Natick Report

More than you really want to know about Natick, Mass.

We toured Natick’s historic Walnut Hill neighborhood

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We joined Natick Historical Society volunteer and local tour guide Vincent Vittoria for a walking tour of Natick’s Walnut Hill neighborhood earlier this fall when the foliage set off the beautiful homes of the historic area.

Vittoria, a Walnut Hill resident, gave a group of about 15 an engaging 90-minute walk and talk (and some gossipy tidbits) that covered the people, historic mansions, street names, and more that brought the history 19-century times to life. We heard of a former golf course, a carriage house on the move, the old baseball factory, and the Bacon School, which had a tube through which kids would slide out for fire drills (the school was located at what’s now the Loker Park playground).

By looking at the current state of Walnut Hill vs. old photos, we could see how free of construction the hill once was, and how many steeples used to be below.

Our tour started at the war memorial park near the railroad pedestrian bridge and coursed through Walnut, Winnemay (named after a couple of horses?), Highland, Florence, Shattuck, and others.

Here are some pics:

Walnut Hill, Natick, octagonal house

 

Walnut Hill, Natick

 

Walnut Hill, Natick

 

Walnut Hill, Natick

 

Walnut Hill, Natick

 

Walnut Hill history tour

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It’s all about soldier readiness and safety at Natick Soldier Systems Center (aka Natick Army Labs)

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We’d always been curious about the Natick Soldier Systems Center, often referred to around town as the Natick Army Labs, so when the opportunity came up to attend a Zoom meeting to learn more about the only active Army installation in New England, we jumped at the chance. Hosted by the Natick Historical Society, NHS director Niki Lefebvre introduced Col. Frank Moore of DEVCOM Soldier Center, one of Natick Lab’s research and technology collaborators. Lefebvre welcomed Moore and asked the occasional clarifying question as he led over 70 participants through a fascinating Power Point presentation about the 174-acre site that includes 459k square feet of lab space and 75 family housing units for active military personnel.

Moore provided an overview of the 15 tenant organizations operating at the Systems Center, all of which are dedicated to one goal: working together to optimize soldier readiness and safety. About 1,500 people are employed at the facility including 1,188 civilians, 90 military personnel, and 220 contractors. The Systems Center takes great pride in the brainpower concentrated in that small corner of Natick—it’s a smart bunch that collectively holds over 1,231 college and university degrees.

A large part of what happens at the Systems Center involves clothing. Both the US Navy and the Coast Guard run research and development on clothing design and textiles. Some other partner organizations work on soldier protective equipment including combat equipment and weaponry systems.

natick army labs soldier systems center

The conversation focused on the Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Soldier Center (DEVCOM), where Moore works. The stated mission of DEVCOM, the national and international leader in warfighter science and technology development, is to “provide the Army with innovative science and technology solutions to optimize the performance of our soldiers” by “ensuring dominance through superior scientific and engineering expertise.”

That group’s 903 employees, made up of a combination of military and civilians, work on parachute design and parachutist safety; military nutrition; fiber and textile science such as camouflage concealment and ballistic protection; optimizing and enhancing soldier performance; soldier protection through enhanced equipment design, environmental protection; chemical biological protection; and Army training tech that includes live training exercises.

Moore says DEVCOM is known as “the soldier’s research center”, meaning that everything done there focuses on keeping soldiers safe and optimizing their performance.

Durning the Q & A period, several residents fondly remembered back when the Army Labs opened up to the pubic for tours and asked if that would be repeated in the future. Moore said due to COVID that’s not possible for now, but hoped that is something that could happen in the future.

Moore did seem confident that a ribbon-cutting ceremony could take place in 2023, when an under-construction $50 million dollar 4-story facility is slated to be completed. This new building will house the Soldier and Squad Performance Research Institute, a research lab the Army says is,  “designed to inform and optimize soldier and squad lethality and combat readiness.”

Until then, Moore said the Systems Center is always looking for qualified candidates to fill a host of jobs. A quick google search showed they are in search of a textile technologist; a general engineer; an architect; a warehouse/inventory control specialist; and more.

Watch Col. Moore’s presentation on youtube at this link.

Next up on the Natick Historical Society’s calendar: a presentation by Boston University American Studies PhD candidate Mariah Gruner titled, Ten Thousand Digital Absurdities: the Power of the Needlework in 19th Century America.

DATE:

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Natick invited to Race Amity Zoom presentation

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Natick Race Amity

The Natick Historical Society and the Bacon Free Library will co-host a Zoom presentation of WGBH’s powerful documentary series American Stories: Race Amity and The Other Tradition on Tue., Feb. 2, 6:30pm – 8pm. This presentation will include a brief introduction to the film by Dr. William H. Smith (creator, executive producer, and writer of the series), a reading from the book Race Amity: A Primer on America’s Other Tradition, a viewing of the film Race Amity: America’s Other Tradition, a commentary by Dr. Smith, and a Q&A Session.

WHS Media Productions LLC created this documentary for the promotion of cross-racial and cross-cultural understanding.

This event is FREE and open to the public. Advanced registration is required to access the Zoom link. Please register using the link here, and allow 3-5 days for a confirmation email with the link from the Natick Historical Society.

Natick Historical Society & Bacon Free Library upcoming events

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Everyone is welcome to join a virtual discussion of The Nightingale (2018) by Kristin Hannah on

The Nightingale

This program is co-sponsored with the Bacon Free Library. It is FREE and open to the public.

If you are interested in joining this virtual book discussion, email: director@natickhistoricalsociety.org.

About The Nightingale

In the quiet village of Carriveau, Vianne Mauriac says goodbye to her husband, Antoine, as he heads for the Front. She doesn’t believe that the Nazis will invade France…but invade they do, in droves of marching soldiers, in caravans of trucks and tanks, in planes that fill the skies and drop bombs upon the innocent. When a German captain requisitions Vianne’s home, she and her daughter must live with the enemy or lose everything. Without food or money or hope, as danger escalates all around them, she is forced to make one impossible choice after another to keep her family alive.

Save the date for Race Amity presentation

Natick Race Amity

The Natick Historical Society and the Bacon Free Library will co-host a Zoom presentation of WGBH’s powerful documentary series American Stories: Race Amity and The Other Tradition on Tue., Feb. 2, 6:30pm – 8pm. This presentation will include a brief introduction to the film by Dr. William H. Smith (creator, executive producer, and writer of the series), a reading from the book Race Amity: A Primer on America’s Other Tradition, a viewing of the film Race Amity: America’s Other Tradition, a commentary by Dr. Smith, and a Q&A Session.

WHS Media Productions LLC created this documentary for the promotion of cross-racial and cross-cultural understanding.

This event is FREE and open to the public. Advanced registration is required to access the Zoom link. Please register using the link here, and allow 3-5 days for a confirmation email with the link from the Natick Historical Society.

Natick historic holidays event: Victorian Gossip Girl Tea

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Join the Natick Historical Society and Gossip Girl Annie Fields on Sun., Dec. 6th, 2pm, via Zoom, as she spills the beans on her famous literary friends this holiday season, including the “Father of Christmas,” Charles Dickens. Counting Nathaniel Hawthorne, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow amongst her closest friends, she witnessed a great deal of Victorian revelry at her waterside museum in Beacon Hill. Mrs. Fields wrote about her guests’ embarrassing moments in her novel Authors and Friends (1896) and shares them with you. This intimate teatime conversation is filled with laughter, disbelief, and even some blushing cheeks, when you hear the tantalizing tales of the Victorian Gossip Girl.

Holiday Tea, Natick

Please register here to gain access to the Zoom link.

This event is suitable for all ages, and is FREE and open to the public.

DATE: Sun., Dec. 6, 2020

TIME: 2pm – 3pm, followed by a Q & A

This program is jointly sponsored by the Bacon Free Library and the Natick Historical Society and is supported by a grant from the Natick Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.