1935-03-31: ~TOUR STOPS~---images---audio---transcript---notes---links---site navigation
This page is a stop in: The stop BEFORE this is: The stop AFTER this is:
PAGE 3 I've included two copies of this page. The text appears to be exactly the same, including typos, until we get to the drawing of the layout of the basement with the accompanying note. There are differences between the two copies there. The only explanation I can think of is that while it was easy to make a carbon copy with a typewriter, it wasn't so easy to make a drawing work with carbon paper, so that the drawing was done individually for each copy. But I don't know.
The handwriting looks like Alma's to me, not Fred's.
The handwriting looks like Alma's to me, not Fred's.
1935-03-31: tour stops---images---~AUDIO~---transcript---notes---links---site navigation
1935-03-31: tour stops---images---audio---~TRANSCRIPT~---notes---links---site navigation
(page 1)
FERNBANK NEWS
Vol. ? No. 1.
March 31, 1935.
Woods Hole, Mass.
(But the editorial office is in South Hadley at this particular moment.)
WEATHER. The Editor can give first-hand news only for the period March 22nd to 25th. Bright and fair, also cold and cloudy, but not all at the same time, e.g. the 22nd was the former and the 24th was even more so, the 23rd was the latter, and the 25th was a little of both.
Society News and Plain News to fill in.
Miss Fredda Reed and Miss Alma Stokey were in Woods Hole from March 22nd to March 25th. They visited Dr. F.E.Stokey who has been occupying Fernbank this past winter. A good time was had by all, so far as the Editor could see.
Dr. and Mrs. Warbasse and Miss Vera Warbasse were in Woods Hole the same week end, and perhaps longer, as the Editor did not take notes on Mrs. Warbasse's conversation and has forgotten some points.
Miss Florence Tinkham has been spending the winter in Woods Hole in her house on Millfield Street. The Editor neglected to ascertain the number of cats in her household.
Miss Reed, Miss Stokey and Dr. Stokey made an unusual number of informal calls during the week end, especially on Penzance Point, Juniper Point, and along Quisset Harbor. They may have to be done over as there was nobody at home.
Nature Notes.
Dr. F. E. Stokey maintained a Feeding-place for birds in front of the south window of his workshop-apartment this winter. Plenty of brush was placed on the ground to give protection to the birds while feeding. This was made necessary by the large cat population.
A mocking-bird visited Woods Hole this winter. Dr. Stokey identified it tentatively, and his diagnosis was confirmed by Mrs. Montgomery, the M.B.L. Librarian.
A handsome king-fisher spent his leisure time sitting on a post in the Mill-Pond for the last few days of March, and doubtless other times.
Many crows spent the winter in Woods Hole. They gave an interesting exhibition of ice-skating when the Mill Pond was frozen. Dr. Stokey also skated on the Mill Pond but he has not yet worked up a number with the crows.
Collections of Algae can be made on the beach during late March, also collections of shells, pebbles and rocks, not to mention driftwood, grapefruit peels and bottles.
Crocuses and Snow-drops were in bloom in the Warbasse garden in March.
The Pitch Pines (Pinus rigida) at Fernbank look wee-waw and are losing many of the green tips. The pine nearest the S.W. corner of the house died and was cut down.
Sports
Walking on the beach, on sea walls and on closed roads was the favorite sport in March. Collecting pebbles, shells, stones, rocks and drift-wood was one of the sports indulged in by week-end visitors. Finding a wooden basket on the beach stimulates the sport considerably as it relieves the coat pockets.
Gathering drift wood was found a profitable amusement in March, especially on a tour conducted by Dr. Stokey who knows many of the pieces by name.
(page 2)
Miss Reed carried in Tricornia, a 3-cornered piece rescued by Dr. Stokey on an earlier trip, and Mistakia was carried in by Miss Stokey who made a mistake in thinking it was not going to be heavy. The usual training for the drift wood collecting is to begin by carrying a piece of cork, a foot or so square, and then transferring to a load of drift wood which looks as if it would weigh the same.
Dr. Stokey's winter sport has been to guide the driftwood to the bathing beach, by having regard to the tides and currents. When it reaches the bathing beach it can be sawed into convenient lengths.
Sleeping was one of the favorite recreations during March especially after a walk on the beach. It is inevitable if the walk is followed by a fish dinner cooked by the walkers.
Dr. Warbasse was found indulging in his favorite sport of making new paths.
Household Hints.
Conducted by our own home economics expert, F.E.S.
Grapefruit rind makes an excellent cleaner for a food chopper. (Nantucket Boats please take notice.)
Receipts.
Prepared flour for shortening bread or pancakes or whatever you like.
8 cups sifted flour
4 tablespoons baking powder, 1 of baking soda
1 tablespoon salt 1/2 cup suga.
Mix thoroughly. Stir in 1/2 cup Mazola. This mixture keeps well in a closed tin.
Plain Shortening bread. 1/4 cup of water to each cup of mixture stirred together in a mixing bowl. Drop from a spoon on the cold frying pan, cover, and put on the fire. When the bottom is nicely browned turn over and brown the other side. An asbestos mat is necessary for the second side, or you may remove the pan from the fire and replace it when it becomes too cool.
Spiced Shortening Bread. To a cup of the dry mixture add ground cinnamon and sugar according to taste. Instead of water, use vinegar from spiced pickles for the liquid.
Building Notes.
A new house is in process of construction on Spencer Baird Road. The Editor was told that it is the property of the proprietor of the Penzance Garage.
The one-room stone house built on the Buzzards Bay side of Penzance Point by Mr. Eric Warbasse is approaching completion. He did the work himself with such assistance as could be secured from the gardener.
Your Architecture Expert in his travels has learned that the workshop apartment is the latest thing, much more recherché than a studio apartment. Quite the most charming that he has seen is that fitted up by Dr. Stokey at Fernbank. He has made over a ground floor space which had been used chiefly for storage. As can be seen in the accompanying diagram the apartment provides for carpentry, metal work, literary pursuits, with adequate space for cooking and dining, as well as sleeping.
It is suggested that a beach resort is an admirable place to carry out such a project as much of the equipment can be built from planks which drift in. A timbered ceiling is a help, as it provided abundant space for hooks (or nails if economy is an object). The apartment described here has a few thousand more or less on which are hanging clothes, carpenters tools, pieces of metal, and wire as well as metal work tools, scissors, skillets, saucepans, pancake turners, and a few guns. The quaint old-fashioned effect is similar to that seen in some old inns.
The floor is cemented and then covered with window battens which are unnecessary when the apartment is occupied - that is unnecessary on the windows. A
(page 3)
rug here and there adds to the warmth and the home-like aspect. The use of Celotex for sheathing has made it possible to heat this apartment by the use of a wood-stove and an oil stove.
It is advised to have plenty of wall-socket or ceiling sockets for electric light and power, and thus make it possible to have the pleasant hum of the lathe with its home-like cheer.
The apartment described has an entrance hall in which there is a water faucet which is kept running day and night in the cold weather. For once the landlord is likely to get his money's work out of the water rent, which is about eight times what it ought to be as it is a flat rate based on the number of outlets.
Piles of wood and brush in the entrance hall give a rustic look.
The entrance hall is cold enough during the winter to make it unnecessary to take ice and run the refrigerator.
Much of the furniture, such as the kitchen table, and the washstand is made of boxes skillfully adapted to their uses.
The cot in the middle of the apartment can be converted into a divan during the day. A garden chair supplemented by cushions and an African stool makes an attractive chaise longue.
Taken all in all, the workshop apartment is commodious, comfortable, convenient, curious, and above all, correct.
(A diagram follows, with the following note:)
(This drawing is not made to any known scale, and our artist is not hampered by troubling by correct proportions. He regrets that he cannot show all that hangs from the ceiling.)
FERNBANK NEWS
Vol. ? No. 1.
March 31, 1935.
Woods Hole, Mass.
(But the editorial office is in South Hadley at this particular moment.)
WEATHER. The Editor can give first-hand news only for the period March 22nd to 25th. Bright and fair, also cold and cloudy, but not all at the same time, e.g. the 22nd was the former and the 24th was even more so, the 23rd was the latter, and the 25th was a little of both.
Society News and Plain News to fill in.
Miss Fredda Reed and Miss Alma Stokey were in Woods Hole from March 22nd to March 25th. They visited Dr. F.E.Stokey who has been occupying Fernbank this past winter. A good time was had by all, so far as the Editor could see.
Dr. and Mrs. Warbasse and Miss Vera Warbasse were in Woods Hole the same week end, and perhaps longer, as the Editor did not take notes on Mrs. Warbasse's conversation and has forgotten some points.
Miss Florence Tinkham has been spending the winter in Woods Hole in her house on Millfield Street. The Editor neglected to ascertain the number of cats in her household.
Miss Reed, Miss Stokey and Dr. Stokey made an unusual number of informal calls during the week end, especially on Penzance Point, Juniper Point, and along Quisset Harbor. They may have to be done over as there was nobody at home.
Nature Notes.
Dr. F. E. Stokey maintained a Feeding-place for birds in front of the south window of his workshop-apartment this winter. Plenty of brush was placed on the ground to give protection to the birds while feeding. This was made necessary by the large cat population.
A mocking-bird visited Woods Hole this winter. Dr. Stokey identified it tentatively, and his diagnosis was confirmed by Mrs. Montgomery, the M.B.L. Librarian.
A handsome king-fisher spent his leisure time sitting on a post in the Mill-Pond for the last few days of March, and doubtless other times.
Many crows spent the winter in Woods Hole. They gave an interesting exhibition of ice-skating when the Mill Pond was frozen. Dr. Stokey also skated on the Mill Pond but he has not yet worked up a number with the crows.
Collections of Algae can be made on the beach during late March, also collections of shells, pebbles and rocks, not to mention driftwood, grapefruit peels and bottles.
Crocuses and Snow-drops were in bloom in the Warbasse garden in March.
The Pitch Pines (Pinus rigida) at Fernbank look wee-waw and are losing many of the green tips. The pine nearest the S.W. corner of the house died and was cut down.
Sports
Walking on the beach, on sea walls and on closed roads was the favorite sport in March. Collecting pebbles, shells, stones, rocks and drift-wood was one of the sports indulged in by week-end visitors. Finding a wooden basket on the beach stimulates the sport considerably as it relieves the coat pockets.
Gathering drift wood was found a profitable amusement in March, especially on a tour conducted by Dr. Stokey who knows many of the pieces by name.
(page 2)
Miss Reed carried in Tricornia, a 3-cornered piece rescued by Dr. Stokey on an earlier trip, and Mistakia was carried in by Miss Stokey who made a mistake in thinking it was not going to be heavy. The usual training for the drift wood collecting is to begin by carrying a piece of cork, a foot or so square, and then transferring to a load of drift wood which looks as if it would weigh the same.
Dr. Stokey's winter sport has been to guide the driftwood to the bathing beach, by having regard to the tides and currents. When it reaches the bathing beach it can be sawed into convenient lengths.
Sleeping was one of the favorite recreations during March especially after a walk on the beach. It is inevitable if the walk is followed by a fish dinner cooked by the walkers.
Dr. Warbasse was found indulging in his favorite sport of making new paths.
Household Hints.
Conducted by our own home economics expert, F.E.S.
Grapefruit rind makes an excellent cleaner for a food chopper. (Nantucket Boats please take notice.)
Receipts.
Prepared flour for shortening bread or pancakes or whatever you like.
8 cups sifted flour
4 tablespoons baking powder, 1 of baking soda
1 tablespoon salt 1/2 cup suga.
Mix thoroughly. Stir in 1/2 cup Mazola. This mixture keeps well in a closed tin.
Plain Shortening bread. 1/4 cup of water to each cup of mixture stirred together in a mixing bowl. Drop from a spoon on the cold frying pan, cover, and put on the fire. When the bottom is nicely browned turn over and brown the other side. An asbestos mat is necessary for the second side, or you may remove the pan from the fire and replace it when it becomes too cool.
Spiced Shortening Bread. To a cup of the dry mixture add ground cinnamon and sugar according to taste. Instead of water, use vinegar from spiced pickles for the liquid.
Building Notes.
A new house is in process of construction on Spencer Baird Road. The Editor was told that it is the property of the proprietor of the Penzance Garage.
The one-room stone house built on the Buzzards Bay side of Penzance Point by Mr. Eric Warbasse is approaching completion. He did the work himself with such assistance as could be secured from the gardener.
Your Architecture Expert in his travels has learned that the workshop apartment is the latest thing, much more recherché than a studio apartment. Quite the most charming that he has seen is that fitted up by Dr. Stokey at Fernbank. He has made over a ground floor space which had been used chiefly for storage. As can be seen in the accompanying diagram the apartment provides for carpentry, metal work, literary pursuits, with adequate space for cooking and dining, as well as sleeping.
It is suggested that a beach resort is an admirable place to carry out such a project as much of the equipment can be built from planks which drift in. A timbered ceiling is a help, as it provided abundant space for hooks (or nails if economy is an object). The apartment described here has a few thousand more or less on which are hanging clothes, carpenters tools, pieces of metal, and wire as well as metal work tools, scissors, skillets, saucepans, pancake turners, and a few guns. The quaint old-fashioned effect is similar to that seen in some old inns.
The floor is cemented and then covered with window battens which are unnecessary when the apartment is occupied - that is unnecessary on the windows. A
(page 3)
rug here and there adds to the warmth and the home-like aspect. The use of Celotex for sheathing has made it possible to heat this apartment by the use of a wood-stove and an oil stove.
It is advised to have plenty of wall-socket or ceiling sockets for electric light and power, and thus make it possible to have the pleasant hum of the lathe with its home-like cheer.
The apartment described has an entrance hall in which there is a water faucet which is kept running day and night in the cold weather. For once the landlord is likely to get his money's work out of the water rent, which is about eight times what it ought to be as it is a flat rate based on the number of outlets.
Piles of wood and brush in the entrance hall give a rustic look.
The entrance hall is cold enough during the winter to make it unnecessary to take ice and run the refrigerator.
Much of the furniture, such as the kitchen table, and the washstand is made of boxes skillfully adapted to their uses.
The cot in the middle of the apartment can be converted into a divan during the day. A garden chair supplemented by cushions and an African stool makes an attractive chaise longue.
Taken all in all, the workshop apartment is commodious, comfortable, convenient, curious, and above all, correct.
(A diagram follows, with the following note:)
(This drawing is not made to any known scale, and our artist is not hampered by troubling by correct proportions. He regrets that he cannot show all that hangs from the ceiling.)
1935-03-31: tour stops---images---audio---transcript---~NOTES~---links---site navigation
1.
Miss Fredda Reed and Miss Alma Stokey were in Woods Hole from March 22nd to March 25th.
Fredda has a Non-Family page on this website.
2.
They visited Dr. F.E.Stokey who has been occupying Fernbank this past winter.
Fred had been let go from his job at the Westboro State Hospital. Sibyl was up in Canada, with a job as a nurse. She didn't have permission to work in the US, and Fred didn't have permission to work in Canada.
3.
Dr. and Mrs. Warbasse and Miss Vera Warbasse were in Woods Hole the same week end, and perhaps longer, as the Editor did not take notes on Mrs. Warbasse's conversation and has forgotten some points.
I remember the name Warbasse, but I don't know much about them. I found them on Find A Grave, but not much beyond the fact that they existed.
4.
Miss Florence Tinkham has been spending the winter in Woods Hole in her house on Millfield Street. The Editor neglected to ascertain the number of cats in her household.
I think it possible that Miss Tinkham was the woman about whom Aunt Eva told a story. Millfield Street sounds about right. She (whether or not it was Miss Tinkham) had a huge number of cats - dozens of them, maybe. There was a heater - maybe a stove of some sort - in her house, and one night the cats knocked it over and the house burned down. That's all I remember.
In Find A Grave I find that Miss Tinkham lived from 1885 to 1960. I found an article from the Woods Hole Museum about firefighting in Falmouth, in which Miss Tinkham was mentioned not as the victim of a fire, but rather as a well-known independent lady of Woods Hole who supported the acquisition of a new fire truck around 1927.
I also found a 1907-1908 report of the trustees for the MBL. Miss Tinkham of Mount Holyoke College was listed in the Physiology department, so that's how Alma knew her. I was surprised to find Alma's friend Mr. Sackett from Oberlin there too...but that's getting off the subject.
So what I'm left with is: I don't know if Aunt Eva got the cat lady story correctly, and if she did, I don't remember if Miss Tinkham was the cat lady. Maybe AG will remember. Or Barbara.
Later: I asked AG. She remembered Miss Tinkham, and said she had in fact been thinking about Miss Tinkham and her cats recently, thinking about how it seemed strange back then for Miss Tinkham to have so many cats, but it wouldn't seem so strange now. Miss Tinkham lived at the corner of Millfield Street and Gardiner Road, and probably did not have dozens of cats, but did have a lot of them. AG didn't remember a fire at Miss Tinkham's house, but now it seems likely to me that if there was any truth in Aunt Eva's story, then Miss Tinkham was the cat lady that Aunt Eva was talking about.
6.
The Pitch Pines (Pinus rigida) at Fernbank look wee-waw and are losing many of the green tips.
The Dictionary of Regional English says that wee-waw means "Something that has got out of proper shape". The region is given as New England or the Northeast.
7.
A new house is in process of construction on Spencer Baird Road. The Editor was told that it is the property of the proprietor of the Penzance Garage.
I'd like to know more about the Penzance Garage. It gets another mention here:
7.
The use of Celotex for sheathing has made it possible to heat this apartment by the use of a wood-stove and an oil stove.
Wikipedia says:
Celotex Corporation is a defunct American manufacturer of insulation and construction materials. It was the subject of a number of high-profile lawsuits over products containing asbestos in the 1980s, eventually declaring Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1990.
8.
A timbered ceiling is a help, as it provided abundant space for hooks (or nails if economy is an object). The apartment described here has a few thousand more or less on which are hanging clothes, carpenters tools, pieces of metal, and wire as well as metal work tools, scissors, skillets, saucepans, pancake turners, and a few guns.
The guns startled me, but then I remembered that at this time Fred was working on his patent application for a telescopic gun sight.
9.
A garden chair supplemented by cushions and an African stool makes an attractive chaise longue.
There's a letter from Fred from when he was in Africa about getting some stools made. I haven't uploaded it yet. When Fernbank was sold nearly 40 years later, I grabbed the African stool that was there, which I assume was the stool referred to in this News. It is about 11 inches high, and the seat is about 10 inches square. Here are a couple of pictures of it:
Miss Fredda Reed and Miss Alma Stokey were in Woods Hole from March 22nd to March 25th.
Fredda has a Non-Family page on this website.
2.
They visited Dr. F.E.Stokey who has been occupying Fernbank this past winter.
Fred had been let go from his job at the Westboro State Hospital. Sibyl was up in Canada, with a job as a nurse. She didn't have permission to work in the US, and Fred didn't have permission to work in Canada.
3.
Dr. and Mrs. Warbasse and Miss Vera Warbasse were in Woods Hole the same week end, and perhaps longer, as the Editor did not take notes on Mrs. Warbasse's conversation and has forgotten some points.
I remember the name Warbasse, but I don't know much about them. I found them on Find A Grave, but not much beyond the fact that they existed.
4.
Miss Florence Tinkham has been spending the winter in Woods Hole in her house on Millfield Street. The Editor neglected to ascertain the number of cats in her household.
I think it possible that Miss Tinkham was the woman about whom Aunt Eva told a story. Millfield Street sounds about right. She (whether or not it was Miss Tinkham) had a huge number of cats - dozens of them, maybe. There was a heater - maybe a stove of some sort - in her house, and one night the cats knocked it over and the house burned down. That's all I remember.
In Find A Grave I find that Miss Tinkham lived from 1885 to 1960. I found an article from the Woods Hole Museum about firefighting in Falmouth, in which Miss Tinkham was mentioned not as the victim of a fire, but rather as a well-known independent lady of Woods Hole who supported the acquisition of a new fire truck around 1927.
I also found a 1907-1908 report of the trustees for the MBL. Miss Tinkham of Mount Holyoke College was listed in the Physiology department, so that's how Alma knew her. I was surprised to find Alma's friend Mr. Sackett from Oberlin there too...but that's getting off the subject.
So what I'm left with is: I don't know if Aunt Eva got the cat lady story correctly, and if she did, I don't remember if Miss Tinkham was the cat lady. Maybe AG will remember. Or Barbara.
Later: I asked AG. She remembered Miss Tinkham, and said she had in fact been thinking about Miss Tinkham and her cats recently, thinking about how it seemed strange back then for Miss Tinkham to have so many cats, but it wouldn't seem so strange now. Miss Tinkham lived at the corner of Millfield Street and Gardiner Road, and probably did not have dozens of cats, but did have a lot of them. AG didn't remember a fire at Miss Tinkham's house, but now it seems likely to me that if there was any truth in Aunt Eva's story, then Miss Tinkham was the cat lady that Aunt Eva was talking about.
6.
The Pitch Pines (Pinus rigida) at Fernbank look wee-waw and are losing many of the green tips.
The Dictionary of Regional English says that wee-waw means "Something that has got out of proper shape". The region is given as New England or the Northeast.
7.
A new house is in process of construction on Spencer Baird Road. The Editor was told that it is the property of the proprietor of the Penzance Garage.
I'd like to know more about the Penzance Garage. It gets another mention here:
7.
The use of Celotex for sheathing has made it possible to heat this apartment by the use of a wood-stove and an oil stove.
Wikipedia says:
Celotex Corporation is a defunct American manufacturer of insulation and construction materials. It was the subject of a number of high-profile lawsuits over products containing asbestos in the 1980s, eventually declaring Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1990.
8.
A timbered ceiling is a help, as it provided abundant space for hooks (or nails if economy is an object). The apartment described here has a few thousand more or less on which are hanging clothes, carpenters tools, pieces of metal, and wire as well as metal work tools, scissors, skillets, saucepans, pancake turners, and a few guns.
The guns startled me, but then I remembered that at this time Fred was working on his patent application for a telescopic gun sight.
9.
A garden chair supplemented by cushions and an African stool makes an attractive chaise longue.
There's a letter from Fred from when he was in Africa about getting some stools made. I haven't uploaded it yet. When Fernbank was sold nearly 40 years later, I grabbed the African stool that was there, which I assume was the stool referred to in this News. It is about 11 inches high, and the seat is about 10 inches square. Here are a couple of pictures of it:
10.
I think that the bottom of the diagram is the back of the house, and that the top right of it is where the staircase up to the main floor is. There seems to be a window on the right-hand side. In my time, there was a door there (unless I'm wrong in the orientation), so I guess that was one of the changes made during the Great Raising of 1946.
11.
I wonder who was the audience for this edition of the Fernbank News. Will and Eva, and maybe Laura? Conceivably the siblings were worried about Fred, who had been let go from his job and who was now living in the wintertime at Fernbank, which was only a summer cottage. The Fernbank News would have provided a way to let the siblings know how Fred was doing without actually calling it The Fred Report. But I don't know.
I think that the bottom of the diagram is the back of the house, and that the top right of it is where the staircase up to the main floor is. There seems to be a window on the right-hand side. In my time, there was a door there (unless I'm wrong in the orientation), so I guess that was one of the changes made during the Great Raising of 1946.
11.
I wonder who was the audience for this edition of the Fernbank News. Will and Eva, and maybe Laura? Conceivably the siblings were worried about Fred, who had been let go from his job and who was now living in the wintertime at Fernbank, which was only a summer cottage. The Fernbank News would have provided a way to let the siblings know how Fred was doing without actually calling it The Fred Report. But I don't know.
1935-03-31: tour stops---images---audio---transcript---notes---~LINKS~---site navigation
DOCUMENT LISTS FOR PEOPLE:
- ALMA: DOCUMENTS ----- Related
- FRED: DOCUMENTS ----- Related
- NON-FAMILY: FREDDA REED ----- Related
GENERAL DOCUMENT LISTS:
- COMPLETE DOCUMENT LIST BY DATE
- DOCUMENTS SORTED BY WHERE THEY WERE WRITTEN ----- Western Massachusetts
- DOCUMENTS SORTED BY SOURCE ----- Barbara
- AUDIO READINGS OF THE DOCUMENTS: 1930-1939
OTHER RELATED DOCUMENTS/PAGES:
1935-03-31: tour stops---images---audio---transcript---notes---links---~SITE NAVIGATION~
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