The Battle of Quebec

on

            This week in Revolutionary War history, let’s check up on what was going on 250 years ago in and around the colonial Province of Massachusetts Bay as the Revolutionary War ramps up. Last week, General George Washington implemented a strict rationing policy to troops stationed in Cambridge and around Boston as supplies dwindle. Troop contracts are up on January 1, and Washington convinces General Richard Montgomery and Major General Philip Schuyler to stick it out a bit longer. As we approach New Years, 1776, far in the north, the Americans press against Quebec with what little they have left, all while a nor’easter descends across Canada.

            December 31, 1775, is a famed day in Canadian history, often forgotten in the United States. It is fitting then, that the national motto of the Province of Quebec is “Je me souviens,” or “I remember.” The night of December 30, General Montgomery gave the fatal orders to advance on the city, with the battle itself occurring during a blizzard in the pitch-black early morning of New Year’s Eve.

            Quebec City was a walled fortress atop steep cliffs. The thick walls were made of sandstone mined from around the Saint Lawrence. The ramparts still stand, and they and the old town are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The British had captured the city from the French just 15 years prior during the Seven Years’/French and Indian War, with the British later bolstering the city’s defenses.

            The American side consisted of around 1,200 men, mostly from New England, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. There were 1,800 British behind the walls, including many that had fled from the captured Montreal in November. A general rule of warfare is to not storm an entrenched enemy with a smaller number of troops. This highlights the Americans’ need for decisive action while also foreshadowing their disastrous defeat.

            As the winds raged and snow blanketed the streets, men’s muskets were clogged and frozen up. Montgomery would draw his sword to advance, but was killed by a cannon grapeshot before closing the distance with the enemy. His offense would eventually evaporate, with few being able to flee death or capture. One successfully fleeing this column was Captain Aaron Burr.

            Benedict Arnold led another block of troops, not faring much better. Fire rang out from atop the walls, and Continental troops scattered and became lost in the fray. Attempting to pass a blockade, Arnold was badly wounded and was carried away from battle. General Daniel Morgan would take command and would subsequently be captured by the British not long after.

            In the end, around 50 Americans would be killed and another nearly 400 would be captured. Only five Redcoats were killed. Arnold would barely make it out alive, and would never truly heal the injury from a ricocheted musket ball nor the resentment he held following his grueling march north to monumental defeat.

            Washington would not know the status of this battle for some time, as the world entered 1776 and America’s hopes of annexing Canada as a “Fourteenth Colony” were gone.

            On January 4, 1776, Washington writes from Cambridge to John Hancock and the Continental Congress assuring an attack on Boston “shall be attempted to be put in execution.” He would add, “It is not in the pages of history perhaps, to furnish a case like ours; to maintain a post within musket shot of the enemy for six months together.” Still not knowing of the fate of Quebec, he says victories there and in Boston would be “the most fortunate event of my whole life.”

            On January 5, due to an unforeseen rise in temperatures, Colonel Henry Knox informs Washington he will not be able to cross the Hudson River with his artillery until the river refreezes. He says he will likely have to wait eight or nine days.

            On January 6, Washington writes to Governor of Rhode Island Nicholas Cooke. He begins by thanking Cooke for much-needed supply deliveries. He then says, “I am told [British] Captain Wallace’s ships have been supplied for some time with provisions by the Town of Newport.” The Newport-ruling Town Council had come to an agreement with Britain to avoid being captured, while the town’s wealthy merchants also profit off the war. Washington states the repair of relations between Great Britain and America is impossible, and Newport must cease any correspondence and cooperation with the enemy.

This Week in Revolutionary War History

By Sam Bishop

Minor Earthquake Hits Mattapoisett

on

On the night of Wednesday, January 8, a magnitude 1.8 earthquake was felt by many of those in the Tri-Town, especially Mattapoisett. No damage was reported following the incident.

            According to the United States Geological Survey, a government agency under the Department of the Interior, the earthquake shook the ground a couple seconds after 9:11 pm. The USGS actually estimates the epicenter of the quake was just over the line in Acushnet (41.672°N, 70.869°W), though the closest center of population was Mattapoisett.

            The quake luckily wasn’t powerful enough to do real damage but was still enough to rattle around some household objects and wake up those that were asleep. Even though it wasn’t too mighty, it was still clocked by many around the South Coast, with even some saying they felt tremors in Spencer, MA, about 70 miles away. The closest major station that monitors seismic activity in the area is the Adam Dziewonski Observatory in Harvard, MA.

            A few hours before, there was a slightly more powerful magnitude 1.9 quake near East Haddam in central Connecticut, about 85 miles west of Mattapoisett.

            Earthquakes of this nature hitting New England are rare but not all that unlikely. The last major earthquake recorded in Massachusetts was the Cape Ann Earthquake of November 18, 1755. It was a magnitude 5.8~ (measuring accurately wasn’t entirely possible yet) and there is still much speculation as to its origin, with some claiming it to be a ripple effect from another earthquake in Portugal.

            We sit nowhere near a plate’s fault line; thus, the nature of these quakes is different from those of the Ring of Fire around the Pacific or the eastern Indian Ocean. Most likely, according to geologists, these minor New England quakes are caused either by the settling of the crust after the formation of the Appalachian Mountains or by “post-glacial rebound,” or the land still rising from the removal of the weight of Ice Age-era glaciers a few millennia ago.

By Sam Bishop

Academic Achievements

on

Stephen Sauerbrey of Marion has been named to Southern New Hampshire University’s Fall 2025 Dean’s List. The fall terms run from September to December.

Beavers – More than Soft Fur and Flat Tails

on

Join the Marion Natural History Museum on January 30 at 6:00 pm when we welcome Wildlife Biologist Steven Wright of Massachusetts Fisheries and Wildlife to learn about these fascinating animals.

            American Indians called the beaver the “sacred center” of the land because this species creates such rich, watery habitat for other mammals, fish, turtles, frogs, birds and ducks. We now know that beaver damming provides essential natural services for people too.

            Beavers prefer to dam streams in shallow valleys, where the flooded area becomes productive wetlands. These cradles of life support biodiversity that rivals tropical rain forests. Almost half of endangered and threatened species in North America rely upon wetlands. Freshwater wetlands have been rated as the world’s most valuable land-based ecosystem.

            Beavers reliably and economically maintain wetlands that sponge up floodwater, alleviate droughts and floods (because their dams keep water on the land longer), lesson erosion, raise the water table and act as the “earth’s kidneys” to purify water.

            Please register for this fascinating program about one of our most ambitious mammals at www.marionmuseum.org.

From the Files of Rochester Historical Society

on

As this very cold and somewhat snowy spell of weather is due to alleviate, with temperatures expected in the 40’s soon, I was thinking about snow removal back in the day. Of course, for quite a long time, most area roads were dirt or gravel rather than paved, so dealing with snow was different and less imperative since many just switched over to horse drawn sleighs like in “Jingle Bells.”

            The 1871-72 “Report of the Selectman of Rochester on the Financial Affairs of the Town (today’s town report) has a short list of men hired to clear snow. The ten men were paid various sums with George Alley ($19.70), Consider Smith ($21.55) and Charles H. Haskins ($12.20) being paid the most. The others were paid anywhere from $3.60-$ 7.60 with the total expenditure of $88.94. In 1893-94, even less money was spent with $32.55 split among 3 men: Richard W. Clark, J. G. B. Sherman and Ira D. Fuller.

            By 1906, the reports showed an actual snow account although the money spent was only $57.85 and 32 men were paid out of that sum. Three years later, the snow budget was increased to $464.18. This coincides with mentions of stone roads.

            In the 1920’s, the town was still paying for teams (horses) that were clearing snow. My favorite reference is Mrs. Annie Hartley paid $138.63 for gravel, lumber, team and auto in 1918. I’m sure Great Grandma’s sons were the ones doing the work.

            Looking through the 1942 Record of the Town Officers of Rochester, MA (no, I haven’t looked through all of them) snow plowing payments are broken up by who did it and their hourly rate. There is also money paid for the welding of snowplow points and for snow fences. The Taking Down and Putting Up of snow fences cost the town $ 182.62. In addition, there were costs associated with the purchasing of fences at $.10 per foot for 130 feet, posts, as well as the transport of materials by truck and train.

            In his papers, L.C. Humphrey mentions winter snow. He says that in colonial times and for many years later, roads ran along fields that were fenced with hedgerows growing along them. This, in effect, created walls that kept much of the snowfall off the roads. As roads were paved, these were removed and snow piled up on the roads. That was when the town started investing in snow fences.

            Humphrey also recalled pre-plow storms when large rollers pulled by horses and oxen would press down the snow wide enough for two sleds or sleighs. The rolled paths were always double wide and had turnouts. With increased automobile ownership and paved roads, “motor driven” snowplows became the standard.

            After a series of mild years, it will be interesting to see how 2025-2026 will measure up. Certainly, it will be significantly more than 19444’s $792.68.

By Connie Eshbach

Green Thoughts for 2026

on

            Snow is a good medium for the birth of a new year. All that whiteness blots out the past, and a virtual blank canvas awaits. We look for clarity and sharpness, and the possibilities that the new year may offer.

            As with every new year, 2026 brings new priorities. Children grow up and out, careers expand and contract, and we continue to reinterpret ourselves. This ebb and flow of life has shaped the years leading up to the present. But one thing that to me remains constant outside the warmth of the home is the garden, frozen in temperature and time. But not for long. We comfort ourselves that spring will bring daffodils and the returning robins will be pulling worms from the ground. From then on, it’s one prolonged rebirth.

            So, with this cycle comes my annual rite of resolution-making. After reading through the old promises – some held to and some not, I’m inclined to think with renewed optimism – here’s another chance! My mission this year includes:

            Raising eco-consciousness: I am excited about raising awareness (my own as well as readers’) when it comes to protecting our environment. I take an interest in numerous groups from the Sierra Club to Friends of the Earth to World Wildlife Fund to EWG (Environmental Working Group), among others. My aim is to learn about threats to health and the environment and to find solutions. Green is perhaps an overused word today, but the concept still needs selling.

            Covering all terrains: Part of my self-discovery of late is realizing I can succeed in garden projects I once found daunting, if not impossible. I recently undertook a project to outfit a home in the tropics (not mine) with plants suitable for the place and the occupants. It was an amazing undertaking and with my husband’s prodding, I accomplished the task, pretty much single-handedly. Now if I can do that, I can grow my own Globe artichokes!

            Purging the shed overload: The shed, the shed, my kingdom for a tidy shed! It’s not a new plea, but the battle goes on. I must expunge unnecessary things from the garden shed, such as materials that have outlived their use – chemicals that have illegible packaging and broken hoses and such. My fear is that the minute I get rid of that scrap chicken wire, I will have a need for it.

            Taking notes: Keeping a garden journal is a task that I actually look forward to, yet one I haven’t done with consistency. My excuse – a lame one – is that I am usually busy writing this, but truly there are many things that compete for my time. I’ve been slightly more attentive with the camera – but too often this is also done on the fly. Realizing this resolve may require slowing down in general.

            Bee hiving: I’m persevering in this challenging hobby. My dad was a beekeeper so maybe I’ve got some hereditary flair for it. This is an area I like very much to learn more about – even though I’ve been attempting it for a decade. I have a hive at a farm in Fairhaven and, as of this year, put one at my parents’ home in Norfolk County. It will be interesting to contrast the two hives and the honey produced. To be productive, bees must have access to a succession of nectar and pollen plants from early spring to late fall.

            Expansion (groan from my husband): I liken myself to Napoleon when it comes to expanding my gardens. Lawns that stand in the way will be divided and conquered. I have a campaign to convert a long portion against a hedge into gardens. One part is in semi-shade and has white ponds in the upper story. The other is open and sunny and leads out to my greenhouse. I emulate Scandinavian gardens and would like to incorporate a section that is natural woodland made up of evergreens and birches.

            Writing on and on: Over the years as a writer, I’ve tested a variety of formats, ranging from travelogue to interview to feature to journal to reportorial. And that is how I hope to keep it: the proverbial box of chocolates, a little variety and mystery to bite into each week. As a former English major who disdained writing, I must admit it’s my oxygen now. It sounds strange to my own ears, but I look forward to this weekly column.

            Whatever your garden plans and dreams are, I hope you achieve them this year. Don’t forget to enjoy your labor in the garden. As the Bard wrote in Troilus and Cressida, “Things won are done; joy’s soul lies in the doing.”

            “The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” – Marcel Proust

The Seaside Gardener

By Laura McLean

Townhouse Project Drainage Approved

on

            Rochester’s Conservation Commission on Tuesday approved Steen Realty and Development’s amended Order of Conditions for 22 Cranberry Highway that improves the project’s drainage plan.

            It is the site of a plan for a townhouse development and a 68-unit, age 55-and-over, senior-living apartment building within Rochester Crossroads. Project representative Joseph Sanda explained the development’s underground water discharge system has been redesigned in the northern area of the townhouse section to be less intrusive and less impactful than seen in its original design. “It will discharge stormwater further from the wetlands there,” he said.

            Chair Christopher Gerrior asked whether this means the dumpster in the original plan had been moved. Sanda said, “yes.” Gerrior then noted this redesign would mean less water going to wetlands in the only corner of the property under the ConCom’s jurisdiction. The approval vote that followed was quick and unanimous.

            The plan here includes an apartment building with 68 units for residents age 55-and-up on a 24,000-square-foot lot that would include a full septic system, a drainage network, and underground utilities.

            In other business during the quick meeting, the commission reported the Notice of Intent application to construct at 0 Robinson Road a single-family home with associated grading within the 200-foot riparian zone of a perennial stream has been withdrawn.

            The next Rochester Conservation Commission meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 20, at 7:00 pm at Town Hall, 1 Constitution Way.

Rochester Conservation Commission

By Michael J. DeCicco

Venezuela

on

Dear Editor,

            The recent strikes against Venezuela set a troubling precedent. When powerful nations choose to intervene abroad, whether through military force, covert operations, or economic pressure, they often leave behind fractured societies, weakened institutions, and enduring instability. Those who initiate these actions walk away unscathed, but the resulting destabilization represents a moral debt that must be addressed.

            Imagine a neighbor who smashes your fence and then insists it’s your problem to fix. On the global stage, this is how powerful nations behave when they destabilize countries and abandon them. The principle should be simple: you break it, you fix it. Yet international politics routinely allows the strongest actors to evade accountability, leaving ordinary people to carry the cost.

            Destabilization means children growing up in refugee camps instead of classrooms. It means families facing hunger as supply chains collapse. It means communities torn apart by violence. To abandon this man-made devastation in Venezuela is not merely negligence; it is complicity in suffering.

            Responsibility for this harm requires several concrete steps. First, acknowledgment of harm: our nation must openly admit its role in destabilization, because silence signals denial, and denial deepens wounds. Second, restorative action: funding reconstruction, supporting displaced populations, and investing in long-term stability. Third, respect for sovereignty: recovery must strengthen local institutions rather than impose puppet leadership or exploitative economic arrangements. Fourth, justice mechanisms: truth commissions, reparations, and international accountability are not optional ideals; they are essential tools for healing.

            Governments rarely volunteer to accept such responsibility. Instead, they move on to the next geopolitical contest. That is why civic voices matter. Citizens must demand accountability and insist that foreign policy is not a game of power but a matter of human lives. Destabilization is not a strategy; it is a wound, and wounds require care.

            Unless citizens demand accountability, the cycle of intervention and abandonment will persist, causing the world’s most vulnerable to suffer the consequences.

            Finally, if the U.S. entered Venezuela solely to arrest a criminal defendant, a goal already achieved, why is it necessary to remain and manage the country when Executive Vice President Delcy Rodríguez is next in line for leadership?

Eileen J. Marum, Marion

The views expressed in the “Letters to the Editor” column are not necessarily those of The Wanderer, its staff or advertisers. The Wanderer will gladly accept any and all correspondence relating to timely and pertinent issues in the great Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester area, provided they include the author’s name, address and phone number for verification. We cannot publish anonymous, unsigned or unconfirmed submissions. The Wanderer reserves the right to edit, condense and otherwise alter submissions for purposes of clarity and/or spacing considerations. The Wanderer may choose to not run letters that thank businesses, and The Wanderer has the right to edit letters to omit business names. The Wanderer also reserves the right to deny publication of any submitted correspondence. All letters must be typed and submitted directly to: news@wanderer.com.

Upcoming Events at the Elizabeth Taber Library

on

The first meeting of our kids creative writing club is Monday, January 12. Kids grades 1-6 are invited to join us to learn more about writing and practice their library skills. The club meets the second and fourth Monday of the month. Register online.

            The Library is partnering with the Marion Art Center to offer a three-week course on Exploring Picture Book Illustrations for adults. The class meets on Tuesdays at 5:30 pm, starting on Tuesday, January 13. Learn more and register online marionartcenter.org

            The Library is excited to bring Rickrack the Clown to the Library as a Red Nose Reader on Saturday, January 17 at 11 am. Listen to a story and watch Rickrack put on her clown makeup. This program is for kids of all ages – no registration required.

            For more information on the Elizabeth Taber Library visit us at www.ElizabethTaberLibrary.org or email the library at ETLibrary@sailsinc.org. 8 Spring Street Marion, MA 02738. 508-748-1252.

Thoughts on… Looking For Good News While Looking Back

on

            Well, another year has whizzed by. It seems as though we were just anticipating Memorial Day, the official start of summer soon to be followed by the Fourth of July, fireworks, the road race, ice cream at the “Slip” (new owners next year), and a long hot summer. It all goes by so fast.

            This year I resolve to write only good news. No Town Hall controversies. No local politics. Definitely nothing about those folks down in Washington pretending to govern. Especially nothing about the current tenant in the Peoples’ House and his grand ballroom, triumphal arch or gold décor that he says we don’t have to pay for. Nope, none of that. Only good news. Yup, just good news.

            So, have you looked at your property tax bill yet? Wow! Oops, that resolution didn’t last long.

            I long for the days when our little village was just a rest stop on the way to the Cape. A simpler time when us “Townies” could take advantage of small-town corruption and rely on bribery to lesson our tax burden. You could “pay off” an Assessor, who was likely your neighbor, to make a slight adjustment to your tax bill, with a basket of tomatoes from your garden.

            A friend of mine is an Assessor. His garden is a lot bigger than mine. Last year he gave me a nice bunch of kale. It was delicious. He can keep his kale next year!

            Okay, enough of this kvetching. I am sure dear readers that you are tired from the holidays. All that shopping, wrapping, travel and visiting relatives must be stressful. Therefore, I feel obliged to update you on important information you may have missed during all of the end-of-year festivities.

            Down in Florida where it is warm, a woman homeowner is facing over $165,000 in fines for parking her car on her own lawn. Apparently, the city of Lantana does not allow on-street parking, so since there are four family members living at her address, each with a car, she has been parking her car with two tires on her grass. She has been committing this dastardly deed of parking on an “unapproved surface/grass/walkway” since 2019.

            The city also assessed her additional fines totaling $16,125 for “cracks in the sidewalk” and another $47,375 for failure to fix her fence in a timely fashion while she was waiting for an insurance claim. The fence was blown down in a “major storm”. To add insult to injury, after numerous appeals, the Florida Supreme Court declined to hear her case.

            Closer to home, USA Today notes that a sleep scientist (who will remain nameless) at a hospital in Boston has suggested that sleeping in the nude can “reduce distractions from twisting or shifting fabrics” but can be “uncomfortable for some people.” Ya think!

            Moving on… A Swedish musician has trained an octopus to play piano. Mattias Krantz searched high and low for an animal to teach to play the piano. Krantz found one while browsing a seafood market. He named the mollusk Takoyaki, or Tako for short.

            He built an underwater keyboard and began to place bits of crab on the appropriate keys. Before long Tako realized if he snapped up a bit of crab with one of his eight legs…well you get it. Sure enough, eventually, along with Krantz accompanying him on Guitar, he was able to play the tune “Baby Shark.” You can’t make this stuff up.

            Speaking of intelligence, NBC reports that there is wide concern that spending too much time on X (formerly known as Twitter) and watching TikTok videos and Instagram Reels may be reshaping the brain. The condition is known as “brain rot.” Research has suggested that these activities may cause “attention problems, memory disruption, and cognitive decline.” Well, that may explain a lot of what is happening in Washington.

            And finally, out in San Francisco a woman gave birth in the back seat of a self-driving “Waymo” taxi. The taxi company’s computers, detecting “unusual activity” in the back seat, called to check on her and directed the cab to the nearest hospital. Mother and child arrived safely at the hospital. According to Waymo’s spokesperson, the vehicle “has been removed from service for cleaning.”

            Now that’s good news.

            Mattapoisett resident Dick Morgado is an artist and happily retired writer. His newspaper columns appeared for many years in daily newspapers around Boston.

By Dick Morgado