 |
| ladybug at the Franklin Public Library |
In collaboration with AARP, we present "A #LivingHistory of the LGBT Movement" powered by AARP - a storytelling series honoring past, present and future heroes of the LGBT movement.
We know that the history of the LGBT movement is still being written. By understanding our history, we can create a better future for everyone, especially for our aging LGBT older adults. Learn More at AARP.org/PRIDE.To Learn More about the challenges facing older LGBT Americans, please visit AARP's National Survey on Maintaining Dignity here:
https://www.aarp.org/research/topics/life/info-2018/maintaining-dignity-lgbt.html
 |
| Letters from Red Farm: The Untold Story of the Friendship between Helen Keller and Journalist Joseph Edgar Chamberlin - Apr 30 |
The Massachusetts State Senate on Thursday unanimously passed S.2802, An Act relative to the creation of a women’s rights history trail. The legislation celebrates the rich history of the women’s rights movement and contributions women have made across the Commonwealth.
Each year, thousands of tourists visit Boston to walk the Freedom Trail, to learn about the founding of our nation and walk in the history of our founding fathers. This legislation would allow residents and visitors alike to follow a similar trail to learn about the women who have made our Commonwealth, and nation, what it is today. By attracting tourists to women’s rights history trail sites, this bill will also help to stimulate economic activity throughout Massachusetts.
"Women in Massachusetts have played a pivotal role at every step in the Commonwealth’s history, yet their contributions are too often overlooked," said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). "The Women's Rights History Trail will serve as a visible monument to the history of women—and the women's rights movement. Understanding this history gives us all a chance to reflect on where we have come from and what it means to leave a legacy that can uplift and inspire future generations. I am glad to see that this trail will give particular attention to the diverse backgrounds and perspectives of the women who have transformed Massachusetts. I would like to thank Senator Lovely and her staff for their work to make this a reality."
“Massachusetts has a rich history of involvement in the women's rights movement,” said Senator Joan B. Lovely (D-Salem), the bill’s lead sponsor. “Women have had a pivotal role in shaping the policies of our Commonwealth, and this bill will ensure that those contributions are known and celebrated. I would like to thank Senate President Spilka for her strong leadership and the work she has done to highlight women’s history, and the Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators for their advocacy. The history of these women is our history, and we must continue to advance that history forward.”
This legislation creates a 16-member task force responsible for soliciting public input and conducting research to recommend sites, properties, and attractions for that are historically and thematically associated with the struggle for women's rights and women's suffrage, and that reflect Massachusetts’ geographic and demographic diversity. The Senate bill also requires the inclusion of accomplishments of women veterans in the trail, as well as recommendations for increasing the representation of women in the artwork of the State House. Members of the task force would include representatives from the Massachusetts Historical Society, the Commission on the Status of Women, and the Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators, among others.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation Secretary and the Director of the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism will be required to develop a program based on the task force’s recommendations, including educational handbooks, maps, signs, and vacation itineraries connected to the trail. The task force will have until January 1, 2023, to file its report.
With versions of this bill having been engrossed by the House and Senate, An Act relative to the creation of a women’s rights history trail now moves to the House of Representatives for enactment.
Link to the legislation itself -> https://malegislature.gov/Bills/192/H4555
 |
| An Act relative to the creation of a women’s rights history trail |
Volunteers Wanted:
Just looking for an opportunity to be social?
Join us as a volunteer once a month, or more if you’d like. We’re looking for people to host at the museum Saturday mornings from 10AM-1PM or Sunday afternoons 1PM-4PM.
Greet people as the come in, answer any questions they may have, and if you don’t know the answer, a commission member can get back to them. You can even host with a friend. The museum is located in the heart of downtown and as the weather warms up, visitors will be strolling in to discover the history of our town. Be part of the experience.
Contact Mary Olsson at franklinmuseum1778@gmail.com We look forward to hearing from you soon.
 |
| Franklin Historical Museum, 80 West Central St |
FM #758 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 758 in the series.
This shares my conversation with Franklin author Chris Woolf. I met Chris when he did the Second Sunday Speaker Series at the Franklin Historical Museum. He talked of his adventurous trip to Afghanistan and we scheduled to get together at the Franklin studio to explore more of his story.
Links to Chris’s web site, the book link, and he and his wife’s voiceover company are included in the show notes.
Let’s listen to my conversation with Chris as we follow his life journey from Britain, via Afghanistan, to the US, and ultimately to Franklin. Our conversation runs about 35 minutes. Audio file -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-758-chris-woolf-talks-about-bumbling-through-the-hindu-kush-03-21-22
--------------
Chris Woolf https://chriswoolfbooks.com/
The Voice Depot https://the-voice-depot.com/ (voiceover company)
“Bumbling Through the Hindu Kush - A Memoir of Fear and Kindness in Afghanistan”
https://chriswoolfbooks.com/bumbling-through-the-hindu-kush/
Video link to Historical Museum presentation to be added when available from Franklin.TV
--------------
We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial.
This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.
How can you help?
If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors
If you don't like something here, please let me know
Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/ or www.franklin.news/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.
I hope you enjoy!
------------------
You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"
 |
| Chris Woolf, left in 1991, right in 2021 |
 |
| “Bumbling Through the Hindu Kush - A Memoir of Fear and Kindness in Afghanistan” |
|
 |
| The MA pay gap per Census data |
In April of 1945, exactly two years before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in major league baseball, liberal Boston City Councilman Izzy Muchnick persuaded the Red Sox to try out three black players in return for a favorable vote to allow the team to play on Sundays. The Red Sox got the councilman’s much-needed vote, but the tryout was a sham; the three players would get no closer to the major leagues. It was a lost battle in a war that was ultimately won by Robinson in 1947.
This book tells the story of the little-known heroes who fought segregation in baseball, from communist newspaper reporters to the Pullman car porters who saw to it that black newspapers espousing integration in professional sports reached the homes of blacks throughout the country. It also reminds us that the first black player in professional baseball was not Jackie Robinson but Moses Fleetwood Walker in 1884, and that for a time integrated teams were not that unusual. And then, as segregation throughout the country hardened, the exclusion of blacks in baseball quietly became the norm, and the battle for integration began anew.
About the Author: Ted Reinstein has been a reporter for “Chronicle,” WCVB-TV/Boston’s award-winning—and America’s longest-running, locally-produced—nightly news magazine since 1997. In addition, he has been a contributor for the station’s political roundtable show and sits on WCVB’s editorial board. He lives just west of Boston with his wife and two daughters. He is also the author of New England Notebook (Globe, 2013) and Wicked Pissed (Globe, 2016).
To find out more about Ted, please visit https://tedreinstein.com/
 |
| Before Brooklyn: The Unsung Heroes Who Helped Break Baseball's Color Barrier with Author Ted Reinstein |
"Considered “America’s first public library”, the Franklin Public Library is located in Franklin, MA and was named in honor of Dr. Benjamin Franklin. In exchange for the library being named after Franklin, he was asked to donate a bell for the town’s church. Rather than donating a bell, though, Dr. Franklin decided that in return, he would actually donate books for the citizens of Franklin to use. Later on, there were many disputes over who should be allowed to use those gifts. In 1790, the people of Franklin voted to let the books be free for anyone to borrow. This was the vote that had established the Franklin collection of books as the first public library in the US. "Continue reading -> https://franklinpanthers.us/news/2021/10/15/a-history-of-franklin-americas-first-public-library/
"In the nineteenth century, school was quite different than it is now. Children, flushed red in the cheeks from their wearisome trudge through the fickle New England weather, gathered in a one-room schoolhouse clutching a bundle of wood, a thin slate, and perhaps an apple to slice with their friends over lunch. They relied on the glowing flames of the fireplace, and later the wood-stove, as their heat source. "Continue reading -> https://franklinpanthers.us/news/2021/10/20/history-of-franklin-the-red-brick-school/
"To those who have never heard of “The Ladybug Story,” the several ladybug decorations around Franklin may seem like mere ornaments, or perhaps contributors to an obscure joke that only townies understand.
However, the red-and-black bugs hold much more significance than what meets the eye. Whether they be represented in kindness rock gardens or in sculptures downtown, ladybugs make clear to passersby that they are a significant aspect of Franklin’s cultural fabric. "
Continue reading -> https://franklinpanthers.us/entertainment/2021/10/29/history-of-franklin-the-ladybug-story/
 |
| One of the Ladybugs around Franklin is at the Library |
The men thought she was embroidering–but Mrs. Madison was listening- capturing every word she heard- as her President husband and his advisers discussed the War-related strategies, consequences and predictions!
Marvel at the miscalculations, missteps and heroics related to this war such as generals without military experience, botched battles and Washington City in flames! But the fair and patriotic Mrs. Madison also addresses Commodore Oliver Perry's high-seas heroism, the battle that spawned our National Anthem and the way a wooden battleship came to be nicknamed Old Ironsides!
Being adverse to historical fiction, Mrs. Madison will lead her audience on a journey packed with historically accurate drama, intrigue, and true, but unbelievable, tales that characterize the 2nd time our tiny country stood up to stare down the British empire.
Janet Parnes, founder of Historical Portrayals by Lady J, will portray Mrs. Madison. This program is free and open to the public.
"I grew up in Franklin, MA so I always knew the true legend about how in 1778, the town changed the name from Exeter to Franklin, in honor of Benjamin Franklin, in the hopes that he would donate a bell for the church. He never donated money, but sent books instead, which the town debated how to use. In the end, they formed a library where every member of the town could read equally.
This started the first public library in the United States. Those books still reside in the Franklin Public Library today. And I know that Benjamin Franklin spent time in Boston during his youth, but I had no idea how often his name would come up while searching the online collections of the MHS. I’d like to share with you a selection of my favorite items and stories I have come across about Benjamin Franklin."
Ben's books are indeed on display at the Library. Photos from the unveiling of the new case can be found online -> https://photos.app.goo.gl/BuBL0ZVshZR0vxXP2
 |
| "Those books still reside in the Franklin Public Library" |
This is a video that highlights images of Franklin's past as compared to pictures that were taken from those same locations today.
This is a video that highlights images of Franklin's past as compared to pictures that were taken from these same locations today.
This is a video that highlights the RI and MA Railroad that connected Franklin and Valley Falls, RI
Video link = https://youtu.be/SYmALfqqNXI
This video is about the history of the railroad in Franklin
video link = https://youtu.be/EbdvtS9SzH0
This is a video that highlights the rich history of Franklin's industrial past.
Video link = https://youtu.be/B8E2ztPoHWM
