All over the globe on December 31st, when the clock strikes midnight, we will be saying goodbye to 2022 and welcoming in 2023. In so doing, many of us have family traditions to ring in the new year – carrying change in your pocket to promote wealth, eating 12 grapes, or hanging onions on the…
Reverend Edwin Augustus Buck* (1824-1903), who lived at 114 Prospect Street, was the Pastor of Central Congregational Church on Rock Street, a “missionary of the Pleasant Street Mission in 1867,” and the President of the Boys Club. The Buck residence was built circa 1875 and was located on “the Hill,” which was the more fashionable…
The Victorian mourning traditions are today considered morbid, outdated, and even strange. However, there is one mourning custom that society decided to hold onto – mourning cards, now referred to as “memorial cards.” Not much about the style of the cards has changed since the 1800s, save for the removal of the black border. Notice…
Did you know the Fall River Directories tell a story if you let them guide you through the years? Not only did they provide advertisements, but the publisher also provided readers with witty remarks suggesting they advertise. Many establishments used a directory for business purposes, but they would less likely be seen in private residences….
The great fire of 1928 tore through a large portion of Fall River’s business district, without prejudice, leaving ash and rubble in its wake. The Buffington Building which housed the FRHS and the majority of its collection were destroyed when the supposedly fire-proof building was engulfed. The only objects to survive were those that were…