Tag: New England

GOING WITH THE GRAIN

~ Jnana Hodson ~ Leave a comment
Just days before, I'd heard an excited account of a gathering of a dozen and a half "woodies" in southern Maine. A good number of the surviving wooden station wagons, as I was told emphatically. So there I was, tooling along Storrow Drive in Boston, when I came upon this Plymouth. Had to get proof, didn't I? Even though I was driving ...
Just days before, I’d heard an excited account of a gathering of a dozen and a half “woodies” in southern Maine. A good number of the surviving wooden station wagons, as I was told emphatically. So there I was, tooling along a misty Storrow Drive in Boston, when I came upon this Plymouth. Had to get proof, didn’t I? Even though I was driving in the rain …

AFTER THE TRAGEDY

~ Jnana Hodson ~ 1 Comment

Here in New England, the battle for control of the Market Basket supermarkets remains the biggest news story – but with a storybook twist. Rather than ending up as another soulless corporate bottom-line victim, there’s been a resurrection.

The bitter DeMoulas family feud finally led to an agreement less than a week ago in which the Good Guy (aka Arthur T) buys out the other half for roughly $1.5 billion. Ownership stays here at home. And, yes, there have been cheers all around in this remarkable alliance of stakeholders – managers, workers, loyal shoppers, and their communities – against the faction that fired the Good Guy and his visionary leadership.

The boycott held through August. The parking lots were vacant. Workers saw their hours cut. Some managers were fired … and now they’re back.

There’s almost a party atmosphere in the stores, but nobody’s slacking. Managers began showing up to work at midnight just an hour after reports of the agreement surfaced. Suppliers offered to deliver goods directly to the stores, rather than the distribution center, to speed the restocking of depleted shelves.

Many details remain to be ironed out, and a lot of damage will take time to repair. But at least there’s also a rainbow.

SUMMER CRAFT

~ Jnana Hodson ~ 1 Comment
Boats are tied up in a row along one dock in Newburyport, Massachusetts. The harbor opens into the Atlantic.
Boats are tied up in a row along one dock in Newburyport, Massachusetts. The harbor opens into the Atlantic.
It's a great place to take off on a whale watch.
It’s a great place to take off on a whale watch.
It's a working harbor with treacherous currents, yet mooring comes at a premium.
The working harbor has treacherous currents, yet mooring comes at a premium. The mouth of the Merrimack River is on the horizon.

QUEEN SLIPPER CITY

~ Jnana Hodson ~ 1 Comment
The train station, perched at the side of downtown, includes Amtrak's Downeaster service to North Station in Boston, in one direction, and Maine in the other. (That run stops in Dover, New Hampshire.) There's also MBTA's Purple Line into Boston.
The train station, perched at the side of downtown Haverhill, Massachusetts, includes Amtrak’s Downeaster service to North Station in Boston, in one direction, and Maine in the other. (That run stops in Dover, New Hampshire.) There’s also MBTA’s Purple Line into Boston.

New England’s waterways are dotted with historic mill towns. The Merrimack River alone could boast of the water-powered industrial centers of Manchester and Nashua in New Hampshire as well as Lowell, Lawrence, Haverhill, and Amesbury downstream in Massachusetts, along with Newburyport and its harbor.

Some of the warren of old mills remains, including buildings converted to offices and housing.
Some of Haverhill’s warren of old mills remains, including buildings converted to offices and housing.
Catch the view of the distant church in the gap.
Catch the view of the distant church in the gap.
Much has also been razed, often for parking lots.
Much has also been razed, often for parking lots.
Here's a bit of scale.
Here’s a bit of scale.

While textiles were the focus of much of New England’s mill output, the power was applied to other products as well. Haverhill, for instance, emerged as a center of shoemaking, by 1913 producing one of every 10 pairs in America and earning it a whimsical nickname of Queen Slipper City. Its earlier commerce rested on woolen mills, tanneries, shipping, and shipbuilding.

Downtown details.
Downtown details.
Still impressive.
Still impressive.
In those days, every building could be a "block."
In those days, every building could be a “block.”
Facing the train station, a reflection of earlier prosperity.
Facing the train station, a reflection of earlier prosperity.
Down the street, around the corner.
Down the street, around the corner.
Not everything was brick.
Not everything was brick.

Like many of these once industrial centers, the city has been struggling to adapt to new directions and refit its legacy of old structures.

By the way, in Yankee style, it’s pronounced HAY-vril and is today a city of 60,000. But the river still runs through it.

The river flows toward the Atlantic.
The river flows toward the Atlantic. The tides fluctuate widely here twice a day.
The railroad crosses from downtown and then follows the river upstream to Lawrence. It's a lovely ride.
The railroad crosses from downtown and then follows the river upstream to Lawrence. It’s a lovely ride.