Bermuda: Irish Poet Thomas Moore - St. George, St. George's Parish, Bermuda

Thomas Moore

St. George, St. George's Parish

Bermuda

N 32° 22.882 W 064° 40.570

Quick Description: 

A bust of Irish poet Thomas Moore is located in a triangular walled garden east of King's Square in St. George, Bermuda.

Long Description:

A 3' high life-size bronze bust of Irish poet Thomas Moore rests on a 3' high stone base. The curly haired poet is is shown from the mid-chest up. He is wearing a double breasted coat buttoned left over right, a neck scarf, and a bow tie. He is facing slightly to his left.

A bronze plaque on the front of the base is inscribed:

THOMAS MOORE

1779-1852

IRISH POET AND LYRIST

BYRON'S FRIEND

THAT LITTLE BAY WHERE WINDING IN

FROM OCEAN’S RUDE AND ANGRY DIN

THE BILLOWS MISSED THE SHORE, AND THEN

FLOW CALMLY TO THE DEEP AGAIN.

Poet, singer, songwriter, and entertainer Thomas Moore was born in Dublin, Ireland on May 28, 1779. He was one of the first Catholic students to graduated from Trinity College in 1795. In 1799 he traveled to London to study law but his interests were elsewhere. He became widely regarded as a poet, translator, balladeer, and singer. A collection of his works called "Moore's Melodies", were published between 1808 and 1834.

In 1803 he was appointed registrar to the Admiralty in Bermuda. He spent several months in Bermuda where he wrote several poems about the islands. He is sometimes called the unofficial poet laureate of Bermuda.

Thomas Moore is best remembered for writing the lyrics of "The Minstrel Boy" and "The Last Rose of Summer". He, together with with John Murray, was responsible for burning the memoirs of his friend Lord Byron upon Byron's death.

Bermuda: Old Rectory - St. George, George's Parish, Bermuda

Old Rectory

St. George, George's Parish

Bermuda

N 32° 22.930 W 064° 40.654

Short Description: 

The Old Rectory is located in One Broad Alley, behind St. Peter's Church, in St. George, Bermuda. It is reported to be haunted by its builder, the pirate Captain George Dew.

Long Description:

According to the website reference: Haunted Bermuda: Five Ghosts You Might Meet On The Island

As a real-life pirate of the Caribbean, Captain George Dew spent his youth doing very, very bad things: looting, pillaging, smuggling and carousing. You know, the usual pirate stuff. But by 1699, when he built his home in St. George's Parish, Dew had renounced his wicked ways and was thought of as an upstanding island citizen. The lovely little building, nicknamed the Old Rectory, is now a bed-and-breakfast and Bermuda National Trust Property, and some say you can hear the Captain's ghost playing a gentle harpsichord there. It's usually open to the public on Wednesday afternoons between November and March if you want to listen in to some lilting sounds transmitted from beyond the grave.

Old Rectory was once the home built in 1699 by a not too successful pirate and slave trader Captain George Dew. It is one of the oldest buildings in Bermuda. Drew reformed and abandoned his former careers to practice law and become a member of the Bermuda House of Assembly. The home was later the home of Bishop Alexander Richardson the rector of St. Peter's Church from 1763 to 1805; hence the modern name for the house.

The limestone structure is a typical example of Bermudian architecture. The building has multiple chimneys on both sides of the house and a short staircase that leads up to the main door. The strangest feature is the asymmetric triangular structure above the door. The property is owned and managed by Bermuda National Trust.

A blue sign on the left side of the door explains the history of the Old Rectory. It is inscribed:

Old Rectory

circa 1699

One time privateer George Dew built the

Old Rectory after an unsuccessful career on the high seas.

Reverend Alexander Richardson, rector of St. George's

in the 18th century, owned the house for many years.

-¦¦-

Privately occupied - please respect resident's rights

HERITAGE SIGN SPONSORED BY ST. GEORGE'S FOUNDATION

Link to Pirates of the Americas, Volume 1 By David Marley

Petrosomatoglyphs: Dinosaur Footprints at Wisteriahurst - Holyoke, MA

Dinosaur Footprints at Wisteriahurst

Holyoke, MA

N 42° 12.314 W 072° 37.029

Quick Description: 

The walkways surrounding the entrance to the Wisteriahurst at 238 Cabot Street in Holyoke, MA, is lined with quarried slaps containing dinosaur footprints.

Long Description:

Belle Skinner, the daughter of silk manufacturer William Skinner, paved the walkways of Wisteriahurst, the family estate, with quarried brownstone slabs that contain ripple marks and many dinosaur footprints. The slabs were obtained from quarries in the Connecticut River Valley and contain the footprints of the Eubrontes species of dinosaur.

The Skinner family owned the estate until 1959 when the youngest child of William and Sarah Skinner, Katharine Skinner Kilborne, gave Wistariahurst to the City of Holyoke for cultural and educational purposes. It is now the home of Holyoke Museum of Natural History and Art.

No sign identified the dinosaur footprints. They are intentionally left to be discovered by visitors. On occasion, the Wisteriahurst will hold special educational programs that feature these footprints.

Roadside Attraction: Dead Frog Circus - Holyoke, MA

Dead Frog Circus

Holyoke, MA

N 42° 12.302 W 072° 37.055

Short Description: 

The Dead Frog Circus is located in the carriage house visitors center of the Wisteriahurst Museum at 238 Cabot Street, Holyoke, MA.

Long Description:

This glass encased diorama was created by naturalist Burlington Schurr in 1927. It consists of a number of taxidermied frogs, and several rats and turtles positioned as circus performers and spectators. On the left is the circus frog band. The center has frogs performing acrobatic stunts, some perched on turtles and rats. On the right is an audience of frogs.

A sign at the exhibit explains the history of the frog circus.

Burlington Schurr, a naturalist, was born in Chatham, New York in 1884. After an education in the public schools in Pittsfield, MA, Schurr began his career as a naturalist with an exhibit of mounted animals for the Cleveland Public Library. He furthered his reputation by writing and lecturing on nature.

When civic leaders finalized plans for a museum on the second floor of the Holyoke Public Library, Schurr was asked to arrange the exhibits and be the museum curator. The Holyoke Museum opened February 1927 and Schurr was its curator until his death in 1951.

Under his leadership, the Holyoke Museum became a home-away-from-home for thousands of city youths wishing to learn more about wildlife and nature. Schurr used both mounted and live specimens to teach children about animals.

The Frog Circus is one of Schurr’s most popular works. Over 70 years old, it was exhibited at the opening of the Holyoke Museum in 1927, and has been viewed by thousands of curious visitors.

Open on Saturday 12:00 - 16:00 - call 413-322-5660 to confirm hours.

Carriages and Coaches: Skinner Family Carriage - Holyoke, MA

Skinner Family Carriage

Holyoke, MA

N 42° 12.302 W 072° 37.055

Short Description: 

Skinner Family Carriage has been fully restored and is now display at the carriage house of the former Skinner estate, Wisteriahurst, at at 238 Cabot Street, Holyoke, MA.

Long Description:

Wistariahurst is the former home of William Skinner, a 19th century industrialist and manufacturer of silk. The family owned the estate until 1959 when the youngest child of William and Sarah Skinner, Katharine Skinner Kilborne, gave Wistariahurst to the City of Holyoke for cultural and educational purposes.

The family carriage, built around 1870, is on display at the carriage house, which is used as a visitors center and museum. A sign on the seat of the carriage tells the story of the historic carriage. It reads:

Skinner Family Carriage Returns to Wistariahurst

WISTERIAHURST MUSEUM

The Restoration of a Holyoke Manufactured Carriage

The carriage that once belonged to the Skinner family is coming home to Wistariahurst this autumn. The horse drawn carriage (circa 1870) was manufactured by Fenton and Dunn of Holyoke, a well know and reputable carriage maker among those in New England. In a write-up of their work, it was said, “We speak advisedly when we say that this company make only the finest of work—their reputation all through the line of their patronage bears out this statement.” Wistariahurst’s archives contain several photographs taken of Skinner family members seated in carriages. The Skinner Fenton and Dunn carriage has been in storage in a barn in Granby, MA, after it was carefully repaired and restored to its original condition by Mr. William Menard. Mr. Menard received the carriage as a gift from Miss Elizabeth Skinner of South Hadley, the daughter of Joseph. The carriage was first transferred from Mr. Menard into the care of The Joseph Allen Skinner Museum of Mount Holyoke College. However, when their storage facilities changed, the carriage was then gifted to Wistariahurst Museum, to be displayed for educational purposes. The carriage remained in storage for several years while Wistariahurst Museum’s Carriage House underwent renovations. This summer, communications with the Menard family revealed that all parties were ready to return the carriage to its proper home in Holyoke. Wistariahurst is proud to house this family artifact, and it will be on permanent display in the Carriage House.

National Register of Historic Places: Wistariahurst - Holyoke, MA

Wistariahurst

Holyoke, MA

N 42° 12.314 W 072° 37.029

Short Description: 

Wistariahurst, currently the Holyoke Museum of Natural History and Art, is located at 238 Cabot Street, Holyoke, MA.

Long Description:

Wistariahurst is the former home of William Skinner, a 19th century industrialist and manufacturer of silk. The first building on the site was built about 1848 and moved from Williamsburg, MA to its present location in 1874 when Skinner relocated to Holyoke. The mansion has three sections: the three-story original section, a two-story hall attached on the west side, and a wing housing a conservatory and music room.

Skinner expanded the building into its present Second Empire style structure starting in 1874. The conservatory and music hall, designed by Clarence E. Luce of Philadelphia, were added in 1913. The present complete structure was designed by the firm of Wilson, Eyre and McIllvaine in 1927. William Skinner's wife Sarah created the gardens at Wisteriahurst. The grounds are planted with a variety of trees, and the wisteria vine along the house that gave the estate its name. The mansion, lawns, and gardens occupy three acres, an entire city block.

The family owned the estate until 1959. The youngest child of William and Sarah Skinner, Katharine Skinner Kilborne, gave Wistariahurst to the City of Holyoke for cultural and educational purposes.

Admission to the house is by guided tour only. General admission is $7 adults. Tour times are: Saturday - 12:15 pm, 1:15 pm, 2:15 pm, and 3:15 pm. Wistariahurst grounds and gardens are free and open daily from dawn until dusk.

Street address: 
238 Cabot Street
Holyoke, MA United States

County: Hampden

Year listed: 1973

Historic (Areas of) Significance: Industry; Architecture; Social History

Periods of significance: 1900-1924; 1875-1899; 1850-1874; 1825-1849; 1925-1949

Historic function: Single dwelling; Secondary structure

Current function: Museum; Music facility

Privately owned?: no

Infamous Crime Scene: Spooner Well - Brookfield, MA

Spooner Well

Brookfield, MA

N 42° 13.289 W 072° 05.687

Short Description: 

The site of the murder of Joshua Spooner is marked by a granite monument on
East Main Street in Brookfield, MA.

Long Description:

January 15, 1766 Bathsheba Ruggles, the daughter of Brigadier Geneneral Timothy Ruggles, had an arranged marriage to the prosperous farmer Joshua Spooner. In early 1778 she became pregnant by a Continental Army soldier Ezra Ross. Bathsheba convinced Ezra and two escaped British prisoners of war, Pvt. Williams Brooks and Sgt. James Buchanan, to murder her husband.

On March 1, 1778 the three men beat Joshua Spooner to death and dumped his body down the family's well. The perpetrators were soon caught and put on trial in Worcester, MA. All four were found guilty and hanged on July 2, 1788 in front of 5000 spectators. Authorities failed, or refused, to determine that Bathsheba was five months pregnant at the time. Bathsheba became the first women executed on for a crime in the United States following the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

A granite marker at the site known as Spooner Well tells the story of the murder.

SPOONER WELL

JOSHUA SPOONER MURDERED

AND THROWN DOWN THIS WELL

MARCH 1, 1778, BY THREE

REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIERS

AT THE URGING OF HIS WIFE

BATHSHEBA. 

ALL FOUR WERE 

EXECUTED AT

WORCESTER, JULY 2, 1778.