From the Files of the Rochester Historical Society

on

            As I’ve written before, the Marion and Mattapoisett sections of Rochester were involved in shipbuilding. Many of these ships were whalers beginning in 1771 with the “Defiance” and ending in 1878 with the “Wanderer.” Most were built in the years prior to Mattapoisett and Marion separating from Rochester.

            While many of the whalers built in this area were destined to sail from other ports, others set sail from Marion and Mattapoisett harbors. For the most part, these voyages didn’t bring in a lot of profit for their owners. The trips tended to be shorter than those of other whalers and a “good catch” for these vessels was 300 -400 barrels, rather than the thousands brought home from longer trips.

            Mary Hall Leonard in her book, “Mattapoisett and Old Rochester”, suggests that a reason for the lower numbers was that the ships were “outfitted too well.” The crews for these voyages were local men and boys of the village. The owners may have spent more on stocking meals for the crew because they would have to face them once they returned home. The people of Nantucket and New Bedford were said to refer to these whaling expeditions as “Plum Pudding Voyages.”

            In our files at the museum, I found an interesting paper that detailed signals that were sent from the bark, John A. Parker. The John A. Parker was a 342 ton bark built by W. Barstow in 1852.

            Out on the ocean, once the whaleboats were launched, the only way for the mother ship to communicate with them was with her sails.

            Here are the details of that communication: 

            One of the head sails down- whales ahead of the ship

            Colors at masthead forward-whales 4 points on weather bow

            Colors half mast -whales 4 points on weather lee

            Colors at masthead to the main-whales on the weather beam

            Colors at half mast-whales on the lee weather beam

            Colors at masthead to the mizzen – whales on weather quarter

            Colors at half mast-whales on lee – weather quarter

            One of the sails down-whales to stern of ship

            Colors: up and down to main – boats heave up

            at masthead – one boat stove

            to the fore and main – one boat fast

            to the main and mizzen – one boat go to the fast boat

            to the mizzen and peak – boats come on board ship

            to the mizzen and forward – one boat come on board

            I definitely think I might need a cheat sheet to remember all of that, but the importance and life and death aspects of the signals probably made them easy for the crew assigned to the boats to remember.

By Connie Eshbach

Susan Gilbert Ford

on

Susan Gilbert Ford, 78 of Marion died peacefully on July 10, 2023, after a hard-fought battle against pancreatic cancer. She was the wife of Dr. Lincoln Edmond Ford who predeceased her in 2019.

            Susan was born in Cuthbert, Georgia on June 2, 1945, to Marjorie Warner Gilbert and James Frank Gilbert, Jr. Life was beautiful for a couple of years until her parents ruined everything by producing one, then two, then three little sisters, each of whom she loved dearly.

            A 1963 graduate of Blakely High School, Susan graduated summa cum laude from Presbyterian College and obtained her master’s and doctorate degrees in physiology at Emory University. She served on the faculties at Georgia State University and the medical schools at Morehouse College and at SUNY (State University of New York) in Stonybrook; held research positions at University of Massachusetts Medical School and at IUPUI (Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis); and conducted research supported by fellowships in London, Plymouth, and Brussels.

            Susan was an avid reader of history, biography, natural history, and detective fiction, and a fierce bridge player. She was active in the Sippican Choral Society and the Sippican Woman’s Club for several years, and enjoyed skiing, horseback riding, gardening, and cooking. She was a highly talented knitter specializing in Aran sweaters, happily creating custom garments for friends and family members lucky enough to wander into her sweater zone.

            Susan’s and Lincoln’s first loves—after each other—were the grandchildren and sailing. They enjoyed bare boat charters in the Caribbean most winters and eventually retired to Marion and joined the Beverly Yacht Club. In the summertime Susan raced regularly in the Ladies Thursday Afternoon Series at the helm of her classic H-12 Suzie Q.

            Susan was predeceased by her husband and her parents. She is survived by her sisters Beverly (Seagrove Beach, FL), Phyllis (Columbus, GA), and Anne (Henrietta, NY), brother-in-law Lorentz Ottzen (Seagrove Beach, FL), and grandchildren Ilaria and Alec Stewart and Malcolm, Oliver, and Thomas Nelson. A cousin, Royce Calhoun (Cincinnati, OH) also held a special place in her heart.

            Private arrangements are with the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Road, Rt. 6, Mattapoisett. For the online guestbook, visit www.saundersdwyer.com. In lieu of flowers, anyone wishing to honor Susan’s memory might consider a contribution to the ACLU, the Environmental Defense Fund, the Southern Poverty Law Center, or NARAL Pro-Choice America.

Bringing Her Subjects to Life

on

            There is a tender touch to artist Jane Egan’s work. Quite possibly, it stems from her perspective that all subject matter rendered by her hand is portraiture. It is also possible that this artist is in tune with all her subjects, animal and otherwise. Egan’s paintings are featured on exhibit now at the Mattapoisett Library through the end of July.

            Classically trained, Egan spent a number of years teaching art at the elementary school level, but Egan has been creating art nearly her entire life. She spent some years being rather famously noted as, “the lady who paints children,” in the Crescent Beach neighborhood where she grew up. “I painted the local children until my own babies came along, and then I painted my babies,” she shared with a little smile in her voice.

            Egan trained in the use of oil paints, as well as water colors and others at the Boston University School for Art. But once she found pastels, she never looked back. Using pastels gives the finish works texture, and the crystals in the pigments reflect light, she explained. “I never smooth it out. I leave it to reflect the light. It’s vibrant.” It has been many years since Egan began working just about exclusively in pastels.

            A little research tells us that pastels were first developed in the 16th century in Italy by taking pure, powdered pigments and mixing them with enough gum Arabic and fish or animal glue to bind them. Today, instead of animal glue, gum, clay or resin are used to bind the color. Artists Jacopo Bassanoo and Federico Barocci are credited with being some of the first to embrace the use of pastels during the Renaissance.

            By the 1800s, pastel meant “soft shade.” In French, it meant “crayon.” The main pastel hues are blue, pink, yellow, green, purple and orange. It is sometimes referred to as Dry Painting. Egan is in rarified company. Edgar Degas’ famous Dancers painting was done in pastels.

            For Egan, painting animals and especially close-ups of faces might be called her signature pieces. We’ve seen horses, donkeys, cows, oxen and at least one gorilla lovingly captured in pastels. On exhibit, however, are also boats, as well as a lion, a horse and yes, a cow that seems to want to smile back at the viewer.

            “I do portraits,” Egan stated. She believes that portraits are more than just faces of living beings. A portrait can be any subject matter. Yet Egan’s animals do seem to speak to us. She captures their emotions and using the technique of having their eyes lock onto the eyes of the viewer sharing a secret, a wish, a hope. “I hope my animals say ‘… love.’”

            Egan wants humans to understand the plight of animals their near total reliance on humans. She shared that some time ago while watching a documentary about animal intelligence she learned that “…even an earthworm makes decisions. … They have feelings, they think.”

            This artist isn’t slowing down anytime soon. She continues to find inspiration in the natural world, on the shores of Crescent Beach, in the horse paddocks of Rochester and in her vivid imagination that is full of joie de vivre.

            Take a moment and stop by the Mattapoisett Library to see Egan’s “portraits.” Maybe the lion will whisper in your ear.

By Marilou Newell

‘Junk’ Yards Running out of Time

on

            After inspections sparked by complaints of rodents in the area, Rochester’s Board of Health is giving the owners of 373 and 375 County Street 30 days to clean up their litter-filled properties or face court-mandated penalties.

            Rochester Health Director Karen Walega reported to the board at its July 5 meeting that 373 County had a junk-filled yard that included 13 or emptier propane tanks. The owner of 375 County Street suffered from a similar problem but also included two pet rabbits that had to be taken away by the animal control officer.

            Walega said her department sent out 30-day notices on June 30. The Board of Health will determine the next step after 30 days have passed, at its August 2 meeting. If the cleaning does not happen by then, Walega said, we’ll have to go to Housing Court.”

            Health board member Sarah Tisdale Eby noted there is so much junk that it is blocking the entrance to the house.

            Referring to the owner of 373 County, board member Dale Barrows added, “He’s a junk man. But it’s a public-safety issue.”

            Next, the board discussed communication issues with town counsel during these kinds of cases. Walega said it has been difficult communicating with representatives of Mead, Talerman & Costa, LLC, which replaced Blair Bailey as the town’s legal counsel this year. She said that when she sends emails to the firm with documentation important to a case, she cannot be certain it has been received as it takes days to get a response. When she went to court on a case, the firm’s representative could not attend.

            “I’m not happy with the representation of this firm,” Walega said.

            Town Administrator Glenn Cannon agreed, saying he, too, has seen less response from Mead, Talerman & Costa, LLC, than the town’s prior legal counsel, who often worked within Town Hall. Cannon said he will speak to the law firm’s representatives about that. Our response times from them are unacceptable. We need our response times to be better,” he said.

            In other business, the board tabled action on a request to install a proposed compost toilet at Tree Talk Natives, a native tree and perennial nursery at 157 Vaughn Hill Road. Health board members said they need more information and that a better plan for the new business would be a porta-potty trailer costing $1,500 and up to rent.

            In other meetings with town boards, Tree Talk Natives owners Jennifer and Charles Anderson have expressed wanting to simplify their business plan as much as possible and not spend too much money. Health board members said they might be out of luck if they’re hoping to skimp on this detail of their plan. “For the public, for children visiting there, they will need working toilets,” board member Glenn Lawrence said.

            The board then discussed adding new provisions to the town’s tobacco regulations. Barrows said the board needs a conversation with Megan DeCosta, its consultant on tobacco regulations. The board agreed to invite DeCosta to its next meeting on August 2.

            The next meeting of the Rochester Board of Health is scheduled for Wednesday, August 2, at 4:00 pm at Town Hall, 1 Constitution Way.

Rochester Board of Health

By Michael J. DeCicco

Photography Walk at Dexter ‘Tub’ Mill

on

Mattapoisett Land Trust will be joined by experienced nature photographer, Jonathan Sharlin, for a Photography Walk program on Wednesday July 19. Jonathan is from Rhode Island and has been a professional photographer for 45 years. Come meet at 10:00 am at the Dexter ‘Tub’ Mill Park (parking in the lot on Mendell Rd) for a casual photography walk. This is perfect for experienced photographers as a chance to get outdoors and practice their craft, as well as newer photographers who would benefit from hearing some of Jonathan’s tips and tricks for photographing nature.

            It is recommended to bring a tripod, a cable release and neutral density filter if you have these items. This program is free and will happen rain or shine, within reason. Contact manager@mattlandtrust.org with any questions.

Margaret M. “Maggie” (Coucci) Crowe

on

Margaret M. “Maggie” (Coucci) Crowe, 88, of Mattapoisett died July 15, 2023 at Masconomet Healthcare Center, Topsfield, MA following a lengthy illness with her loving family at her side.

She was the wife of the late Michael J. Crowe, Jr., mother of the late Kathy Crowe and sister of the late Paul Coucci.

            Born and raised in New Bedford, daughter of the late Guido and Mary (Borghi) Coucci, she lived in Mattapoisett for over 40 years.

            Maggie’s passions were her family, being a nurse, life, and her beloved dog. She was fun-loving and compassionate. She enjoyed spending time with the people she loved, the beach and making puzzles in her sunroom overlooking the water.

            She chose a career in nursing and was capped at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital School of Nursing in Brighton in 1954. She worked at St. Luke’s Hospital for many years, as a nurse, IV specialist and educator. Her friends and co-workers, Dottie, Jan, Caroline, Doran, and Helen, remained close even after retirement.

            Mrs. Crowe was a communicant of St. Anthony’s Church.

            Survivors include her 2 sons, Dr. Michael J. Crowe, III and his wife Carmen of Wareham and Matthew P. Crowe of Edgewater, FL; a daughter, Mary F. Crowe and her wife Kathy A. Cumella of Ipswich, MA; a brother, John Coucci and his wife Kathleen of Mattapoisett; sister in law Gertrude Coucci of New Bedford, MA; 7 grandchildren, Jenna, Jessica, Mychel, Matthew Jr., Erin, Sean and Hannah; 10 great-grandchildren, Koby, Jordan, Saphiyre, Kaydence, Connor, Lucas, Zeyna, Idris, Mason, and Lukas; and several nieces and nephews.

            In lieu of flowers, Memorial donations can be made to the Masconomet Healthcare Center Employee Fund, 123 High Street, Topsfield, MA 01983 or Care Dimensions Hospice, 75 Sylvan Street, Danvers, MA 01923 in gratitude for their exceptional and compassionate care.

            Her visiting hours will be held on Friday, July 21st from 9-11 AM in the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Rd., Route 6, Mattapoisett, followed by her Funeral Mass at St. Anthony’s Church, Mattapoisett at 11:30 AM. Burial will follow in St. Mary’s Cemetery. For directions and guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.

2022 Drought Had Lasting Effects

on

            In a river-monitoring data review that Tata & Howard engineer Jon Gregory provided the Mattapoisett River Valley Water Supply Protection Advisory Committee on Tuesday, a slide presentation illustrated that the 2022 drought, combined with high pumping time, had lasting effects on area water supply for six to eight weeks.

            It wasn’t until September when local rainfall finally picked up.

            Gregory displayed graphs showing that one of the two wells south of the Mattapoisett Water Treatment Plant stayed at the 25% level through the drought while the other well did not. In comparison to groundwater levels in the fall of 2020, there was a similar drought with similar reaction. In October 2021, unusually high rainfall affected the groundwater level. Gregory said the FY23 Annual Report is almost ready to get out to the committee members.

            MRV member David Pierce noted that Marion has a summer restriction on water usage, while member John Furtado said that member town Fairhaven held a voluntary ban. “We did okay, considering we didn’t get a lot of rain,” said member John Furtado.

            Vinnie Furtado, John’s brother and chairman of the MRV commission and committee, said that Fairhaven typically starts with a voluntary ban.

            The MRV is almost at the end of a flushing program that has been adding 250 to 350 hundred gallons to district usage. John Furtado estimates that the flushing will end in mid-August.

            Member Nick Nicholson asked Gregory about Well Number 1; the answer is that it came back to proper levels.

            Pierce asked if the recovery can be traced to seasonal visitors leaving the area and usage going down as a result. Gregory answered in the affirmative, noting that in mid-to-late September usage trails off. That and the increase of rainfall, he said, contributed to less pumping at the Water Treatment Plant.

            Customarily meeting 30 minutes before the MRV Water District Commission, the heavily overlapped Water Supply Protection Advisory Committee also heard from Gregory that he plans to go out with David Watling next week and download data and inspect level loggers.

            There are still a couple of original level loggers, maybe three or four, according to Gregory, who is close to swapping them all out for new ones. He said they are supposed to have a 10-year life.

            In his Treasurer’s Report to the committee, Mark Furtado reported $62.48 in interest from Rockland Trust, along with two months’ worth of paid invoices including for May: Watling $251.72, Blair Bailey $50, and Tata & Howard $2,684.78 for an ending balance of $149,399.30. For June, Watling $251.72, Bailey $50, and Tata & Howard $3,493.02. An encumbered $150,000 was taken out and left out for an ending balance of $145,667.05.

            Jeff Furtado told the committee he does not yet have a year-ending balance. When he receives notice of Rockland Trust interest for May and June, then the committee can close out FY23.

            In Renauld’s absence, the committee voted to authorize Vinnie and Jeff Furtado to sign invoices for this month so the committee can make its payments.

            Vinnie Furtado gained approval to pay the following invoices: Bailey $50, Tata & Howard $5,261.50, Watling $251.72, and for Meagan McCarthy’s graph work over two months (17 hours) $578.

            The Annual Calendar and assessment letters to member-town water officials will be addressed at the committee’s next meeting.

            The insurance overview that Vinnie Furtado was to give the commission will be on next month’s meeting agenda.

            During the District Water Commission meeting that immediately followed, Vinnie Furtado told the commissioners he had in his possession signed invoices including individual amounts of $6,300, $4,285 and $5,000. The commission voted to approve paying the invoices as signed by Water Treatment Plant Manager Henri Renauld, who could not attend Tuesday’s meeting.

            Marion representative Meghan Davis reported that she has received information that as a result of PFAS litigation, the MRV can participate in a nationwide Pollution Remedial Expenses case by registering for the cost-recovery program without any cost to participate.

            The ensuing discussion yielded no defects in Marion or Rochester. Davis said that Marion conducted sampling last year. The next round of sampling comes up later this month. No details on a timeline for recoveries were available; Davis will keep the commission up to date.

            Vinnie Furtado reported having met with Brian Murphy of HUB regarding Water Treatment Plant insurance and went over the imminent facility upgrade. He said HUB may wish to increase the premium. An invoice has been received on the new fiscal year.

            The commission approved a $21,000 amendment to the Engineering Agreement for the Water Treatment Plant Upgrade per out-of-scope work that Gregory reported, primarily in working with the emergency SRF funding, getting submittals to MassDEP, preparing the application, satisfying water requirements and related procurement matters.

            In his Water Treatment Plant Project Update, Gregory reported that procurement docs are currently out to bid. Tata & Howard is presently working through an addendum for exceptions and questions. Originally scheduled for July 12, the bid is opening scheduled for Wednesday, July 19, at 1:00 pm. Gregory said Tata & Howard is also working on the permitting piece.

            In his Tata & Howard Report, Gregory said the FY24 Water Treatment Plant chemical bid process yielded responses regarding citric acid and sodium hydroxide, but no bids were received for liquid oxygen or propane. Renauld will proceed with the awards.

            Pierce asked what happens if there are no bids. Gregory said it would become a negotiation with the vendor.

            The next meetings of the MRV Water Supply Protection Advisory Committee/District Commission are scheduled for Tuesday, August 8, at 3:30 pm and 4:00 pm, respectively.

MRV Water District Commission/Water Supply Protection Advisory Committee

By Mick Colageo

Smart Phones … and Fish ’n Chips

on

They don’t call them smart phones for nothing. I’m not one to complain – don’t say it – but I swear my phone knows what I am thinking.

            Perusing the menus of nearby restaurants recently, I have noticed that the cost of eating out has skyrocketed. A nice clam plate is pushing $30. A meal of fish and chips, a little coleslaw and a dab of tartar sauce, a Friday night staple in our house during the summer, is not a cheap meal anymore. Don’t even think about a lobster roll. The price isn’t even on the menu.

            My bride and I usually get a plate for each of us, but last year we started buying one large order and splitting it. I mean, come on, how much does a piece of fish and a potato cost? So, I checked out the cost of a deep fryer online, thinking we could fry up our own delicious repast. After adding up the cost of a nice piece of fish, a potato, a jug of cooking oil, mayonnaise, relish and lemon, it wouldn’t be quite the cheap eats I thought.

            Anyway, I was grouching – I don’t complain – about smart phones. It wasn’t 10 minutes before an ad popped up advising me of the five best deep fryers for 2023. Ever since, while scanning the headlines on my phone to find out if the world is still here, an ad for deep fryers would interrupt my research. Before every news article, a 26-second ad would precede it. Sometimes the ad is longer than the story.

            I’m old, and I don’t have time to waste on these interruptions. Pretty soon, fryer ads would show up on my tablet and computer. These things speak to each other!

            I was looking for a new pair of shoes recently and, sure enough, now I’m being accosted by every online shoe store in the land: Shoe World, Shoes for U, The Shoe Store (these guys sure are presumptuous.) They are all at my cyber portal.

            Enough already! But no, my “smart” TV wants to tell me what I should watch. Even during the most exciting part of a show, it will flash an ad a third the size of the screen telling me I should watch such-and-such next week at 9:00 pm. The darn things are even animated, which is even more annoying. But, I’m not complaining.

            My daughter was complaining – that must have come from her mother not me, I don’t complain – about getting endless ads on her phone for red dresses after a conversation with a friend about something red. The phone even knew she was a she!

            I now know the darn thing knows what I am thinking even before I do. Sometimes an ad comes up on my phone before I even search for something, and I’m not the only one that thinks that. I read that a fellow said he was looking at Cadbury chocolate fingers in a candy-store window. Though he’d rarely buy candy and especially not that brand, ads for Cadbury chocolate fingers started popping up on his phone. Spooky!

            I’ve been thinking about buying a new laser printer. Ever since, I’ve gotten a multitude of ads for every printer brand on the market. The strategy of annoyance worked. I bought one.

            No fish and chips this week.

            Editor’s note: Mattapoisett resident Dick Morgado is an artist and retired newspaper columnist whose musings are, after some years, back in The Wanderer under the subtitle “Thoughts on ….” Morgado’s opinions have also appeared for many years in daily newspapers around Boston.

By Dick Morgado

Mattapoisett Republican Party Meeting

on

The Mattapoisett Republican Party invites everyone interested to join us on Tuesday, July 18 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the Ying Dynasty, 24 County Rd, Mattapoisett. Topics for discussion are: 1) Local initiatives, 2) Upcoming events, 3) Sharing ideas with your like-minded neighbors, 4) Support of candidates in future elections

            If interested, please attend or contact by email: ChairMattGOP@Gmail.com.

Academic Achievements

on

Patrick Janicki, of Mattapoisett, graduated from The University of Tampa on Saturday, May 6. Janicki graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Sport Management BS.

            The following students were named to the College of the Holy Cross’ Dean’s List for outstanding academic achievement during the Spring Semester of the 2022-23 academic year. The following local students made the list:

–Benjamin Castle of Marion, Class of 2024

–Alanna Fitzpatrick of Marion, Class of 2024

–Anne Le Gassick of Mattapoisett, Class of 2024

–Thomas McIntire of Mattapoisett, Class of 2023

–Joel Michaud of Mattapoisett, Class of 2025

–Danielle Nutter of Mattapoisett, Class of 2024

–Benjamin Shachoy of Marion, Class of 2023

            College of Charleston congratulates students who were named to the President’s List and the Dean’s List for Spring 2023, including; Sarah Moitozo of Mattapoisett was named to the Dean’s List. Moitozo is majoring in Public Health. Sally Butler of Mattapoisett was named to the Dean’s List. Butler is majoring in Marketing.