walk into a bookstore almost anywhere in America and you’ll find a shelf full of thin paperback books with distinctive sepia-toned covers. Light on text, heavy on photos, numbingly similar in format and content, they’re volumes in Arcadia Publishing’s Images of America series of local history books. Since 1994, Arcadia has put out more than […]
James V. Horrigan
Posted inPolitics
Welcome to Gomorrah
ever meet a guy from Blubber Hollow? What about a chick from Podunk? If someone told you they were from Honey Pot or Fiddler’s Green, would you know what they were talking about? These places really exist, as part of Salem, Brookfield, Norfolk, and Bolton, according to the Secretary of State’s office. There are 1,828 […]
Posted inPolitics
Joke candidates
Romney: so handsome it’s not funny?AP Photo/Jim Cole it’s too early to predict how far Mitt Romney will go in his bid for the White House, but what does it say about the sixth major presidential candidate in three decades from the Bay State that he is so daunting to professional impressionists? “He’s tough,” says […]
Posted inArts and Culture, Uncategorized
Made in Massachusetts
nowadays we expect to see actors, athletes, and other celebrities used to sell products. Things were much different a century ago, when goods got their props from doe-eyed, rosy-cheeked boys and girls. Images of cherubic-looking youngsters were used to advertise things any kid would want, of course, like bicycles, chocolates, and lace-up shoes. They were […]
Posted inPolitics
Frozen in time
first-time visitors to the Massachusetts House of Representatives are struck by its beauty and grandeur. The royal blue carpeting, the walls of rich, Honduran mahogany, and the massive electronic roll-call boards are striking. More distinctive are the Sacred Cod, the five murals by Albert Herter known collectively as “Milestones on the Road to Freedom,” and […]
Posted inPolitics
Cold case
a century ago, it was a little easier to gain access to the Commonwealth’s chief executive than it is today. Most appointments were scheduled in advance, but sometimes people just showed up in the lobby of the governor’s office, hoping he would see them. That’s how it was on December 5, 1907, when three men […]
Posted inPolitics
150th anniversary of a caning
In 1856, Charles Sumner’s tirade against slavery won him national fame – and a crack on the head us sen. edward Kennedy stirs up the emotions of both supporters and detractors. The Bay State’s senior senator rallies the Democratic Party faithful like nobody else. And the mere mention of his name, in a direct-mail piece, […]
Posted inEconomy
The Garden of Peace is no walk in the park
Winter 2006 Dominic Chavez, The Boston Globe It’s unfortunate that the Garden of Peace, a little- known memorial to homicide victims, got its 15 minutes of fame for a nasty squabble between the families of those memorialized and administrators of Suffolk University. As The Boston Globe reported last fall, Suffolk plans to build a 31-floor […]
Posted inPolitics
Another push to give the governor a home of our own
Would the Hancock house have made the best governor’s mansion? What does Massachusetts have in common with Idaho? Hint: the same thing Arizona has with Vermont, and Rhode Island with California. The distinction is a governor’s mansion – or rather, the lack thereof, despite efforts over the years to establish one in Dedham, Roxbury, and […]
Posted inPolitics
Legislative careers and friendships begin in the curious Beacon Hill tradition known as the freshman bullpen
Legislative careers and friendships begin in the freshman bullpen The first day as a state representative in Massachusetts is memorable. Freshmen are surrounded by family and friends in the House chamber as the governor administers the oath of office. Afterward, the Speaker hosts a lavish reception in honor of the newcomers. Veteran legislators then file […]