CALENDAR OF EVENTS
~ Picture Night ~
March 22 * 7:00 PM * Doris L. Benz Community Center
and via Zoom
Time to break those late winter blues and celebrate spring with another trip through the photograph collection of the Sandwich Historical Society. We have thousands of photographs in our collection, and we love to share them.
Join us on Wednesday, March 22, 7:00 PM at the Doris L. Benz Community Center, 18 Heard Road, and via Zoom. We will have a specially-curated selection of landscapes, people and buildings now long gone. Acknowledging and seeing the past helps us understand the present and think about the future of our little town. History is not just yesterday; it is also today and gives us insight into what may be down the road tomorrow.
Help us in our mission to preserve and educate about Sandwich history. We promise, not an academic slog, but a fun evening with your neighbors learning about and seeing the Sandwich of days gone by.
This program is free.
Zoom registration is required. Please email Jennifer, sandwichhistory@gmail.com to sign-up.
Join us on Wednesday, March 22, 7:00 PM at the Doris L. Benz Community Center, 18 Heard Road, and via Zoom. We will have a specially-curated selection of landscapes, people and buildings now long gone. Acknowledging and seeing the past helps us understand the present and think about the future of our little town. History is not just yesterday; it is also today and gives us insight into what may be down the road tomorrow.
Help us in our mission to preserve and educate about Sandwich history. We promise, not an academic slog, but a fun evening with your neighbors learning about and seeing the Sandwich of days gone by.
This program is free.
Zoom registration is required. Please email Jennifer, sandwichhistory@gmail.com to sign-up.
~ Whiteface Intervale Walk and Talk ~
Saturday, November 12, 2022
Overview by Helen Ingalls
Geology, Mills, and Bricks in the Whiteface Intervale
Rain was predicted but never materialized for an interesting series of related walks /talks in the Whiteface Intervale by Daniel Tinkham, Fred Lavigne, Dan Reidy, and Jim Mykland. Convened at the Quimby transportation Museum, the group carpooled to the Pothole for a fascinating summary of the geological history of the Intervale environs by hydro-geologist Tinkham, illustrated with high-resolution LiDAR maps produced by aerial 3D laser scanning. Because the lasers capture millions of images, their computer analyzer can subtract the higher-level readings of trees, and produce images of the ground topology minus tree cover, laying bare the existing earth surface in minute detail. This scanning method has revolutionized the study of geology and allowed a clearer understanding of very ancient events which have left their traces on the earth’s surface. Dan Reidy illustrated complex ideas with his excellent teaching analogies.
At the Pothole site, the group was also treated to a firsthand look at the earthwork remnants of the Weed Mill, which operated circa 1785-1860.
The car caravan then proceeded to another mill site just off Chase Rd. where Fred Lavigne explained the labor-intensive early technology of brick making, which used materials deposited through early geological processes in that very location. Franz Nicolay contributed his technical knowledge of ceramics manufacture, explaining specific temperatures required to make strong bricks, including a technique for testing the temperature of the brick kiln. The amount of labor and technical understanding of the early brickmakers was daunting to contemplate. Thanks to Fred Lavigne, we were also able to find a stone foundation for a very large mill on the Whiteface River which, according to the 63rd Excursion booklet (p.38) was never productive, possibly because of poor water pressure from the diverted river sluiceway.
The third phase of the excursion involved a tailgate lunch followed by a visit to one of the few brick structures built in Sandwich, the 1841 Josiah McGaffey/Woodberry House (82nd Excursion, p.25) located beyond the Whiteface Intervale trailhead parking lot. Appreciation of the small, solid structure was a satisfying ending to the journey which began with learning about the deposition of clay in geological time and ended with a home that could withstand the onslaught of the Big Bad Wolf.
Rain was predicted but never materialized for an interesting series of related walks /talks in the Whiteface Intervale by Daniel Tinkham, Fred Lavigne, Dan Reidy, and Jim Mykland. Convened at the Quimby transportation Museum, the group carpooled to the Pothole for a fascinating summary of the geological history of the Intervale environs by hydro-geologist Tinkham, illustrated with high-resolution LiDAR maps produced by aerial 3D laser scanning. Because the lasers capture millions of images, their computer analyzer can subtract the higher-level readings of trees, and produce images of the ground topology minus tree cover, laying bare the existing earth surface in minute detail. This scanning method has revolutionized the study of geology and allowed a clearer understanding of very ancient events which have left their traces on the earth’s surface. Dan Reidy illustrated complex ideas with his excellent teaching analogies.
At the Pothole site, the group was also treated to a firsthand look at the earthwork remnants of the Weed Mill, which operated circa 1785-1860.
The car caravan then proceeded to another mill site just off Chase Rd. where Fred Lavigne explained the labor-intensive early technology of brick making, which used materials deposited through early geological processes in that very location. Franz Nicolay contributed his technical knowledge of ceramics manufacture, explaining specific temperatures required to make strong bricks, including a technique for testing the temperature of the brick kiln. The amount of labor and technical understanding of the early brickmakers was daunting to contemplate. Thanks to Fred Lavigne, we were also able to find a stone foundation for a very large mill on the Whiteface River which, according to the 63rd Excursion booklet (p.38) was never productive, possibly because of poor water pressure from the diverted river sluiceway.
The third phase of the excursion involved a tailgate lunch followed by a visit to one of the few brick structures built in Sandwich, the 1841 Josiah McGaffey/Woodberry House (82nd Excursion, p.25) located beyond the Whiteface Intervale trailhead parking lot. Appreciation of the small, solid structure was a satisfying ending to the journey which began with learning about the deposition of clay in geological time and ended with a home that could withstand the onslaught of the Big Bad Wolf.
The 103rd Annual Excursion Bulletin is available!
The bulletins have been mailed to members. If you were a member of the Society in 2021 and you have not received your Excursion Bulletin yet, please email Jennifer (sandwichhistory@gmail.com).
~ Available for purchase (hardcopy or digital) - $10 ~
THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING
THE
SANDWICH HISTORICAL SOCIETY!
THE
SANDWICH HISTORICAL SOCIETY!
