The March storms yanked my gaze seaward to Egg Rock and the huge waves exploding against its hard flanks. I’m always struck by the stark photographs of buildings on the Rock. It’s hard to imagine spending even a day out there in bad weather. Did people actually live on Egg Rock? Don’t ask me.
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A dive into the archives turned up stories about bygone days when early airplanes landed in Lynn and surrounding communities. Seaplanes once set down in view of what is now Route 1 just north of Copeland Circle and the U.S. Postal Service inaugurated airmail service in the Boston area with a ceremonial landing on Lynn’s waterfront. The event was a big-enough deal to prompt local postmasters to round up their carriers for a procession down to the waterfront.
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Spring is barely hinting at its debut but I’m already thinking about the annual return of the Central Square Farmers market. The crowd of people milling around the produce stalls will be a welcome change from snow mounds and residual winter trash. By the way, what do shoppers do with those giant bundles of fronds they buy at the market? Don’t ask me.
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Lynn has changed over the decades and the names of its landmarks have also changed. Anyone know the current name for the pond that was once called Ingalls Pond? How about the modern names for water bodies formerly known as Wenuchus Lake, Wyoma Lake and Glenmere? (See below for current names)
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Speaking of names, Lynn once had the Aldworth, Burrill and O’Keefe schools, to name just a few. The Lincoln School on Gardiner Street underwent a 1992 name change to honor beloved Principal Robert Thomson’s retirement. Seven years later, the School Committee voted to change the school’s name back to Lincoln but barely a month passed before the committee compromised on the name that finally stuck: Lincoln-Thomson.
The West Lynn school has an interesting history with the city leasing it at the height of World War II to the U.S. Army Air Forces in 1943 as housing for military personnel training at General Electric. The School Committee initially hesitated to reopen the school in 1945 after the military placed it back in city hands because of the potential disruptions reopening posed for students who had settled into other schools.
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Today’s annual Good Friday procession from Lynn Common to St. Joseph’s Church is one of those amazing community-oriented events that underscore the love the participants have for their city and their faith. Lynn is a vibrant and varied faith community with towering churches and storefronts offering places to worship throughout the week.
I’m gratified to see the gradual renewal of the former Temple Anshei Sfard on South Common Street. Under the hands of dedicated Iglesia Evangelica Luz y Vida congregation members a once-neglected building is coming back to life. They have literally chipped away at the giant brick structure — and pointed and painted and poured cement — to bring a place full of local history back to life.
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(In case you were wondering: Goldfish Pond = Ingalls Pond. Flax Pond = Wenuchus Lake. Sluice Pond = Wyoma Lake. Glenmere = Floating Pond)
