After stumbling across info about a woman I had never heard of - Ellen Swallow Richards - twice in two days I decided it was a sign of a blog post in the making. And since Ellen Swallow Richards spent quite a bit of time in Cambridge Mass I was particularly taken with her story.
I never had given much thought about the history of home ec though I did enjoy my classes the couple of years it was offered when I was in junior high. Not that it took - I'm no Martha Stewart and the pastry we made in 7th grade remains one of the fanciest things I've ever cooked. But reading about it - that's another story. I love vintage cookbooks and books about maintaining the house so couldn't resist the book at right when I found it online. It's a 1967 textbook for a home ec class.
Ellen Swallow Richards:
I first heard of Ellen Swallow Richards yesterday when I stumbled upon a really wonderful blog maintained by Joyce Beery Miles an author, historian and historical reenactor who brings Richards to life in her blog and in character. I really enjoyed her site and encourage you to check it out and learn more about this remarkable woman.
Imagine my surprise when this morning I happened upon another online article about Richards just by chance. I was delighted to discover a site called Mass Moments that every day features an article about a moment in Massachusetts history that happened on that calendar day. The site is a creation of MassHumanities, the Massachusetts affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. It's a remarkable site - the entries are incredibly thorough and well done.
I love learning about things that happened on a particular day in the past. When I was an archivist I would always get a special thrill when I came upon a letter or a diary entry that was written on my birthday - many, many years before I was born. It was just so interesting to think about that January 24th so many years ago - generations before I was born.
So what's the connection? Well, on this day in 1875 Ellen Swallow married married MIT Professor Robert Hallowell Richards. Happy anniversary Ellen Swallow Richards!
It's house tour season in Massachusetts. This Sunday marks the 27th Annual House tour in Newton MA. I'm doing my best to keep Sunday afternoon free because this is one of my all time favorite house tours.
Newton is a city of absolutely exquisite houses and neighborhoods. Every year I go on this tour I find myself thinking "why would anyone want to live anywhere else?" It really is one of the prettiest towns I've ever seen - amazing houses and mature landscaping with enormous beeches shading many a house.
There will be eight private homes on this year's house tour. The tour will include several neighborhoods and villages:
The tour benefits the Newton Historical Society and the Newton History Museum at the Jackson Homestead.
Tickets will be available at the Jackson Homestead, 527 Washington Street in Newton for $30.
The tour takes place on Sunday, May 31, 2009 from noon to 5 pm.
Visit my website for a complete list of house tours in Massachusetts.
My nemesis - black swallowwort - is invading Cambridge. I've been out and about in the last few days and found big patches of it in many, many front yards in Cambridge. And no question about it - it's in Somerville, Medford, and Arlington too. In fact, it's becoming an issue all over Massachusetts. It could very well be in your area too - black swallowwort has spread across much of the United States.
Black swallowwort looks a bit like milkweed. But instead of the fuzzy, lumpy pods of regular milkweed the swallowwort seed pods are thinner and smooth, shiny green. It's a rapidly growing vine and if allowed to flourish will produce numerous pods. Last summer I would find large stands of swallow-wort covering chain link fences and dripping with pods. Unfortunately I think some people actually like it since it does do a good job of covering up those chain link fences.
I found black swallowwort in my yard a couple of years ago but didn't know what it was at the time. But it was growing so fast - twining around other plants, sprouting up everywhere I looked - that I searched online for it. I was horrified by what I read. Search for it online and you'll be ready for all out war after you learn more about it.
Black swallowwort is extremely invasive. It will push out other vegetation and is hard to eradicate. Like regular milkweed, the seeds from pods that are allowed to remain on the vines will spread all over the neighborhood. Your neighbor's swallowwort is your problem too. Let it thrive and soon it will be all over the neighborhood pushing out other plants. It can quickly become the dominant plant in a landscape and will push out other plants and wildflowers.
Swallowwort is not only a threat to vegetation. It is also believed to threaten the viability of monarch butterflies. Monarchs lay their eggs on milkweed and are thought to mistake swallowwort for milkweed. Caterpillars hatched on swallow-wort do not survive however. Areas infested with swallowwort also have fewer nesting birds and insects. By pushing out native vegetation black swallowwort has a significant impact on the food chain.
The first year I found this invader in my yard I made the mistake of breaking off the vines but leaving them to wither with the pods still attached. Unfortunately, even if the vine is dead, the pods will still eventually release their seeds. The pods must be removed and disposed of carefully - I wrapped them up in foil or tightly closed bags. Some recommend burning.
Last year I went on an anti-swallowwort crusade. Anywhere I went I would pull off pods and filled bags with them. I listed a house for sale in Cambridge that had black swallowwort climbing everywhere in the garden. I filled more than one large trash bag with the vines. Once I started to look I found it everywhere - all over Cambridge, Somerville, Medford and Arlington.
I'll post more photos of swallow-wort as it matures. The picture taken above was taken in Cambridge in mid-May. Right now the pods aren't out but the flowers are on the vine. The flowers look like small purple stars. The leaves are spade shaped and shiny green - sort of like lilac leaves but shinier. The way the vine will curl around whatever it comes in contact with is very distinctive.
If you see pods when you're out and about - pick them and dispose of them. Once the pods start appearing I carry plastic newspaper bags with me and fill them with pods I come across.
If you discover swallowwort in your yard the only effective method of eradication is repeated sprayings of herbicide. Pulling the vines will not work - there is a large underground network of roots and you can't stay ahead of it by pulling it. Even people who garden organically find no other adequate method to rid their garden of this super pest. Get an industrial sized bottle of herbicide and get ready to do battle.
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Elizabeth Bolton is a real estate agent with the Huron Avenue office of Coldwell Banker in Cambridge, MA.
A version of this article, Black Swallowwort is Invading Cambridge, was first published on http://centersandsquares.com.
Somerville Massachusetts celebrates Historic Preservation Month in May. Here are some upcoming events:
Walking Tour of Ball Square Somerville
Ed Gordon, President of the New England Chapter of the Victorian Society of America, will lead a tour of the Ball Square and Powderhouse area of Somerville this Sunday. On the From Powder House Pickles to Ball Square Brick Yards walking tour of historic homes and sites you'll learn about the history of the neighborhood and of Tufts University, see some of the most handsome multi-families built in the area, get to see the inside of a home or two, and finish with light refreshments at the Field House at Nathan Tufts Park.
Here's a vintage postcard of the powderhouse:

History of the Davis Square Branch Library
Architectural conservator, Sara Chase, will give a talk on Sunday afternoon titled A Jewel In the Crown: The West Branch Library. The West Branch Library on College Avenue in Davis Square is a Carnegie Library and 100 years old this year. I love this little library and look forward to learning more about it.
The lecture, tour of the library and light refreshments are free and open to all.
A vintage postcard of the library in Davis Square from 1909, the year it was built, is below. The library looks just about the same today.
Hattie wrote on the back to her friend Gertrude: "Our new library about ten minutes walk from the house. Our cards have been transferred and we now take books from here. It is much smaller than the Somerville library and the collection of books of course is not as good but then the (walking part) is very much better."

Milk Row Cemetery Tour at Dusk
This is a rare opportunity to visit Somerville's oldest cemetery which is usually closed to the public. Barbara Mangum, president of Historic Somerville, will talk about recent grant-funded improvements including the restoration of the Civil War monument and you'll get a chance to learn more about this cemetery which dates to 1804. Light refreshments will be served.
Preservation Awards Ceremony at the Somerville Museum
The Somerville Historic Preservation Commission will honor twelve homeowners for their work on their older homes.
Historic Bike Tour of Somerville
This easy nine-mile ride will start at City Hall and will focus on Somerville's historic churches and synagogues.
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Elizabeth Bolton is a real estate agent and old house enthusiast. For more about local real estate, Somerville, and more visit Centers and Squares.
The best sign of spring in Massachusetts is Lilac Sunday.
The Arnold Arboretum's annual Lilac Sunday celebration falls on Mother's Day each year. This year marks the 101st celebration of this quintessential Boston holiday.
What a beautiful way to spend the day!
The Arnold Arboretum has over 400 lilac plants of about 194 different types.
On Lilac Sunday you can stroll through the Arboretum, take a tour to learn about this historic collection, watch dance perfomances, participate in games for the kids, or join the Musical Parade.
Fun, free, and a lovely way to treat your mom on her day.
The Arnold Arboretum, at 125 Arborway, Boston, MA, is open from dawn to dusk with Lilac Sunday special events scheduled from 10 am to 4 pm on May 10, 2009.
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