Friday, July 31, 2009

Granite Railway 3

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Today's continuing series brings us to a pile of rocks at the end of Bunker Hill Lane. What looks like a plain ol' pile of rocks is called a grout pile or the rejected stones for a project. It looks like "quality control" was in effect here. This is where the Granite Railway loaded up to begin its 3 mile run.

The large size stone with the split, in the image below, is a rejected stair made for the Bunker Hill Monument. The Bunker Hill Monument's rounded, conical` staircase has 224 stone stairs and moving stone there was the first commercial venture for the Granite Railway back in the 1820s.

I sure would like a stone wall made out of those rejects . . .

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Thursday, July 30, 2009

Thursday is "This Old House Day"`

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Today's old house is located on the corner of Adams and Squantum Streets in neighboring East Milton, not far from the site of the Granite Railway. If you enlarge this picture you will see that this house is largely built of granite blocks from a nearby Quincy quarry. This stone cottage was once the site of the blacksmith and wheelwright who helped to build the railway cars for the first commercial railway in this country.

Click here to see another granite house. This house was modeled after a Granite Railway boarding house.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Granite Railway 2

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This is where the first commercial railway got started: at the end of Bunker Hill Lane. The overgrown rail bed here was once used to move massive hunks of granite from the quarry site to the Neponset River where it would be loaded onto a barge and brought to the building site of the Bunker Hill Monument. It would be a challenge to move the massive blocks of stone specified for this project. Quincy architect Solomon Willard was determined to get it done and enlisted the aid of Gridley Bryant who conceived of the idea for a rail system and got it operating by 1827.

If you enlarge the picture below you can see some of the details in a model of this railbed that is based on work done by Quincy archaeologist, Richard Muzzrole. The roadbed is essentially a dry stone wall three feet deep. The "wall" supported massive granite sleepers that are spaced eight feet apart. The first rails were wooden, but they were eventually replaced with granite ones to help transport stone loads of 21 tons or more for a distance of 3 miles. The horse drawn railway cars were loaded from the bottom so as not to damage the stone blocks. This was a pioneering design achievement which has earned this site a designated National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.

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I just discovered an excellent blog post about the Granite Railway: click "Stories in Stone" to see the old rail car and find out more about this fascinating piece of Quincy's history.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

The Granite Railway

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This is Vic Campbell, a railroad enthusiast and tour leader with a particular interest in our country's first commercial railroad that was conceived of and built in Quincy in the 1820s. Vic is sitting on one of the early metal rails embedded into a block of Quincy granite. These blocks were salvaged from new road and housing construction sites and are now located in the back of the Quincy Historical Society building where Vic begins his tours of the Granite Railway historic sites. You can find out more about the "Quarry-To-Wharf" tours by clicking here.

We'll visit the site of the old rail bed tomorrow. Do you know why a railroad was needed? Hint . . . the name of the railroad . . .

Monday, July 27, 2009

Common Beauty

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There is something wonderful and magical about dandelions going to seed. The seeds on this plant are ready to take off in the next wind. Black and white seemed to work well for this beauty. Please click here for more Monochrome Monday postings.

I'll be sharing remnants of Quincy's granite industry with you this week. Enjoy your week everyone!

Sunday, July 19, 2009

On Guard

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A great place to go on a hot summer day is out to one of the islands in Boston Harbor which is adjacent to Quincy Bay. This is a beach on Spectacle Island, which had its topography changed when it became part of Boston's Central Artery/Tunnel Project known to many as the "Big Dig". Sediment and clay that was excavated for the project was brought to this island and when the project was done it was made into a park which is now part of the National Park Service. There are no inhabitants other than park rangers; it offers hiking trails and a great view of the Boston skyline. There is a ferry boat from Quincy that will take you there.

I am heading north for some of that refreshing Canadian air; I may miss a couple days of posting . . . but will be taking lots of pictures. À bientôt!

Saturday, July 18, 2009

That train's a comin . . .

[click image to enlarge] I really like the way the wildflowers grow along the train tracks in the summer. This Red line train is approaching the Wollaston station heading towards Boston.

Friday, July 17, 2009

A Lick and a Look

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Summer doesn't get much better than a lick of ice cream at the Dairy Freeze and look at gorgeous clouds at sunset. Click the picture and enlarge it to see the vintage sign. Happy Skywatch Friday everyone. Click here for more skies around the world.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Thursday is "This Old House Day"

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This prairie-Bungalow style house at 561 Quincy Shore Drive was constructed in 1919, by local architect-carpenter-builder Peter Swanson for $5000. This picturesque house across from Wollaston Beach, has a facing of smooth pebbles evoking the beaches of the New England coast; it's an unusual wall covering for Quincy. It has a low pitch hip roof which emphasizes the houses's horizontality and bands of windows of Prairie style houses. The chimney is faced with pebbles and the pebble motif is further carried out in the landscaping of the front where there are short pebble retaining walls.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Foot Loose

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The summer footwear craze was captured here on a train ride into Boston. These flimsy sandals called flip flops or thongs, come in an array of materials, colors and adornments. They are fun to wear for a short time but they can be the cause of foot pain and foot injury. I hope this couple is headed straight to the beach where they can enjoy the feel of the sand between their toes. Do you have a pair? What color?

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Stalking the blooms

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The marsh is in bloom as you can see from this mullein, a biennial. This plant doesn't produce flower stalks its first year but its stalks can reach 6 feet tall in the second year. This plant has been used for treating many ailments like leprosy and tuberculosis; made into tea it offers relief of cold symptoms.

Mullein has had a long history of usefulness: Roman ladies used these plants to die their hair blonde. Roman soldiers dipped the flower stalks in tallow to make torches. Women who were forbidden to use make-up for religious reasons rubbed the rough leaves on their cheeks, to create a beautiful red flush. People who spend time in the woods are attracted to mullein’s large, velvety leaves when they run out of toilet paper, again creating a beautiful red flush on their cheeks. Who knew? Who wanted to know?

Monday, July 13, 2009

Storm on the horizon

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Granite Links Golf course is the site of this incredible view of Boston surrounded by storm clouds. It seemed to work well in monochrome. It's Monochrome Monday once again; click here for more black and white images from around the world.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Daisy Time

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Don't daisies just make you smile? Enjoy your Sunday everyone.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Floor by floor

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This iron worker is slicing corrugated metal flooring for the new wing of Quincy High School.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Par 70

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Presidents Golf Course, pictured here, dates back to 1895, when the Wollaston Golf Club was founded on this property. It is situated on 93 acres and has views of Boston, the Neponset River, Blue Hills Reservation and the Atlantic Ocean. A season subscription for a county resident is $1575 from March through December. There are some excellent outdoor tennis courts on the property as well. It's a beautiful open space to enjoy many forms of recreation or just watch the cumulus clouds go by on a summer day ;-). Don't forget to check out "Skywatch Friday" from around the globe and enjoy the upcoming weekend.

Thursday, July 09, 2009

Thursday is "This Old House Day"

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Stein & Applebaum, a well-known local building company, erected this large Tudor revival residence at 390 Adams Street in 1931 for $15,000. The Tudor Revival was one of the popular eclectic revival styles of the first quarter of the 20th century. This is one of three fine examples of this style located on historic Adams Street. I like the arched doorway and beautiful setting of this old house.

Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Abandoned

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This building was abandoned many years ago at the site of the Fore River Shipyard. The windows caught my eye first and then the rich texture of this crude building. If you click and enlarge the image, you'll see a rusty shovel that's been weathering along with the building.

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Worker Series

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This is Dave Forsyth, one of the friendliest and most helpful bike shop owners I have had the pleasure to know over the last couple of decades. Dave has owned and operated Dave's Bike Infirmary on Granite Ave. for 32 years; he has added two sons to his team of bike experts. You can see his web site here. I wish the roads were safer for bicyclists around here.

Do you bicycle much?

Monday, July 06, 2009

Hoisting Apparatus

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This shackle was captured at the site of the former Fore River Shipyard. I don't know whether it is put to use any more. Click here to see more black and white images from the Monday Monochrome Maniac group.

Sunday, July 05, 2009

Faith Garden VII

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This miniature mollusk is one of Faith Garden's inhabitants. Are there any conchologists out there in blogville who can identify this creature further?

Enjoy your Sunday everyone!

Saturday, July 04, 2009

Iron Patriotism

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I was all set to post a picture of the John Adams statue today until I stopped by the constuction site of the new Quincy high school wing and saw this iron worker. As he was erecting the steel I-beams, 50 feet off the ground, I saw him stop to unsnag our country's flag from the block and tackle that hoisted the I-beams. I was touched by this show of respect while working and thought here's a man who doesn't take anything for granted. What an unexpected show of patriotism.

Happy Birthday to our country this 4th of July!

Friday, July 03, 2009

Ready For Launch

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This boat at Quincy's Marina Bay will be set in the water as soon as the tide is high enough. This blah gray sky has persisted this past week around here. I will have a renewed appreciation for the return of color above the horizon. Happy "Skywatch Friday" everyone and click here for more colorful skies from around the world.

Thursday, July 02, 2009

Thursday is "This Old House Day"

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This handsome 1910 colonial house, with a gambrel roof line, is on the corner of Monroe Rd. and Fairmount Way on Hospital Hill. You get two views of today's post which could also be called "this old tree" day. The tree must be a couple hundred years old and growing moss on its bark like crazy during this rainy stretch. It dwarfs the house and is magnificent to see up close. (For authenticity, I left the rain drop spots on the first picture . . . truth be told I just noticed them while post processing.)

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

July Theme Day: "Empty"

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It's the first of the month and that means "Theme Day" in the City Daily Photo blog community. I chose to illustrate this month's theme (empty) by showing colorful but empty classroom furnishings in a local school. Most of Quincy's schools have emptied out for summer vacation which lasts about 10 weeks!

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Summer Attraction

This tiger swallowtail butterfly was a delight to see pollinating the phlox bed along my driveway.