Emile Verzone's Dogs

Emile Verzone's Dogs

One of the strongest memories for me growing up on Walpole Street was of my Great Grandfather Emile and Great Grandmother Cesira who lived in the next house to us.  "Nonno" and "Nana" Verzone were traditional Italian immigrants who had arrived in Canton in the early part of the 20th Century.  

Emile had worked his entire life for the great hotels in New York and Boston. Principally employed by the Copley Plaza in Boston from the day it opened in 1912. Raising his young family on Columbus Avenue in Boston, he yearned to live in a place that would allow him space and clean air to live in a country setting. Surrounded by his brothers, and all from a small village in Italy called Brusnengo, he had heard about a small town just 14 miles from Boston that had a number of Italian immigrant families living in close proximity. 

Canton had, in the early 190o's burgeoned with Italian Families. The second wave of immigrants to come to Canton after the Irish had arrived in the early to mid 1800's. Family names like Fiori, Dardano, Berteletti, Zanazzo, and Crevola surrounded the patent leather factories and the industrial concerns of the town. All of these families had emigrated to Canton from the same village in Italy called Gattinara, and for Emile this was testament enough to move his family to Canton.

The house was a large rambling federal-style structure that he purchased from a family that had a bakery on the site. A large barn was just behind the house, and a few acres of fields and streams completed the idyllic picture.  Emile commuted every day to Boston to work at the Copley Plaza, and he spent many evenings and weekends building a gentleman's farm on Walpole Street.  Over time he began raising springer spaniels and eventually started raising beagles for sale as AKC registered pups. His dogs had names like Cantonia and America, the former was a champion dog and won many ribbons.  Verzone's beagles were widely sought after and he sold his dogs to many great hunters including the baseball legend Ted Williams. 

By the time I was born, there were only a few litters of puppies left and I had a small beagle pup as a companion. By the late 1960's there were no longer any yips and barks from the house next door and a few years later my Great Grandfather died. The memory is strong though and as a tribute to the family, the small road that leads past my boyhood home and down to the Verzone home is now called Postfield Lane in tribute to the Postfield Kennels that sold AKC registered beagle puppies - the first in Massachusetts, and right here in Canton.

The movie clip is very short and was shot in 1941 as part of a community-wide film. My Aunt Nadine and my Great Aunt Florence are shown doting over the puppies in the kennel just outside the barn. And, while we have some very nice photos, this is a rare piece of film that tells the story of my family in a wonderful way.

Neponset Woolen Mills

Neponset Woolen Mills

The new complex known as River Village on Walpole Street at Neponset is one of our towns newest architectural landmarks. The focus is an impressive tower and stone lobby that serves as a grand entrance. Few people may know that this is the site of an original tower that served to call the beginning and end of the day to thousands of industrial workers for over 150 years. This is also the site of many failed ventures and a handful of businesses that thrived on the western shore of the Neponset.

Long before condominiums were the rage, a small group of businessmen recognized the importance of the attraction of the Neponset River. In 1802 James Beaumont, Able Fisher, and Lemuel Bailey formed James Beaumont & Co. to spin cotton into candlewicks and fibers for cloth. By 1824 (before the Viaduct was built) another group of investors contracted for the water privileges  to the Neponset River from none other than Joseph Warren Revere. The men built a large stone factory along what is now known as Walpole Street and the name of the company became the Boston Manufacturing Company. The area quickly built up around the massive stone factory and included boarding houses, a school and even medical facilities. In three years the area prospered and great growth led to the construction of a dirt raod across the Fowl Meadows to support shipments to Boston. Unfortunately the business failed in 1827. 

Soon after the failure the Neponset Woolen Company set up shop under the directorship of Harrison Gray Otis the prominent Boston businessman, lawyer, and politician and arguably the most important member of the Federalist Party. This venture also failed and by 1837 the site was abandoned. Over the next 170 years many factories operated on this site including a bleachery, another cotton factory, wool and cotton for caskets, and a plastic and adhesives factory. 

In 2005 a local developer purchased the site and gained demolition approval from the Town's local Historical Commission. In homage to the thousands of men and women who worked on this site for over 200 years, the Commission asked the developer to salvage some of the stone and to build a replica of the tower. The original tower and bell was likely built during the 1800's and around the turn of the 20th Century it had been rebuilt. By 1930 the tower became unsafe and was removed. As we watch the economy, we watch to see if this will be a successful venture for the New River Village, LLC - and not a repeat of failed ventures.

The tower we pass today is a connection to our past through a new use for dozens of new families. Kudos to the Canton Historical Commission for suggesting the tower to Shesky Architects who have made this the centerpiece of this project.

The Plunkett House

The way history works is through detective work. And here is the latest example of a fresh case. A few weeks ago I was working the afternoon shift at the Canton Historical Society, the "Histy" as it is affectionately known. It was a busy afternoon and the building was full of volunteers getting prepared for the historical house tour. Over at the corner was a couple from somewhere far away - poking through Canton while doing some family research. Jane, a descendant of the Plunkett Family was working through some family photographs and she shared this magnificent view of a grand old house believed to be in Canton. It was explained that this was a family house that belonged to her Grandfather by the name of Emerson Plunkett.

The search began in old street directories, and we dutifully checked our internal

database for any family references. All we could find was a few Plunkett's living on Rockland Street in the early 1920's. We sent them searching, and yet, the photo featured above turned out not to be on Rockland Street - where many modest homes abound. Instead, the photo to the right is most likely that small Plunkett home in a neighborhood more likely to allow for the survival of the perfect neighborly abode. Jane sent me this photo in an email and she believes this is Annie & John Plunkett's house. The search continues for the larger house featured above.

What more do we know? Well, Jane did find the final resting place of her Great Great Grandparents, Annie (Allen) and John Plunkett in the Canton Cemetery. They were there along with Jane's Great Grandparents, Alice (Smith) and John Plunkett. Yet, now she is searching for the next generation - Emerson, Ruth, Morris and Bill.

The photo at the top of the page is believed to be Emerson's home and such a grand old home would surely be recognized today. Look closely through the trees you can see a conical tower and on the side is a grand entrance portico. So many chimneys and wonderful field stone accents to the shingle style home. The eyebrow window in the roof and the crenelated tower accenting the bumped out round bay. Simply magnificent!!! The house would seem to date to the early 1890's and will certainly have been altered over time. (see the update at end of this article)

Yes, detectives are a big part of family genealogy, simply ask David Lambert at the Massachusetts Genealogical Society. David has been sniffing out history for his whole life. The intersection of family photos, letters, grave sites, and old fashioned footwork is what makes history real for families. History is not relegated to national events, instead, we all have a mystery in our family and we can all "track down" our ancestors.

Today, as you read this, you can assist in the search. Have you ever seen a house that looks like the one at the top of this page? Simply reply in the thread here and I will be sure to send out a detective to the location in the hopes of solving the mystery of the Emerson Plunkett House. Jane has scanned her photos, been to the graves, visited the same streets her grandparents walked and is hot on the trail. Let's see if we can find out what happened to the Emerson Plunkett Home. This is the power of history and detectives.

UPDATE: Jim Roach, Curator, Canton Historical Society writes:
Frank & Alice Plunkett lived at 447 Chapman St. the house known locally to some as the Spaulding house. The picture you have is a great photo that shows the house in all its glory. The house today is vastly different. The entire front of the house and carport are gone. Note in the attached photos that the small dormer near the front, turret at the center and the small hip at the rear are all the same. Some of the stone walls still seem the same but the property is very much over grown.

Here is how the house looks today...