Brockton

by James E. Benson

Overview

The official seal of Brockton boldly proclaims education, industry, and progress as hallmarks of the city. These three attributes guided Brockton to greatness in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and continue to shape and influence the community today. From its humble days as North Bridgewater, the growing industrial center of the region changed its name to Brockton in 1874 in part to entice business to the town. In 1881, Brockton became a city and was well on its way to becoming one of the world's foremost centers for the manufacturing of shoes.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467120074
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	08/19/2013
Series:	Postcard History Series
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Author James E. Benson has drawn from postcard collections of several individuals and organizations to portray the commercial, religious, educational, and cultural life of the community. Benson is the past president of the Brockton Historical Society and serves as its official city historian. Previously, Benson coauthored The Swedes of Greater Brockton and authored West Bridgewater, Brockton, and Brockton Revisited in Arcadia's Images of America series. He also authored Along Old Canada Road in the Postcard History Series published by Arcadia.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 6

Introduction 7

1 Churches 9

2 Education 23

3 Brockton Fair 31

4 Fire Department 41

5 Public Service 51

6 Recreation 71

7 Industry and Commerce 81

8 Around Town 111

About the Brockton Historical Society 126

About the Metro-South Chamber of Commerce 127

Editorial Reviews

It took Brockton more than a century to outgrow its "Shoe City," but there has been no lack of change or claims to fame in this friendly city. For example, how many non-residents know that the world's first department store Santa welcomed children onto his lap in Brockton in 1890? (Hand-selling tip: We are becoming a more local nation with more local interests. According to a 2009 Newsweek article, fewer Americans are relocating than at any time since 1962.)

Title: Brockton profiled in pictures in new book by city historical society president
Author: Erik Potter
Publisher: Enterprise News
Date: 7/10/2010

James Benson spent the past 14 months culling through thousands of historical photos of Brockton, looking for the best ones to illustrate life in the city from the 1860s to the 1960s.

Ultimately, he pared it down to 240 images that have gone into a new book, "Brockton," part of Arcadia Publishing's "Images of America" series.

Benson, the president of the Brockton Historical Society, has written four books for Arcadia, a leading publisher of local history books. This is his second about Brockton.

"In a lot of cases there were pictures that I guarantee no one who is alive today has seen, other than the person who gave them to me," Benson said.

The images come from private collections, the Brockton Historical Society and the Stanley Bauman Collection at Stonehill College.

The 128-page book provides a broad overview of Brockton's history, including sections covering its beginnings as North Bridgewater, up through its "Boots and Shoes" industrial years, and a section covering the famous people and places in town.

Benson, a historian, believes it's important to preserve and remember the past.

"First and foremost, it gives everyone, whether they've been a lifelong (Brockton) resident or just moved here, a sense of place," Benson said. "People move a lot nowadays; they don't tend to stay in one place. (This book) shows what the city was."

The Brockton Historical Society will be holding a joint event Friday night, celebrating its 40th anniversary as well as the release of Benson's book.

The celebration will be at 6 p.m. at The Shaw's Center, 1 Feinberg Way in Brockton. Tickets are $35 and available at several area locations, including the historical society, First Lutheran Church and the Metro South Chamber of Commerce.

Copies of the book will be available for purchase for a discounted price of $19.99. Full retail is $21.99. Copies will also be available at the historical society.

From the Publisher