Jul 31, 2023 Once cosmopolitans who thought themselves sophisticated, might have asked, “Medfield? Where’s that? What’s that?” And many of the young people living in Medfield were chagrined by the frequent snide remarks about Medfield being Deadfield or Mudfield. Times change. Gradually the transplanted city people came to recognize a bustling community after driving down […]
There Was Once a Place Called Lord’s Read More »
April 1, 2023 What was it like to be living in Medfield 70 years ago? Thanks to a donation by Jane and Warry Lomax of almost all the issues of the Medfield Enthusiast, edited by Joe Coan, we have been granted access to first-hand, and in some cases, quite personal, information on what was happening
The Medfield Enthusiast Read More »
Jan 1, 2023 My grandfather, Joe Marcionette (1901-1991) gave us memories of the way things used to be! He was an incredible man and larger than life figure. Joe was a town selectman in the 50s and 60s, and he enjoyed the office and position immensely. He also owned the Jenny gas station, now the
Joe Marcionette – Living to See Change Read More »
Oct 1, 2022 There was fear in the 1950s – of communist infiltrators, of the H-bomb, of mutations caused by radiation and of science. On the humanistic level of how people treated others, there was sometimes the loss of dignity and sensitivity. More precisely, there was a fair amount of bullying taking place either
Midcentury Medfield Memories – Fishing, etc. at Kingsbury’s Pond Read More »
Sept 1, 2022 In the last issue of The Portal, I wrote about the Palumbo family of Frairy Street. This month the focus is the Iafolla family on that street that was known as Little Italy. In the 40 years between 1880 and 1920, some 40 million Italians emigrated to the United States. Antonio Patrizio
Remembering and Celebrating the Iafollas Read More »
July 11, 2022 Welcome to Frairy Street, running from North Street, past Baker’s (Meetinghouse) Pond, underneath a small railroad bridge, through the first Italian-American neighborhood in the town of Medfield, and ending at Dale Street. Walking there a century ago you might well have seen men from the old country gathered on their front doorsteps
The Palumbo Family of Medfield Read More »
Apr 1, 2022 It might be hard for some people to imagine, with all the attention on social media, that going fishing in the waters of Medfield is still a fun adventure for the young and the young at heart. So, for a while, forget about the pandemic and let your mind float downstream! Fishing
Gone Fishing, Like You, Like Me Read More »
Feb 1, 2022 Continuing from last month, here’s some nostalgia for some of the great fads from the 1950s and 60s. Clothes, hairstyles, toys, and television shows all have their fifteen minutes of fame. The faddish 1960s turned out to be very productive years for the clothing and fashion industry. At Medfield High School
Celebrating and Remembering Some of the Fads from 1950s and 60s — Part II Read More »
Feb 1, 2022 Medfield was a center for hat making for over a century, until June 8, 1956. It reached a peak under the ownership of “Col.” Edwin V. Mitchell, who came on the scene about 1877 and retired in 1910. At one point Mitchell’s was the second-largest straw hat factory in the United
Medfield’s Hat Factory in the 20th Century Read More »
January 6, 2022 Thanks to Claire Shaw for her recent snippet about our family’s long-standing livery service. The snippet prompted the Historical Society’s David Temple to contact me about writing a deeper dive into the story of Newell’s Livery. How many small-town taxi companies, do you suppose, have ever been featured on national television?
From Hooves to Wheels: The Odyssey of a Family Business Read More »