Monthly Archives: February 2019

An Unlikely Friendship between two Bloggers from Georgia and Newburyport

Sam Burnham and I formed an unlikely friendship in these divisive times. Sam is from Georgia, he is a Southern conservative and I am from Newburyport, Massachusetts, a Northern moderate liberal. We got to know each other when a pretty vicious website attacked where we lived in October 2015 for “click bate.”  Sam and I were both pretty angry (so were a lot of other folks) and spoke up online against the two click bate young men who were behind it. Sam and I stayed in touch. He writes a blog, very much like mine, loves historic preservation, loves where he lives, his blog is called All the Biscuits in Georgia. Sam is a gentleman. 

And since our country is so at odds with each other, Sam and I have mulled over the idea of how to transcend the cultural divide. 

Sam started by including Newburyport in a blog post, he used two gorgeous photos and talked about the heroic achievement of Urban Renewal. It was very nice of him. 

Here are two photos of Rome, Georgia, and one of rural Georgia, both are very important to Sam. 

Rome, Georgia

Rome, Georgia

Rome, Georgia, historic Broad Street

Rome, Georgia, historic Broad Street

Near Adairsville, Ga, Courtesy and © All the Biscuits in Georgia

Near Adairsville, Ga, Courtesy and © All the Biscuits in Georgia

Sam and I disagree about a lot of stuff, but we also agree about a lot of stuff. We shared a common “adversary,” we also share a passion for historic preservation and a passion about the “sense of place” where we live.

Here are the photos of Newburyport that Sam put up on his blog post.

Unitarian Church on Pleasant Street, Newburyport, MA

Unitarian Church on Pleasant Street, Newburyport, MA

Newburyport, Market Square

Newburyport, Market Square

The Building of Rt 1 in Newburyport and the Neighborhood that Disappeared

I’ve been working on an art series using historic photographs in the Public Domain from the South. It’s been really fun and an amazing combination of my love for historic preservation and art and painting. I thought that I would experiment with historic images from the Public Domain that are in Newburyport. The ones in Newburyport in the Pubic Domain are from the Library of Congress and are of a neighborhood between Summer and Winter Streets that disappeared with the building of Rt 1 in 1934. 

32 Summer Street, Newburyport - Digital Image

32 Summer Street – Digital Image

32 Summer Street – Digital Image

Building dates c 1760 and was taken down for Rt 1

Marden House, 32 Summer Street, Newburyport, Essex County, MA
Historic American Buildings Survey
C 1934
Original image from the Library of Congress

https://www.loc.gov/resource/hhh.ma0664.photos/?sp=2

32 Summer Street, Newburyport, Courtesy of the Library of Congress

32 Summer Street, Newburyport, Courtesy of the Library of Congress

32 Summer Street, the original image from the Library of Congress

5 Birch Street, Newburyport - Digital Image

5 Birch Street – Digital Image

5 Birch Street – Digital Image

The building dates c 1740 and was taken down for Rt 1. 

Stockman House, 5 Birch Street, Newburyport, Essex County, MA 
Historic American Buildings Survey
c 1934
Original image from the Library of Congress

https://www.loc.gov/resource/hhh.ma0670.photos/?sp=1

5 Birch Street, Newburyport, Courtesy of the Library of Congress

5 Birch Street, Courtesy of the Library of Congress

5 Birch Street the original image from the Library of Congress

31-33 Winter Street, Newburyport- Digital Image

31-33 Winter Street – Digital Image

31-33 Winter Street – Digital Image

The building dates c 1770 and was taken down for Rt 1. 
Original image is from the Library of Congress
Charles Stockman House, 31-33 Winter Street, Newburyport, Essex County, MA
Historic American Buildings Survey
c. 1934
The original image from the Library of Congress

https://www.loc.gov/resource/hhh.ma0671.photos/?sp=1

31-33 Winter Street, Newburyport, Courtesy of the Library of Congress

31-33 Winter Street, Courtesy of the Library of Congress

31-33 Winter Street, the original image from the Library of Congress 

7 Birch Street, Newburyport - Digital Image

7 Birch Street, Newburyport – Digital Image

7 Birch Street – Digital Image

Building dates c 1815 and was taken down for Rt 1

Original image from the Library of Congress

Regan House, 7 Birch Street, Newburyport, Essex County, MA
Historic American Buildings Survey, creator
c. 1934
The original image from the Library of Congress

https://www.loc.gov/resource/hhh.ma0667.photos/?sp=1

7 Birch Street, Newburyport, Courtesy of the Library of Congress

7 Birch Street, Newburyport, Courtesy of the Library of Congress

7 Birch Street, the original image from the Library of Congress 

Building Rt 1, c 1934, Courtesy of the Newburyport Archival Center

Building Rt 1, c 1934, Courtesy of the Newburyport Archival Center

This is the building of Rt 1 Courtesy of the Archival Center at the Newburyport Public Library

1851 Map, Winter and Summer Streets, Newburyport

1851 Map, Winter and Summer Streets, Newburyport

And this is what the neighborhood looked like from an 1851 map. Inside the red lines are the buildings that were taken down to make room for the roadway. 

Keeping the Tradition of Community in the South End Alive


Corner of Purchase and Lime Streets, Newburyport, MA, D.A. Goodwin Groceries

Corner of Purchase and Lime Streets, Newburyport, MA, D.A. Goodwin Groceries, Courtesy of the Museum of Old Newbury

The Corner of Purchase and Lime Streets, Courtesy of the Historical Society of Old Newbury, The Snow Photograph Collection, D. A. Goodwin and Sons Grocery Store – 1864-1917  https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth:tq57pr04v

The Brown School was one of the last vestiges of the neighborhood feel of the South End. With the loss of the Brown School the neighborhood lost a place to meet, congregate and make connections that have lasted for some, a lifetime. It is one of the reasons that the neighborhood so appreciates the Newburyport Youth Services. Whatever happens to that site, it would be wonderful to include a place where people can congregate and make neighborhood connections. The Emma Andrews Library and Community Center  (which is located at the corner of Marlboro and Purchase Streets)  is in incredible example of how the neighborhood made a small place into a connected space for people of all ages, run by a dedicated and imaginative group of volunteers. 

The space could be called something like the “George Brown, South End Community Center.” It would not have to be a large space. The Emma Andrews has a handicapped bathroom, a handicapped entrance, a portable refrigerator and coffeemaker and some furniture. That is all the space would need. It could have a small lending library, photos of what the neighborhood once looked like that are available through the Archival Center at the Newburyport Library and the Museum of Old Newbury to keep memories of the neighborhood alive. It could be a place where art is shown, story hours for children, potluck lunch and dinners, book clubs – there are all kinds of ideas. We could also make a space for a few community gardens, something that people have wanted for a long time, where the playground and park will eventually be located, to keep that area vibrant and welcoming, as well as edible. 

As the City wrestles with what to do with this very complex and expensive site ($14 – $20 million estimated in 2014) it would be good to have as part of any eventual plan a place that keeps the fabric of the neighborhood alive and keep the South End tradition of a place where people gather, mingle, find friendship, support and commonality.

Corner of Purchase and Lime Streets, Newburyport, MA, D.A. Goodwin Groceries

Corner of Purchase and Lime Streets, Newburyport, MA, D.A. Goodwin Groceries, Courtesy of the Museum of Old Newbury

The Corner of Purchase and Lime Streets, Courtesy of the Historical Society of Old Newbury, The Snow Photograph Collection, D. A. Goodwin and Sons Grocery Store – 1864-1917 https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth:tq57pr04v