Massachusetts Trivia & Tidbits - Page 3

Looking for Massachusetts trivia? Try our list Massachusetts little know facts, tidbits and trivia.

—The state Legislature authorized Boston to set up a public library in 1848, giving the nation its first large, publicly supported, municipal library.

first appeared: 2/10/2008

—The Guinness Book of World Records last year proclaimed the 1878 Fuller Field in Clinton (pop. 13,435) as the world’s oldest continuously used baseball field. The designation, however, is disputed by the Friends of Labatt, who say the 1877 Labatt Memorial Park in London, Ontario, can claim that distinction, despite the fact that its ball diamond was moved—but remained in the same field—because of flooding in 1883.

first appeared: 1/27/2008

—The Acushnet Co., founded in 1910 in Acushnet (pop. 10,161) but now headquartered in Fairhaven (pop. 1,480), is a giant in the world of golf equipment. Among the company’s products are golf balls, clubs, shoes, gloves and accessories sold under the brand names Titleist, Footjoy, Cobra and Pinnacle.

first appeared: 1/13/2008

—The Revere Beach Reservation—the nation’s oldest public beach—was created in 1896 when state lawmakers placed three miles of privately owned beach under the control of the Metropolitan District Commission for enjoyment by the public.

first appeared: 12/30/2007

—Construction on the Boston & Worcester Railroad began in 1832 in Boston, and three years later, the railroad reached Worcester. Nathan Hale, often called “The Father of the American Railroad,” served as its president until 1850.

first appeared: 12/2/2007

—In 1897, Boston became the first city in the nation to establish an electric underground street railway line. The railway provided service to the Boston Terminal, now known as South Station.

first appeared: 11/18/2007

—In 1693, Boston experienced an epidemic of yellow fever. For more than two centuries, the disease would be a plague to numerous American cities—usually in the summer—before it was discovered that mosquitoes transmitted the viral disease.

first appeared: 11/4/2007

—In 1697, the Massachusetts General Court expressed official repentance for the witchcraft trials that were held in Salem (pop. 40,407) in 1692. Twenty innocent people were executed before the trials were halted.

first appeared: 10/21/2007

—In 1697, Braintree (pop. 33,828) resident William Veasey was confined to the pillory, a popular form of punishment at the time, for the crime of plowing on Thanksgiving Day. Five years later, although elected to General Court, he was prohibited to serve because of his former farming crime.

first appeared: 10/7/2007

—In 1948, William Rosenberg opened a doughnut shop named “Open Kettle” in Quincy. In 1950, Rosenberg changed the name from Open Kettle to Dunkin’ Donuts, making it the first in what would become a giant chain of stores.

first appeared: 9/30/2007

—Located within Boston’s Omni Parker Hotel, The Last Hurrah bar got its name from Edwin O’Connor’s 1956 novel, The Last Hurrah, based on the city’s legendary mayor, James Michael Curley. The gathering place of novelists such as Charles Dickens and Nathaniel Hawthorne in bygone years, today the bar draws the city’s political and business figures.

first appeared: 9/9/2007

—Milford (pop. 26,799) is world famous for its unique pink granite. Discovered in the 1870s, the granite was quarried for many years to be used in the construction of museums, government buildings, monuments and even railroad stations.

first appeared: 8/26/2007

—Formed in 1881, The Bostonian Society is Boston’s historical society. Its library and museum collections date from the 1630s to the 21st century, and its exhibitions bring to life the American Revolution as well as Boston’s historic neighborhoods.

first appeared: 8/12/2007

—In 1734, Jonathan Edwards, one of the greatest Puritan theologians of his time, began preaching fiery sermons to crowds in Northampton (pop. 28,978), leading to the religious revival movement known as the Great Awakening.

first appeared: 7/29/2007

—The American Academy of Arts and Sciences was founded in 1780. For its first 60 years, the independent policy research center was housed at Harvard College, then moved to several locations before settling on Irving Street in Cambridge in 1981.

first appeared: 7/15/2007

—Balance Rock in Lanesborough (pop. 2,990) is an enormous boulder that balances upon a smaller stone below it. Located in the northeastern section of the Pittsfield State Forest, the 165-ton limestone boulder, perched on bedrock, is only 3 feet in diameter at its base.

first appeared: 7/1/2007

—The Whistler House Museum of Art in Lowell displays paintings by James Abbott McNeill Whistler, who was born in the home in 1834, as well as works by other regional artists.

first appeared: 6/17/2007

—Boston’s Back Bay was a tidal marsh when the city was founded. The marsh later was filled with sand and gravel, some of which was brought in by train to complete the project. Today, the area is renowned for its architecture, art galleries and educational institutions.

first appeared: 6/3/2007

—A recurring dream prompted Mashpee (pop. 12,946) resident Jessie Little Doe Fermino to begin reviving her native Wampanoag language nearly 15 years ago. After years of advanced linguistics studies, Fermino today teaches language four days a week. She also is developing a Wampanoag dictionary, which includes more than 10,000 entries.

first appeared: 5/28/2007

—Derby Academy in Hingham (pop. 19,882) is one of the nation’s oldest co-educational schools. Property for the school was deeded in 1784, and the academy opened in 1791. When the academy moved to new quarters in the late 1960s, the Federal-style building was bought by the Hingham Historical Society to house some of the town’s historical artifacts.

first appeared: 5/6/2007

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