Here is another installment in our Who Remembers? series. You can browse previous articles by using the search bar on the right or by clicking here. These articles are strolls down memory lane. In some cases the buildings are still there, but new businesses have replaced them. In other instances, …
Read More »The Zeiterion Theatre: one foot rooted in history and the other stepping forward
The Zeiterion is a respected area icon that has been around for almost a century. New Bedford’s love affair with theater goes back to the 1820s. Before television, before radio, theater was the form of entertainment. The primary venue for entertainment was the humble tavern. The first historical mention of …
Read More »Cinco De Mayo – a celebration for two nations with close historical ties
While Cinco de Mayo isn’t an American holiday per se, it is increasingly celebrated by Americans with each passing year. For many, it’s a reason to go out partying, socializing, and drinking tequila, a mojito, or some Tecate with friends – any excuse to have fun. Cinco de Mayo has …
Read More »From Kilrea, Northern Ireland to New Bedford: The story of Patrick Keane
by Jim Rose This story was sent to us by Jim Rose, a reader who was proud of his family’s history and its presence in New Bedford. There are many numbers of ethnic communities in New Bedford which reflect the landscape of most of America – today and of yesteryear. …
Read More »The story of one of New Bedford’s own, Corporal Leon J. Abrams; storming of Iwo Jima
by Andrew O’Leary 70 years ago, U.S.forces stormed the island of Iwo Jima. The amphibious assault, given the benign title of Operation Detachment, was waged for six brutal weeks costing 6,821 American lives, including New Bedford native Corporal Leon J Abrams, a rifleman in the First Battalion, 24th Marines. Corporal …
Read More »Historical Personages of New Bedford: James and Sarah (Rotch-Rodman) Arnold
The posh, luxurious Arnold Estate with its splendid grounds. (Spinner Publications) Series Introduction Welcome to the eighth installment of the series “Historical Personages of New Bedford.” The previous six installments can be found by using the keyword “personage” in the search window in the column at the right or click …
Read More »Of Doohickeys, Whippersnappers, and Tomfoolery
One of the more polite versions of “Cup of Joe.” This image has become a popular meme. Figures of speech, idioms, slang, dialects, creoles, pidgins, and other aspects of language have always intrigued me. I would never call myself a writer, but I am a reader. An avid one. Some …
Read More »19th Century Perspectives: Ice Harvesting for refrigeration
With this new series of articles, we’re hoping to shed a little light on how things were done in the 19th century. A fun way to lend perspective to our modern way of living. We often hear “You don’t know how good you have it. When I was a kid…” …
Read More »Citizen’s National Bank Building: From Longmeadow, through fires, to present day
Any early photo showing the building with its original third floor – not the NB Business College sign and attached structure to the West. (Spinner Publications) The Citizen’s National Bank building is a structure with quite a bit of history. Not the “gasp,” or “What a crazy story!” type of …
Read More »New Bedford and Silmo Packing Company’s role in bringing coffee syrup to the world
When was the last time you had coffee syrup?! (thebestthingeverandthensome.com) Throughout the country – or the world for that matter – there are regional delicacies that can rarely, if at all, be found elsewhere. They make our little corner of the world special or unique. Something we call our own. …
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