Fenway Park's First Game

After this weekend's brutal opening series in Detroit, Red Sox fans like myself are in need of some sort of escape. I'm going to retreat my good ol' safe place: history.

Now, in case you might not have heard, this year marks the 100th anniversary of the opening of Fenway Park. (Oh, did you hear the Titanic went down 100 years ago, too?) Most of the commemoration is focused on celebrating the events of April 20, 1912, when the Red Sox took on the New York Highlanders (soon to be Yankees) in Fenway Park's first major league game.

But that was not the first time that the Red Sox took to Fenway's emerald diamond to play a game. Fenway Park was actually baptized as Boston's baseball cathedral 100 years ago today--on April 9, 1912. The weather was better suited for football rather than baseball when the Red Sox took on a squad from Harvard University in an exhibition game. Snow flurries danced in the air as the hard-core fans entered into a still-unfinished ballpark. Even though it was the first chance that many Boston "cranks" (as baseball fans were called in those days) had to check out the state-of-the-art baseball stadium, the weather was so raw that it helped to keep the attendance to only 3,000. According to the Boston Herald, the sparse crowd “rattled around like a squadron of lima beans in a number eight hat.”

The Red Sox had arrived back in Boston late the prior night from Cincinnati, but they still fielded most of their regulars.  At 3:30 p.m., third baseman and Harvard sophomore Dana Joseph Paine Wingate stepped up to the plate and into the history books as Fenway’s first batter. Red Sox pitcher Casey Hageman promptly fanned Wingate for the first of his nine strikeouts. In the bottom of the first inning, Boston second baseman Steve Yerkes followed with a single to right for Fenway’s first hit.

After setting down Harvard in order in the second inning, Hageman singled home shortstop Marty Krug to score Fenway’s first run. The Boston pitcher kept the Harvard batters at bay all afternoon. The Crimson managed just one hit before the game was called after Harvard batted in the seventh inning. The Red Sox won 2-0.

To commemorate the centennial, the Harvard baseball team will be taking batting practice at Fenway Park today. Not exactly the blowout planned for April 20. Once again the events of April 9 are being lost in the cobwebs of history.

If you're interested in reading more about Fenway Park's first pitch, check out my article about the game in Harvard Magazine. And hopefully, after washing my eyes out, I can get back to watching the Red Sox soon.

This Is Munich

Traveling the world with kids can be a challenge, but exposing children to different cultures and cityscapes is as easy as a trip to the local bookstore or library. As I wrote about in The Boston Globe last year, the enchanting children’s travelogues penned by the Czech author and illustrator M. Sasek, even though most date back to the 1960s, are fantastic introductions to some of the planet’s most enticing cities.

Publishing house Rizzoli has reissued most of Sasek’s titles for a new generation to enjoy, and it has just released an update to the 1961 book “This is Munich.” Like all of Sasek’s stylish books, “This is Munich” features playful ink-and-gouache illustrations of landmarks and quirky street life.

The book is a visual tour of the Bavarian capital that includes landmarks you might expect in a children’s book, such as the Glockenspiel, and those you might not, like the city’s famous beer hall, Hofbräuhaus, complete with a beer maiden carrying eight huge steins by their handles. That’s part of what I think makes Sasek’s books so special. They don’t talk down to kids, yet Sasek’s subjects and colorful illustrations capture children’s imaginations.

There are plenty of charming drawings of the locals in traditional Bavarian clothing. There’s certainly no shortage of dirndl-clad ladies and men decked out in alpine hats and lederhosen. Kids can also get a flavor for daily life in Munich. The drawings of Oktoberfest are alive with colors, and the image of a train station filled with Sunday skiers dwarfed by a forest of rainbow skis is captivating.

Even adults are sure to learn something from Sasek’s book. Know what the Fohn is? Sasek informs us that it’s "a hot dry wind” that “causes physical discomfort and it has a depressing effect on the nervous system." As proof, he gives us an illustration of Frau Huber, a woman as green as the Wicked Witch of the West grabbing her temples.

“This is Munich” transports you not only to Bavaria, but also back in time to 1961. Illustrations include now-bygone images of horse-drawn carriages delivering ice to taverns and city workers sweeping roads with brooms and shovels.

Rizzoli’s “This is Munich” has 64 eye-catching pages and can be purchased through the Rizzoli web site. And if you do get inspired and make it to Munich, beware of the Fohn. 

Join Boston's Truth Squad on April Fool's Day

Interested in learning more about your hometown and having some fun at the same time? On April Fool’s Day (April 1), join Boston by Foot for its brand new quiz and tour event, True Lies & False Facts: A Questionable Tour of Boston. Guides on the hour-long tour will tell some wild and amazing stories—some of which are true and other that are not. Your job will be to guess which is which. The answers will be revealed at the Bell in Hand Tavern, and those who guess the best will win a prize.

The tour starts at 2 PM at the Old North Church. No reservations are necessary. The cost is $20 for non-members and $5 for members of Boston by Foot. Cash bar and snacks will be provided at the end of the tour at the Bell in Hand Tavern. (Here’s a quick study question: The Bell in Hand was named for the occupation of its Colonial founder, Boston’s last town crier. True or false?)

This is the only time Boston By Foot tour guides will ever intentionally lie to you...unless, of course, they're telling the truth!

And if you want to learn more about the true stories behind the Hub, Boston by Foot opens up its annual lecture series and volunteer training program to all who want to increase their knowledge about the city. The first of five Saturday lectures is on April 7 at the brand-new building on Atlantic Wharf. This year’s program focuses on Boston’s architecture and the city’s world-class buildings and spaces. The cost is $35 a lecture or $95 for the entire series.

For more information, visit www.bostonbyfoot.org or call 617-367-2345.

The Lady in Black and Tales of Confederate POWs at Fort Warren

Happy Halloween, everyone.

Salem hogs all the limelight when it comes to haunted happenings, but there are plenty of ghostly tales in Boston as well, including out on Georges Island. And this October 31 marks the 150th anniversary of a particularly noteworthy date in the history of Fort Warren, that granite garrison out on Georges Island.

It was on October 31, 1861, that the first Confederate prisoners of war arrived at Georges Island. Colonel Justin Dimick, a West Point graduate and veteran of the Mexican-American War, was told to ready the fort for the arrival of 150 prisoners, so he was understandably shocked when the steamer docked at the island with more than 800 political and military prisoners. Fort Warren was overrun and ill-prepared, which resulted in food rations and prisoners sleeping on floors. A newspaper account from November 1861 reported that when the prisoners arrived at Fort Warren “pity rather than the hatred of the visitors was excited by the sad spectacle.”

What’s remarkable is how Bostonians responded to the plight of the enemy. They donated food, beds, and other supplies to assist the Confederate prisoners, hoping that proper treatment of the prisoners might inspire equal compassion toward Union prisoners of war. The story of Boston’s response to the crisis at Fort Warren and Dimick’s role in ensuring the prisoners were treated humanely is a remarkable one, and you can read more about it in an article I wrote for The New York Times Disunion blog.

While Dimick’s story is little known, if you were to ask anyone familiar with Georges Island what its most enduring story is, they would respond by telling you about “The Lady in Black.” Popularized by historian Edward Rowe Snow, this tale is now an essential part of the island’s fabric. According to the legend, the wife of a Confederate prisoner, dressed as a man and brandishing a pistol, snuck into the fort in an attempt to free her newlywed husband. She succeeded in reaching her husband’s cell, but as they tried to escape the dungeon, Union troops discovered their scheme and notified Colonel Dimick. When the colonel came upon the pair, the wife fired at Dimick, but her gun exploded and killed her husband instead.

 To make a bad day even worse, Dimick had no choice but to order the woman to hang as a spy. Before her execution, she requested that she be properly dressed in women’s clothing. She was given black robes and hanged from the gallows.

Now we never like to have history get in the way of a good ghost story, but there are no recorded instances of Confederate soldiers or Confederate sympathizers being executed at Fort Warren. However, from the Civil War through the Second World War, many a soldier stationed on the parapets claimed to see the frightening ghost of the Lady in Black, who is said to prowl through the fort’s many passageways to this day. As far back as January 1862, the Gloucester Telegraph reported that sentinels keeping midnight rounds saw a spiritual phenomena near some of the rebel graves. The soldiers reported spying the image of an old woman “vindictively frisking about the ruins of an old building from which she was ejected some time previous to her death.”

I’ve yet to have the pleasure of meeting the Lady in Black. But if any of you have seen her, let me know!

NBA Lockout Alternatives for Celtics Fans

Jonesing for some basketball? Hungry for hoops?

Well, NBA action...it's fantastic!

Well, maybe not.

With the NBA in a lockout and the TD Garden's parquet floor locked up in storage, basketball fans (those who love the game like Rodney!) are going to have to be a little creative to get their fix, at least until college hoops starts up in a few weeks. Here are some ideas for Boston basketball fans:

Visit the game's birthplace. Get that Fastlane pass out and head west on the Mass Pike out to Springfield, where Dr. Naismith invented hoops and where you can visit the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The Celtics certainly have their fair share of enshrinees. You could spend hours looking at the artifacts in the galleries, including Naismith's original rules of the game, confined to two simple typewritten pages. Afterwards, you can shoot some hoops on the hall's regulation court. While in Springfield, check out the new monument at the location of the first basketball game and the statue of Dr. Naismith with his peach basket at Springfield College.

Head to the Sports Museum. Closer to home, you can explore the history of the Celtics and New England basketball, at the Sports Museum. There are lots of exhibits on the Celtics dynasty years, including Larry Bird's locker, as well as an interesting exhibit on the evolution of women's basketball. Check out the gowns worn by the college players in the 1890s. Not exactly form fitting. Added bonus: the museum is located in the TD Garden, so you can peek inside and see the Celtics banners hanging from the rafters.

Get your Chuck Taylors on. Right around the corner from the Garden is Basketball City. Inside you'll find six full-length basketball courts with glass backboards and electronic scoreboards that are available for rental. You can also register for clinics and leagues.

Crack open a book. I've got a whole host of basketball books in my library that I still need to dig into: A Season on the Brink, A March to Madness, A Season Inside. But if you have felt that you haven't had time to dig into Bill Simmons' 752-page tome, The Book of Basketball, well, here's your chance.

Get your passport out. That's what some NBA players are doing. Rather than eating fried chicken and biscuits like Red Sox pitchers, they're staying in shape by playing in Europe. The Euroleague Basketball season kicked off October 17 with the blockbuster you've all been waiting for: Zalgiris vs. CSKA Moscow. Not inspired to buy a plane ticket to Russia? Then you can get a season pass to watch online for $93.

Get the popcorn out. How about a great basketball flick? No, not Teen Wolf. (Sorry, Boof.) Hoosiers! Hoosiers! Hoosiers!  Man, I love that movie. I could watch Hickory run the picket fence all day long. "Now boys, don't get caught watching the paint dry!"

Go old-school. Get those short shorts out. With the lockout, the NBA Network can't put on any programming with current players in it. So, in between showings of Teen Wolf (seriously, Boof) you're going to find plenty of Larry and the rest of the '80s Celtics. As I write this, the NBA Network is showing Bird v. Jordan in the '86 playoffs. And tonight: 6 PM Larry Bird's 50 Greatest Moments; 7 PM Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals; 9 PM Lakers/Celtics from the 1984 Finals. Oh, you're going to be out tonight? No problem, it all repeats starting at 11 PM. I'm sure you won't wait long for Teen Wolf to follow.

New Map and Poster Exhibit Celebrates the Golden Age of Travel

I’m definitely a map geek. Mercator is a rock star to me, and I can’t wait to dig into Maphead, the new book from Ken Jennings (the Jeopardy! guy). I also love vintage travel posters. I’ve got a few of them hanging up around the house, including this great one from the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

So I’m really looking forward to the October 14th opening of a new exhibit at Boston’s Grand Circle Gallery: “Journeys through the Mediterranean: Maps, Guides and Posters from the Golden Age of Travel.” The exhibit will pair Grand Circle Gallery’s collection of vintage travel posters from the region with a selection of antique maps and pocket travel guides from WardMaps.

Not only are the vintage travel posters so colorful and evocative of a different age, but the rare maps that will be on display, including those from German publisher Wagener & Debes that depict cities and historic sites as they were in the late 1800s and early 1900s, are works of art as well.

Of particular interest will be a display from WardMaps’ collection of antique Baedeker travel guides and maps covering destination sites in Italy, France, Greece, Northern Africa, Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine. The Baedeker travel guides date from the mid-1800s. With their red leather cover and regal, gold lettering, Karl Baedeker’s guides were considered superior to other travel guides of the day due to their detailed and accurate information on accommodations, transportation, pricing and rating system of the given destination.

The opening of the exhibit coincides with the Fort Point Fall Open Studios the weekend of October 14-16. More than 150 artists’ studios in the district will be open to the public for this popular weekend event; there is no charge for admission and free parking is available.

While it may not rise to the level of Venice’s Grand Canal, the Fort Point Channel neighborhood will also be represented in the exhibit as a small selection of antique maps of the neighborhood will be on display.

The Grand Circle Gallery is located at 347 Congress Street. Hours are Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 11:00am-6:00pm and Thursday, 11:00am-8:00pm. Admission is free, and the gallery is handicap accessible. The exhibit runs through January 28, 2012.

For more general information, to schedule a private tour, or for more details about special programming, please visit www.gct.com/grandcirclegallery or call 617-346-6459.

Mass. Memories Road Show Collecting Photos and Stories of Boston Harbor Islands

Granted I'm pretty sure I couldn't construct a dollhouse let alone a single-family home without at least one trip to the ER, but I do see some similarities between writing about history and building a home. To me, I find that major historical events--and the newspaper accounts and government records associated with them--provide the basic framework to structure a narrative. They are the foundation and walls of the house if you forgive the analogy.

But just as it's the personal photographs, family heirlooms, and treasured items that make a house your home, I've found that small details unearthed from personal histories--photographs, diaries, etc.--add the necessary finishing touches that really add character to a story.

When I was writing Discovering the Boston Harbor Islands, I felt fortunate that I was able to view the personal photographs and hear the personal stories of not only present-day Bostonians, but of those of generations past. It reiterated to me that the history we learn in textbooks engages the mind, but the history we find in scrapbooks can tug at the heart. And both sources have the equal capacity to inspire our spirits.

Needless to say I think it's important that we capture these personal histories, and great work is being done every day in compiling digital histories. And if you happen to have photographs and stories related to the Boston Harbor Islands, I would encourage you to bring them with you to the Massachusetts Archives on Columbia Point in Dorchester this Saturday (September 17) for the Mass. Memories Road Show. This is an initiative of the Massachusetts Studies Project at UMass Boston and co-sponsored by Mass Humanities.

The organizers are encouraging anyone with family photographs of the Boston Harbor Islands (be they yours or your ancestors') to bring a handful of them to the Road Show where they will be scanned and immediately returned them to you. You will be invited to share a 3-4 minute story about your photographs on camera. All photos and stories scanned at the event will become part of the UMass Boston digital archive, online at www.MassMemories.net.

The hours of the Road Show are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Click here for more information or contact Project Manager Heather Cole at heather.cole@umb.edu or 617-287-5929. Who knows? The memories you share might provide the perfect finishing touches for authors and historians writing about the Islands hundreds of years from now.