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The "Village", as it was called, is located in the northwest corner of the city of Taunton, Massachusetts U.S.A. It covers about 1 square mile with the center being School Street. A large portion of the Village population was Portuguese when I was growing up.
This blog covers a lot of the history of the Village, much to do with my years as a child there: 1940 through the late 1950's. I do have many wonderful photos and information prior to that that and will share those as well. Always looking for MORE PHOTOS AND MORE STORIES TO TELL.
If you would like to send photos or share a memory of growing up in the Village
e-mail me at spinoart@comcast.net
feel free to comment on the posts. Directions are on the right side of the blog posts. Jump in, the water is fine and it is easy!!!
I will be posting photographs but not identifying individuals unless I have permission or they are a matter of public record. It you wish to give me permission, please let me know.
I am looking for any and all photos of the Village...
Please note: the way blogs work is that the latest post is first. It you would like to start from the beginning of the blog, check out the post labels on the right of the blog and go from there. Thanks.
The last few articles needed much research. I decided that now something in a lighter vein was in order. In truth, I have long had this post in the back of my blogging mind. The reason being that a vivid memory was shining out among my childhood recollections. Just a tiny little memory yet clear and sharp and somehow comforting. You know how those memories can be?
Here is how it goes. A few of us young Fuller School classmates are outside in the schoolyard at recess. Specifically, we are on the right side of the dirt playground not far from the side and front picket fences. Huddling together under one of those precious elms that hugged the side fence,
we each have a cloth bag of marbles.
We are on our knees. It's good that packed dirt is beneath us,
much kinder to little girl's knees since we wore dresses or skirts. Our knees were
always at risk and often tattooed with scars and healing scrapes.
Anyway, you could not play marbles on concrete.
Pinterest- bing.com
There are three or four of us around the " bunny" hole we have dug out of the ground, thumbs and fingers ready to launch our chosen marble. Little girls with pigtails or curls hanging over our shoulders, we are in intense concentration. Elbows ensconced in the dirt...liftoff!!
Pinterest: piccsy, com
I vaguely remember the marble terminology for each kind of marble
such as the cats eye, the aggie, the tiger, and swirly...
Wikopedia tells us that there are many more names, and many rules. I do not recall those.
I just remember the feel of the marbles in my fingers and my hand.
The beauty of each one. The joy when I was able to gain another in a game.
Today try to find old marbles. There are collectors out there. Real old marbles are expensive,
but hold so much memory of peace, of gentle gaming and the fact that no one
seemed to get ticked off after a game of marbles.... No one left mid-game in a huff.
Pinterest:integrelleaders
Just a simple little game. You were quiet, there were no spectators or reporters. You did not need anything electronic. Your little drawstring bag of marbles fit nicely into a pocket.
The game of marbles- gender and class neutral. Non-violent. I never saw a fight over marbles. Rich or poor could play equally. It was race neutral. The game could be slow or it could be fast. Ah, the days of innocence. Marbles did involve strategy and concentration. It involved friendly interaction, there was anticipation and time for laughter.
Then there was the sheer feel of the marble itself. No corners. Marbles were marvelous with their cool roundness snuggling into your hand. This post reminded me that when I did tai chi we had a session on "meridian balls" (sometimes called boading balls). These go all the way back to the Ming Dynasty starting in the 1300's. Small marble-like spheres (or larger if indicated) were rolled in the hand and fingers. The practice is still used today. They exercise not just the fingers and hand, but the forearms and shoulders, too . The very simple exercises invigorate and increase blood circulation, unblock energy areas, keep the brain in good health, reinvigorates memory, relieves fatigue, drowns your worries and may prolong your life.
Not bad for a sweet little sphere!
This 1937 Life magazine cover demonstrates the concentration
of playing marbles. This boy obviously is not worrying about other things.
Pinterest- sodahead.com
....
More Marble factoids
Marbles have a history all of their own as we read above. Time magazine (quoted in Wikopedia) goes way back to the 1500's. The were found in early Egyptian and Roman excavations.
Marbles as we know them were first manufactured in Germany in the early 1800's.
Ceramic marbles were first mass produced in the 1870's. In Germany someone invented glass scissors and glass marbles were sold everywhere. Recently, a marble set owned by Anne Frank has been discovered, giving the history of marbles a poignant aspect.
Today there are only two companies who manufacture marbles in the U.S., one in Ohio and another in W. Virginia.
Below a game of marbles at a South Carolina cotton mill in 1903. Pinterest:boys-of-the-past.tumblr.com
A thought about marbles:
Sometimes I think this present world has lost its marbles.
It needs a quiet time to crouch down in the dirt and
pay attention to listening to the wonders and goodness around it.
It needs to gaze into
the swirling depths of a marble. It needs to concentrate on strategy and trajectory
with another human being, both of you crouched down into the same size, neither of you
.......
Note: I have been derelict in not attributing Pinterest photos.
They are now being attached as they should have been.
If you are into nostalgia and history and have not found Pinterest online,
you havea wonderful surprise coming... The attached sites
are websites from which the Pinterestphotos originally derived.
A common goal of the Portuguese who settled in Taunton and throughout Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, was to keep their heritage alive. In the last post we that celebrating Festa was one way to do that.
Today we see a resurgence of the Festa and indeed a revival.
Back in the late 50's, and even before, there was another example of maintaining and increasing Portuguese cultural identity. For a certain group of Portuguese Americans the Coimbra Club of Massachusetts and Rhode Island did just that. I acknowledge the great help of Carolyn de Sousa who was treasurer of Coimbra from 1971-1973. Carolyn supplied me
with personal anecdotes as well as written history of the organization.
The Coimbra Club was named for Coimbra University in Portugal. Coimbra University in Lisbon has an illustrious history. Considered a cultural icon, it was founded in 1290, now the oldest continuously operating university in the world. Interestingly, Coimbra is a public University.
The founding members of the Coimbra Club in Southeastern New England, among whom many Tauntonians were numbered, decided that their organization would be educational in nature. It would study the Portuguese culture in depth which would define their membership criteria . They would delve into historical ancient Portuguese philosophy, writings and art.
The eliteness of the Club in no way diminished the wisdom and gracefulness of others of Portuguese descent in the area. Although they required two years of formal post-high school education for membership, their Board was authorized to use equivalency discretion. One had to be of Portuguese heritage for membership, of course and had to be sponsored by two members.
Membership was voted on by the Board.
Like the round table dinners hosted by Father Louro at St Anthony's in the early to mid 1900's members of the Coimbra Club met to forge relationships among those with similar backgrounds.
( See The Art of Gracious Living, May 8, 2014 post on the Blog for more on Father Louro's dinners).
The Coimbra Club was an extension of the Portuguese classes at Ivy League Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Specifically, it was an outgrowth of the University Extension Division taught by Belmira E. Tavares. Several times a year the class would get together for dinner. Finally, at Sunderland's in Tiverton in 1957, they decided to formalize their gatherings. The name Coimbra was chosen since many members, including Ms. Tavares, attended Coimbra. The first President of the Coimbra Club, Dr. Correia-Branco, had graduated from there.
Belmira E. Tavares was from Fall River, MA. She was first a school teacher, then a school principal and created her classes at Brown University. She was the author of Portuguese Pioneers in the U.S. published in 1974. It is still being used today for historians and genealogists. The book focused on 7 parishes in the Fall River area and their families.
The original organizers of the Coimbra Club were:
Atty. Aristides Andrade : I knew Attorney (Aris) Andrade, he was a neighbor of ours on School St.
He passed away too young at the age of 54 years in 1964. Married to the indomitable Emma Andrade, he was the City Solicitor at the time.
Atty. Andrade is pictured here at a Fuller School function with Principal Sophia Dupont,
another member of the Coimbra Club. This puts a Village touch to the Club.
Other organizers: Dr. Rose Borges, Miss Mildred Braga, Dr. Joseph C. Carvalho, Miss Alice Clemente, Dr. Raymond R. Costa, Miss May Escobar, Mr. and Mrs. Williston Hobert, Mr. John Lima, Mr. and Mrs. Fernandes Lopes, Miss Pauling Luis, Miss Estelle Machado, Miss Laura Nobrega, Miss Mary Oliveira, Mr. Louis Rocha, Miss Cecilia M. Rose, Mr. William R. Silva, Mrs. Helen Sylvia, Dr. Othilia Veira, Dr. and Mrs. Gilbert Vincent, Miss Mary Viveiros and Joseph Fernandes.
The last name in this roster, Joseph Fernandes, deserves special attention. Born in Madeira, he lived many years in Norton, MA and is one of the luminaries of the Taunton/Norton area who highlighted the achievements of Portuguese Americans. Joseph Fernandes was a name I often heard growing up. We were so proud of this outstanding man.
Mr. Joseph Fernandes graduated from Boston University in 1947, later earning an Honorary Doctorate from Stonehill College in N. Easton, MA. He distinguished himself as a Navy Lieutenant in World War II and was awarded the ETO-Battle Stars Presidential Unit Citation. He exemplified the quintessential Portuguese American immigrant whose talents flourished in the U.S.
Active in his successful business, he was at the same time deeply involved in the Portuguese American experience. Proud of his heritage, he :
* was President of the Portuguese Times and the Portuguese Cable Channels
which served 65 communities ,
*received the Peter Francisco Award in 1966 (do you know who Peter was?
Find out in an upcoming post). \
*received the Order of Prince Henry Society's Man of the Year in 1995,
Joseph Fernandes 1923- 2007
Active on the International level he was appointed by President John F. Kennedy as Special Consultant for the State Department's Alliance for Progress at Puente Del Este, Uruguay.
Joseph Fernandes was awarded the Bicentennial Salute to Leadership Award by Secretary of the Treasury William Simon in 1976, The Leadership Award by President Ford and the Prime Minister's Award Medal from the State of Israel.
He was one of the original founders of the Coimbra Club, founded the Portuguese American Foundation, was chair of the Portuguese Cultural Foundation, chaired the Portuguese Cultural Foundation, was honorary President of the Portuguese Cultural Union, and President of the Association for Development of the Catholic University of Portugal.
Scholar, entrepreneur, statesmen, Portuguese American and gentleman extraordinaire. A
wonderful example of the membership of the extraordinary Coimbra Club.
Another distinguished member of the Club was Ret. Lt. Col. Rudolph (Rudy) de Silva, once Mayor of Taunton and a former POW in the Korean War. Rudy spent 23 years in the Army and his service also included the Vietnam War. He was awarded the Bronze Star for Valor,
the Army Commendation Metal and the Purple Heart.
There are many other distinguished members of the Coimbra Club. I just am not aware of them...will you share if you do? The Village was well represented. We have mentioned Atty. Andrade and Sophia Dupont. Also, friend and Fuller School classmate high school teacher,
Cecilia Mendes Rodier must be included in the list.
Coimbra Club Insignia
The Club met four times a year, members often attending with their spouses (who did not have to be of Portuguese descent). They met at venues all over Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. They sometimes met at the Fernandes Compound in Norton, MA .Their programs included Fado artists from Portugal, for example.
School teachers and principals as well as a superintendent, lawyers, business men and more gathered to augment their Portuguese heritage. Don't you wish that you could peek back in the past at gatherings such as this and listen and learn and be astonished? Researching this topic, as well as so many others, I am struck once more of the impact Portuguese Americans had on so many fronts.
Not only from the Village where I grew up, but as part of the Greater Taunton experience. A small Village, a small City, a plethora of strong people nourished by their cultures, excellent teachers and school system, and by their faiths.
As its members aged, the Coimbra Club membership diminished
and finally the organization disbanded.
**************************
A Note
Writing this blog is such an honor for me. Uncovering the accomplishments of those I write about, which are so often hidden. Writing about those who went beyond their known horizons to reach distant goals is a joy.
Gratitude is due to those who have fed this blog, growing it with their willingness to share our heritage. Contributors such as Carolyn de Sousa with this blog post and others. Of course, our incredible Village and Taunton historian Arlene Rose Gouveia takes prime place.
We took a little mountain trip to clear my mind and soul and let my memories run free. I am back to work sharing those memories and thoughts.
Good and safe Labor Day to all here in the U.S.A. This uniquely American holiday is a fitting occasion to write about Portuguese Americans. Portuguese immigrants were and are a hardy lot. They settled in to a new country and commenced to make their mark with an incredible work ethic.
They worked hard and they commemorated and passed on their traditions just as hard. The centerpiece of those traditions was the Festa. Still going strong, though sometimes different, still hard work. Consider the following quote.
In an article by Stephen Cabral, Ph.D for the Madeira Feast Booklet we read:
" Madeiran folkloric music provided the beat and inspiration behind
the Ramboia a Pe De New Bedford ao (walk from New Bedford to Loreto)
Loreto in Norton, MA. Twenty-eight Madeirans undertook the 31 miles pilgrimage
to the Feast of Our Lady of Loreto during the Labor Day weekend of 1948.
This group decided to resurrect an old Madeiran Feast custom.
Extended families and friends often walked and sank along the routes to festas
at neighboring villages on the Island. Thirty mile hikes along mountain trails
and narrow unpaved roads were not unusual. Only eight of the original
Madeiran-Americans completed the walk to Loreta."
I grew up on festas and am delighted that they have not only rebounded but that these cultural iconic events have proliferated. Although Portuguese immigrants were/are ethnically and culturally diverse, one shared tradition is the festa- part religious ceremony, part carnival. and all fun. Festas: a way of passing on traditions from one generation to the next. Southeastern New England still is a central point for many festas each year.
August of this year is the 100th anniversary of the New Bedford Feast of the Holy Ghost (or Festas das Madeiras), the largest festa in the world!
Festas were a fact of life for us in the Village. Those days there were many and they were smaller, more intimate. The sound of Portuguese music being played by a band (or a contest of bands), the twinkling strings of lights crisscrossing overhead, the delicious smell of homemade fava beans and sizzling carne d' espeto ( meat on a stick cooked over a fire of lava rocks). Linguica sandwiches with Portuguese bread soft and fresh. Malasadas , delicious fried bread. Children running around the legs of adults who were trying to chat and catch up. Laughter and greetings. Those were the sounds of the festas when I was growing up. The ones I knew were (and still are) at St. Anthony's, in E. Taunton, in Norton. Today there are many more as we will see later in this post with the granddaddy of them all in New Bedford..
There was/is a Festa at the Ward Five Club on Winter St. at the edge of the Village with an open air Mass and traditional entertainment and food. For many years there was another at the P.A.C.C. (The Portuguese American Civic on School Street ) often the site of festas in its heyday from the 20's on into the late 50's until the Village changed, diluted as it were,. Still my memories churn up the plumes of scented smoke from the Espetatha pits and the sounds of families
and friends greeting each other.
The Madeira Festa de Nossa Senhora do Loretto (Feast of Our Lady of Loreto) took place each summer in the woods of Norton. Groups of Madeirans would gather with their concertinas in corners of the festa and start singing and dancing. There is now an elementary school where that festival took place for so many years.
Although they were and are a social cultural affair, the root of the festa is religious. There were often processions earlier in the day. I am not sure if First Communion wrapped around them, but these two photos were too good to pass up, especially for me. Here at St. Anthony's two angels ( old time processions always had children dressed as angels!), my sister Kathy Souza front right and next to her my cousin Helena Souza . My brother Frank is the fourth little boy in the communion group behind Helena. I am sure some of you will recognize others.
Traditional angels in Madeira
Below are our angels without their wings having breakfast...Frank on the left in front across from Kathy and Helena in back of Frank. I am hoping you can name all the adults.
Every Village in Portugual, Madeira and the Azores had their own Festas. The biggest were in honor of the Holy Ghost (Catholics have not heard that term in years) and the Blessed Sacrament.
This religious practice and celebration of the Holy Ghost originated with Queen Saint Isabel, sixth Queen of Portugal and daughter of the King of Aragon, who was married to young monarch, Diniz . There was once a terrible famine in the land. During Mass the Queen begged The Holy Ghost to send food promising to give her crown to the Church. Upon leaving the Church she saw an armada of ships bringing wheat and corn. For the next 700 years the Portuguese have celebrated The Festa do Espirito Sancto to intercede in times of danger and in
n memory of their Queen's holiness.
Above a Holy Ghost Festa in the Azores in the 1890's. The 'Emperor' with the crown was called
the Imperiador , he oversaw the Festa. Women hung their best handmade linens from their windows as they watched the procession.
Below a wonderful photo from the 1890's of The Folioes, traditional costumes
on Sao Miquel, the musicians who led the Holy Ghost Festival.
During that above mentioned famine, Queen Isabel sold all she had except the crown that symbolized the monarchy. Those of us who grew up going to a Portuguese Catholic Church remember the little side altar where the silver crown and sceptre were displayed. The crown consists of three individual pieces: the scepter is accented by a dove, the symbol of the Holy Spirit,
the crown itself and the base plate representing the people.
Madeirans had their own Festas. They have maintained a fervent devotion to the Blessed Sacrment such the 15th Century when the Knights of the Holy Order of Christ established the earliest feasts.
Local parishes throughout Madeira still celebrate the feast on different Sundays
from Easter through January.
For our ancestors the Festa meant many things. In the days before media communication and easy transportation it provided a meeting place to reinforce their worship, their beliefs. A place to meet a prospective mate while under proper chaperones. A place to talk politics. For children it was a place to run around safely while they absorbed their culture.
For immigrants coming to a new country, the Festa was a place to remember home, to keep alive their beliefs through worship, a place to teach the young their traditions, a place to renew their bonds with each other. And over the centuries as new immigrants came here,
these traditions kept going and growing.
The facades of buildings in the USA "villages" were decorated as in the Old Country for Festa. Statues of saints were adorned with garlands and jewelry. Streets were lined with banners, twinkling colored lights were laced overhead. Bayberry arches lined neighborhood streets. I remember our priest holding the Ciborium containing the Host in his caped hands as he processed beneath a canopy held by four men who were honored with their responsibility.
What a great photo below taken in 1889 at Monte Pio Hall on Acushnet Avenue in New Bedford. President McKinley granted the Society's request for permission to fly the Portuguese flag without accompaniment by the American flag.
The Blessed Sacrament was displayed on the Altar for adoration and fervent
volunteers kept constant attendance.
Who does not remember their Avo ( grandmother ) keeping watch in the Church, her head modestly covered with a kerchief. The Avos I remember were all in black,
a constant reminder of their widowhood. Taken at Mt. Carmel Church , New Bedford,1979.
New England was not the only place in the U.S. where Portuguese
immigrants settled and Festa became a center point.
Below children form a procession for a Holy Ghost Festa in 1914
in Riverside California.
In recent history: a very large Festa takes place in the Sacramento/Oakland area in California.
You can see the women who have been chosen to portray Queen Isobel, and her court.
This is a long procession and many Churches take part, each one with their band, their participants and their Queen. My sister Kathy and her late husband Leo, attended this in 2007
and captured these photos.
Festa, always at heart a family and neighborhood feast.
Below, a photo taken in the 1920's of a Festa procession
originating at St. John the Baptist Church on County St. in New Bedford,
heading south on Bonny St.
At Santo Christo Church on Columbia St., Fall River, a processon in 1992
The Festa began with a novena and evening recital of the Rosary. It opened with Vespers on Friday, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament and on Sunday a High Mass and procession. Waves of incense wafted over all, and the odor of it still lingers in my memory. Often the priest would disappear in its clouds, especially if there was an over enthusiastic altar boy.
The two oldest Festas in the United States are : The Festa Do Divino Espirito Santo in San Diego. It is the oldest ethnic feast in the U.S. having started in 1884 by the first Portuguese settlers there. It was formally organized in 1910.
Secondly, the Festa of the Blessed Sacrament in New Beford, MA is the next oldest Festa started in 1914 by a group of four Madeira immigrants in thanksgiving for a safe voyage to America. It is now the largest in the WORLD and it is they who have just celebrated their 100th anniversary. This is a video of last year's festa. The Festa attracts over 100,000 people each year over
its four days from the U.S., Canada and Portugal. It is quite an event
and far from the lovely little ones I remember as a child.
Another hallmark of festas is that somewhere within it there is free food, a symbol of the generosity of Queen Saint Isobel. Usually that food is sopas a kind of soup made with beef and milk. Depending on the origin of the Festa ( which Island, etc.) sometimes
linguica or pork might be added.
There are Festas throughout the world, even in Quebec and Montreal, Canada. There is a Boston Portuguese Festival probably qualifying as a Festa and a
significant one in Woburn, MA. All summer they are laced throughout the calendar.
Wherever Portuguese immigrants settled in the U.S. especially on both coasts and Hawai, there is Festa. The late Senator Daniel Inouye and others wrote about the fact tha timmigrant Portuguese came to work the sugar cane fields there from the 1880's establishing their
settlements and bringing their traditions.
Portuguese dancers performing the bailinho, the national song
and dance of Madeira, during a parade on Madeira Avenue
in New Bedford in 1980.
Photo below: Groupo Folclorico do Santissimo Sancramento, (also pictured above)
The Madeiran Folkloric dancers, 1995
New Bedford, Festa
The New Bedford Festa is the only place in the world permitted to get Madeiran wine by the cask. It requires approval by the Madeira government. A favorite spot at that Festa, says Carolyn, is the Madeiran Museum Cafe a block from the festival grounds where there is Fado singing and folkloric dancing. If you have not experienced an authentic Fado performance, you are in for a treat, Fado is a type of singing in a category all its own, full of nostalgia and beauty. You can sip Madeira port as you enjoy the performances.
A historic note: If you have never tasted Madeiran Port, do not wait. Join those in history who were very fond of it: George Washington ( a shipment to him from Madeira in 1789 was the first recorded shipment of Madeira to America), Benjamin Franklin ( he made a point of always having it with him), John Adams (once said, ' a few glasses of Madeira makes everyone feel they can be president), Thomas Jefferson 's favorite was Malmsley which was stocked in pride of place in his wine cellar at Monticello ) and most likely a favorite of Winston Churchill who spend much time in Madeira, a favorite resting place for him.
Another large Massachusetts Festa takes place in Fall River's Kennedy Park at the end of August.
This is the Festa of Espirito Santo, also known as the Azorean Feast. Any one living in South Eastern New England knows there is a large Portuguese population in that city now. This Festa once attracted busloads of Portuguese-Canadians, folks flying in from Bermuda, Idaho, the Azores and California.
Among them were folkloric dancers and traditional musicians. Thousands would attend. There are not so many now, all of the Festas bemoan needing volunteers to keep them going. There is still a procession from and back to St. Anne's Church and lasting 2-3 hours. A hallmark of the Kennedy Park Festa is a giant crown over 8 feet high making its statement in the northern section of Kennedy Park. Not far from the Park is the Columbia St. section or cultural district boasting of several excellent Portuguese ethnic restaurants.
Columbia Street runs a quarter of a mile up and down a hill. It is alive with people and cars. The centerpiece of what is called the Cultural District is the majestic Santo Christo Catholic Church built in 1925, the first Portuguese Church in Fall River.
In Fairhaven, MA there is the Feast of our Lady of Angels occurring Labor Day weekend (if you are nearby you can catch this one...).
There are Festas everywhere that there are Portuguese populations.
They are laced throughout the summer calendar.
The music, the food, it will all awaken the memories of a Portuguese American who grew up with this summertime tradition. It surely did mine. I am far from New England where there
are no Festas .
Sources
Thanks to Kathleen Campanirio and Carolyn de Sousa for
filling out memories with their photographs and printed materials
This article would not have been written without them.
Portuguese Spinner: An American Story, ed. McCabe and Thomas. If you are interested in the Portuguese history in Madeira and the Azores with the experience of Portuguese-Americans this is the book for you. Many of the photographs in this article are from the Spinner Collection.
I found mybook at Partners store in Westport, MA. years ago.
