Author Archives: earltaylor

Dorchester Illustration 2674, William Wales

William Wales, Dorchester Illustration 2674  William Wales (1803-1873) was a descendant of Nathaniel Wales, who arrived from England in the 1630s. Wales started a florist business on his property stretching from Olney Street to Columbia Road. His inventory included large … Continue reading

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Dorchester Illustration 2673 Putnam Horse Shoe Nail Company

Putnam Horse Shoe Nail Company Dorchester Illustration 2673  Silas S. Putnam Nail Company began the manufacture of curtain fixtures, horse shoe nails and other types of hardware at the end of the Port Norfolk peninsula in 1859. Today’s illustration includes … Continue reading

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Dorchester Illustration 2672, Dorchester Mutual Fire Insurance Co.

Dorchester Mutual Fire Insruance Co. Dorchester Illustration 2672  Dorchester Mutual Fire Insurance Co. was incorporated in 1855. By the mid-1860s, the company owned this building pictured in today’s illustration at 7 Woodworth St. in Port Norfolk. At the bottom of … Continue reading

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Dorchester Illustration 2671 Stearns Lumber Company

Stearns Lumber Company Dorchester Illustration 2671   This image from the 1910 atlas, shows that the Laban Pratt’s Lumber Company extended on both sides of the train tracks at the Neponset River, but Albert Thomas Stearns Lumber Company to the … Continue reading

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Dorchester Illustration 2670, 131 Ashmont Street Then and Now

131 Ashmont Street, Then and Now Dorchester Illustration 2670 The house at 131 Ashmont Street was built in 1876-1877 and has been altered over the years. The first owner was Jennie Seaverns, a teacher at the Minot Primary School. Jennie’s … Continue reading

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Gravestones, Dorchester Old North Burying Ground

Dorchester Illustration 2669 Gravestones, Dorchester Old North Burying Ground Dorchester Illustration 2669 The image at the top of today’s illustration is a photograph of a grave marker in the Dorchester Old North Burying Ground. The design is of a skull … Continue reading

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Dorchester Illustration 2668, Dorchester Music Hall

Dorchester Music Hall Dorchester Illustration 2668 There was a music hall on the third floor of the former storage building in Fields Corner. Today we see two photos from about 1900 of the interior of this wonderful space, which was … Continue reading

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Marlton Downing, Dorchester Illustration 2667

Marlton Downing, Dorchester Illustration 2667 Marlton Downing was born Henry Marlton Downing in 1852. He changed his name for his work as a journalist and author. Downing married Sarah Thayer, and the couple moved in with her parents on Wesley … Continue reading

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Dorchester Illustration 2666, Fire Grenade

Fire Grenade Dorchester Illustration 2666 In the period from the 1870s to the early 20th century, one method of fighting fire was the wall-mounted fire grenade. The grenade was a glass container with a fire-retardant liquid inside. Fire could move … Continue reading

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Dorchester Illustratin 2665, George Douse, developer

George Douse Dorchester Illustration 2665 George N. Douse was a well-known developer of housing in Dorchester during the first three decades of the 20th century. He is pictured at the right in today’s illustration. In 1912, he built a series … Continue reading

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