The 2016 summer season is upon us and with that comes the opening of the Mattapoisett Historical Society Museum. This year’s opening theme features all manner of warm weather sports-related memorabilia from their extensive collection.
In this tiny town, one would not imagine such a variety of activities, yet inside the historic museum’s walls you’ll find antiques and objects ranging from swimsuits to baseball bats, river race boats to golf balls and signs proclaiming beach rules and regulations. But the overarching theme is ‘fun in the sun.’
“We have so many bathing suits,” said museum president Jennifer McIntire. “We could have done a whole exhibit just on bathing suits if we had enough mannequins,” she laughed.
Adding a richer layer to the theme of sports activities is the addition of two boats used in the Annual Rochester Memorial Day Boat Race, which finishes in Mattapoisett on the Mattapoisett River.
Race historian Art Benner has loaned a boat, as has Mattapoisett resident and race participant Jodi Bauer. The unique round paddles also on display propel the craft through shallow water or swift torrents. With Benner’s assistance, McIntire was able to show the deep history this event holds for Mattapoisett and Rochester beginning in 1934. Of the boats themselves, though various materials have been used in their making, it’s the tried and true plywood version that is the standard.
Moving to another grouping, one finds baseball bats, a catcher’s mitt and face guard, and a smooth baseball. Considering the science now employed for their modern day versions, these items look primitive. An accompanying piece is a newspaper clipping from the August 13, 1899 issue of The Boston Daily Globe. It reads in part:
“Mattapoisett Ball Club is the sporty thing in town which all swear by. It defeats the Marions and the New Bedford YMCA … and is ready to meet still better clubs than these … the town is very proud of its ball tossers this year.”
Golf also has long been a part of the summer fun in Mattapoisett, dating back to 1887 and King Charles. The description alongside wooden clubs and early golf balls says that the present day Reservation Golf Club was built in 1895 for the King’s private use and that the first clubhouse was constructed in 1900. This collection should make the modern player appreciate just how good they have it now.
Let’s not forget bicycling. There is a bike from 1870 with a giant front wheel and tiny back wheels. Imagine that going down the Mattapoisett Bike Path today! The information placard tells the visitor that in 1893, one million bicycles were in use and that by 1900 the figure was ten million. The growth was primarily due to females being allowed to participate in the sport of bicycling. Yes – girl power.
And speaking of girl power, getting back to those bathing suits McIntire talked about earlier, the lady’s suit is magnificent. One piece, of course, and black wool, of course, yet it was scandalous for its day. Annette Kellermann designed this suit in 1920.
Kellermann was a film actress and advocate for women’s right to wear a one-piece bathing suit versus the accepted pantaloons. In fact, she created an entire line of ladies’ swimwear. However, cultural norms of the day didn’t favor that much female flesh being on public display. In 1907, Kellermann was arrested at Revere Beach wearing one of her own creations.
McIntire shared that she and museum curator Jeffrey Miller had quite a time dressing the two mannequins, one male and one female, in the old suits.
“We had to be careful not to damage the fabrics,” she said.
McIntire said, “We have so many ideas for other exhibits.” She said the museum has a vast collection of clothing, everything from bonnets to swimsuits to undergarments and accessories.
Of future plans, the society is thinking about exhibits highlighting all the schools that once dotted the Mattapoisett landscape and all the big-thinkers, the inventors who have lived in and around the Tri-Town area.
“We are planning to exhibit a WWI uniform and weapons once owned by Enoch Winslow. McIntire said that Winslow gave well-known historian Seth Mendell his first job and that Mendell will be doing a series of lectures this season on WWI.
For more information on museum hours and the summer fun season of activities the society has planned, visit www.mattapoisetthistoricalsociety.org.
By Marilou Newell
