Burbeen Free Lecture Series: Scenes, Songs, and Stories of Old Woburn

Location(s)

Burbeen Free Lecture Series Presents Two for the Price (free) of One!:

SCENES, SONGS, AND STORIES OF OLD WOBURN
By Keith Sullivan and Kathy O’Doherty

and

THE TORNADO OF 1925
by John McElhiney

On Tuesday night, April 22nd, singer/narrator Keith Sullivan, Library Director/projectionist Kathy O’Doherty and local historian John McElhiney will present programs at the Joyce Middle School under the auspices of the Burbeen Free Lecture Series. And, as the name indicates, the event is free to the public. The first program starts at 7:00 p.m. and doors open at 6:30 p.m.

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SCENES, SONGS, AND STORIES OF OLD WOBURN

Join us as we journey back in time to the Woburn of bygone days.

Using images from the Woburn Public Library’s extensive photograph collections, Keith Sullivan will take you traveling from the earliest times in Woburn history right up through the days of the automobile. As you make your way through the years, Keith will perform songs which will evoke the “old days” and maybe provoke some memories of a simpler time. You will view slides of old school houses, schoolchildren, homes, Horn Pond, the Middlesex Canal, people from times past both known and not so well known. You will see photos of old trains, trolleys, horse drawn vehicles, and early automobiles.

Keith will offer narration and song as you journey from a Woburn before it was settled through images of some of the first homes and scenes of Horn Pond. Later you will view old slides of the Middlesex Canal and then the trains which eventually put it out of business. Photos of the old train depots, including the one on Pleasant which is now the site of the court house, will also be shown.

Later, the images of old Woburn schools and the children who attended them will be seen. Slides will include the Morse Street School, Warren Academy, the Hanson School, Wyman School, and many others.

The Woburn Public Library will be viewed from images of years past. You will see slides of the original benefactors, Jonathan Bowers Winn and his son Charles. Images of late 19th century groups posing in front of the then almost new library building will also be shown along with a few views of the interior.

Finally, we will end with a line-up of people from those bygone days. Photos of individuals and groups will parade in front of you to musical accompaniment.

Keith Sullivan has been singing, playing the guitar and banjo, and serving as master of ceremonies at numerous events for over thirty-five years at coffeehouses, libraries, schools, churches, concerts and benefits throughout New England and New York. For years, the deceptively youthful appearing Sullivan served as a crewmember aboard the environmental awareness sloop Clearwater, performing and recording with folk legend Pete Seeger.

He lives in Woburn with his wife, and their three children, dog, love bird, and hamster.

Kathy O’Doherty is the Director of the Woburn Public Library while she awaits a call up to the majors. Born in Woburn, she has often had to beg for forgiveness for having been brought up in Winchester. Her past life includes being the director of a private school library and a college library as well as one night of professional proofreading. She started her bibliographic career as a Northeastern University Co-op student at the Woburn Public Library. Kathy is the author of “Images of America: Woburn” which was published in 2000 and is now out of print but may be borrowed from the Woburn Public Library. Kathy is married to Dr. Shaheen Mozaffar and lives south of Woburn.

Tom Doyle who is the Archivist at the Woburn Public Library also contributed to this program and Keith and Kathy are grateful for his efforts.

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THE TORNADO OF 1925

The audience will also be whisked away during a recollection of a great weather event in the city's history. With photographs and words, John McElhiney will recall the Tornado of '25 which struck hard at Woburn center. During the days before Doppler radar and hourly weather reports, heavy dark clouds crept up on an unsuspecting community. Within moments the skies cleared and the residents of the city found a wake of devastation.