Reference Question of the Week – 6/16/13
June 22nd, 2013
I work in Chelmsford, MA, and the Town is in the process of establishing two "cultural districts" in two of our local historical village centers. It's similar to a historical district, but instead focuses on what makes Chelmsford culturally-distinct: art, architecture, programs & events, etc.
The group asked me to help create a map of both districts, labeling all the different locations of interest. I've played a little with custom Google Maps before, and this seemed like the perfect application to try out all the different features.
Creating the maps (check out the current working drafts) was pretty straight-forward. One of the committee members found a great site for custom map icons (which also explained how to make them work), and the text for each point of interest came from a variety of sources.
It was researching each location for a descriptive blurb for the map that produced this week's reference question. I was asked to add St. John The Evangelist Parish church to the North Chelmsford map, so I went to their website looking for something interesting to say about them. What I found was hands-down the most interesting thing I've read in a long time:
The earliest Catholic families living in Chelmsford, Dunstable, Lowell, Tyngsboro and Westford wanted a church of their own. St. Patrick's, Lowell was a five to ten mile walk. The families purchased the Meeting House of the Second Congregational Church of Chelmsford at the corner of Middlesex and Baldwin Streets, Lowell, in 1859. [...]
Men, who toiled in factory, foundry or farm, hurried to the holy work each evening. They struggled to move the building with the aid of horses and log rollers, a few yards at a time, for a distance of two miles along Middlesex Street. "Know Nothing" citizenry, a violent anti-Catholic group, made threats to burn the building and gained court injunctions to stop the building’s movement. The two mile journey was made with at least four men, armed with shotguns, and guarding the Church each night.
Holy smokes, now that is dedication. Researching local history rocks.
June 26th, 2013 at 10:33 am
Please tell us more about the photo of the nuns with the guns!
June 26th, 2013 at 3:09 pm
@nina: unfortunately, I don’t know much and didn’t turn up anything in a quick web search. It looks like it’s in the public domain, and on lots of clipart websites. I’ve seen it used in various ways over the years, and am happy to get an opportunity to use it myself.
3/30/16: Thanks to Heidi for tracking down more information on the “nuns with guns” photo on snopes.com! Someone needs to tell them to put on eye and ear protection.