Lee Historical Society
Newsletter
Vol. 8, No. 6
June 2011
Lee Historical Society, Inc.
P. O. Box 170
Lee, MA 01238
www.leehistoricsociety.homestead.com
Happy Father’s Day
On Friday, June 3rd, we were happy and proud to accept the keys to our “new home” at the Crossway Towers complex, formerly the Hyde School on High Street. We thank the Crossway Towers Committee, Elder Services and any and all people who had input into the society receiving this space. Retired Williams College Professor John Hyde and society member, who is a descendant of Alexander Hyde and for whom the school was named came down from Williamstown, toured the building and presented the Society with a portrait of Alexander Hyde. This portrait will soon be hung in a place of honor in the building and the Society will be displaying other items of Lee in the future. We now have a place to hang our hats and from where we can operate society business. As well as our “new home”, a large meeting room is also available to us, where our meetings can be held. As soon as we get furnishings and organize our new area, we will open it up to meet the pubic. We will hold our first meeting there on this coming Thursday, June 9th at 6:30 p.m. This will be a business meeting for all board members, officers and interested members. All members are encouraged to attend and see our “new home” and join in discussions on new fundraisers and ideas.
Another interesting fact about Alexander Hyde was that he was one of the founders and the first president of the Berkshire County Historical and Scientific Society, the predecessor of the present Berkshire Historical Society.
THE BELLES OF ST MARY’S
I received my preparation for higher learning, both academically and socially in an old clapboard building on Academy Street, situated between the Convent and the Parish House. Our classes were small during those times. The Sisters of St Joseph operated the school from Grades 1 through 8 with firm hands and rubber-tipped pointers. Still in full garb with only a portion of their faces visible, these nuns, some lovable and others not so, ruled the roost for us. No school cafeteria in those days, so those within walking distance went home for lunch. Recess, both morning and afternoon regardless of weather conditions, was held behind this edifice, in segregated areas with the dear Sisters patrolling both areas to keep the decorum.he schoolhouse was separated also with stairways and cloakrooms for the boys on one side and the girls on the other, eliminating the danger of a young gentleman getting any glimpses of the nether regions which may lead to impure thoughts. Grades 1-3 were on the first floor and were larger classrooms. Fourth through Eighth were smaller rooms on the second floor, due to the annual attrition rate, usually completed by the third grade. Some kids, like my younger brother, just couldn’t hack the discipline and thus journeyed on to the public school up the hill. Traditions over those years measured the time. Our choir practices with Sister John Edward whipping out her pitch pipe for the Latin responses. First Communion at the end of 1st grade, the white procession to the grotto behind the church to crown the May Queen with circlets of flowers on our heads, Confirmation before 8th grade with the excitement of choosing an extra name, and finally, Graduation. Of course, there was the Mass prior to that anticipated event for all 8th graders to take the oath of not drinking any alcoholic beverages before the age of 21. In those days, fear of God and the power of the nuns made all of us think twice before breaking any promises.By eighth grade we were down to the hard core, the chosen few, the best of the best. We had the situation down pat, knew how to pass notes, use sign language and cover each other in times of stress. We had mastered the spelling bees, aced the Friday tests and conquered diagramming sentences like young Einstein’s. Our classroom had windows visible to and from the sidewalk leading down from High Street. At 2:30 pm our friends, or rather the boys, from public school would pass by and call up to some of us girls, much to our excitement and to the nun’s dismay. Any eyes that even thought of straying towards the windows to see who was out there meant staying after school and filling the blackboards with the obvious statement “I must not look out of the window during school hours”. I was never alone during this tedious punishment, and it did eventually improve my penmanship. We all learned the price of any disobedient actions, which the good Sisters said that punishment builds character.The bells rang at 3 p.m. which was the signal to clean our desks and line up to leave the school premises, forming two rows by classes and marching down Academy to Main Street. At that point we were left to the care of Officer Eddie Laliberti, the Lee cop who stopped the traffic and let us cross to our own individual freedoms. The original school building was later condemned, purchased for $1.00 by a former student, and moved to a new location on Main Street. Later this old building became the beautiful Chambery Inn, still having the eight rooms, double stairways, low water fountains and the original blackboards. We had a wonderful Class Reunion there a few years ago in what used to be the 1st grade classroom.
On Graduation Day there were only about twenty-one of us left in our class. The eight years had bound us all together in experiences we will never forget. The good Sisters prepared all of us girls and boys for life in many different ways and as my girlfriends and I went forward into our chosen careers, we would always remain the belles of St Mary’s forever. Just one more memory of those wistful days during my Wonder Years.
Christina Canon CraigheadThanks to Christina for another interesting article about growing up in Lee.
A REQUEST:
Would anyone who has information pertaining to a Mary Jean Davis, who graduated from Lee High School in 1946, please contact the society. Miss Davis lived on Laurel Street, went on to graduate from Our Lady of Elms College in 1950 and then become a second grade teacher in Leicester. We have someone who would appreciate the information.
Recollections IX
By U. S. Navy Retired Commander Vic Mottarella,
A native of Lee
(Continued from the May-2011 Issue)
I recall three target areas that were used for rocket and bomb delivery. My favorite target was a large ship that had apparently run aground during the war. It was located a short distance from the western shore of the Cape Cod peninsula. It made a realistic target for Naval Aviators. We carried out numerous sorties on this target mostly with miniature smoke bombs. Its location was within a twenty-minute flight from Quonset.
On one occasion as we were being briefed Ensign Jim Petty challenged me on the accuracy of our hits. The rules agreed to were that each would pay the other fifty cents for each direct hit. The exercise was low level bombing where you approached the target at minimum altitude and maximum speed (About 450 Knots). In order to get a hit the bomb had to be released at the precise instant because we approached the ship in horizontal flight. LTJG Leo Krupp was leading the flight and he agreed to call out the hits. Anyway I managed to put all six bombs directly amidships and was paid off by Ensign Petty. As I recall he got one hit. It felt great to successfully answer the challenge. The money part was inconsequential.
The second target that we used frequently, particularly for rocket firing was Otis Air Force Base. We probably used it for strafing too but I do not recall. I know we used it for field carrier landing practice because of the heavy flying activity at Quonset Point. This base was located on Cape Cod, just a few miles west of Hyannis, the home of the Kennedy’s. There we fired HVAR’s (High Velocity Aircraft Rockets) at various targets.
We normally made three sorties per day landing at Otis between the first and second flights and returning to Quonset Point after the third.
Our route from Quonset Point to Otis Air Force Base would take us along the south shore of Newport, Rhode Island where we frequently passed very low and very near the palatial homes of the some of richest people of the United States such as the Marble House belonging to the Vanderbilt family. Other homes were the Breakers, the Elms, and Chateau-Sur-Mer. They all presented an impressive view from the air.
The third target was located in the middle of a small lake. It was nothing more than a large rock. This target was the least used but there was one incident that occurred at this target that I shall never forget. I had been out carousing around until the wee hours and got very little sleep. We were scheduled for miniature bombing runs with takeoff of 8 AM on the same morning. The only details of the flight that I vividly remember concerned a steep dive-bombing run. Diving over water does not give you a good sense of relative altitude since there are no objects to view, which would appear to grow in size as you descended.
The plane was accelerating rapidly when I realized an impending dangerous situation and immediately started to pull out. I had to make a high “g” pullout to avoid crashing into the water but I was concerned that I might pull the wing tips off. About 3 feet of the wing tips were designed to tear off if you pulled over 9 “g’s”. I tried to maneuver the pullout in a manner that would allow me to minimize the number of g’s but prevent me from crashing into the water. I completely blacked out as I skimmed over the water even though I was wearing a “g” suit. When I woke up I didn’t know where I was. When I finally came to, all I could see were clouds in front of me. I finally realized the plane was heading straight up. I have blacked out many times since but never as long or as completely as I had on this dive-bombing incident. Before landing I noted that the accelerometer indicated that I had pulled exactly 9 “g’s but fortunately both wing tips were still attached. After thinking it over I felt that a Superior Power had interceded in delaying my demise.
Social Life
I met a very cute blond gal who worked in the Navy Exchange at Quonset Point right after returning from Europe and we dated frequently for several months. She had just graduated from high school. I found out later that her uncle was the Director of Shadowbrook in Lenox, Massachusetts. When Shadowbrook was built in 1894 it was the largest private home in the United States containing one hundred rooms. Andrew Carnegie purchased the house several years later. Shadowbrook became a Jesuit Seminary at which my old friend Thomas Johnson was studying. Tom was from Pittsfield and we both reported to Boston for induction in the Navy on the same day. He washed out early in the Cadet program. I decided to visit him on my next trip to the hometown in Lee. We had a good visit and he introduced me to the girl’s uncle. Tom walked all the way to my home in Lee on a couple of occasions to visit the family. The distance each way was about five miles.
My days of carousing with John Votolato came to an end after we transferred to Quonset Point. John only dated his high school sweetheart from that point on. We had been like twin brothers, doing everything together up to then including, flying, rooming together and scouting for women. Although I made other friends with whom I socialized it was never the same as it had been with John and I.
Flights over Lee
During this period I started flying to the hometown whenever I thought I could get away with it. It was fun for me to fly very low and very fast at maximum power with full RPM right down the main street. I usually approached the main street from the north and would make a diving pass to pick up extra speed. I had to be careful to avoid running into the Congregational Church steeple, a short distance off to my left. This steeple is said to be the tallest wooden church steeple in the United States.
On one occasion I pulled straight up over the center of town rolling vertically to over ten thousand feet. My flights to Lee would continue for the next two years. At the time I will have to admit (now) that I was quite young and quite immature. I guess I was just looking for attention and that’s what I got. I tried to drive home every weekend when I did not have some kind of duty. Most of the time an old school friend (John Turner) who was then a sailor stationed at Newport, R.I would ride home with me. On one occasion one of the few local police kidded me about not getting as low as I had on previous occasions. I used to buzz the homestead where I grew up on Fairview Street. Sometimes I would make high-speed passes with gear and flaps up. On a few occasions I put everything down such as flaps, landing gear and tail hook flying at minimum speed to simulate a carrier pass.
One day a neighbor (Frank Consolati) who lived on the same street was mowing hay with his horses. He was a successful Real Estate and Insurance Broker but also did farming on the side. He commented that when I made one of my low passes the horses became startled and reared up scaring the hell out of him. Because of the clatter being made by the mowing machine neither he nor the horses could hear the immense noise made by the two thousand horsepower engine of the Bearcat as it was approaching at a distance but the noise exploded as the plane passed overhead. He insisted that I had him targeted. I really never saw him because I was focused on buzzing the homestead but it always made good conversation.
On a couple of occasions my buddy, John Votolato coaxed me to fly with him over his homestead in Milford, Mass. We even took pictures of the city but we did not dare get quite as low as the flights that were taken over Lee. He mentioned that he once buzzed Milford by himself a few times at a very low altitude on a bright sunshiny day. When he went home that weekend his young cousin mentioned the plane made a tremendous amount of noise and that the nuns at the school she was attending made all the students duck under their desks.
(Continued to the July –11 issue)
WHY???
Why is it that a slight tax increase cost you $200.00, and a substantial tax cut save you $30.00???
In the May Issue I wrote about the second of the five grants that comprise the Town of Lee. In this issue I write about the William’s Grant, the third grant as written in Gale’s History of Lee.
The William’s Grant, embracing about 650 acres, was located in the northwest corner of the town. With the exception of 140 acres, the farm now owned by Jonathan Johnson, set off to Stockbridge, this grant was included within the territory of Lee, at the time of its incorporation. The annexation of the “Whelply Farm”, as it was formerly called, to Stockbridge, accounts for the irregularity of the line between these towns.
Col. Ephraim Williams, the founder of Williams College, was an efficient soldier in the second French War, and who fell in his country’s service, as commander of a regiment, on the 8th of September 1755, near the shores of Lake George, when only 41 years of age. As a testimony of the high estimation in which his services were held, the authorities granted him, before his death, this tract of land, for many years known as the Williams Grant.
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 all four for $10.00 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 all four for $10.00 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.(c.)A 2010, #3 in our series, mug with a replica of the Lee Library embossed on the side.
A 2010, #3 in our series, mug with a replica of the Lee Library embossed on the side. These mugs can be purchased for $10.00 each, plus $3.00 shipping or two
mugs for $18.00 and $5.00 shipping or all three mugs for $27.00 and $7.00 for
shipping.
Please send me (amount) ______________of (item/items) __________________________
Enclosed is my check for (no cash please)______________________________________
Name_____________________________________________________________________
Address___________________________________________________________________
City_________________________State_______________Zip________________________
Mail to:
Lee Historical Society
P. O. Box 170
Lee, MA 01238
Officers of the Lee Historical Society for the year of 2011
President – Gary W. Allen – 413-243-2140 or garywallen@earthlink.net
Vice- President – Open Office
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
Mary Morrissey/2011Josh Hall/2011Peg Biron/2011
Josh Hall/2011Peg Biron/2011Matt MacNayr/2011JoAnn Zarnoch/2012Maria Hopkins/2012
JoAnn Zarnoch/2012Maria Hopkins/2012Robert Kelly/2012Ethel Noonan/2013Annette Perilli/2013Dolores Eckert/2013
Immediate-Past President and Board Member – Stephen Cozzaglio
Society Historian – Charlotte Davis
Newsletter Editor – Mal Eckert
Please support our “Business Members” that support us.
Bartini Roofing CompanyBen’s ShopCharles Flint Antiques
Ben’s ShopCharles Flint Antiques290 Pleasant Street68 Main Street52 Housatonic Street
68 Main Street52 Housatonic StreetLee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238Lenox, MA 01240
Lee, MA 01238Lenox, MA 01240Greylock Federal UnionQuality PlusConsolati Insurance Agency
Quality PlusConsolati Insurance Agency47 Main Street260 Chestnut Street71 Main Street
260 Chestnut Street71 Main StreetLee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238
Lee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238Sullivan Station RestaurantPaperdilly, 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, PaperhangingKelly Funeral HomeThe Jonathon Foote 1778 House
Kelly Funeral HomeThe Jonathon Foote 1778 HouseSouth Prospect Street3 Main Street1 East Street
3 Main Street1 East StreetLee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238
Lee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238Morgan House Restaurant & PubLee BankDevonfield Inn
Lee BankDevonfield Inn33 Main Street75 Park Street85 Stockbridge Road
75 Park Street85 Stockbridge RoadLee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238
Lee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238Hunter & Graziano P. C.Locker Room Sports Pub
Locker Room Sports Pub10 Park Place232 Main Street
232 Main StreetLee, MA 01238Lee, MA 01238
Lee, MA 01238Monk’s Professional Barber Shop
91 Main Street
Lee, MA 01238
How 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.
Student Membership - $5.00Senior Membership (one person over the age of 65) - $5.00
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
Please circle one:Student Senior Individual Family Business/Corporate
Student Senior Individual Family Business/CorporateName_______________________________________________________________________
Address_____________________________________________________________________
City____________________________State__________________Zip____________________
Telephone____________________Email___________________________________________
Is this a renewal membership?__________
Would you be interested in serving on a committee? __________
Or helping out at one of our fundraisers? ____________________
Lee Historical Society
P. O. Box 170
Lee, MA 01238
