11/6/2014 12:26:00 PM Inside Outside Memories of Athol brings together past and present residents (sorry - photo does not come through, but it was previously posted here.) PHOTO OF FIRE EVOKES MEMORIES -- This photograph of a fire in 1973 that destroyed a building on Athols Exchange Street was published recently on the Memories of Athol Facebook page. As a result, readers shared memories of Bob & Omers Bar and other businesses impacted by the fire. Photo by Keith Williams ALLEN YOUNG ADN Columnist Memories of Athol - Our Hometown! is a page on Facebook, the most prominent social medium of our era. This page has more than 2,100 members, with more joining every day. Memories of Athol is the creation of Athol native Scott Bosworth and his wife Kathy, both in their 60s. They were in Athol recently, following the death of Scotts father, Richard Bosworth, and I had the opportunity to talk to them. Scott and Kathy met in 2001 on an Internet dating site, and after a month of talking every day for month, Scott flew out to Wyoming to meet Kathy. Soon after, they got married and settled in Sheridan, Wyo., 2,100 miles west of Athol and known as Number One Cowboy Town. When Scott became aware of aMemories of Sheridan Facebook page. He decided to create one for Athol. To make the page successful and enjoyable for all, Scott and Kathy monitor it carefully, making sure people dont sign on who might engage in scams or have a commercial purpose. To join the group, one must have a Facebook page first. Thats easy to do, and privacy settings are available if you dont want to become a Facebook junkie like some of us. The site says, Share your past memories, photos of our hometown of Athol, MA. Places and faces have come and gone; maybe you have moved away, so share some memories and past history here, or interesting current news! Have fun and invite your friends! Scott estimates that two-thirds of the people on the site live in the Athol area, while one-third are Atholians who have moved away. Recently, Keith Williams, an Athol High School teacher, posted several Polaroid photographs he had taken (at age 14) when a fire destroyed Bob & Omers bar, Godin Realty, and other businesses on Exchange Street in the winter of 1973. Many people, including me, responded with relevant memories. I recalled that Art Platt and I (and three others) bought 94 acres of land on Butterworth Road in Royalston for $9,000, with Jerry Godin as the Realtor. At the closing, Jerry gave us a bottle of booze that had survived the fire. Art started Countryside Realty a few years later, and competed in the real estate business with Jerry, but Jerry and Art always held one another in mutual respect and remained friends. I announced on the page that I would write about it for my column and several people offered comments: Robert Mosco Jr. of Gardner: I love the history posts and all the old photos folks have and want to share. So many subjects could be explored. Politics, Medical - The Fire and Police departments all have history that can be captured and put out here for all of us to learn. This page has made me feel so proud of the town I grew up in. Also, the Memories page inspired me to create a high school class page (class of 1967). Stephanie Gilgut of Palermo, N.Y.: For those who have moved away, its nice to get back in touch with folks, see pictures old and new, learn new things about Athols past, and to share our own memories, that might jog folks own memories and make them smile. Hazel Rathburn-Leclaire of Orange: The pictures are so amazing and also some of the stories on the site are so very interesting they make me feel happy and some also make me feel very sad. Carolyn Henry of Arizona: I moved to Arizona in 1993 from Athol and missed the area and the people very much until I found this page. Now Im able to reconnect on a daily basis! My Dad owned the Texaco gas station in Athol for 10 years until he sold it and we moved to Arizona. Seeing the old photos if what the town looked like compared to what it is now is amazing. I also love the page because Im able to keep up on some of the news in town. Mark Chapalonis of Athol: Im 49 and the pictures and stories from some of the older people then me are just awesome. My grandfather lived at the Leonard Hotel for awhile and I had a few questions about it and when it burned down. I got immediate responses from a lot of people. Dennis Shea of Ft. Worth, Tex.: The charm of Athol that I appreciate now in the autumn of my life, was overlooked as a youngster when I moved toward city life. Memories of Athol is a connection point for many of us who have gone our separate ways over the years. Marty Grover of Lynn: I am a 1959 AHS grad and moved from Athol in 1960. When my parents passed on in the mid nineties, contact with the old home town was greatly reduced. The Memories page changed that dramatically. Not only has it re-kindled old friendships, it has created new ones. While writing this, I looked at the most recent post. It came from Jan Hatch and said, How many of our members remember Bobby Vysockys funeral at Our Lady Immaculate church, November 1953? He was my best friend. Several people responded, and I learned that Bobby died of polio. It was a sad moment, and also reminded me of how grateful we all should be for modern medicine that has put an end to polio. Sad times, happy times, and ordinary tidbits of life appear regularly on this Facebook page, enriching the lives of its members. As Robin Comstock Ames of Middleboro commented, I think most will agree when I say just that it is nice to relive the old days, during simpler times. It is sad too, in some ways, to see buildings that we grew up with no longer standing, but overall this is a wonderful page with absolutely NO DRAMA. I wish my Dad and Mom were still with us, they would love looking at these old photos. Would be wonderful to listen to their stories once again.
Posted on: Fri, 07 Nov 2014 21:34:40 +0000