Lee Historical Society
Newsletter
Vol. 4, No. 2
February 2007
The purposes of the Lee Historical Society are to promote and foster a greater knowledge and appreciation of the unique history of the Town of Lee to friends, students and citizens through research, lectures, exhibits, acquisition and preservation of historical material and sites for future generations. We also offer assistance to those in the pursuit of local historical information.
The funding that our society receives is strictly from membership dues and other private sources. There is no financial support received from any governmental source or agency. The Lee Historical Society is a non-profit corporation in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, classified as a 501 (C) (3) charitable organization under the U.S. Revenue Service Code.
January Meeting:
The January Business Meeting was held on Thursday, January 11, 2007.
The Treasurer’s report was read by Mal Eckert and accepted. The Membership Committee report was read by Marion Leach. Marion also noted that a Membership Committee Meeting would be held on January 23 at 6:15 P.M. at the Lee Library. As no one has volunteered to fill the position of Society Secretary, it was decided that each one of the officers or board members would rotate taking the monthly minutes and notes until a secretary is found. Gary Allen took the notes for the January meeting. A discussion was held about making plans to better inform the public about our plans for a home for the Society. A Facility Committee was formed with Mary McGinnis, Mary and Henry Holt, and Steve Cozzaglio being the members. Henry Holt is the Chairman. Other committees were re-organized and Charlotte Davis was named Chairman of the Consolati-Davis-Dennis Distinguished Service Award Committee.
Membership Committee Meeting of Tuesday, January 23, 2007
The Membership Committee met at the Lee Library on January 23rd to discuss different ways to attract new members. The possibility of raising some of the dues for 2008 was also discussed. The Lee Historical Society membership dues are low compared to most other similar memberships in the area. If a newsletter is mailed by U.S. Postal to a member each month, the annual postage is $4.68, resulting in a 32 cent profit for the $5.00 annual senior membership fee. Several ideas were presented and will be researched by the committee and by mid-summer their report will be presented at a business meeting. Committee members present were; Marion Leach, Chairman, Mary Morrissey, Mary Lee Johanson, and Dolores and Mal Eckert. Mary Lee Johanson also serves on the Lee Land Trust and she brought up the possibility the Lee Land Trust, Lee Historical Commission, of which Mary Morrissey is a member, and the Lee Historical Society could forward each other their monthly meeting minutes so that all of these organizations could be aware of each others happenings. This idea will brought back to the officers and board at our next business meeting.
2007 MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS
If you have not renewed your membership for 2007, please send it in now. If you are not sure of your status, email, call or drop us a line.
Thank you!
We send out a “thanks” to Deborah Smith, from Belfast, Maine, who sent the Society a box of old pictures and negatives. There were pictures of the Fourth of July Parade in Lee in 1910 taken by her great-grandmother, Anne Foote Smith, wife of Augustus Randolph Smith. The Smith’s lived where Lee Bank is now located. There were also some pictures of the 1938 flood included.
Also, “thanks” go out to Jack Swegel of Lee for the 1870 booklet of the “Semi-Centennial of the Congregational Sunday School of Lee, Mass. Jack came across this booklet while moving. The booklet contains a copy of the address of Rev. Nahum Gale, D.D. and other exercises that took place on December 23, 1869.
February Meeting:
The February Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, February 8. 2007 at 7:00 P.M. at Central Station, home of the Lee Fire Department on Main Street, where Gary Allen, the Society Vice-President will speak on the “History of the Lee Fire Department”. Gary has been researching the history and the stories of the department for the last few months and will tell us what he has discovered.
Some of the out of state members have mentioned that through the Society they have regained contact with old friends that they have not heard from in years. If anyone would like a list of the members with their addresses, let us know.
RECOLLECTIONS II
By Vic Mottarella
The games we played
(Continued from the January issue)
When school let out for summer vacation and the days were longest several kids that lived on Fairview Street would get together and play various games. We would play until dusk or at least until we saw the first fire flies. One of those games I remember playing was called dock on a rock. I don’t recall many of the details of this game but it involved putting a small rock on top of a larger rock and trying to knock the little rock off with a stone. Several of the younger boys and girls participated-----I believe I was about eight at the time. Hide and seek was also included and interspersed among the other games. We played hide and seek around the group of three houses on Fairview Street as well as in the Valenti and Mottarella barns. It was a lot more fun in the barns because there were some places to hide. When I was a little older (about ten) we used to challenge each other to see who would jump into the haystack below from the highest barn rafters.
During my early teens I played baseball with some of the older kids in a cow pasture that was adjacent to the Bonafin residence. There were about ten kids who participated but the number usually varied. Occasionally, only six showed up but we always managed to play some sort of baseball despite meager participation. The list of participants included from two to four of the Naventi brothers, my brother Remo, Eugene (Bepo) Bonafin, Leon (Chippy) Consolati, Mario (Hotdog) Vanotti and others. Two of the older players would alternatively choose the best players available to form the two teams. I was always the last to be chosen but I always got to play. If one got a hit he had to be careful crossing the bases to avoid stepping on numerous cow pies that were randomly deposited. That was never a problem for me because I almost never got a hit. Note: Most of the above players either enlisted or were called to active duty during World War II. Bepo Bonafin was a Lieutenant in the Army and was killed the day after D-Day during the Normandy invasion. The last time I saw him was during the late winter of 1943/1944 on Main Street in Lee. Even through we had been neighbors I saluted him because it was required during the war and at the time he was a Lieutenant and I was only an Aviation Cadet.
On one occasion when about twelve, I was running across the upper level of a shed that my father had under construction (adjacent to the barn) and fell about eleven feet to the solid ground below. I had stepped on a loose board that extended across some rafters-----one end went up and I went down. It scared the hell out of me in addition to knocking the wind out of me. I couldn’t breathe normally for several minutes but I wasn’t hurt. At about the same age we played a game we called war that was similar to hide and seek. The biggest exception was that we shot rubber bands made from tire tubes with wooden guns at the opposing party. The one who surprised the other with an accurate shot won the battle. This game was a lot of fun especially when played in two barns. When I was a little older (about thirteen) I was invited to participate in a couple of new games in a cabin behind one of the houses (the Bartini residence) on Fairview Street. The younger Naventi boys were there as well as Catherine Naventi as well as Josephine and Rita Salinetti. I’m sure there were others but I do not recall. Since we were all about thirteen we had graduated to the more sophisticated games of Post Office and Spin the Bottle. Both games involved kissing one of the opposite sex. It was a new experience for most of us and I must say that I thought these two games were neat and beat all the others in which I had participated up to that time.
Winter
A very steep hill existed in front of the Naventi residence and that hill provided an ideal spot for sliding in the winter. In fact the hill was so steep that many drivers got stuck whenever there was any snow. During the middle of the depression (about 1935) the WPA (Roosevelt’s Public Works Administration) assigned funds to cut off the top of the hill in order to reduce the degree of the hill’s incline. It was all done by hand and took several weeks with about eight workers participating. The winters seemed to be much colder back then and we had a lot of snow. The town would normally use the only tractor in its possession to do all the town’s plowing but Fairview Street was one of the last streets to be plowed (Circa about 1935). As a result the few cars that transited would pack the snow so that it was very slippery and for all practical practices solid ice. All the kids had sleds. The hill was almost a quarter of a mile long so on an ideal day a sled would probably attain a speed of about forty miles per hour. We would normally be solo on each sled but occasionally one would have a passenger who would knell in back of the sled. When I was a little older I constructed a couple of bobsleds that would hold about five kids. These were made with a pair of steerable runners in front and another pair in a fixed position in back. Both of the bobsleds proved to be successful for the purpose that they were designed. Neither I, nor my brothers, ever owned a pair of skis that were purchased at a store but I did get to do a little skiing. My brother Richard was very patient and quite ingenious. He constructed a couple of pairs of skis starting off with the trunk of a tree (probably ash). He would spend weeks in the construction of one pair of skis by gradually hacking away at the tree trunk to fashion it into a flat board. The final challenge was to gradually put a bend in the front. He accomplished this by heating very hot water and with clamps gradually increasing the bend over a period of several days. I never got to be a very good skier but it was a lot of fun. Another winter sport was skating. We did this at the quarry hole on the Valenti property. We started off playing hockey without skates and later after we learned how to skate graduated to this level. I don’t believe I ever bought a new pair of skates----they were all hand me downs from other families.
(Continued to next page)
Big Deals
I spent more time with Louie Naventi than anyone else. It was a big deal on Saturday mornings to take a few potatoes into the woods and bake them in a fire-----it was our first picnic. On one occasion I obtained some real cigarettes and tried smoking one----it made me deathly sick----it was the last time I smoked until after joining the Navy. An abandoned wood mill was situated at the furthest corner of our property. Amidst the junk that was left over were a couple of miniature railroad tracks and two sets of dual wheels with axles. Louie and I constructed a small flat bed to fit on the two sets of wheels and raised one end of the tracks to about a 20 degree angle. We would then push the flat bed up the tracks and away we would go for about 50 yards. The wheels and axles were made out of steel which made the devise very heavy so we would have to strain with every ounce of muscle to push the unit back up the tracks. On another occasion I had the bright idea of stretching a wire between two trees and rigging a cable car to ride between them. The car would have an overhead pulley on each end that would ride above the wire. The wire would be attached to one tree at a higher elevation than the other tree. The idea was to push the car up to the highest elevation and then release it to run down to the lower elevation. I figured the wire would snag when the unit reached the bottom most point so the change of direction to an incline would act as a brake. It turned out that the wire was not long enough to reach the two trees so I spliced another piece on to it. We then pushed the car up to the higher elevation. Louie was elected to take the first ride since at the time he was considerably lighter than my seventy-five pounds. The first ride was a disaster. The car came down as expected but it stretched the wire to the limit and finally broke at the splice. One end of the wire zipped across the top of Louie’s head and caused a fairly deep cut. Blood was dripping all over the place. It was back to the drawing board for me. I thought we could make the thing work with just a bit more clever engineering. Louie, had up to that time always agreed to go along with all my ideas but not this time. I could not persuade him to go near that devise again so we finally abandoned what I considered a great engineering feat. I believe I was about ten years old at the time and thought that as long as the wire was made of steel the amount of weight it would carry was endless. Louie was smarter than me. Our next adventure was riding the horses. We started off riding through our own woods but that became too tame. The Wellington Smith property was adjacent to our farm but it was posted which meant trespassing was not allowed. Beautiful horse riding paths existed throughout the property. In our earlier years we had ventured along the horse paths on foot. Whenever we heard a horse galloping or trotting we would duck behind the closest tree. The rider would always be Wellington Smith or Frank Leahy who owned the Lee News Room. We had several close calls but were never discovered. A couple of years later Louie and I became more courageous so we rode Jimmy and Daisy through these same woods.
(Continued to the March issue)
Soldiers of Lee in the Civil War:
ROLL OF HONOR SOLDIER
Private Edwin A. Jackson – Company E, 27th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment
Found in the American Civil War Soldiers Records:
Name: Edwin A. Jackson
Residence: Lee, Massachusetts
Occupation: Carpenter
Enlistment Date: 15 September 1861
Distinguished Service
Side Served: Union
State Served: Massachusetts
Unit Numbers: 929 929
Service Record: Enlisted as a private on September 15, 1861 at the age of 44. Enlisted in Company E, 27th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment on 20 September 1861. Killed on 14 March 1862 in New Berne, North Carolina.
I find Edwin A. Jackson in the 1840 United States Federal Census of the Town of Lee, County of Berkshire and State of Massachusetts. All that it tells that in the Edwin A. Jackson household are two people, a male who is between the ages of 20 and 30 years of age and a female, who is also between the ages of 20 and 30 years of age. I next find Edwin A. Jackson in the 1850 United States Federal Census, still living in Lee but stating that he was born in England about 1812 and is 38 years old and is employed as a carpenter. His wife’s name is Esther A. and is 36 years old. I then find them in the 1860 Census, with Edwin listed as a carpenter and being 48 years old. Esther is listed as 43 years old in this Census.
Officers of the Lee Historical Society for 2007:
President – Stephen A. Cozzaglio, 413-243-3204 or scozzaglio@rcn.com
Vice-President – Gary Allen. 413-243-2140 or GaryWAllen@Earthlink.net
Secretary – Position open
Treasurer – Mal Eckert 413-243-1797 or Lee_Hist_Soc@msn.com
Board of Directors:
Marion Leach/2007 Mary Holt/2008 Ethel Noonan/2009
William Clarke/2007 Henry Holt/2008 James DiMario/2009
Cindy Packard/2007 Mary Morrissey/2008 Mary McGinnis/2009
Society Historian: Charlotte Davis, 413-243-1092
Newsletter Editor: Mal Eckert, 413-243-1797 or Lee_Hist_Soc@msn.com
The Lee Historical Society is continuously looking for articles and stories of Lee and its people to include in our newsletters. If anyone has an article or story, or is looking for an ancestor, please contact one of our officers or board members or send me an email.
The following article was copied from the Penny Saver of December 16, 1971 as written by Betty L. Dennis, the former Town Librarian, who wrote a series of articles regarding historical events about the Town of Lee for the Lee Rotary Club that were published in the Penny Saver under the column of “Historical Lee.”
A Berkshire Gleaner of 1868 tells us that “Christmas was more generally observed throughout the country this year than ever before. It is fast becoming our most popular holiday”. July 4, 1859 was ushered in with the ringing of “our eight bells”. (Church and factory bells) Processions of “Horribles” and a parade of silver trumpets marked all special days. A balloon ascension was a “fluke” as it became tangled and could not go up. Our townspeople were thrilled when a successful ascension took place in Pittsfield and their balloon was sent to soar over our town.
Home gatherings were numerous and exciting according to local items, but large and formal parties were almost unknown. Chief means of entertainment were old fashioned (sic) games. Dancing was ruled out by public opinion, as were cards and all games of chance……these being considered the tools of the Devil. By the mid 1800’s though we find Lee’s social life enlivened by corn popping parties, butternut cracking and molasses candy pulls, and building up to cider parties and even kitchen dances! Debating societies were formed, and a “Highland Association” for the “promotion of social welfare for the community”. The Lee Harmonic Association was one of some few others which helped toward the study and enjoyment of music.
Many home talent shows were presented in Northrup’s (now Central Block). Merchants’ Carnivals were also big in those days. Each store in town was represented by an act in the show and a prize awarded for the best performance. The carnivals were usually climaxed in a Grand Performance at which all the mills were represented. The paper mills usually dressed their girls in lavish gowns made entirely of paper.
SCHEDULE OF 2007 MEETINGS:
Meetings of the Lee Historical Society will take place on the second Thursday of every month at 7:00 P.M. Business meetings will be held in the old courtroom at Memorial Hall and some of the program meetings may take place on the site of the subject matter of the meeting. We will try to advertise all meetings in various places in town. We will also try to advertise in the local media and TV stations. Our Program Meetings are free and open to the public and people are encouraged to attend. This schedule will be updated as more speakers and locations are confirmed.
Thursday, January 11, 2007 --- Business Meeting for all Board of Directors and Officers and all interested members.
Thursday, February 8, 2007 --- Program Meeting for all members and the public. The subject will be “The History of the Lee Fire Department”. To be held at the Lee Fire Department on Main St.
Thursday, March 8, 2007 --- Business Meeting for all Board of Directors and Officers and all interested members.
Thursday, April 12, 2007 --- Program Meeting for all members and the public. The subject and location to be confirmed.
Thursday, May 10, 2007 --- Business Meeting for all Board of Directors and Officers and all interested members.
Thursday, June 14, 2007 --- Program Meeting for all members and the public. The subject and location to be confirmed.
Thursday, July 12, 2007 --- Business Meeting for all Board of Directors and Officers and all interested members.
Thursday, August 9, 2007 --- Program Meeting for all members and the public. The subject and location to be confirmed.
Thursday, September 13, 2007 --- Business Meeting for all Board of Directors and Officers and all interested members.
Thursday, October 11, 2007 --- Program Meeting for all members and the public. The subject and location to be confirmed.
Thursday, November 8, 2007 --- Business Meeting for all Board of Directors and Officers and all interested members. Nominations for members of the Board of Directors.
Thursday, December 13, 2007 --- Annual Meeting --- Election of members of the Board of Directors and Officers.
When friends, neighbors or relatives move, downsize, move or just clean house, PLEASE, ask them to think of the LEE HISTORIC SOCIETY before they discard any old books, pictures postcards, letters or memorabilia of the TOWN OF LEE. We are also interested in obtaining old Lee High School yearbooks and Town Reports.
BECOME A MEMBER OR ENROLL AN OUT OF TOWN FRIEND OR RELATIVE. HOW ABOUT A PRESENT OF A MEMBERSHIP, COOKBOOK, SET OF REFRIGERATOR MAGNETS OR PICTURE PACKET OF “OLD LEE”?
MEMBERSHIP FORM
Membership fees:
Student Membership --- $5.00 Senior Membership (1 person over age 65) --- $5.00
Business Membership --- $25.00 Individual Membership (1 person under age 65) --- $10.00
Family Membership (all members of a family living at home) --- $15.00
Please circle one: Student Senior Individual Family Business
Name_______________________________________________________
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Is this a renewal?_______or a new membership?________
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Or helping out at one of our fundraisers?___________
