George Francis Marlowe (1877 – 1955) was born in Norwood, England on March 30, 1877. During his childhood, the family moved to Worcester, Massachusetts. After graduating from Worcester High School, George attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge where he studied architecture, drawing and painting.
George F. Marlowe. FHC Collection. 2002.742
On July 28, 1909, George married Diantha Williams Horne (1879-1966), a children’s book illustrator from Framingham, Massachusetts. The couple moved into a home designed by George at 198 Maynard Road, and called the English garden style house “Little Maynard”. The house is still standing there today.
Early in his career, he worked for two Boston architectural firms, Peabody and Stearns, and Andres, Jacques, and Rantoul. It was during this period that he designed two buildings for Wellesley College: Hallowell House and Horton House.
In 1922, Marlowe was hired by Babson Institute (Babson College today). While an employee of Babson, he designed ten buildings for the campus. After Park Manor, the last of the ten, was completed in 1930, he resigned from the college and went to work full time in a private architectural firm which he had established in 1928. Between 1928 and 1938, he worked on many projects including several local ones: St. Andrew’s Church, the expansion of Framingham High School (Union Avenue), the Edgell Memorial Library (Edgell Road) in Framingham, and the Walnut School in Natick.
Sketch of “Little Maynard” by Marlowe from the Framingham History Center collection. 2003.389
Marlowe was involved in many local organizations. In addition to being a member of the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, The Boston Society of Architects, and the American Institute of Architects, he was also a member and president (1932-1942) of the Framingham Historical and Natural History Society and a trustee for the Edgell Memorial Library.
In the 1940s and 1950s, Marlowe authored several books on the cultural history of New England. In them, he highlighted the churches, inns, villages, and roads throughout the region. He illustrated these with pencil sketches and photographs taken during his travels.
George F. Marlowe died on April 30, 1955 and is buried in the Edgell Grove Cemetery in Framingham Centre.
Bibliography
Marlowe, Diantha Williams Horne. Dedication in Devoted Memory of George Francis Marlowe, 1877- 1955. Privately printed. State Historical Company, 1957.
Rybnikar, R. C. “George Francis Marlowe, Jr.” Babson College History, Blog Spot. 21 July 2009. http://babsonhistory.blogspot.com/2009/07/george-francis-marlowe-jr.html Accessed 05 Apr. 2017.
After completing his second year of high school, Richard Henry Long (1865 – 1957) already knew what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. By this time, he had begun his career as a businessman in his father’s shoe manufacturing firm in Braintree, MA. At the age of twenty-four, he took over running the company. Long made a lasting impact on the industry as he instituted the use of employee time cards. He explained to his workers that by keeping track of their time (the cost of labor) he could accurately figure out the actual cost of the shoes. Under his leadership, the business grew so much that Long had to find a larger factory building. In 1895, he moved the company to Belchertown in western Massachusetts and renamed it the R. H. Long Shoe Manufacturing Company. The demand for their Traveler and Waldorf shoes was so great that soon Long had to once again find a larger building for the company. In 1902, on a train ride through Framingham, he noticed a building for rent. He got off the train at the next stop and walked back to look at it, and ended up signing a five year lease. With his company now in Framingham, he rented a home only a couple of miles away from his new factory on Newton Place and got to work growing his business even more.
When the Long family grew to five children, R. H. purchased a much larger home, the Nevins Estate, which was located on 325 acres between Farm Pond, Reservoir No. 2, and the railroad. In 1910, he built a five story modern factory building which featured large windows for better lighting and ventilation, a cafeteria that offered good food at reasonable prices, and a first-aid room staffed by nurses on this land. This building, now known as the Bancroft Lofts located at 59 Fountain Street, was renovated in 2018 as an apartment complex.
During World War I, Long decided to change the focus of his business. He retooled his shoe factory to make canvas and leather products which were in high demand for the British and American armies. Business was very good and once again the company needed more factory space, so he bought the Bela Body Co., which built automobile bodies. Just a few months after he bought this business, the war ended and the government cancelled all their orders for the canvas and leather army supplies-so Long now found himself in the automobile business!
The Nevins Estate, on Winter Street, purchased by R.H Long. Picture from FHC Collection. 2001.69.3
Besides being a successful businessman, R. H. Long was also active in Massachusetts politics. He was the Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor in 1912, but lost the election. In 1918 and 1919, he again ran for public office, but this time for the governorship. He lost both elections to his Republican opponent, Calvin Coolidge.
Tragedy struck the Long Family in 1920. His wife, Mabel died on July tenth in a plane crash while on a sightseeing flight over the Hampton and Salisbury beach area of New Hampshire. To keep busy, Long threw himself into a new business venture.
In the Bela Body factory on Clark Street in Framingham and in a new factory he built in Worcester, Long began making his own line of cars which he called the Bay State. He set out to make a high quality car with the looks and performance of a luxury car that sold for an affordable price. He made only two models: one with a six cylinder engine and the second with an eight cylinder engine. They were available in different body styles, ranging from a two seater roadster to a seven passenger sedan. During the four years the company was in business, only about four thousand Bay State automobiles were produced.
A Bay State automobile in Framingham Centre. Photograph from the FHC collection.
The end of the Bay State Auto Company did not end R. H. Long’s involvement with automobiles. His next business move was to open a car dealership. In 1927, he began selling Cadillacs out of an old shoe factory building on Waverly Street in South Framingham. Business was so good, that he was soon selling GMC vehicles and Pontiacs alongside the Cadillacs.
In 1927, R. H. Long turned the management of the dealership over to his son Charles who had just graduated from Harvard, but R.H. was far from retirement! He continued to work at the dealership until he was in his eighties. He passed away on April 16, 1957 at the age of ninety-one. His company is still in the business of selling Cadillacs today. It is known as the Long Auto Group and is headquartered in Southborough, Massachusetts.
Bibliography
Berkowitz, Rebecca. “R. H. Long, Automobiles and Historic Framingham.” Framingham Patch, 13 July 2011. https://patch.com/massachusetts/framingham/rh-long-automobiles-and-historic-framingham. Accessed 3 May 2017.
“Cadillac’s Marathon Man.” Cadillac Insider Magazine. May/June 1991. Long Automotive Group, 2017. https://www.longauto.com/cadillac-s-marathon-man. Accessed 14 May 2017.
Cegelis Sylvia. “The “Bay State’ Returns.” The South Middlesex News, 14 June 1975. Long Auto Group 2017. www.longauto.com/the-bay-state-returns. Accessed 14 May 2017.
Long, Charles F. Sr. A Family History: Long, White, Fernald, Bradshaw. Vanguard Communications, 1990.
“The Long Story.” Long Automotive Group, 2017. www.longauto.com/the-long-story. Accessed 7 May 2107.
“Richard H. Long marries his typist.” The New York Times, 19 July 1921. https://www.Ancestry.com/mediauiviewer/tree/1793022/person/556723561/Medi/2b9a58c4-5fae-4fde-9528-901c821a9eb8. Accessed 01 June 2017.
Theobald, Mark. “Bela Body Co.” Coachbuilt, 2004. http://www.coachbuilt.com/bui/b/bela/bela.htm. Accessed 14 May 2017.
Meta Warrick Fuller (1877 – 1968) is an important figure for a wide array of people. As a female artist of color, she broke down gender and racial barriers despite adversity and discrimination. Born in Philadelphia in 1877, Meta’s father was a barber who would go on to become a successful caterer, and her mother was a successful beautician with many upper class clients. Meta was exposed to art from a young age as she took dancing lessons and frequently went to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Her talents were evident early on and she won a three year scholarship to the Pennsylvania Museum School of Industrial Art. Afterwards she went on to two years of post graduate study in Paris starting in 1899, after convincing her worried yet supportive parents it was the right thing for her to do.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller
While in Paris, she visited the famed sculptor Auguste Rodin, known best for his piece The Thinker. Rodin praised Meta’s sculptures and she was able to sell some of her work, bringing her the notoriety and the money she needed to keep working. She would also meet another friend in Paris, William E.B. DuBois, an influential Black author, historian and civil rights activist. He would later come visit her in her Framingham home.
Meta returned to Philadelphia in 1902 and exhibited her work at prestigious institutions. She accepted a U. S. government commission to create dioramas illustrating events in African-American history for the Jamestown Tercentennial Exposition, yet she was snubbed by the local artist community because of her race and gender. In 1910, she lost her tools and sixteen years worth of paintings and sculpture in a Philadelphia warehouse fire. By the 1920s Meta had met and married Dr. Solomon Carter Fuller, a leading psychiatrist who would also come to be known for his work with Alzheimer’s Disease. The couple bought a house on Warren Road in Framingham and had three children. Their home would be a lively part of the community as many prominent people of color came to visit, including the Prince of Siam.
“Story Time” sculpture by Meta in the Children’s Room at the Framingham Public Library. Photograph by Julia Lugina.
Overcoming prejudice and the expectation that she would give up her career to raise her children, Meta continued to work on her art. Her sculptures are very diverse – some have religious themes, deal with slavery and prejudice, or depict death, grief and sorrow. Others draw on the music and folk tales of her African ancestry for inspiration. Meta was heavily involved with St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church and helped to organize the Framingham Dramatic Society. She would dance, direct, produce, and make costumes for various productions. Meta wrote poetry that reflected her life, and passed away in 1968 at the age of 91. Despite being faced with sexism and racism , Meta’s genius shone throughout her life and work as she carried herself with pride and dignity that is evident in her timeless pieces of art which are now displayed in various places around the U.S.
“Emancipation” by Meta, 1913. This sculpture was made to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, and stands at the Harriet Tubman park in Boston, MA.
Bibliography
Ater, Renee, “Making History; Meta Warrick Fuller’s “Ethiopia.”” American Art, vol 17, no. 3, 2003, pp. 12-31. Academia http://www.academia.edu/26577999/Making_History_Meta_Warrick_Fullers_Ethiopia_
Ater, Renee. Remaking Race and History: The Sculpture of Meta Warrick Fuller. University of California, Berkley, 2011.
Herring, Stephen W., Framingham: An American Town. The Framingham Historical Society, 2000.
Hirschler, Erica E. Studio of Her Own: Woman Artists in Boston, 1870-1940. Boston Museum of Fine Arts, 2001.
An Independent Woman. The Life and Art of Meta Warrick Fuller (1877-1968). Danforth Museum of Art, 1984. Accessed 6 Apr. 2017. offile:///C:/Users/janew/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/IE/E1IIJYW0/meta_fuller_catalog_1984-5.pdf
Koontz, Shonnette, A Collection of the Life and Work of Meta Vaux Fuller, 1877-1968. Institute West Virginia, 2003.
Patton, Sharon E. African American Art. Oxford University Press, 1998.
Since the town of Framingham was incorporated in 1700, there have been a select group of individuals who have dedicated their lives to the service of the community. There was Maynard in the eighteenth century; Simpson in the nineteenth century, and Callahan in the early twentieth century. The later half of the twentieth century gave the town Anthony “Tony” M. Colonna, Sr. (1916-2001).
Anthony M. Colonna, c1970. From the Framingham History Center Collection. 2001.38.
Tony Colonna was the seventh of thirteen children born to Italian immigrants, Michael and Josephine (Luongo) Colonna. The Colonnas lived in the North End of Boston on Endicott Street. This is where Tony spent his early years. Eventually, the family moved to Framingham settling on Hillside Street in Saxonville. Michael secured work as a machine operator at the Dennison Mfg. Co. While matriculating at Framingham High School, Tony was a member of the Football Team, Radio Club, Aero Club, Athletic Club, and he also played intramural basketball. After his graduation in 1935, he attended the University of New Mexico. It was there that he met his future wife, Dorothy Ann Murray (1921-2010). Dorothy and Tony were married in her hometown of Hobbs, New Mexico on October 27, 1940.
Shortly after the wedding, Dorothy and Tony made their way back to Framingham. Over the years, they resided at a variety of locations in town, including Hillside Street, Main Street, Winter Street, and finally Warren Road. Tony worked as a truck driver. With his brother Armando, he founded Colonna Brothers, Inc., a construction company which specialized in the installation of water and sewer pipes, drainage systems and road work. The company worked on many projects headed by Farese and Livioli, including the Pheasant Hill development. It was a true family business with Tony serving as President, and Dorothy as Treasurer. The Colonna’s were blessed with three children: Anthony M., Jr., Judith A. , and James Patrick.
It was during the 1950s that Tony began his involvement in town affairs by working on several municipal boards. In the course of his public career, he served on two charter commissions and Framingham’s Board of Public Works among others. He was elected chairman thirty-one times during his five decades on the Board of Public Works. From this position he oversaw the modernization and expansion of the water and sewer systems which opened up large areas of the town for development. Tony was pro-business and worked hard to secure two exits from the new Massachusetts Turnpike for Framingham. This convenient access to the area helped fuel tremendous economic growth for the town. Drawing people from all over, “The Golden Triangle,” the area located between Route 9, Route 30 and Speen Street, developed into a regional retail and business mecca. Tony oversaw the widening of Route 30 to accommodate the increase in traffic this development created.
Tony was a man of the people, an old-time politician who never forgot his roots. He was hard working and compassionate. He helped ordinary citizens with ordinary problems. If there was a problem with a pot hole or a drain, Tony would be sure to get it fixed.
However, not everything that Tony touched turned to gold. When the General Motors Assembly plant wanted to expand and needed land, Tony opposed the plan. When the town refused to sell the land, GM sought the help of the Dukakis administration, which took it by eminent domain. Tony, a member of the Public Works Commission, opposed the move and saw it as a land grab by GM. Tony used his political clout in town to delay this expansion. Without the new paint and plastics factory, GM closed its Framingham operation on August 1,1989, and the town lost its largest employer.
In 1954, Tony became involved in state politics. He was elected to the State Legislature as a representative from Framingham. He held this seat for five terms. In 1962, Tony turned his eyes on the State House, but was unsuccessful in his bid for the Democratic nomination for Lieutenant Governor.
After this defeat, Tony turned his attention back to his hometown. In 1963, he gave up his construction business when Governor Endicott Peabody appointed him to the position of clerk magistrate of the Framingham District Court, a position he held until the year 2000. During his tenure as clerk magistrate, Tony worked hard to improve the Framingham court. He modernized the record keeping system, introduced innovative programs to fight for substance abuse, domestic abuse, and juvenile crime. Tony was placed on administrative leave from this position in November 2000 after he allegedly attacked a female court clerk. After hearing the testimony in the case, Judge Katheleen E. Coffey, first justice of the West Roxbury District Court, declared Tony mentally incompetent to stand trial (Rowland).
In addition to his public service, Tony belonged to several social and professional societies. He was a member of the Columbus Society, the Framingham Elks, the Massachusetts Clerk Magistrate Association, and the Massachusetts Police Association. He was also a boy scout leader. In 1981, he was honored by the Algonquin Council as Distinguished Citizen of the Year.
Tony was not all work and no play. He enjoyed golf and was a member of the International golf club in Bolton. An avid fisherman, he greatly enjoyed his time at their second home in Pocasset where he could be found angling from his boat on weekends.
To honor Tony for his lifetime of service to Framingham, the town named the Central Street Bridge that spans the Sudbury River in Saxonville, the Anthony Colonna Bridge after it was rebuilt in 1972. In 1996, the town dedicated its new public works garage on Western Avenue in his honor.
Plaque on the Anthony M. Colonna Bridge. Photograph by D. Buckley
Tony’s health began to fail in the late 1990s. In 1998, he underwent bypass surgery after a heart attack. Tony passed away at age 85 years on October 22, 2001, at St. Patrick’s Manor. He is buried at Edgell Grove Cemetery.
Facts
Jonathan Maynard: Revolutionary War veteran, town selectman, town clerk, postmaster, State Representative, State Senator, founding member of the Masonic Lodge in Framingham
Michael Simpson: businessman and inventor. Owned and operated textile mills in Saxonville, created parks, established a public library, built worker housing.
Raymond Callahan: editor of the Framingham News, lifelong resident of Framingham
Bibliography
“ANTHONY COLONNA, PUBLIC SERVANT; 85: THIRD EDITION].” Boston Globe, Oct 28, 2001, pp. 7. ProQuest, https://search.proquest.com/docview/405410315?accountid=6253.
“ANTHONY COLONNA, 85; HELPED BUILD, GUIDE FRAMINGHAM: THIRD EDITION].” Boston Globe, Oct 24, 2001. ProQuest, https://search.proquest.com/docview/405408036?accountid=6253.
Beam, Alex. “THE TWO FACES OF TONY COLONNA: THIRD EDITION].” Boston Globe (pre-1997 Full Text), Nov 15, 1987, pp. A1. ProQuest, https://search.proquest.com/docview/294380926?accountid=6253.
Dallamora, Judith. Correspondence. Received by D. Buckley, 17 Nov. 2019.
Hayden, Irving N. and Lawrence R. Grove. Public Officers of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1959-1960. Commonwealth of Massachusetts. General Court. https://archives.lib.state.ma.us/handle/2452/43391
Helman, Scott W. “ANTHONY M. COLONNA SR. DIES AT 85 LONGTIME OFFICIAL KNOWN TO MANY AS ‘MR. FRAMINGHAM’: THIRD EDITION].” Boston Globe, Oct 24, 2001. ProQuest, https://search.proquest.com/docview/405409921?accountid=6253.
List of Male and Female Residents, April 1, 1924. Town of Framingham.
List of Residents. Apr. 1, 1926. Lakeview Press, 1926.
Manning’s Framingham, Ashland and Natick Directory. H. A. Manning Co. Years, 1939-1960.
Mirage. University of New Mexico, 1939 and 1940. https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/unm_yearbooks/
Philomath. Framingham High School, 1935.
Rowland, Christopher. “A SAD ENDING TO A LONG CAREER OF PUBLIC SERVICE JUDGE DECLARES COLONNA INCOMPETENT TO STAND TRIAL: THIRD EDITION].” Boston Globe, Feb 11, 2001, pp. 1. ProQuest, https://search.proquest.com/docview/405393080?accountid=6253.
Sereda, Michael. “Tony Colonna Dies after Life of Service.” MetroWest Daily News 23 Oct. 2001.
Josephine Collins (1879 – 1960) is best remembered as an activist fighting for woman’s right to vote. Born in 1879, she was the oldest daughter in a large Irish family that lived on Salem End Road in Framingham.
Josephine Collins. Framingham History Center collection. 2003.126
There are few details describing her early life. She grew up at a time in which women had fewer opportunities than men. Women were not able to vote, hold public office, or enter into legal contracts. They were also deprived of equal educational and employment opportunities. Although Josephine was a single woman and her opportunities were limited, she found many ways to support herself. For a time, she cared for a Rhode Island minister’s family. She also worked at Collin’s Market, a family business in Framingham Centre. While her brother, John, served in World War I, Josephine took over the management of this market.
Josephine was a successful businesswoman in her own right. She opened up a Tea Room on the corner of Pleasant Street and Belknap Road; a dry goods shop; and her own Periodical’s Shop in South Framingham’s Esty Building. In her later years, Josephine worked as a bookkeeper for Babson College.
In the mid 1800’s, women began to demand the right to vote which led to the formation of the woman’s suffrage movement. During this time, two national suffrage organizations were established, one by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and the other by Lucy Stone. These two groups eventually merged and focused their energies on a state by state campaign for woman’s voting rights. In 1916, Alice Paul established the National Woman’s Party (NWP). The newly formed NWP lobbied for the passage of an amendment to the United States Constitution for national suffrage. It was this organization that Josephine joined in 1918.
On February 24, 1919, women were called to rally on Boston Common to greet President Woodrow Wilson who was on his way to Washington D. C. from the World War I peace talks in Versailles. Josephine attended this rally which protested the President’s failure to take a stand on suffrage. The group held signs demanding the passage of the suffrage amendment. Josephine held a sign that read: “Mr. President, how long must women wait for liberty?” The police warned the women that they might be arrested if they did not disperse. Twenty-two women including Josephine were arrested and taken to the House of Detention for Women. Josephine was part of a group who refused to give the court their real names and to pay the five dollar fine. This group was then taken to the Charles Street Jail to fulfill their eight day jail sentence. Much to Josephine’s chagrin, one of her brothers paid her fine and she was released from jail before she served her full sentence, though she was not pardoned.
“Jailed for Freedom” Pin given to Josephine Collins. FHC Collections
Upon her return to Framingham, she resumed business at the dry good shop and continued to support the cause of woman’s suffrage. Unfortunately, business suffered financially due to her involvement in the suffrage movement. Many husbands prohibited their wives from frequenting her shop.
Alice Paul, the founder of the National Woman’s Party, chose to honor the women who were jailed in the Boston and the Washington D. C. suffragist rallies. A pin depicting a jail house door, which she designed, was given to each of these eighty-nine brave suffragists at the National Woman’s Party December 9, 1917 meeting in Washington, D. C. Of all the pins awarded that day, only five are known to have survived. The pins of Josephine Collins and Louise Parker Mayo are in the collection of The Framingham History Center.
The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution giving women the right to vote was ratified in August 1920. On the eighty-fifth anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment, the Town of Framingham dedicated a square to honor the two local women, Josephine Collins and Louise Parker Mayo, who fought so long and hard for its passage. Mayo-Collins Square is located at the corner of Oak Street and Edgell Road.
Mayo-Collins Square at Edgell Road and Oak Street. Photograph by D. Buckley
Facts
Josephine Collins died May 1, 1960 at Cushing Hospital
Danker, Anita C. “The Grassroots Suffragists: Josephine Collins and Louise Mayo, a study in Contrasts.” New England Journal of History, vol. 67, no. 2, Spring 2011, pp. 54-72.
The definition of a “townie” is one who spends his/her entire life in one town. Raymond Callahan (1895 – 1970) was a true “townie” and so much more. He was born on October 8, 1895 in Framingham to William and Bridget A. (Finn) Callahan, one of their eight children. He grew up in South Framingham in the area around Hollis and Eames Streets and was a graduate of the Framingham Public Schools. By 1930, he owned a home on Gilbert Street, living with his sisters, Ruth and Mildred, and his brother Edward. In 1933, he married a school teacher, Marie M. Carroll of Framingham. By 1940, Ray and Marie were residing at 125 Maple Street where they raised their family of five daughters and one son.
Callahan began his working life as a paperboy for the Framingham News. It was during his junior year at Framingham High School that he began his news writing career by reporting on school news as well as many High School athletic events. Upon his high school graduation, he joined the newspaper staff full-time.
Raymond J. Callahan. Photograph by Korday Studio from the Framingham History Center Collection. 2003.181
Callahan left the News to join the Army during World War I. He served two years with a medical unit in France and Britain. Always the reporter, Callahan contributed stories to the paper while serving abroad. When the war ended, he came home to Framingham to work full-time at the paper. By 1940, he was the paper’s City Editor, and in 1947, he was promoted to Editor-in-Chief. As a reporter, he worked 24/7. He not only covered the regular happenings in town, but also would respond at all hours to breaking news events such as fires, emergencies, and accidents.
During World War II, Callahan once again answered the call for service. This time, he stayed States side and worked for the civil defense network. With its headquarters located at Bowditch Field, Callahan spent nights working at its communications center.
Throughout his adult life, Callahan served the town of Framingham and its residents in many capacities. He was instrumental in the acquisition and development of parks and recreational facilities in Framingham. In 1917 with Dr. Edward Regan, he helped facilitate the town’s purchase of the fairgrounds, now Bowditch Field, from the South Middlesex Agricultural Society. Callahan, George Butterworth, and Nathaniel Bowditch, all members of the Parks and Recreation Board, worked to obtain Works Progress Administration (WPA) funds for the development of a grandstand, field and field house on the fairground site in 1936.
When Framingham’s 250th anniversary of incorporation came around the town turned to Callahan. He was appointed acting chair of the town’s 250th anniversary celebration committee. As chair, he oversaw the planning of activities for the week long affair concluding with a large parade to be held in 1950. Twenty years later in 1970, the town again sought out Callahan to plan its 275th anniversary celebration.
Raymond Callahan was a student of Framingham history. He was an active member of the Framingham Historical and Natural History Society and served as its president from 1948 to 1965. Many groups sought him out to be a guest speaker on all things Framingham. For many years, the School Department asked him to give a presentation on the history and traditions of Framingham to the town’s new teachers. This love of local history inspired him to begin research for an updated history of his beloved hometown. Sadly, Callahan died before he finished writing the book. After his death, his daughters gathered his writings, and had them published in a book entitled, Framingham Historical Reflections.
Callahan did not earn the name “Mr. Framingham” by being active in just a few local organizations. He also served on the Housing Authority, the original Council on Aging, Advisory Board of Framingham State College, the Athletic Advisory Council of Framingham High School, and the board of directors of South Middlesex Cooperative Bank and later as its president in 1958. He was a member of the Salvation Army’s Advisory Board, a trustee of St. Patrick’s Manor, and a clerk on the board of directors for Framingham Union Hospital. Callahan was also a charter member of the James J. McGrath American Legion Post 74, President of the Framingham Rotary Club, President of the Framingham Civic League, a member of the Framingham Lodge of Elks, active member of St. Bridget Parish, and a forty year member of the Framingham Country Club.
The day before his seventy fifth birthday, October 7, 1970, Callahan suffered a fatal heart attack at his home on Maple Street. After a funeral service at St. Bridget Church officiated by his son, Rev. Raymond J. Callahan, Jr., he was buried in Edgell Grove Cemetery in Framingham Centre.
Callahan was a man who left his mark on his hometown. Callahan State Park and Callahan Senior Center were named in his honor for all of his dedication and contributions to the town and its residents.
Facts
Siblings: Frank W. Callahan Eleanor (Nel) Callahan William Francis Callahan Ruth Callahan Sheehan Mary Lillian Callahan Mildred Callahan Edward Callahan
Parents: William Callahan, Southboro Feb. 2, 1862- – Bootmaker Bridget A. (Finn) Callahan, Framingham Feb. 20, 1864- – Straw worker
Children: Joan Gilbert, 1934?- 2016 Carol Jane Callahan, 1935- Raymond J. Callahan, S. J. 1938?-1997 Martha E. Flinter, 1939- Darragh E. Callahan, 1944-2018 Moira Minnucci
Bibliography
Ancestry.com using National Archives and Records data.
Ayer, Charles. “Framingham News Editor Raymond J. Callahan Dies.” The News, Framingham- Natick. 08 Oct. 1970 p. 1+.
Brown, Bruce R. The History of the Framingham Historical Society 1888 to 1999. Goodway Graphics, 1999.
Herring, Stephen. Framingham: An American Town. Framingham Historical Society, The Framingham Tercentennial Commission, 2000.
“Marie M. Callahan [Obituary] Legacy.com. https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/marie-callahan- obituary?pid=1649525&view=guestbook Accessed 06 June 2018.
Nathaniel Ingersoll Bowditch (1865 – 1945) is known for his successful operation of Millwood Farm and his commitment to advancing agriculture in Massachusetts. He was born in Southborough, Massachusetts where he attended St. Mark’s School. He continued his education at the Institute of Technology (M.I.T. today) when it was located in Boston. Upon graduation in 1887, he worked as an investment banker at Lee Higginson & Company in Boston. In 1890, he married Margaret Manning Choate and bought a home on Edmands Road in Framingham, around the corner from his parents’ home. The couple called their home “The Lilacs” after the many large lilac bushes in the front yard.
Nathaniel I. Bowditch. Framingham News, Nov. 12, 1946.
When his father died in 1891, Nathaniel left his job in Boston to run his father’s farm, Millwood Farm, with his brother John P. Bowditch. At the time, Millwood Farm was one of the largest farms in the state. Nathaniel had learned to farm while working with his father throughout his teen years. With their combination of practical experience and technical training, Nathaniel and John made Millwood Farm one of the most successful farms in Massachusetts. Nathaniel paid attention to the health of his cows. He tested them for tuberculosis, a lung disease, fed and exercised them regularly, gave them clean water to drink, and kept the large barns clean. The farm hands wore protective clothing and had to wash their hands before milking the cows. Once the milking was finished, the milk was immediately chilled and then bottled into sterilized bottles for shipment.
Nathaniel was not only a farmer, he was also very active in local and state agricultural organizations. He helped found the Middlesex County Extension Service and Farm Bureau in 1917, and served as its president. He was a trustee for the Massachusetts State College at Amherst (UMass Amherst today) for forty-nine years and was a member of the 4-H National Committee. As a member of the Framingham Park Commission, he helped to establish a system of parks and playgrounds throughout town. He was a trustee of Framingham Union Hospital and Vice President of the Framingham Community Chest. As the town’s Tree Warden for twenty years, he oversaw the planting and protection of trees in Framingham.
Nathaniel was also directly involved in local recreational activities. His father, E. F. Bowditch had started a private hunt club on his Millwood Farm in 1866, where horsemen could ride over fields and fences following a pack of dogs in pursuit of foxes (or a foxlike lure). When his father died, the club ceased operation. Nathaniel restarted it a few years later. Nathaniel, his brother John P., and Robert Forbes Perkins ran the club as an informal hunt club until 1922. At this time, the club was incorporated, and by 1925 it was recognized the National Steeplechase and Hunt Association. The Millwood Hunt Club was the first organized hunt club in New England. When it was disbanded in 1969, it had been in operation for 103 years.
The Lilacs, 689 Edmands Road. Photograph by M. S. Evans. FHC Collection.
In 1946, a year after Mr. Bowditch died, the town re-named the Fair Grounds on Union Avenue Bowditch Field in his honor. Framingham originally purchased Bowditch Field from the South Middlesex Agricultural Society in 1917; in 1936, the WPA (Works Progress Administration) built the grandstand, sidewalks, tennis courts and sewers at the field. In 2009, the field and facilities were renovated again. Bowditch Field is not only a place for Framingham residents to recreate and exercise, but also has been used by the Lion Tamers, a semi-pro football team (1920s), the Boston Braves, an professional baseball team (1936), the local high schools for football games and graduation ceremonies, and the Boston Renegades, a professional women’s soccer team (1997-2008).
Millwood Farm. FHC collection. 2003.304.2
Facts
Parents: Ebenezer Francis (E. F.) Bowditch and Elizabeth Fessenden (Perry) Bowditch
Nathaniel died April 4, 1945 in his home in Framingham after a long illness and is buried in the Old South Burial Ground.
The house at Millwood Farm still stands and is currently home to the Sudbury Valley School on the corner of Winch and Millwood Streets.
Siblings: Anne Redman Bowditch, 1871- ; Ebenezer Francis Bowditch, 1874-1875; Elizabeth Francis Bowditch, 1881- ; John Perry Bowditch, 1883-
Nathaniel and Margaret Bowditch did not have any children.
Bibliography
Herring, Stephen W. Framingham, an American Town. The Framingham Historical Society, The Framingham Tercentennial Commission, 2000.
Marlowe, George F. “Story of Millwood Farm.” Framingham News, 15 Apr. 1947.
“Memorial Forum to Honor Late Nathaniel I. Bowditch. “ Framingham News, 12 Nov. 1946.
“Millwood Farm.” June 1900. A newspaper clipping found in the Framingham History Center General Resource File. Newspaper not identified.
“Mr. Bowditch Died Today in His 80th Year.” Framingham Evening News, 4 Apr. 1945.
“N.I. Bowditch, 79, Scientific Farmer.” The New York Times, 4 Apr. 1945.
Pyemont, Ruth N. Memories of Millwood Hunt. Framingham Centre, 196? (on file at the Framingham History Center.
Ulrich, Ron. “Bowditch, Ebenezer Francis (5 NOV 1841-30 DEC 1891)” Welcome to the ULRICH Family Tree Links 18 May 2011, http://www.ronulrich.com/rfuged/fam02008.htm Accessed 06 June 2017.
