Historical Society's 2013 Calendar: Local Color in Black and White

The $10 calendar is for sale at Town Hall in the Clerk's Office.

  The Swampscott Historical Society's calendar for 2013 includes a bird's-eye-view of town circa 1930. It includes a cozy shot of the former Swampscott Little League Field nestled among woods at Jackson Park. And a photo of workmen tearing out the stone retaining wall for a 1914 move of the Civil War Monument. What it won't have, says town historian Lou Gallo, is a month that appears as October does in the Society's 2012 calendar. That month had two days listed as the 13th, resulting in a month with 32 days.  Who knew they needed to proof the publisher's calendar layout? Well, this time they knew and extended their proofing from photo captions to actual dates. "This year the committee scrutinized it," said Lou. Unlike earlier editions — …

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David Arsenault

3:26 pm on Monday, December 31, 2012

Citizens wading in flood water is a classic, the town preserves the same old drain system as it has over the past century! This Photo should mark October as a constant reminder of what the current citizens have to look forward to year after year...   more ›

Then and Now

Then and Now Asked When? Winner

Yes, a Patch Then and Now regular was the one who came closest to identifying the date we have for the traffic at Monument and Humphrey.

  Then and Now asks when? What year was this photo taken?  Then and Now stalwart Paul Sherry answered 1952. Local hisotrian Lou Gallo told us he believes the photo was taken in 1954. Paul came closest to identifying the correct year for the question. Congratulations Paul. We'll keep the Then and Now feature going by posting another image of a historic house or location on Monday. Thanks to Lou and the Swampscott Historical Society for letting up post their photo. This contest is open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older. To enter, just submit your answer in the comments section below. All entries must be received by midnight tonight, Eastern Time. Readers may only offer one answer per…

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Then and Now

And the Answer Is...

No one won last weekend's history challenge.

There were no winners to Saturday's Then and Now clue.  The answer to the July 23, posting, a photo of the man inspecting fishing nets, is 1967. Check back later this week for another Then and Now question. 

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Then and Now

Historical Photo: Then and Now (Asks Where)

Then and Now asked where in town stood a water tower shown in last week's historical photograph. Paul Sherry wasted no time writing in with the correct answer. He also got back into the win column in the Then and Now game.

Last week's Then and Now game asked the location of an old water tower shown in a historical Swampscott photograph. The photograph was posted on the Patch website Saturday. In short order, Paul Sherry answered correctly: Little's Point. The photograph dates from 1900, and was provided to Patch by the Swampscott Historical Society. Thanks again SHS, and congratulations to Paul. On Saturday, we'll keep the Then and Now feature going by posting  another photograph of a historic house or location.

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Then and Now

Historical Photo: Then and Now (Becomes When)

Then and Now asks When. In what year did these beach activists get photographed? The answer is 1974, we think.

Then and Now asks When. In what year did these beach activists have their group photograph taken? One Save Our Beaches member, Lou Gallo, says he thinks it was 1974 but he is not 100 percent sure.  Therefore, we declare all those who guessed a date between 1970 and 1980 a winner.  The group was born Oct. 29, 1970. Their fight lasted a decade.  The story according local historian Lou Gallo goes like this: In 1970 a house was sold on Whales Beach and the new owner put up a fence and would not let the public sit on the beach, he said. The group found out that the owner went to register the land and that a lot of the beach had been registered before but none of the owners had stopped the public from using the beach, he said.  When the town …

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Then and Now

Historical Photo: Then and Now (Becomes When)

1897 is the correct date for this terrific historical photograph. Cathy Greene's answer of 1907 came closest.

1897 is the correct date for this terrific photograph provided by the Swampscott Historical Society. Cathy Greene's guess of 1897 was the closest response. The young people were at Whales Beach, according to the Historical Society. Notice the fellow sitting in the basket bending a reed. How about the goofy expression on the girl's face to the left. The building behind them was an outbuilding for the Lincoln House Hotel, according to the Historical Society. We'll keep the Then and Now feature going by posting  another item on Saturday.

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Then and Now

Historical Photo: Then and Now

The contest rolls over, We received no correct guesses for where this house was located? Here are the clues.

The contest rolls over. We received no correct guesses on where this house was located? Here are the clues. The house no longer stands. But when it did, it was located not on a street, lane nor road but an avenue. It has eight letters. ******** Avenue. The address's number extends to three figures, as in *** ******** Avenue. The house went by different names at different times. Be the first to guess where this Swampscott house was located by clicking the Add a Comment link to the right and entering your guess, and win $5.  If the clicking doesn't work, you can email me your guess at terry.date@patch.com Check back Monday April 11, to see the answer and the winner — if there is one — and a photograph of the site as it appears today. We'll …

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