baker Chocolate, Cocoa, Dorchester | Comments Off

Dorchester Illustration 2543 Elisha Brown Bird

Posted on December 12, 2021 by earltaylor

Elisha Brown Bird (1867-1943) The illustration is of Elisha Brown Bird and his poster The Red Letter, 1896 Bird was an illustrator who was known for posters and bookplate designs. Winifred Porter Truesdell published a book titled E. B. Bird … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Dorchester, Elisha Brown Bird, posters | Comments Off

Dorchester Illustration 2542 Ham radio – is that still a thing?

Posted on December 5, 2021 by earltaylor

Reminder: the Dorchester Historical Society sales shop is online at www.dorchesterhistoricalsociety.org You can also give a great gift to yourself or a friend – order a house history for a house in Dorchester or Mattapan. Check it out on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Dorchester, Ham radio, Mattapan, postcards, short wave radio | Comments Off

Dorchester Illustration 2541 Putnam Nail Company humorous advertising card

Posted on November 28, 2021 by earltaylor

The Putnam Nail Company was located in the Port Norfolk section of Dorchester. In addition to weekly advertisements in magazines, the company put out a series of advertising cards. Many of them featured horses, both pacers and trotters, who had … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Dorchester, Horseshoe nails, Putnam Nail Company | Comments Off