IRON WORK FARM in ACTON, Inc.
P.0. Box 1111
Fall Newsletter
October 2007 Volume VIII, Number 2
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Second Iron Work Farm Annual Meeting and Open Tap Room, October 13
Back by popular demand!!! In a repeat of last year’s October gathering at Jones Tavern, 128 Main Street, on Saturday, October 13 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. Iron Work Farm members and friends are invited to the IWF annual meeting, immediately followed by a sampling of regional artisan brews in honor of the tradition that began in 1750 when Samuel Jones opened the first “public house” in the south part of Acton. The brief business meeting will adjourn at 4:15, after which ale, porter, and root beer from several brewers will be available for a $15 donation, entitling the donor to three tickets for drink sampling. Whole Foods of Bedford has generously donated an array of tap room-appropriate food, and live acoustic music will be provided by Larry Lee Oppel and Gene Beresin. Reservations are requested: please call 978-621-5050 to let us know you are coming (and how many guests you may be bringing), or email us at reservations@ironworkfarm.org. A special feature this year will be the opening reception for the Faulkner House Paint-Out Art Show and Sale.
Volunteers are needed for various tasks at the event. If you are interested in helping out, please contact us, as above.
2007 Iron Work Farm Annual Meeting
The main agenda item will be the election of officers and directors for the coming year. The following slate has been nominated: President: Nancy Evans, Vice President: Larry Sorli, Secretary: Anne Forbes, Treasurer: Michaela Moran; Directors for a 3-year term to expire 2010: Belle Choate, Kimberley Connors-Hughes, Bob Trombly. As always, nominations will also be accepted at the meeting, and members can propose other business.
A quick fizz-quiz: Where in South Acton were carbonated beverages made? HINT: It was about a hundred years ago. (The answer is at the end of this newsletter.)
The Great Faulkner House Paint-Out
A first ever event for the Faulkner House property (and maybe for all of Acton) took place on the Jones-Faulkner Homestead grounds throughout the month of September. This singular type of artists’ opportunity (made possible, we understand, through the easy communication of email and the internet), is called a “paint-out.” “Plein-air”, (or outdoor) artists continually seek safe, scenic landscape environments where they can set up their easels and go to work. Owners of such landscapes, especially non-profit organizations, are increasingly providing opportunities for artists to do just that. Artists can come and go at will, and the results are shown at or near the venue.
Since the 6 acres of woods and garden around the Faulkner House are one of the hidden scenic gems of Acton, the Iron Work Farm offered the month of September, 2007 to any artists who wanted to paint or draw on the property. It was up to each of them to find promising subject matter on the Faulkner House grounds and turn it into a unique work of art. We haven’t seen all the results yet, but
certainly Brownie Bodge’s garden made a good subject, and we expect that the house, the woods, and various landscape features may have found their way into some finished paintings or drawings, along with other views of South Acton.
A dozen artists, including a group from New Hampshire, registered to paint on the Faulkner grounds. Each participating artist is eligible to hang works in a show at Jones Tavern. The opening reception will be held during the Annual Meeting and open tap room on October 13, and the paintings will remain up through the October 28 open house.
2007 Volunteer of the Year: Brownie Bodge
Over nearly forty years (is that possible?) both the Faulkner House and its setting have been lovingly tended by Margaret (“Brownie”) Bodge. She first moved to the house with her young family in 1970 (her daughter Heidi was in her teens then), shortly after the Iron Work Farm acquired the property and fitted up the building for a historic house museum with a small portion set aside for a resident tenant/caretaker. Over the years Brownie has not only put up (with unflagging good cheer) with the sometimes quirky, often aggravating demands of living in the oldest house in town, but has also devoted an incalculable number of hours to its care. She has maintained the exhibits, cleaned the rooms, set up for the open houses, and contributed her own research to the museum collection. The beautiful garden on the south lawn is entirely hers. She has grown bulbs and perennials for many years, and each season introduces a variety of annuals, some of them started from seed during the off-season in the colder windows of the museum rooms. This past August, Brownie’s husband Richard died after a long illness, and we extend our deepest sympathy to her and Heidi. Our love and respect for her was only increased by the way she continued in her devoted work throughout his illness. Thank you, Brownie, for all we know you have done (and a lot that we don’t know about!) over these many years.
Highlight of Summer 2007: Faulkner House Birthday Celebration
- reported by Nancy Claire Evans
A fortunate break in the weather, a dedicated band of volunteers and a grand house that embodies the history of Acton converged to make the 300th “Birthday Party” for the Jones-Faulkner Homestead a joy for members, neighbors and friends who attended the Sunday July 29th event.
The sunlit facade of Acton’s landmark historic property, the Faulkner House (as it is usually known), the broad smiles of guests as they roamed the woodland trail behind the revered antique home, the giggles of children striving to play marbles and “croquet in the woods” on a wood-chipped pitch – all these graces were complemented by a pair of live musical performances that took place indoors. .
While more than 60 guests enjoyed cider, tea, lemonade, fresh raspberries and birthday cake decorated with the image of the Faulkner House, lilting music filled the Great Hall. Paul Rogo-shewski of Stow opened the musical chapter of the Birthday Party with songs from his repertoire of blues, folk and children’s music, setting the tempo for most of the day. Paul, who had entertained visitors during the Iron Work Farm’s “Jones Tavern Annual Meeting and Beer Tasting in the Tap Room” last fall, plays locally at many events. He is known for his humorous lyrics and upbeat melodies, engaging his audience with rhyme and rhythm.”
Ronda Matson, herself an owner of a historic home in Millis, then filled the hall with an hour of folk and blues accompanied by her 12-string guitar and harmonica. Ronda’s musical talent is well known in southern Middlesex and Norfolk counties. She was featured on the Hopkinton cable access channel Studio Session Live in August, and can be heard around the metro-west family venues.
Music at Jones Tavern and the Faulkner House: reviving an old tradition
Ronda Matson and Paul Rogoshewski, who performed at the birthday celebration, and Larry Lee Opel and Gene Beresin who will entertain us on October 13, are part of a long line of music makers at the Tavern and Faulkner House. The spring newsletter reported on the Jolly Rogues, whose lively sea shanties, ballads, and children’s songs have warmed visitors at the Tavern on Patriots’ Day for the past two years. The fact is that, due to the initiative of Nancy Evans and Michaela Moran, the Iron Work Farm has brought music for both young and old to South Acton on several other recent occasions. Other musicians who have performed at the Faulkner House in recent years include Brian Magoon and Earl Pughe.
At Jones Tavern, we expect that there was plenty of music in the tap room and dining room during the 95 years the Jones family “public house” was in operation. We do know that in the mid-19th century Elnathan Jones opened the front and back doors to the Broad Alley and played his fiddle on summer evenings for all the neighborhood to hear. At the Faulkner House, in spite of its low-tech facilities, the “great hall” is perfect for performances on a house-concert scale, and they are much more fun than the court proceedings held there by the Faulkner Justices of the Peace! Today, Mary Hayward Skinner’s 1813 piano, remembered by generations as the first piano in Acton, is a reminder that music was an important part of the Faulkner family activities, too. The longtime owner of the house during the 19th century, Col. Winthrop Faulkner, was chorister in the Congregational church, where he also played the violin. It was written of him that “with a violin in his hand, never allows the music to drag, but rather by his liveliness, sometimes shocks the sensibilities of some of the more sedate in the congregation.”
The subject of our Fizz Quiz was also a South Acton musician. (See the end of the newsletter.)
Jones Tavern Update: a Brand New Roof!
We are pleased to report that the Tavern will face the winter with a new roof of red cedar shingles and a weather-tight, period-appropriate skylight. The Town of Acton has made the final payment on this major project, which was supported both by IWF member donations and by the Acton Community Preservation Fund. We thank former IWF President Larry Sorli for his initiation and management of the project, and the Community Preservation Committee for their support and guidance during the many months it took to apply for, approve, and dispense the grant funds. We especially thank all the individual donors and the residents of Acton, who unanimously approved the community preservation funds for the project at the Annual Town Meeting in April.
2007 Iron Work Farm Upcoming Events
The last open houses of the season are scheduled for Sunday, October 28, 3 to 5 p.m. As always, we welcome volunteers to help with hosting at the open houses, or with any other tasks. If you’d like to get involved, please contact Nancy Evans at 978-621-5050, or email us at iwfcontact @ironworkfarm.org..
During the colder months, regular Iron Work Farm planning meetings continue on the third Tuesday evening of the month. If you’d like to attend, please call Nancy to find out the location.
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Answer to the Fizz Quiz:
Nelson (“Nat”) Cole, who lived at 266 School Street, was something of a “jack of all trades.” He operated a lunch room at 27 School Street (“Dwight’s Block”), and, according to Robert Nylander’s notes, for a time at in the building behind it that is today’s School Street Garage. For several years he bottled and sold tonic water and ginger ale until he sold the rights to Chelmsford Ginger Ale. He was also quite a musician, playing with the Acton Cadet Band, the Maynard Brass Band, and in his own band which he called “King and Cole.”