Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, Wakefield, Mass.

Items

• Wakefield Town Hall, corner of Main and Water Streets, Wakefield, Mass.
  This photo mashup shows Main Street looking north from Water Street. The impressive building on the corner is Wakefield's original town hall, built with funds donated by Cyrus Wakefield. The structure was completed in 1871, and in gratitude to Cyrus, the townspeople decided to change the town's name in his honor from South Reading to Wakefield. Unfortunately, this magnificent building was damaged by fire in 1950, and after several years of debate, the town decided to demolish it rather than restore it. It was torn down in 1958 and the site is now a parking lot.
• Wakefield Upper Depot at 27-29 Tuttle Street, Wakefield, Mass.
  Photo mashup shows the railroad station on Tuttle Street, adjacent to North Avenue.
• Wakefield Upper Depot at 27-29 Tuttle Street, Wakefield, Mass.
  Photo mashup shows the railroad station on Tuttle Street, adjacent to North Avenue.
• Lincoln School, Wakefield, Mass.
  Photo mashup shows the Lincoln School on Crescent Street, now housing for the elderly. The image is mashed up with a photo of the same area in 2011.
• "Kennedy for Senator," Main Street, Wakefield, Mass.
  Photo mashup shows the business district on Main Street near Richardson Avenue looking east. A banner hangs over the street advertising John F. Kennedy's campaign for Senate, indicating the photo is from 1952. The image is mashed up with a photo of the same area in 2011.
• West Ward schoolhouse
  Original photo from "Wakefield : 350 years by the lake." Current photo taken by Mary Anne Power, 2011.
• Joan Gerry in front of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, Wakefield, Mass
  These photo mashups show Joan Gerry, who posed as a child astride one of the cannons at the foot of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, which was erected on the Upper Common in 1902 to commemorate Wakefield's involvement in the Civil War. Joan posed again in 2011 in the same spot, standing behind the same cannon, allowing us to switch the child and the adult in each photo.
• Wakefield Town Hall, corner of Main and Water Streets, Wakefield, Mass.
  Original photo of Town Hall from 1947 by Alfred Mellett. Current photo taken by Jeff Klapes, 2011.
• Wakefield Town Hall at 1 Lafayette Street, Wakefield, Mass.
  Original photo of Town Hall taken in 1897 when the building was still used as a school. Current photo taken by Jeff Klapes, 2011.
• Lake Quannapowitt
  Original photo of south shore of Lake Quannapowitt with dock. Current photo taken by Emma Kraus, 2011.
• Lake Quannapowitt
  Original photo of south shore of Lake Quannapowitt. Current photo taken by Emma Kraus, 2011.
• Church Street looking east, Wakefield, Mass.
  Original photo taken sometime in the first decade of the 20th century. Current photo taken by Doug Heath, 2011.
• Wakefield trains
  Original photo taken by Joseph Payro on December 24, 1939 shows a locomotive heading south towards Melrose along the shore of Crystal Lake in Greenwood. Current photo taken by Cole Kraus, 2011.
• Baseball on Wakefield Common
  Original image of Wakefield Common from a 1921 postcard mashed up with photo by Annette Dupon, 2011.
• Wakefield Post Office
  Historical image of Wakefield Post Office (Richardson Building) from the early 1900's mashed up with photo by Annette Dupon of Wakefield Post office back room, 2011.
• YMCA and Baptist church
  "I like this picture and copied it because it's next to Yale Ave where I live. The town hall has changed a lot but the rest looks the same." - caption provided by Sofia Bruce (age 7), contest winner.
• Wakefield YMCA building
  "Attached is my photo from February of the old YMCA building, when Artichokes had the "Christmas Tree" decorated for Valentine's Day. I was happy that the renovations into Artichokes and condos didn't change the look of the front of the building much, as it is such a part of downtown Wakefield. I went in for dinner one night a few months ago, and opened the door half expecting to smell chlorine from the pool." - caption provided by Mary Anne Power, contest winner.
• The Isaac Green House
  "This venerable old home has undergone renovations and improvements but is still quite recognizable from the early image. It stands in its neighborhood as a symbol of growth and progress within a context of stability and timelessness." - caption provided by Loren Hill, contest winner.
• The Rockery
  "The unique rock structure on Main Street honored local town history. It was inviting, almost pastoral, as illustrated by the young lad and his relaxed pose. Today the area is less inviting. No crosswalks connect to any sidewalks on Main Street. Traffic swirls around it like a swarm of angry hornets. The stone marker noting local towns has been moved elsewhere to a less prominent spot on the town common. In its stead is the statue of a military figure commemorating the Spanish-American War. Today's 'Young lad' must brave heavy traffic to visit the island on Main Street." - caption provided by Loren Hill, contest winner.
• YMCA and Baptist church
  "The reason I chose to take a now picture of the YMCA is because of how much the YMCA has been involved in my life during my childhood. Since I moved to Wakefield in the 2nd grade my mom has sent me and my sister to the YMCA to be watched after while she went to work. While we were there we formed many great friendships and many lasting memories. The YMCA was a place where I spent most of my childhood and it still amazes me and the change it went through." - caption provided by Julia MacDonald, contest winner.
• Upham House, Main Street at Crystal Lake
  "I walk my dog past this house all the time. I chose this photo because it was one of the only photos that did not change much." - caption provided by Emma Kraus, contest winner.
• Crystal Lake from Harts Hill
  "The reason I chose this photo is because I live across the street from J.J. Round Park. It was so beautiful until people wrote graffiti all over the rocks and smashed beer bottles. Trees grew in back of the rock so you can't see the houses on Main Street anymore. You can see the water plant in the right hand corner of the photo. It is still a nice view of Crystal Lake" - caption provided by Emma Kraus, contest winner.
• Wakefield Park stone entrance gate
  "Attached is my entry for the "Then and Now" contest. I chose "Park Gates -- Wakefield, Massachusetts" for my subject. The gates on Chestnut Street form the entrance to Wakefield Park, on the west side of town. I have been interested in the Park's history since moving here in the mid-1990's. The land was originally owned by Dr. Charles Jordan and consisted largely of pastureland and orchards. In the early 1890's, Boston lawyer Charles Stedman Hanks and J. S. Merrill developed the 100-acre property to attract upper middle-class residents. Wakefield Park may have been the first planned suburban development in the United States, and is still a very attractive place to live. I took my photograph using a late 19-century technique, probably similar to the one used to take the original picture. I made the contact print from a 10" X 12" glass negative that I exposed with a 100-year old camera and brass lens. To make the negative, I poured a silver-gelatine emulsion gently on a glass plate to form a smooth coating, and allowed it to dry. I exposed the plate for 8 seconds about 10 a.m. on March 24th, 2010 from the same position and approximate time of day as the original. Comparing the two photographs, changes over the past 120 years are apparent. The original Park Avenue was unpaved and much narrower than it is now. The building slightly visible on the right was moved across Park Avenue sometime before the Emmanuel Temple was built. The house that appears between the gates had a second floor added in the 1970's according to its current owner. In addition, all electric lines have since been put underground." - caption provided by Doug Heath, contest winner.
• The Rockery
  "As Sofia and I walked around town, taking pictures for the Library's Wakefield Then & Now Photo Contest, I thought of the original picture postcard of The Rockery, postmarked 1914, with a young boy in his coat and cap posed near the historical marker. Today, The Rockery has become a monument to the Spanish-American war and the historical marker has been moved across the street to the upper common. I marvel at the changes this boy must have seen over his lifetime, not only the physical differences in roads, houses, and buildings, but also the things that science and technology have brought to our day: modern medicine, radio, television, the internet. I wonder at things Sofia and those who come after her will see in their lifetimes. Will they be as different from our present time as we are from the little boy on The Rockery?" - caption provided by David Bruce, contest winner.
• The Rockery
  "As Sofia and I walked around town, taking pictures for the Library's Wakefield Then & Now Photo Contest, I thought of the original picture postcard of The Rockery, postmarked 1914, with a young boy in his coat and cap posed near the historical marker. Today, The Rockery has become a monument to the Spanish-American war and the historical marker has been moved across the street to the upper common. I marvel at the changes this boy must have seen over his lifetime, not only the physical differences in roads, houses, and buildings, but also the things that science and technology have brought to our day: modern medicine, radio, television, the internet. I wonder at things Sofia and those who come after her will see in their lifetimes. Will they be as different from our present time as we are from the little boy on The Rockery?" - caption provided by David Bruce, contest winner.
• Corner of Water Street and Wakefield Avenue
  "I thought the buildings might be torn down or reconstructed, but the buildings were still there but different colors and the stores have changed owners. In the original photo, two women and one man were walking. Since there were no people walking by, I had my mother, sister and our friend stand so it would look like the original photo. You can see that the clothes they wore were different than those we wear now. It helps tell the age of the photo by the car parked on the side of the street. Cars have changed a lot since that photo was taken." - caption provided by Cole Kraus (age 10), contest winner.
• Wakefield rattan factories on Water Street
  "No longer standing are the historic buildings that the founder of our town used for many years as rattan factories. The open space that once had cows roaming in the foreground now remains somewhat open in the form of two baseball fields and a small playground. The brook remains and runs alongside the park and crosses under Water Street under a small bridge. It was difficult to get the same vantage point. The distinct rooftop of Lincoln School in the distant top right let me know I was photographing in the right direction." - caption provided by Annette Dupon, contest winner.;Winner of photo contest, Second Place, Adult category.