SAUGUS — Thomas Sheehan will present his personal story of “The Day We Found The Hammer” for the first fall meeting of the Saugus Historical Society on Wednesday.
This particular hammer had spent a few hundred years underground and weighed 500 pounds — the triphammer of the Saugus Ironworks.
Sheehan, 91, worked with Roland Robbins, who excavated key pieces of the original ironworks equipment. This helped establish the Saugus Ironworks National Park, a centerpiece of Saugus history today. A longtime Saugonian, Sheehan has had a significant role in this unique period of the town’s past. In the search for clues to the Ironworks, they even dug up Sheehan’s own driveway.
The writer has published 35 books and multiple works in “Literally Stories,” “Rosebud,” “Linnet’s Wings,” “Serving House Journal,” “Copperfield Review,” “Literary Orphans,” “Eastlit,” “Frontier Tales,” “Western Online,” “Literary Yard,” “Rope & Wire Western Magazine,” “Green Silk Journal,” and more.
He has received 33 Pushcart nominations and five Best of Net nominations with one winner, along with other awards.
His newer books include “Beside the Broken Trail,” “Between Mountain and River,” with five in publishers’ queues, five books being considered, and one in release mode at Pocol Press called “Catch a Wagon to the Stars.” He served in the 31st Infantry in Korea from 1951 to 1952 and graduated from Boston College in 1956.
The Saugus Historical Society meeting, which will also serve as a 90th birthday party for the organization, will begin at 7 p.m. at 30 Main Street. The event will be free.
The organization was founded in 1928 and held its first meeting in the public library. The purpose of the Saugus Historical Society is to cultivate an interest in the history of the town and collect and preserve all matters pertaining to the town’s history and citizenry.
For information about membership, meetings, or any general questions about the Saugus Historical Society, call president Laura Eisener at 781-231-5988.
