Stone Soup

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The Mattapoisett Free Public Library’s Sustainability Partnership and the Mattapoisett Congregational Church’s Just Peace Team will host “Stone Soup,” a robust and nourishing free community luncheon served in Reynard Hall at the Mattapoisett Congregational Church, 27 Church Street on Thursday, February 29, from 11:30 am to 1 pm.

            From February 5 through the 25, the Partnership and the Just Peace Team will direct their energies toward food rescue. Here is how everyone can help: First, go through your cupboards and collect cans of soup or cans of vegetables that are near their expiration date. Second, bring those canned soups or canned vegetables to either 1, The Mattapoisett Congregational Church, enter the Mechanic Street door, Monday and Thursday, 9 am – 12 pm and place cans on a wooden table outside the kitchen, or 2, drop off canned items at the Mattapoisett COA, Monday-Friday, 8 am – 3 pm or 3, the Mattapoisett Library, Tuesday – Saturday, 10 am – 4 pm and Sunday 1 pm – 3:30 pm.

            Mattapoisett Free Public Library’s Sustainability Partnership is committed to educating and practicing ways to cut down on food waste and promoting responsible use of the earth’s ecosystems and resources. Like a growing number of organizations and companies around the world, the Sustainability Partnership has voluntarily adopted and implemented a broad range of sustainability practices.

            To attend the free soup luncheon on Thursday, February 29, from 11:30 am to 1 pm, please register online at tinyurl.com/m8sfud5r.

            For more information, call the library at 508 758-4171 (option 2.)

Marion Town Clerk’s Office

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This will be a busy year as there will be two Primaries and two Elections in Marion. The dates are as follows:

-Presidential Primary: Tuesday, March 5

-Marion Town Election: Friday, May 17

-State Primary: Tuesday, September 3

-State (Presidential) Election: Tuesday, November 5

            Within the next two weeks, the State will be mailing postcards to every registered voter in Massachusetts giving you the option of voting by mail for all three of the State Elections and Primaries and the Marion Town Election in 2024. Please note: the Post Office cannot legally forward this postcard to your “temporary” address if you leave Marion for the winter, so you will need to go online to www.sec.state.ma.gov to request a mail in ballot(s). If you are not enrolled in one of the 3 Political Parties (Democratic, Republican or Libertarian), you must indicate which party ballot you would like to receive for the Presidential Primary and the State Primary; otherwise we will only send ballots for the local election and November election since they are nonpartisan.

            If you are in the Military or living overseas, please email the Town Clerk’s Office regarding getting a ballot or request one thru www.fvap.gov as the process has changed to ensure greater ballot security.

            Nomination papers are available for the Marion Town Election. They will be due back on Monday March 25 by 5:00 pm. The open seats are as follows:

-Board of Assessors (1)

-Board of Health (1)

-Select Board (1)

-Marion School Committee (2)

-Moderator (1)

-Open Space Acquisition Commission (1)

-Planning Board (2)

            Please return your annual census (street list) and license your dog (cats are not required to be licensed in Massachusetts.)

Elks Student of the Month

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The Elks of Wareham/New Bedford Lodge No. 73 sponsors the Elks Student of the Month and Student of the Year Awards for students enrolled in local area high schools. The criteria used in nominating a student includes a student who excels in scholarship, citizenship, performing arts, fine arts, hobbies, athletics, church, school and community service, industry and farming.

            We congratulate Arielle Troupe, of Wareham for being selected as Student of the Month for January by the Old Rochester Regional High School Faculty and Staff.

            Arielle is one of the captains of the volleyball team, and she is a leader in the AFS Club.

            Upon hearing that a teacher at ORR was working on a personal project with homeless families in a neighboring town, Arielle came to school the next day with a bunch of food items to donate to the families. She goes out of her way to thank teachers for their help each time she asks a question or asks for help.

2024-25 Calendar Approved

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            The Old Rochester Regional Joint School Committee/Superintendents Union #55 met on Monday night and approved the calendar for the 2024-25 school year, but not without substantial discussion regarding the Christmas break.

            Because New Year’s Day 2025 falls on a Wednesday, the calendar is set up to bring back students for two days of school before the weekend.

            According to feedback received by committee members, some parents find that to be problematic when planning family vacations and wish there were two weeks of vacation and a slightly longer school year.

            As planned, students will get early release on Friday, December 20 and come back on Thursday, January 2.

            ORR committee member Margaret McSweeny said she received a lot of feedback preferring two full weeks at Christmas and wanted to make sure, in keeping with those residents’ wishes, the committee that requested community feedback follow up with discussion of the matter.

            Cristin Cowles (union side) cited feedback from working parents, noting their preference to add two days to the end of the school year to get two full weeks of holiday vacation.

            The academic calendar will reach the 180-day mark on June 11 and as usual, build in five days for potential cancellations, so that Day 185 is June 18. If school needed to extend further, it cannot be held on June 19, the Juneteenth holiday.

            If, however, school extended into a new week, Matt Monteiro (ORR) cautioned that the “last day of school being a Monday is not a recipe for success.”

            Monteiro mused at the idea of tweaking the calendar so that students would return on Friday, January 3, lessening the risk of them missing two days and then only adding one day to the back end of school. He suggested, in such a case, that the administration could maybe encourage curriculum to be more enrichment based.

            “I think of our teachers,” said Michelle Smith, the ORR School Committee chairperson, not in favor of asking them to come back on Friday, January 3.

            Another subject of debate was early release for professional development on Wednesday, May 28, due to the competing interests of MCAS in the elementary schools and final exams at the high school.

            Both sides voted to approve the calendar as proposed without voting on Kindergarten dates pending further information from the administration.

            Nelson said the administration shared the draft of the calendar earlier in this cycle than in years past.

            Opening Day will be Wednesday, August 28. New teachers will enter the program on August 22, and August 26-27 will see teachers meetings in advance of the students’ arrival.

            September 25 is the first early release for professional development.

            Member Carly Lavin (union), the chair of the Mattapoisett School Committee, explained that the election community had asked the school committees to consider November 5 (presidential election) as a day without students in the buildings, so that will be a full professional-development day.

            Wednesday, November 27, the day before Thanksgiving, is early release.

            February vacation will be held February 17-21, and April vacation on April 21-25.

            The committees had their most substantial policy discussion on fundraising.

            Nelson had introduced a lengthy list of policies that the JSC would discuss and vote upon, along with new policies that they would digest and then vote upon when the committee next convenes.

            While discussing “JJE Student Fund-Raising Activities,” there was confusion between fundraising for school-sponsored activities, groups and events and fundraising for the sports boosters, which are supported by the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO.)

            April Nye (ORR) was concerned with the policy as written, especially as it may affect the Fun Run held annually, but McSweeny argued that the policy does not address the boosters because they file under a different tax number and the Fun Run should be treated as an outside activity.

            Nye then sought clarification as to whether the PTO organizations in the ORR district are exempt to the JSC’s policies.

            “I think we need to clarify with our principals,” said McSweeny, reiterating her contention that PTO’s report their own taxes.

            Monteiro suggested an addendum “by the school itself” or “school-sponsored fundraising” in order to clarify the language, but Nye reiterated her confusion and said, “Reading this verbatim, we’d be violating our policy doing any fundraising.”

            Union #55 Chairperson Sharon Hartley suggested the policy be sent back for further study before a vote is taken. Both sides of the JSC voted to do so.

            The rest of the policies were voted for approval without dissent on either side of the committee.

            New policies that will not be voted on until the next JSC meeting included the following: Community Use of Digital Resources (an umbrella policy for security when visitors are in ORR buildings); District Website and Social Media VIII; District Security Relating to Technology; Data and Records Retention; Personnel Use of Technology and Student Use of Technology in School (code of conduct.)

            Assistant Superintendent of Finance & Operations Howie Barber joined the meeting to update the JSC on the bus contract with Amaral that is sunsetting after this school year.

            Barber said the district has three separate contracts with Amaral. ORR attempted to do a joint, consolidated contract, but it did not work out very well, according to Barber, who cited “significant increases” and said the district sought a rebate.

            At present, contract proposals for the 2024-25 school year are being collected, and Barber explained that ORR has “created scenarios and results of what we would do” in various hypothetical negotiations scenarios. The goal, he said, is to “have the least amount of (financial) impact, especially when you look at academic costs these days.”

            In their chairpersons’ reports, both Smith and Hartley made brief remarks, Hartley encouraging attendees to build on unity by asking questions and Smith thanking the community for its dedication and collaborative effort, noting her confidence in positive change and the commitment to foster an environment of mutual respect with respectful dialogue.

            In his opening remarks, Nelson said that since coming together with school-improvement plans, all schools in the ORR District are now on a one-year plan and that strategic planning is in a good place as the schools take on a new-year perspective. The four districts have received grants from the Department of Education that he says will reinforce ORR’s acceleration road map from February to April.

            Dr. Shari Fedorowicz, ORR’s assistant superintendent of Teaching & Learning, said that included in that funding is the ability to enact the “SOA” (Student Opportunity Act), which mandates that schools create plans to bridge achievement gaps with a review process required. ORR’s SOA will include “actionable strategies” to address low academic performance related but not limited to English Language Learning.

            ORR’s SOA plan is due on April 1 and will need committee approval. Nelson said the approval process goes through the district. He assured the committee that its aspirations will find achievement despite the limitations of the budget.

            Nelson also discussed the weekly newsletter and ORR’s Facebook page, which has 400 likes. He says the page, part of the ORR Connect theme, has helped the district communicate with the parents of Kindergarten children.

            The JSC voted to enter an executive session for purposes of exceptions #3 (strategy with respect to collective bargaining or litigation) and #7 (compliance with the law or federal grant-in-aid requirements) and planned to return to open session only to adjourn.

            The next meeting of the Joint School Committee is scheduled for Thursday, March 28, at 6:30 pm at the ORR Junior High School media room and via Zoom.

ORR Joint School Committee/Superintendents Union #55

By Mick Colageo

Encounters with Sports Stars and Other Celebrities

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            One time or another, everyone has encountered a celebrity.

            I ran into Red Sox and Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Rice in the bank one day. I was standing in line right behind him. Well, he actually ran into me as he turned and left. He didn’t seem very nice. He didn’t even say excuse me.

            Dave Cowens, the Celtics all-star center, waved at me as he passed in front of my car as I was stopping at a traffic light in Wellesley. I don’t remember if he was waving to get me to stop or just to say thanks for stopping. It was a long time ago.

            My father-in-law once invited me to dinner and a Bruins game. We arrived at the old Boston Garden. We entered through a gate near the North Station train tracks, then walked down an abandoned concourse which was littered with beer bottles and trash. At the end of the concourse was an elevator, which opened into a mahogany-lined lift, which zoomed us up to another mahogany-walled reception area with oil paintings of Bruins and Celtics images lining the walls.

            As my father-in-law bent over to sign the guest book, a voice rang out, “You don’t have to sign that Billy, I know who you are.” It was Milt Schmidt, Bruins and Hockey Hall of Famer. Apparently, he had beaten the pants off my father-in-law in golf the day before and had invited him up to the Garden Club, an exclusive, private dining area at the top of the arena that he managed.

            Dressed in my jeans and sweatshirt, I looked more like someone who slept in the abandoned concourse than a guest in a fancy restaurant. They let me in anyway, and we had a very nice dinner “on the house.” Afterwards we exited through a private door into the arena to watch the game. Can’t say the seats were plush … it was the old Garden after all, but what a thrill all around.

            My late friend Wayne Oliveira was a big hockey guy and a Bobby Orr fanatic. Wayne played hockey all the time on the cranberry bogs, at the Tabor Academy rink and in college. He started (along with Charlie Briggs of Marion) the Old Rochester High hockey team and was their first coach. He joined the Army and broke his leg in seven places skating just before he was to leave for Vietnam. Hockey kept him out of the war.

            I visited him in the hospital. He was in a ward with eight or 10 other servicemen. A high-ranking officer came through, stopping to say hello to each patient. When he got to Wayne he asked, “How did you get wounded son?” I had all I could do not to laugh when Wayne responded… “Playing hockey, Sir.”

Wayne always wanted to meet Orr and years later did. In fact, he had lunch with him. A dream comes true.

            I’ve met some TV personalities as well. If you’ve been around these parts for a while, you might remember the “Ellis/Pepper Bandwagon.” Tom Ellis and Tony Pepper shared the anchor desk on the WBZ-TV news back in the ’70s. The station had a promotion called “Sports Fantasy” dreamed up by their sports reporter Len Berman, who later went on to the big time in New York.

            Viewers could send in their sports fantasies. Maybe you wanted to be goaltender for the Bruins or hit a baseball thrown by Luis Tiant, the Red Sox popular star pitcher or catch a football thrown by the Patriots quarterback.  Steve Grogan. Berman would pick the most interesting fantasy and arrange for the viewer to live his or her fantasy.

            I wanted to do the evening sports report. Berman called me and asked me to write a one-minute commentary. I was invited to the studio to tape it on the news set. They told me to wear a brightly colored sports jacket and tie.

            I wrote: “The bullet train sped into Boston from Springfield in a half-hour to the new Boston Garden floating over Boston Harbor.” I also mentioned that Red Sox star Tony Conigliaro has just signed a contract for $10,000,000 per year (chump change now.) So much for my ability to predict the future.

            I closed my remarks by saying, “Back to you Tony,” though I was the only one on the anchor desk. I didn’t see my one minute of fame (no videotape back then), but my bride said I looked like one handsome devil, resplendent in my red, plaid sports jacket looking like Heywood Hale Broun (a famous sports reporter who wore outlandish sports coats, had a handlebar moustache, and was bald.) I don’t think the Broun part was a compliment.

            Coincidentally, Tony Pepper later moved to my town and, though he didn’t remember my star turn, we became friends.

            To add a little class to this essay, I must tell you about the time I met Tom Wolfe, the famous novelist who always wore a white suit. It was at college. He was a guest speaker, and I was chosen to escort him to the auditorium.

            That’s it. Were you expecting something more exciting?

            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.

Thoughts on…

By Dick Morgado

From the Files of the Rochester Historical Society

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“Bog iron is a form of impure iron deposit that can develop in bogs or swamps by the chemical or biochemical oxidations of iron carried in solution”. Why is this of interest to Rochester history?

            The iron -bearing groundwater that helps to create bog iron typically emerges as a spring or bog of which Rochester has many. The presence of bog iron in the regions’ swamps, ponds, lakes and rivers was one of the reasons that the Proprietors and other settlers were interested in purchasing the lands of the area that would become Old Rochester.

            The existence of bog iron led to the creation of several foundries or furnaces in the area. The iron ore, naturally occurring, would be retrieved from the water using long handled tongs. Depending on the depth of the water this could be dangerous. More than one drowning has been attributed to the attempt to bring up ore.

            Lake Quitticus had probably the largest deposits of ore, but several sections of Rochester had foundries on ponds or streams. In 1725, Major Edward Winslow of Snipatuit was given permission to set up an iron mill “on the Mattapoisett River”, but it doesn’t appear that any iron work was done there. However, north of there at the site of the Hartley Sawmill, there are traces of an old “iron industry” and this is most likely where Major Winslow’s iron works were located.

            At an early date, there was an iron works mill at Leonard’s Pond, known as Sippican Mills. By 1821, in that location, there was a forge, a trip-hammer and a foundry, all on the Sippican River. The trip-hammer converted the recovered ore into “blooms”(masses of iron of oblong shape.) The blooms were sent onto Wareham to be made into nails.

            Another active area of iron work was in North Rochester. It began with a mill contract between Abisha Tinkham of Middleboro and Benjamin Coombs of Rochester who were first owners of a sawmill-gristmill dam on the Black River now known as the Black Brook. Both men agreed to join with others, including Joseph Peirce and Hopestill Bisbee of Rochester to build a dam for “making and casting hollow ware or cast iron”. At the Stillwater Mills, the blast furnace became known as “Stillwater Furnace.” The Stillwater name came from the slow passage of the water in the river. It moved so slowly that you couldn’t hear it.

            This furnace operated only in the winter when the water levels were high. The crude ore was melted in a “pudding” furnace and iron castings were made. By 1778, the Stillwater Mills, including the smelting furnace, the gristmill and shingle mill were earning healthy profits for the men who owned them. In the early 1800’s the mills employed 40 men.

            Over the years the original owners sold to others. They were able to operate the furnace successfully until the supply of bog ore was used up. The furnace closed and by 1818 it was torn down. After that, various people bought the remaining mills at auction. They were fitted with turbine wheels and operated as sawmills cutting logs into boards.

            The end of this industrial era came when the City of New Bedford took over Great Quittacas to create a drinking water reservoir. The buildings were demolished because it was feared they would hurt the purity of the water.

            The picture shows all that remains today. Hidden by water, trees and bushes is the foundation of the furnace. Our current exhibit (available to visit by appointment) contains a map showing the various locations of the mills which over the years were a source of jobs to many.

By Connie Eshbach

The Buzz about Bees

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A local beekeeper will speak at our Sippican Woman’s Club meeting on Friday, February 9. We meet at 12:15 pm for finger-foods, tea/coffee and sweets and a time to socialize. A business meeting follows at 1:00 pm. At 1:30 pm, our program on bees will begin.

            Nerija Kupryte-Hopkins known as Nettie lives in Rochester with her husband Tom. Nettie has a knack with our Native bees. Nettie learned the art and science of beekeeping from her father in her native country of Lithuania. Nettie’s early learning was embellished in attending the university where she studied agriculture and earned degrees in bees and pollination.

            It was years later, after marriage and two children, she landed in Rochester and her skills and interest in bees were rekindled, as she worked with local cranberry growers. Today she not only assists local growers and aspiring beekeepers, she also harvests  her own honey and has a  “honey house” where she sells natural by-products from her hives — candles, lip balms, creams, elderberry syrup, tinctures, pollen, tea, beeswax and honey. There she offers bee therapy as the sounds and smells of bees are used for calming. A hive has up to 50,000 bees. Nettie and Tom have about 300,000 bees in their on-site hives. A hive contains about 50,000 bees.

            Bring your questions re: bees, their predators (ticks and mites), honey (why we should buy local honey not commercial or Chinese, etc.), what flowering plants attract bees, upkeep of  hives in winter, feeding in winter months, keeping the hive population in check, etc.

            Our meetings are open to the public. We meet at our clubhouse a/k/a “Handy’s Tavern”, 152 Front Street, Marion. Parking is available in the lot across from the Music Hall at the bandstand off Island Wharf Road. Membership is open to any woman whose interests are in the Town of Marion. We normally meet on the second Friday of the month during the months of September to March with an Annual meeting on the last Friday in April. See our website at www.sippicanwomansclub.org.

Machacam Club

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The February Machacam Club meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, February 7. We meet in the Legion Hall located on Depot Street. Social time begins at 5 pm with dinner served at 6 pm with our speaker beginning at 6:45 pm. Chef Colby will be preparing our meal for the evening. All are welcome. Email cwmccullough@comcast.net for reservations or with questions.

Final Building Commissioner Candidate Interviewed

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            On Monday, the Mattapoisett Select Board met with the third and final candidate vying for the position of building commissioner. Coming before the board was Randall Bassett, building commissioner for the Town of Fairhaven residing in Brewster.

            Bassett’s resume lists a BS in Business Management from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, certification as a construction supervisor, as well as previously holding the position of building inspector for the town of Brewster.

            When asked what his management style was, Bassett responded, “I let them do their thing, I trust them to do their job and I trust their expertise.” He said that last year his office in Fairhaven processed 1,000 permits. He further noted his knowledge of online permitting.

            Regarding his participation and involvement with the Zoning Board of Appeals, Bassett said he attends those meetings in an advisory capacity. Bassett offered that Mattapoisett doesn’t seem to want too much growth but would work within the bylaws to assist growth where applicable.

            There was some general discussion about the town’s Master Plan and need in the future to make changes in bylaws to allow for new types of structures. Bassett admitted his lack of a solid understanding of all the FEMA regulations but stated he has a good working relationship with the Fairhaven Fire Department and cognizance of ISO insurance standards and ADA compliance regulations.

            After a break for a brief executive session, the Select Board returned to open session with Chairman Jodi Bauer saying a decision will be made after some additional background review for the three candidates that have been interviewed.

            Before the board was able to continue, an attorney representing David Park of Holly Woods rose, inquiring why the board had not solicited public comment on the agenda item, “approve confirmatory takings and/or authorize easement for Old Slough Road.” Board members responded that Park had been given the opportunity to speak on the matter which impacts his property, not only at public meetings within the Select Board agenda but also for 45 minutes at the Special Fall Town Meeting. During the Town Meeting, the voters approved plans for the takings.

            In other business, the board met with Highway Surveyor Garrett Bauer regarding the FY25 departmental budget.

            One of the more significant items listed is for a full-time mechanic/laborer at an annual $68,000. Bauer said that it has been difficult to operate the equipment without taking care of regular maintenance. Town Administrator Mike Lorenco said that about a 10% savings could be realized by having someone on staff to do such work versus subcontracting the work. The department has operated with seven staff members for several years.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Select Board is scheduled for Monday, February 5, at 5:30 pm.

Mattapoisett Select Board

By Marilou Newell

The Wanderer Sails Home

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            As a schoolboy living in the Bronx, George Lowery became fascinated with all things miniature after a field trip to a natural history museum. Staring in wonder at the tiny depiction of an ancient village, Lowery became enthralled, so much so that he began building airplanes and other models from kits. He also ventured into the imaginative world of dioramas. Thus began a lifelong hobby-turned-career in 1987.

            Yes, there were years of providing for and raising a family, but always fermenting in the background were models. He joined the Air Force, became a police officer and moved along, building a family life. But he also became fascinated with ship building. Fate would find him opening a door to Mattapoisett’s well-known history as a whale-boat-building mecca.

            Lowery is a perfectionist when it comes to building models. He sought out and eventually found an artisan who would help him develop skills in model-ship building, one Frank Mastini. As Lowery told us, Mastini didn’t teach, he advised. Students were given models to build, and throughout the process Mastini would critique and give guidance. Over time and dedicated effort, Lowery learned what he had longed to know – how to turn raw wood into stunning pieces of maritime art.

            An opportunity to build a whaling-ship model came into view in 2017 when Lowery was approached at an art fair near his Arizona home by a gentleman interested in a model of the Wanderer, the last whaling ship from Mattapoisett. The gent was planning on opening a business in Mattapoisett and would use the Wanderer model as a showpiece in the establishment.

            Lowery would need a set of plans in order to build the model. Enter the New Bedford Whaling Museum and the Mattapoisett Museum. New Bedford offered engineered drawings, scant though they were, but coupled with pictures from Mattapoisett, Lowery was able to build the model.

            Some 2,000 hours later, the ship was completed and ready to take its place of honor in Mattapoisett with a price tag of $100,000. Using price points that he pays for tradesmen such as plumbers, electricians and the like, Lowery believed the price was fair based on his expertise and the quality of the finished product. The client hadn’t baulked at the estimated price at the beginning of the project. Everything was sailing along.

            But wait – the gentleman who commissioned the boat was not to be found. Since no money, no deposit had been exchanged, Lowery was free to do as he pleased with the model. He recalculated the price tag to $90,000 and held onto the boat. “My models are my children,” Lowery told us. He wants them to be appreciated and cared for.

            With that in mind and having built a long-distance relationship with the Mattapoisett Museum curator, Connor Gaudet, Lowery offered the Wanderer model to the museum. In doing so, he stated appreciation for the assistance received from former museum curator Jeffrey Miller.

            Without hesitation, Gaudet accepted the gift.

            “I can’t believe it’s here,” he said on Tuesday afternoon, marveling at Lowery’s talent.

            Needing help from handyman volunteer Bob Clifford to unpack the model from a sturdy, wooden crate inside tight quarters and in view of a small audience including the press, Gaudet found humor in the moment, comparing the plastic bubble wrap around the bottom of the boat to an angry, wind-driven sea.

            Launched on April 16, 1878, the Whale Bark Wanderer is the last ship among the whalers built in Mattapoisett. The original Wanderer 1878 weighed 288 tons and was 116 feet long with a 27.5-foot beam and 15-foot, 8-inch draft. Though the model only measures 31 inches long, 25 inches high and 11 inches wide, Gaudet was dumbfounded at the detail Lowery managed to achieve, not only in terms of the visual but in workmanship.

            “He absolutely did (go to the extreme),” said Gaudet, likening Lowery’s effort to the monumental statue of Crazy Horse being constructed in South Dakota. “Stuff I didn’t even realize from the photos when it got here, the boats are … not glued in there, they’re set on tiny little hooks from the pulleys.”

            The first detail that captured Gaudet’s attention was the workmanship to shape the oars, which he noticed are “smaller than toothpicks.”

            It officially took Lowery 2,000.5 hours of his time to complete his replica on May 29, 2019, and Gaudet suspects that those hours did not include a meticulous packaging of the model for a safe, cross-country transport. The shipping cost exceeding $1,000 was covered by a member of the Demakis family.

            The Wanderer was shipwrecked during an August 25, 1924, storm off Cuttyhunk, but its beam resides in the Mattapoisett Museum.

            Gaudet considers this latest, superior model a focal point to a 2024 theme of celebration of the Wanderer’s place in local culture, not omitting the local newspaper of record. The ship’s 100-year legacy immediately took hold in the 1928 edition of the local junior high school yearbook named The Wanderer, and there was a Wanderer gift shop in Mattapoisett Village around the same time.

            “Getting this gift was a surprise and an absolute boon,” said Gaudet. “We decided to do not just an exhibit about the Wanderer and how much oil it got when it went on its voyages. It really focuses on its rebirth and afterlife since 1924, the mythology and the symbolism behind it and how it’s grown … for the town.”

By Marilou Newell and Mick Colageo