From the Files of the Rochester Historical Society

The lists of Rochester’s Revolutionary soldiers contain the names of Elnathan Haskell, Elnathan Haskell, Jr., James Haskell, and Nathan Haskell along with twelve others that share the same surname. Looking at the elder Elnathan’s family tree, we know that at least three of his and Dorothy Peckham Haskell’s sons fought in the Revolution.             Two […] Read more »

RMS Fourth Grader Wins Feinstein Foundation Golden Ticket

Rochester Memorial School is pleased to announce that fourth grader Tommy Cahill was recently selected as a Feinstein Foundation Golden Ticket winner.             The ticket earned Rochester Memorial School a $2,000 grant and an additional $500 for Tommy to donate to a charity of his choice.             Tommy donated his prize to the Forever 1111 […] Read more »

Everything Starts with Seeds

            Seed catalogs are like smelling salts for the gardener who has been stifled by the long bleak spell. Seed catalogs don’t just sell plants; they wake up the imagination. Suddenly you’re picturing rows of tomatoes, the smell of basil in the sun, bees drifting through flowers – everything that felt frozen starts moving again. […] Read more »

‘Dangerous’ Dog Hearing Continued

            On March 24, the Mattapoisett Select Board revisited a case involving a dog that caused grievous damage to a neighboring dog. The case was first heard in January when the dog, named Roco, owners Stella and Mark Brogioli, and the injured pet’s owners, the Maniatises, met with the board to discuss, among other contributing […] Read more »

Geoffrey W. Grainger

Geoffrey W. Grainger, of Marion, passed away on March 25, 2026 at the age of 70. He was the son of the late Rachel (Stover) and Douglas Grainger. Geoffrey was born in Boston. His family lived in W. Newton before moving to Sherborn where he spent some of his high school years. He moved to […] Read more »

Chief Ronald E. Scott

Chief Ronald E. Scott, 80, of Mattapoisett died March 22, 2026 at Tuft’s Medical Center after a period of declining health surrounded by his family. He was the husband of Janet T. (Sears) Scott. Born in New Bedford, son of the late Earl A. And Carrie (Helliwell) Scott, he lived in Mattapoisett most of his […] Read more »

James Crook

James Crook, 81, of Mattapoisett, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, March 24, 2026. He was the loving husband of Karole (Koczera) Crook for 60 years.             Born in the South End of New Bedford, son of the late Clarence and Bernadette “Boots” Crook, he moved to Ohio to obtain his Masters and Ph.D, then raised […] Read more »

Upcoming Events at the Elizabeth Taber Library

The Elizabeth Taber Library is excited to announce that we’ll be hosting acrobat Li Liu on Saturday, March 28 at 1:00 pm on the Marion Music Hall. Join us to see Li’s performance and to learn about the traditions of Chinese acrobatics. This program is for all ages and is free to attend. This program […] Read more »

The Mother Tree Cries

            Oh. The solar comes and the trees must go.             Uncovering hidden stone walls of my great grandfather’s toil years ago.             But the walls will be smoothed out too- just like the mother trees-             The wisest, oldest, trees spared by my fore-fathers years ago.             Tall sentries in the corners of their […] Read more »

Boston Secured. Now What?

            This week in Revolutionary War history, let’s check up on what was going on 250 years ago in New England and the northern Thirteen Colonies. Last week, the Evacuation of Boston took place, with around 11,000 British and Loyalist forces departing Boston. The populous would eventually settle in Canada and England, with the army […] Read more »