History | Mark Sardella

Archive for the ‘History’ Category

School’s Out Forever

01Aug14

Galvin demolition conjures ghosts of schools past Watching the big yellow CAT’s giant claw rip through the old Galvin Middle School last week, one couldn’t help but wonder – if those walls could talk, what would they say? (Besides “Get that damn machine away from me!”) They don’t build them like they used to. The […]

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Tags: Baby Boom, Boston Red Sox, Cyrus Wakefield, demolition, Galvin Middle School, General John R. Galvin, Greenwood School, Junior High School, Mark Sardella, schools, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield High School, Wakefield MA

A Fistful of Dollar Stores

18Jul14

Economic revitalization of downtown areas is usually aimed at sprucing up what’s already here through things like improved, uniform signage and dressing up storefronts as well as attracting the kinds of new businesses that reflect the quaint, warm and homey small town feel that we either remember from our childhoods or have seen on postcards […]

Filed under: Columns & Essays, History, Opinion, Politics, Wakefield | 3 Comments
Tags: 5 and 10, Dollar Store, Dollar Tree Store, downtown, F.W. Woolworth, Family Dollar, Five and Dime, Five and Ten, J.J. Newberry, Main Street, Mark Sardella, Massachusetts, retail business, stores, W.T. Grant, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA

Pleasure Island: 1959-1969

12Jul14

New book on legendary Wakefield, Massachusetts Amusement Park “It’s been highly rewarding,” says local author Bob McLaughlin of writing his second book on famed local amusement park, Pleasure Island, published this month by Arcadia. The best part, according to the affable Water Street resident, was getting “to meet a lot of people I never would […]

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Tags: amusement parks, Arcadia Publishing, Bob McLaughlin, C.V. Wood, Disneyland, Edgewater Office Park, Mar Sardella, Massachusetts, Moby Dick, Pleasure Island, Rex Trailer, Robert McLaughlin, theme parks, Three Stooges, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA, William Hawkes

A Founding Father’s Advice on Celebrating Independence Day

03Jul14

Like other secular national holidays, Independence Day brings its share of reminders of the “true meaning” of the holiday. Enjoy your three-day weekend, we’re told, but take a moment to think about why we observe the day. This seems especially appropriate on Memorial Day and Veterans Day, when we pay tribute to those who fought […]

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Tags: celebration, Fourth of July, Independence Day, John Adams, July 4th, Mark Sardella, Parade, Samuel Adams, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA

Immovable Objects

20Jun14

For the first time in living memory peddlers in Wakefield, MA are being asked to abide by the town’s regulations. But from the reaction, you’d think that instead of being asked to move 100 feet every two hours they were being forced to run the gauntlet. Contrary to popular belief, local regulations have always indicated […]

Filed under: Columns & Essays, History, News, Opinion, Politics, Wakefield | 8 Comments
Tags: Board of Appeals, Board of Selectmen, business, hawkers, hot dog, ice cream, Lake Quannapowitt, Mark Sardella, Massachusetts, peddlers, slush, transient vendors, vendor, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA, zoning

Wakefield Honors Its Fallen Heroes

28May14

Memorial Day 2014 in Wakefield, Massachusetts As sun and clouds waged a day-long battle overhead, hundreds of residents turned out yesterday for local ceremonies honoring those who gave their lives in defense of America. “The freedoms we do enjoy,” keynote speaker Victor Santaniello told the crowd at the West Side Social Club’s morning program on […]

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Tags: American Legion, Ann Santos, Anthony Velardo, Brian Falvey, Massachusetts, Memorial Day, Rep. Donald Wong, Rep. Paul Brodeur, Sen. Jason Lewis, Thomas Lyons, veterans, Victor Santaniello, Vietnam War, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA, West Side Social Club

William Martin’s talk to focus on Civil War Washington, DC

03May14

May 6 Sweetser Lecture in Wakefield, MA “As a kid, I was drawn to big stories on broad canvasses,” says historical novelist William Martin, who will be at The Savings Bank Theater on Tuesday, May 6 to deliver the final Sweetser Lecture of the season. His talk will focus on Civil War Washington as depicted […]

Filed under: Columns & Essays, Feature stories, History, Wakefield | 1 Comment
Tags: Abraham Lincoln, book, books, Boston, Civil War, D.C., fiction history, historical, Lincoln Letter, MA, Mark Sardella, novelist, Sweetser Lecture, Wakefield, Wakefield Daily Item, Washington, William Martin, writer

Honoring Veterans

12Nov13

2013 Veterans’ Day Ceremonies in Wakefield, Massachusetts “I’m a kid from Roxbury who grew up to become a soldier and a lawyer,” keynote speaker US Air Force Lt. Col. Enoch Woodhouse told the Veterans’ Day crowd assembled at the Galvin Middle School Auditorium. Yesterday’s ceremonies were presented by Wakefield’s Veterans’ Advisory Board and local American […]

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Tags: American Legion, Brian Falvey, Donald Wong, Enoch Woodhouse, Galvin Middle School, Katherine Clark, Kristina Valenza, Paul Brodeur, veterans, Veterans' Day, Wakefield Choral Society, Wakefield High School Wind Ensemble, Wakefield Massachusetts

Fire Finished Off the Old Walton Mansion

03Sep13

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] Suspicious 1940 blaze linked to union activity On the afternoon of July 18, 1940, the Wakefield Fire Department received a frantic call from the caretaker of the former Arthur G. Walton property at 108 Main St. Hans Meyer, who still lived in the caretaker’s house, reported that the old […]

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Tags: A.G. Walton, Arthur G. Walton, fire, Lake Quannapowitt, Mark Sardella, Massachusetts, Pasquale DeCristofaro, unions, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA, Walton, Walton Family

The Walton Family of Wakefield, Massachusetts

29Aug13

[Part 1 of 3] [Part 2] [Part 3] Daring payroll Robbery of Walton shoe factory compared to Sacco & Vanzetti When it comes to Wakefield’s prominent old families, chances are you’ve at least heard of the Hartshornes, the Beebes, the Wakefields and the Eatons. But what do you know about the Walton family of Wakefield, […]