Wellesley 9/11 monument & flag: Here’s the story

July 8, 2019 by bbrown 1 Comment

firefighter, police monument, near Local — 9/11 marker

Every time we smugly think we’ve seen everything Wellesley has to show, we come across something we’ve somehow never noticed before.

Take, for example, this 9/11 monument and flag next to The Local parking lot off of Washington and Forest Streets.

The plaque, attached to a stone and sitting beneath an American flag on a pole, looks ancient. But obviously it isn’t given that it honors Wellesley firefighters and police officers, and “the bravery of their New York City brethren at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.”

firefighter, police monument, near Local

After asking around town, we received information from Marcia Alevizos (by way of Town Hall). Her family purchased the Wellesley Corner/Washington St./Forest St. block of stores and buildings in May 2001.

“During the 2001 late summer, we did a massive remodel/repair to the retail block as well as designed the grass area with the trees, flagpoles and plaque to commemorate all who passed away as well as assisted in the Sept. 11, 2001 tragedy,” Alevizos writes.

Some 75 to 100 people attended a ceremony and dedication held in 2004 to thank those who served on 9/11/01, and to remember those who died.

wellesley corner ceremony — 2004 ceremony (photo courtesy of Marcia Alevizos)

MORE: Wellesley’s memorial monuments and markers

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The hardest working butterflies in Wellesley

June 17, 2019 by admin Leave a Comment

This spring the Wellesley Historical Society‘s Denton butterfly collection made its way to all 7 elementary schools’ third-grade classes. The rotating set of 24 butterflies are part of a collaboration with the schools, now in its fourth year, to conclude a unit focused on the defense strategies of the butterflies. The students previously raised painted ladies and released them. The traveling exhibit gives students an up-close look at the Denton butterflies, most of which are in their patented glass cases and were collected back in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Prior to the elementary school visits, the Cub Scouts visited the Historical Society’s Dadmun-McNamara House and had a preview of the collection, which includes between 2-3,000 butterflies (plus other insects) from across the globe.

In addition to the student immersion in butterflies, adults had an opportunity to see the collection at the Wellesley Council on Aging. Spearheaded by Society archivist and collections manager Taylor Kalloch, the butterflies on June 4 were the center of the first of what will be a series of “show-and-tell” presentations.

wellesley butterflies — Wellesley 3rd graders and budding lepidopterologists

Kids and adults asked a lot of the same questions, including: “Why did the collectors need to kill the butterflies?” The answer: Among other things, studying insects from around the world decades ago wasn’t as simple as jetting off to another country and snapping high quality digital photographs.

If you are interested in supporting the collection through Society membership or scheduling an appointment to view the butterflies or other items, please contact Amanda Fisher at [email protected]wellesleyhistoricalsociety.org or 781-235-6690.

Film screening at Wellesley Free Library, “The Doctrine of Discovery”

June 9, 2019 by admin Leave a Comment

Doctrine of Discovery, Wellesley Join the Wellesley Free Library and World of Wellesley for a community viewing and discussion of Sheldon Wolfchild and Steven Newcomb’s film The Doctrine of Discovery: Unmasking the Domination Code.

This film sheds light on how documents written during the fifteenth century influenced doctrines of “ultimate dominion” that are used against native nations to this day. The film is 60 minutes long, FREE, and open to the public.

WHEN: Tuesday, June 18

TIME: 7pm

LOCATION: Main Library, Wakelin Room