The Kemp-McCarthy Museum Celebrates 50 Years in Rowe on June 30, 2013 Welcome to the website of the Rowe Historical Society. The Rowe Historical Society owns and operates the Kemp-McCarthy Museum located at 282 Zoar Road in Rowe, Massachusetts. It opened on June 30, 1963. The museum has an extensive collection of local artifacts and antiques. Highlights of the collection include antique quilts, 19th century dolls, period costumes, china and glassware, sleighs, furniture, photographs, cookware, tools, farm implements, and an original 19th century hearse. Exhibits are updated regularly. The Kemp-McCarthy Museum also has many valuable photos of townspeople and local sites, as well as literature from the Davis Mine, the Hoosac Railroad, and the Yankee Atomic Electric Company. The Rowe Historical Society publishes The Bulletin, dedicated to the preservation of local history by highlighting "bits of history, old letters, pictures, news clippings and anything of interest to the history of Rowe," and The Rowe Historical Society Newsletter, featuring information on upcoming events and programs. Many books are published by the Rowe Historical Society, including The History of Rowe, Massachusetts by Percy Whiting Brown and Nancy Newton Williams. The Kemp-McCarthy Museum is open to the public every Sunday from 2 PM to 5 PM from July through mid-October, and at other times by appointment. Concerts, holiday celebrations, literary programs, and other cultural activities are held at the museum throughout the year. This website also provides useful information on membership in the Rowe Historical Society and directions to the Kemp-McCarthy Museum. Rail-Fan II will be held on September 29
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HOW TO FIND OUR MOST POPULAR SECTIONS: * Rail-Fan II and other rail-related topics: Click on Coming Events Rail-Fan II * Museum History chronicles the founding of our museum (This is a new section) * Archaeology Event in Rowe on John Henry Haynes with Robert Ousterhout "On the Road with John Henry Haynes: Photographer and Archaeologist in the Ottoman Empire 1881-1900" (This is a new section) * The 50 Best Pictures from 2012: Click on Remembering 2012 * "The Hoosac Tunnel Express" (Please click on the blue link) * "Do You Remember When..." is a unique collection of antique photographs from the archives of the Kemp-McCarthy Museum and private collectors. Please scroll down on this page to see the pictures, and check this section of our webpage frequently as new pictures are added frequently. _____________________________________
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The Kemp-McCarthy Museum Receives a Donation of Books by Gladys Hasty Carroll
A fine collection of books by Gladys Hasty Carroll has been donated to the Kemp-McCarthy Museum. Several books in this valuable collection are signed by the author. They will be on display on June 30 from 2-4p.m. as part of the special program celebrating the 50th anniversary of the museum.
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A Typical Day in the Life of a Volunteer at the Kemp-McCarthy Museum
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______________________________________ Dreams Do Come True!
For many years, we've dreamed of having our antique clocks running as they once did. Today, that dream came true when Nan Williams and Tom Sausville arrived at the Kemp-McCarthy Museum with our elegant Gilbert "Bertha" clock operating beautifully! Tom repaired and refurbished it so it keeps time as it did in its year of manufacture, 1904. The eight-day, half-hour strike clock has a 6" ivory porcelain dial, visible escapement, and beveled glass. The rich Ormulo gold finish is simply breathtaking. After Tom and Nan had left, the chimes made their presence known; delicate, precise and so pleasant to hear. We're grateful to Tom and Nan for their generous work on this very important project. Tom has agreed to repair more of our antique clocks. Thank you! You can see this beautiful clock during the opening of our Summer-Fall 2013 season on Sunday, June 30. This date also marks the 50th anniversary of the Kemp-McCarthy Museum. Don't miss this wonderful celebration! Pictures courtesy of Trustee John Magnago.
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__________________________________ Generous Donors + Dedicated Volunteers = Big Improvements to the Kemp-McCarthy Museum for it's Golden Anniversary THANK YOU!
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______________________________________ Rowe's Hoosac Tunnel Heritage Rowe has always played an important role in the history of the Hoosac Tunnel. During the engineering and construction of the tunnel, one of the eight stone lining towers was located on Rowe's Head, the mountain situated across from the tunnel's east entrance. The famous Hoosac Tunnel Station was located in Rowe, and trains traveling through the Hoosac Tunnel still must pass through Rowe. Between 1911 and 1946, when the railroad used electric engines to haul trains through the tunnel, the switching yard was in Rowe. The map below illustrates Rowe's importance to the Hoosac Tunnel. You can see Rowe's Tunnel Road, the track in Rowe running along the Deerfield River, and the point of crossing to the eastern entrance of the Hoosac Tunnel. For more information on Rowe and the Hoosac Tunnel, please see Coming Events - Rail-Fan II.
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"The Minute Man" provided daily rail service from Boston, traveling within part of Rowe and through the Hoosac Tunnel to North Adams, Troy and Albany. Connecting service was available to Buffalo and Chicago. The timetable shown below dates from July 9, 1935. It provides details of this service, including the variety of cars on each train. The altitude map gives additional information for travelers. Imagine how many people used to travel through a part of our town on "The Minute Man" and other passenger trains!
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Do you remember when a huge amount of Negus Mountain washed away the railroad tracks? It happened in the 1938 hurricane.
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Do you remember when 400 people traveled from Boston's North Station to Rowe to see the Yankee power plant? Open gondola cars were used to travel over 13 miles of track once used by the Hoosac Tunnel and Wilmington Railroad. The passengers were members and guests of "Railroad Enthusiasts, Inc." and the year was 1964.
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Do you remember hearing stories about early twentieth century life in our neighboring town of Monroe Bridge?
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Do you remember hearing stories about the early days of travel on the Mohawk Trail? The picture below shows the first car traveling over that famous highway.
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Do you remember when two tracks went through the Hoosac Tunnel? Photo courtesy of Jerry Kelley
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Do you remember when Barbara Stickney and other residents of Rowe commuted to North Adams on trains like the two shown below? Photos courtesy of Jerry Kelley
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Do you remember when Boston and Maine locomotives like the one pictured below stopped at Rowe's Hoosac Tunnel Station?
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Do you remember when Maine Central freights passed through Rowe? Photo courtesy of Jerry Kelley
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Do you remember when our library looked like this?
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Do you remember when Dot Stevens was our librarian, and the items you could check out of the Rowe Library included LP records?
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Do you remember when Hazelton Road was washed out during the 1938 hurricane?
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Do you remember when you could vacation in Rowe for $2.50 a day or $15 a week? That's how much it cost in the mid-1930s. According to the brochure, the camp could be reached by automobile or "by train on the Boston & Maine Railroad, (with) stations at Zoar, Hoosac Tunnel or Charlemont." Note the telephone information below.
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Do you remember when the girls played on the jungle gym during recess at the Rowe School, most girls wore cotton ankle socks, and Mary Jane shoes were quite fashionable?
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Do you remember when old family photo albums featured pictures like this? (Walter and Pearl Todd Worden, James Worden, Mrs. Todd, and little Roy Earl Todd. No names recorded for the pets)
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Do you remember when lumbering was one of the most important economic activities in Rowe and many other Franklin County towns??
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Do you remember when atomic energy was the focus of the cover of the Old Home Day program in 1958?
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Do you remember when almost everyone in Rowe made maple syrup? The season will be here before we know it, but for now, we can enjoy this nostalgic picture showing James Streeter hard at work.
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Do you remember when you could buy ice cream and mail a letter, right in the center of town?
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Do you remember the beautiful flowers outside the old Rowe Post Office?
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Gasoline was available in Rowe and it cost less than $1 per gallon? In this picture, taken outside the Rowe Store in 1957, Wendell W. Bjork pumps gasoline into a 1953 Chevy "woodie" wagon. Those old Chevys probably got under 15 miles per gallon, but still, it seems like a bargain!
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Do you remember when Rowe Yankee looked like this?
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Do you remember when the Post Office was in the Rowe Store?
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Do you remember when this photograph of the fire truck was taken in West Rowe? Volunteers (from left to right) Richard Truesdell, Alton Davenport, Foster Newell, Ralph Newell, Gerald Truesdell, Charles D. Avery, Kenneth Soule, Samuel Murray and Howard Truesdell.
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Do you remember when you could experience "gracious dining" at Rainbow Hill and purchase gifts and crafts at "Homecraft Pioneers" right here in Rowe? It was possible between 1950-1970 thanks to Helen Tryon, Bertha Chapin, and Emma Blizzard at their Brown Road restaurant and gift shop (now "Rowe Highlands Farm" the home of Nan and Jack Williams).
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You won't remember the following three photographs: they date from around 1913. Below and in order: Center of Rowe, lumbering in Rowe, and the Satinet (fabric) factory, where the Rowe Fire Station is now situated.
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More "Do you remember when...." photographs will be posted soon!
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THANK YOU FOR MAKING "RAIL-FAN SUNDAY" A SUCCESS! "Rail-Fan Sunday" at the Rowe Historical Society (RHS) was a big success. It drew the most attendees of any RHS event in recent memory (207); generated the single largest number of website visitors ever (224 on July 7th, and 730 for the week); and attracted the most exhibitors (10) of any previous RHS event. The five large display cases filled with a diverse assortment of model trains reminded some observers of the train displays at a renowned toy train museum in Pennsylvania. All the items exhibited, including trains and historic documents, came from Rowe residents. Enough about the numbers. Here's what most people will remember about the day: excellent and very informative presentations on the Hoosac Tunnel by Jerry Kelley and Tim Lawrence; the spectacular and eclectic display of model trains, especially the JEP and Hornby models; the unusual collection of Hoosac Tunnel memorabilia; an exceptionally fine group of exhibitors from professional rail organizations, other local historical societies, attractions, and vendors of train memorabilia; truly delicious food from the Hoosac Diner prepared by Bob Dykeman and his crew of professionals; the delightfully pleasant Hoosac Diner seating area under the tent; the silent auction, mystery photo contest and "blue ticket" prize drawing; and the festive atmosphere enhanced by music all about trains. Attendees commented on the efficient parking and shuttle bus system, and the warm welcome from all on the "green ribbon" team. Exhibitors also commented on the break room and the home-made refreshments baked for them. One of the happiest moments of the day came when an executive of PanAm railways came to the event. Even though he drove 3 hours from the Boston area to reach Rowe, he was able to meet with many people and tour our exhibits. Thank you, PanAm! All of us at the Rowe Historical Society are truly grateful for everyone who contributed to the success of "Rail-Fan Sunday." Special thanks go to all the attendees, many of whom traveled a great distance to reach Rowe. Please scroll down for some pictures from the event.
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