I have driven past the sign for Mormon founder Joseph Smith’s Birthplace in Sharon VT probably 1000 times (not an exaggeration: 10 years of twice a week on I-89 to and from Boston) but have never visited it. Ambiana & Jakobi visited it this summer and that made me curious so when I had time on my way to Boston on Friday I made the stop.
I grew up in Webster NY and my mom would take us to the Hill Cumorah Pageant which depicted the events that led to the religion. She took us not because of any religious interest but because it was free entertainment.
I visited because I find it fascinating that a preposterous story and religion took hold and even after Smith was killed by a mob in Illinois has become a 200 billion dollar entity with millions of followers.
Boston
In Boston I headed to the Esplanade where I managed to find something new to look at:
…this square block commemorating Charles Eliot and the waters around Boston…
…waters that are filthy and unnoticed by the thousands who run walk drive and live nearby.
I stopped in at CHEERS to revist where i worked in the late 80’s. It is still a gold mine.
This is the Parkman Bandstand. Built in 1912 by the architectural firm Derby, Robinson & Shephard, it features a classical Greek Revival style. The bandstand’s foundation rests directly above what used to be the “Cow Pond,” also called the Horse Pond, a crucial watering hole for livestock that was filled in 1838 after cattle grazing was prohibited on the Common.
This structure honors George Francis Parkman, a recluse who, upon his death in 1908, bequeathed $5 million to Boston for the perpetual care and maintenance of the Common and other parks. The source of the wealth that funded this landmark is inextricably linked to one of the city’s most infamous historical crimes. George’s father, Dr. George Parkman, was a prominent but demanding moneylender who vanished in November 1849. A gruesome discovery by a janitor a week later revealed that John White Webster, a Harvard chemistry professor drowning in debt to Dr. Parkman, had murdered him. Webster dismembered the body, attempting to hide the remains within his laboratory walls and furnace. The subsequent trial became sensational and landmark, notably as one of the first in U.S. history to successfully employ forensic dental evidence to achieve a murder conviction, after which the younger Parkman withdrew from society before leaving his eventual inheritance to the public.
For more than a century, the Parkman Bandstand has served as a critical hub for public discourse, protest, and entertainment, with its unique circular design perfectly engineering sound to project across the Common. One major historical event occurred on February 24, 1919, during the Suffragist Watchfires, where women boldly demonstrated by burning copies of President Woodrow Wilson’s speeches to demand voting rights; several women were arrested and jailed for speaking there without a permit. The location has hosted countless activists, mayors, and presidential hopefuls, including a major primary rally for Barack Obama in 2007. Following a complete restoration in 1996, the bandstand remains a vital focal point of city life. Today, it hosts diverse events ranging from alfresco concerts and the Boston Freedom Rally to the annual productions of “Free Shakespeare on the Common” by the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company.
After my stroll along the esplanade, the Public Garden and The Common I went and saw Avatar: Fire and Ash which was long and dull, essentially a retread of the 2nd movie with a few more plot points. But visually stunning to be immersed in 3D
On the way back to the T I passed the pub where my Mom and Dad met. Still a long line to get in 65 years later
Harvard Museum of Natural History
I spent the next morning at the Harvard Museum of Natural History. I can’t believe I have never been here in all my years on Earth and in Boston. I literally drove by this place 500 times during the way back from my Farmers to You stop in Porter Square. Again it was a visit by Ambiana & Jakobi with Sara Lourie that got me interested.
Inside I found myself immersed in the srtifacts of deep time that I have been researching and writing about the past year.
AMMONITE!
I could easily spend a whole day in just one of the rooms here.
This rock from space is older than the Earth!
MORE AMMONITES!
Lots of bones and stuffed animals
And then there was the Peabody Museum of Anthropology. I only had time for a quick walk through. Am already planning my next visit and will spend the whole day, not just 2 hours.
Mom in Boston
I brought some of Mom’s ashes with me and scattered them in Harvard Square..
… in Harvard Yard…
…and in the Swan Boat Mud(pond)
The whole reason for my trip to Boston was to see “Stereophonic”, the Tony winning play based on the recording of Fleetwood Mac’s megahit and best selling LP “Rumors”
I grew up with that music and to catch a glimpse of what may have ensued during its recording was interesting and fun.
I also love this theater. It is so grand!
U-32 State Hockey Final
Jakobi and I went to the Boy’s Hockey Final against Harwood. Last year they lost by several goals. This year they almost won losing a heartbreaker 4-3 in double OT.
