News & Notes
Roberts School (1873): dating photos with verifiable records
Assign dates to Roberts School images by cross-reading teacher rosters and repairs in town reports with signage visible in photographs. Where directory listings align with board names and curb/sash details match documented works, we can justify a narrow, defensible date range.
The method is replicable: note the report year and page, the directory edition, and the observable features. Readers can re-run the steps and reach the same conclusion.
Union Street, Holbrook: a block-by-block timeline from deeds & atlases
Reconstruct growth on Union Street by chaining deed references (book/page) to atlas plates that label owners and footprints. Street work in annual town reports explains new curbing, sidewalks, and corner changes visible across decades.
Workflow: identify a house number, confirm its parcel on the atlas, walk the deed chain, then correlate public works dates with changes captured in photographs.
Shoemaking shops, 1890–1910: small firms, rail access, neighborhood life
Directories and newspaper notices show the shift from home stitching to small shop finishing, alongside wage ads and seasonal hiring. Proximity to rail affected where workers lived and how depots shaped nearby blocks.
Sources to watch: occupations in directories, Sanborn use codes, and firm names in advertisements—useful for tracing employers and addresses with confidence.