Lee Historical Society
Newsletter
Vol. 7, No. 2
February 2010
Lee Historical Society, Inc.
P. O. Box 170
Lee, MA 01238
www.leehistoricsociety.homestead.com
This month, on February 11, 2009, the Society will present a talk by Ms. Gay Tucker of West Stockbridge entitled, “Finding History of Village Greens of Lee and Pittsfield” Ms. Gay is currently taking college courses in Boston and will join us for the evening. The Program Meeting starts at 7:00 p.m. and will be held in the Cafeteria of the Senior Center at Crossway Village on High Street. The public is invited and encouraged to attend at no charge. A short Business Meeting will be held at 6:30 for Board Members, Officers and interested members.
WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST 2010 MEMBERS:
Frank Consolati Insurance Agency, Main St., Lee, MA
Myron’s Call, 49 Fuller St., Lee, MA
Monk’s Professional Barber Shop, 91 Main Street, Lee, MA 01238
DO YOU NEED TO RENEW YOU MEMBERSHIP?
Members who have had their memberships expire on 12/31/2009 need to renew for the year 2010. If you are not sure when your membership expires, let us know and we will look it up for you.
Do you remember the Main Street Market?
I recently came across an article of the Saturday, January 17, 1976 closing of the Main Street Market and a picture of the proprietor, Julian Bartini. This is copied from an article that appeared in the Berkshire Eagle written by Benjamin L. Ginsberg:
LEE – Becoming a butcher just happened naturally to Julian A. Bartini. Fifty-nine years ago, at the age of 14, he needed some money to buy some land he wanted. The easiest way, he figured was to buy a horse, butcher it and sell the skin. Bartini not only got his $40.00, but also a lifelong profession.
And this Saturday, after 59 nearly uninterrupted years as a butcher, the last 25 as the owner and operator of the Main Street Market, the man known as “Julie” to numerous friends and countless relatives, is selling the store and retiring from fulltime work.
The retirement of Bartini, now 73 will mark not only the closing of a Lee institution, but also the passing of one of Berkshire County’s last old time butchers.
Bartini quickly found after selling the horse skin that he liked being a butcher. For the next 30 years he sold his meat and skill as a butcher to the residents of Tyringham and Lee.
“Oh, I used to travel all over Tyringham for many years either selling people meat that I had cut from animals I bought, or I’d come in and butcher the people’s animals.” Bartini said yesterday.
“I couldn’t really tell you exactly why I started being a butcher. I just started and that was it,” he recalled while standing behind the market’s meat counter and beneath a plastic replica of the hot dogs that stuff the counter along side rows of hand cut chops and steaks and hamburg.
“I taught myself to cut the meat. Matter of fact, I taught myself just about everything,” he said while remembering a youth that included avid participation as an end and tackle on local football teams and as a boxing compatriot of Pittsfield middleweight David Shade.
With a characteristic elfish grin on his face, he tells of having to have a parental permission slip signed for his football team. “I was afraid they wouldn’t do it, so I just took it home and signed it myself,” he said.
After 30 years of riding the Tyringham meat-cutting circuit Bartini became a butcher and chief meat buyer for the old Lee Supermarket. He stayed there for 15 years.
Then followed a short stint on a wetting machine at the old Smith Paper Company. But Bartini says he wanted his own butcher business, and so in 1950 he bought the Main Street Market with Angelo DiMario, Bartini gained full ownership of the market a few years later.
In keeping with a tradition of strong family ties, Bartini has been assisted for the past 23 years by his son-in-law, John Feltre. Feltre and his family now live in a Fairview Street home Bartini and his relatives built themselves more than 20 years ago. And Julie now lives with his granddaughter, Laurie Hoff, and her family on Fairview Street.
The decision to sell the market was not an easy one, Bartini says, “But I’m getting kind of old now, it’s time to give it to someone younger,” he explains. However, Bartini’s advancing age has until now not yet cut down a work week that would exhaust many a younger man,
“I’m in the store at 5:30 every morning. You have to get things ready for the day. People start coming in early to buy things like milk,” he says. “And I’m here to 7 or 8 every night, getting things all ready for the morning,” he explains.
“When I retire. I’m going to slow down a bit. I’ll still work three days a week for eight hours a day. But now I’m going to relax some and get a good rest,” Bartini says. The store has been sold to three Lee men – Mark Wheeler, Edward Rossi and James Herlihy. They plan to open a deli shop featuring imported Italian foods and some fresh fish.
The décor and owners of the Main Street Market will change……..but at least three times a week, Julie Bartini will still be there.
Recollections VII
By U. S. Navy Retired Commander Vic Mottarella,
A native of Lee(Continued from the January-10 issue)
Combat Tactics
We flew a total of eleven combat tactics flights. These flights were interspersed between other flying requirements with the first occurring on April 24th and the last on May 27th, 1946. The purpose of these flights was to become familiar with the aircraft’s flight characteristics while engaging in violent maneuvers and the human body sustaining very high “g” forces. Some of these flights involved dog fighting with your flying buddies to see who could first get on the other’s tail. In this case the first objective was to climb for altitude because altitude could readily be converted to airspeed and therefore give that pilot the advantage. Occasionally these battles lasted for only a couple of minutes while in other cases the skirmish could last for as long as fifteen minutes. If it was a long contest the winner was not necessarily the best pilot but the one who had the most endurance. The last part of the duel usually ended up with two planes flying in a very tight circle in which each was maneuvering to get on the other’s tail with sufficient lead angle. This usually meant pulling about five “g’s” which resulted in your being pressed into the seat at five times your weight with blood being drained from your head to the lower extremities. With sustained “g” forces you tire very easily and can black out even while wearing an anti blackout suit. Other tactics involved either four or eight airplanes. Four planes could be divided up into two sections flying in a coordinated and defensive manner with each section being readily able to convert into an offensive position. This was accomplished by a maneuver developed by Commander Jimmy Thatch during the big war. By continuous weaving or turning across the path of the other section either section was placed in a position where it could shoot at attacking enemy fighters while the other section pursued his prey. Other tactics involved eight planes with four sections. We practiced what became known as the Fleming weave in which each section occupied a corner of a square separated by about one mile. The purpose was similar to that of the Thatch weave except that here we had more planes. Picture all planes flying in the same direction with two planes in each corner of the square. If the leader decides to reverse course he gives an execution signal and each section turns into the section abeam. They continue turning after crossing to complete the one hundred eighty degree turn. The resulting formation leaves them all in the same box formation but on opposite corners. Upon completion of a ninety degree turn either right or left you still end up with the square box formation except that the planes that were abeam are now in line.
Instruments
We flew a total of six instrument flights that were spread out throughout the syllabus. The first four of these were flown from the back seat of the SNJ Texan with a safety pilot in the front seat. The requirements here were similar to those that we had experienced as cadets at Corpus Christi except that we did not have to worry about getting a down check. The pilot in the back seat was usually one of our associates. In essence it was more of a refresher course in instrument training. One can get pretty rusty in a short time without practice in this field. Later we flew two instrument flights in the Hellcat. Arrangements were made when flying instruments in the Hellcat to use special goggles so that you could see the instruments but could not see outside the cockpit. These goggles were not put on until after takeoff and were removed before landing. Since the Hellcat was a single seat aircraft it was necessary to have a pilot flying in another Hellcat acting as safety pilot while the first was practicing low frequency radio navigation, changing course and altitude or simulating instrument approaches to a field. The safety pilot would follow and advise the instrument pilot if he was approaching another aircraft or any other possible hazard. The weather in the Miami area could change drastically in a very short period of time especially in the afternoon. One had to be especially alert to not be caught in a thunderstorm. These frequently developed in a very few minutes. It was good to have some knowledge of instruments when flying in these weather conditions although at that point in my career I did not feel that instruments was in my area of expertise. I was inclined to feel that the Hellcat was not a particularly good instrument plane. Additionally, my confidence and skills in that area left a lot to be desired so I avoided clouds whenever there was a choice.
Night Flying in the Hellcat
The last eight flights at Miami involved night flying. These all took place between June 3rd and June 13th 1946. Flying a Hellcat at night was considerably more demanding than flying in the daytime. This was especially true during the landing phase because there were no landing lights on the plane and that made it very difficult to judge the altitude over the runway especially on a dark night. Dim lights placed along the sides vaguely defined the outline of the runway but the center was usually quite dark. At first it took a few anxious attempts near stall speed before coaxing the plane down and feeling the wheels touch the ground. As mentioned before, the pilot’s eyes were about twelve feet over the runway and that contributed to the difficulties. We flew a total of three solo night familiarization flights before we started to get the hang of landing the Hellcat at night. The remaining five flights all involved formation flying with two or more airplanes. The first two of these involved only two planes. The most difficult tasks occurred at the beginning and at the end of the flight. As mentioned earlier while at Corpus Christi it was difficult to judge differential speeds when joining up with another airplane. Because of much faster speeds incurred in the Hellcat and because of the night factor the complexity increased noticeably. At Miami we staggered our night take offs between planes by about seven seconds and tried to keep the lead plane in sight. If there were more than two planes each pilot would try to keep the plane ahead of him in sight. In the event that this was not possible due to limited visibility a landmark was selected as an alternate for join up. John Votolato mentioned an incident he had while trying to join up with the rest of the formation. He said that he noticed that it was taking a lot longer than usual to join up even though he had applied full power. After finally closing on the wing lights of the plane he had targeted he was amazed to learn that the plane was not a Hellcat but a huge commercial airliner and probably out of Miami International Airport. He immediately peeled off before being discovered and finally found the Gooney Bird formation. The pilot in the lead plane would normally adjust his wing lights to maximum intensity until the other planes joined on him in formation after which he dimmed his lights. Staring at the bright lights by the pilots joining up would tend to blind them. Additionally, after flying in close formation for an extended period at night it was not unusual to mistake a star for the lead plane’s wing lights. It was important to keep your eyes moving and not stare at one light. The last few night flights were flown with six or eight aircraft. On one night the formation returned to the field only to be advised that a thunderstorm was overhead. We were directed to avoid the area until the storm passed by. A full moon reflected off the billowing cumulous clouds as we circled the storm. When away from the storm, due to the illumination of the full moon and exceptionally clear night, we could see all the planes in the formation. While circling we tuned in to the Miami radio station and believe it or not one of the songs that was being played was “Moon Over Miami”. When we finally got clearance to land a huge water spray erupted as our wheels touched the ground.
(Continued to the March –10 issue)
Officers of the Lee Historical Society for the year of 2010
President – Gary W. Allen – 413-243-2140 or garywallen@earthlink.net
Vice- President – Ethel Noonan – 413-243-0263
Treasurer – Mal Eckert – 413-243-1797 or MalEckert@msn.com
Secretary – Bambi Johndrow – 413-243-2845 or disdeer62@netzero.net
Board of Directors of the Lee Historical Society
Marion Leach/2010
William Clarke/2010Mary Morrissey/2011
William Clarke/2010Mary Morrissey/2011Peg Biron/2011 Josh Hall/2011Matt MacNyar/2011
Josh Hall/2011Matt MacNyar/2011JoAnn Zarnoch/2012 Maria Hopkins/2012Robert Kelly/2012
Maria Hopkins/2012Robert Kelly/2012Immediate-Past President and Board Member – Stephen Cozzaglio
Society Historian – Charlotte Davis
Newsletter Editor – Mal Eckert
The Society is always looking for articles and small pieces of information to print about Lee.
If you have anything that you would like to share with our readers or any questions that some one might know the answer to, please let us know. Please let the Society know if there is a specific subject that you might be interested to hear about as we are all interested in learning more about the history of Lee.
The Lee Historical Society has the following items for sale. Any one of these would make a great gift for an out of town friend or relative.
(1.)Picture Packet – Six, 8” x 10” colored prints of “Old Lee” for $10.00 each or 3 packets for $25.00, plus $2.50 if they need to be shipped.
Picture Packet – Six, 8” x 10” colored prints of “Old Lee” for $10.00 each or 3 packets for $25.00, plus $2.50 if they need to be shipped.(2.)Refrigerator magnets – (approx. 2” x 3”). Three are of old street scenes from the early 1900’s and one is an “Entering Lee” replica sign. They are $3.00 each or buy a set of three of your choice for $7.50 with no shipping charges.
Refrigerator magnets – (approx. 2” x 3”). Three are of old street scenes from the early 1900’s and one is an “Entering Lee” replica sign. They are $3.00 each or buy a set of three of your choice for $7.50 with no shipping charges.(3.)Cookbook – “Boiling Water” – a 400 recipe cookbook, put together by the ladies of the society for $10.00, plus $3.50 if shipped.
Cookbook – “Boiling Water” – a 400 recipe cookbook, put together by the ladies of the society for $10.00, plus $3.50 if shipped.(4.)“Historical Lee” – a tribute to the late Betty Dennis. A seventy-three page book containing the articles that Betty wrote between April 1971 and August 1977 that appeared in the Penny Saver. Price is $10.00, plus $2.50 if shipped.
“Historical Lee” – a tribute to the late Betty Dennis. A seventy-three page book containing the articles that Betty wrote between April 1971 and August 1977 that appeared in the Penny Saver. Price is $10.00, plus $2.50 if shipped.(5.)“Third Strike”- a book, the last of three written by Ralph W. Smith that was published in 1984. It contains stories of people and tales of earlier days in Lee. The price is $15.00, plus $2.50 if shipped.
“Third Strike”- a book, the last of three written by Ralph W. Smith that was published in 1984. It contains stories of people and tales of earlier days in Lee. The price is $15.00, plus $2.50 if shipped.(6.)Commemorative Mugs.
Commemorative Mugs.(a.)a 2008, #1 in our series, mug with a replica of Memorial Hall embossed on the side.
a 2008, #1 in our series, mug with a replica of Memorial Hall embossed on the side.(b.)a 2009, #2 in our series, mug with a replica of Central Fire Station embossed on the side.
a 2009, #2 in our series, mug with a replica of Central Fire Station embossed on the side. These mugs can be purchased for $10.00 each, plus $3.00 shipping or both
mugs for $18.00 and $5.00 shipping.
Please send me (amount)______________of (item/items)__________________________
Enclosed is my check for (no cash please)______________________________________
Name_____________________________________________________________________
Address___________________________________________________________________
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Mail to:
Lee Historical Society
P. O. Box 170
Lee, MA 01238
Please support our “Business Members” that support us.
Bartini Roofing CompanyBen’s Shop Charles Flint Antiques
Ben’s Shop Charles Flint Antiques290 Pleasant Street68 Main Street52 Housatonic Street
68 Main Street52 Housatonic StreetLee, MA 01238 Lee, MA 01238Lenox, MA 01240
Lee, MA 01238Lenox, MA 01240Greylock Federal Union Quality Plus L. V. Toole Insurance Agency
Quality Plus L. V. Toole Insurance Agency47 Main Street260 Chestnut Street195 Main Street
260 Chestnut Street195 Main StreetLee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238
Lee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238Sullivan Station Restaurant Paperdilly, Inc.Dresser Hull Company
Paperdilly, Inc.Dresser Hull CompanyRailroad Street74 Main Street60 Railroad Street
74 Main Street60 Railroad StreetLee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238
Lee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238Robert M. Kelly, Paperhanging Kelly Funeral HomeThe Jonathon Foote 1778 House
Kelly Funeral HomeThe Jonathon Foote 1778 HouseSouth Prospect Street 3 Main Street 1 East Street
3 Main Street 1 East StreetLee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238
Lee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238Morgan House Restaurant & PubLee Bank Devonfield Inn
Lee Bank Devonfield Inn33 Main Street 75 Park Street85 Stockbridge Road
75 Park Street85 Stockbridge RoadLee, MA 01238 Lee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238
Lee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238Hunter & Graziano P. C.Myron’s CallLocker Room Sports Pub
Myron’s CallLocker Room Sports Pub10 Park Place49 Fuller Street232 Main Street
49 Fuller Street232 Main StreetLee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238
Lee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238Monk’s Professional Barber Shop Frank Consolati Ins. Agency
Frank Consolati Ins. Agency91 Main Street71 Main Street
71 Main StreetLee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238
Lee, MA 01238How about becoming a member to help support our Society? Do you have an out of town friend or relative that might enjoy our newsletters? Sign him/her up as a member.
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Senior Membership (one person over the age of 65) - $5.00Business Membership - $25.00Individual Membership (one person under the age of 65) - $10.00
Individual Membership (one person under the age of 65) - $10.00Family Membership (All members of one family living at home) - $15.00
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Lee Historical Society
P. O. Box 170
Lee, MA 01238
