Brockton, first settled in 1700, was originally a part of Old Bridgewater, known as North Parish and later as North Bridgewater. On April 9, 1881, it officially became the City of Brockton. During the Civil War, Brockton was the largest producer of shoes in the country, earning it the nickname "Shoe City." As a growing industrial center, Brockton had the proud honor of being first in the world and nation in many ways. On October 1, 1883, the city became the first in the world to have a three-wire underground electrical system, initially turned on by Thomas Edison. In 1884, the Central Fire Station became the first electrically operated fire station in the country. In 1894, the City Theater had the distinction of being the first in the world tied to a three-wire underground system. In 1890, Col. James Edgar, owner of Edgar's Department Store, donned a Santa Claus outfit, becoming the first department store likeness of the jolly old man. Brockton is also known as the "City of Champions," being the hometown of boxing greats Rocky Marciano and Marvelous Marvin Hagler.
About the Author :
James E. Benson is a lifelong resident of the Brockton area and a local historian. In Brockton, he has drawn on a vast collection of vintage images from private, institutional, and public sources, as well as the historic reminiscences of local citizens.
Review :
Title: Brockton profiled in pictures in new book by city historical society president
Author: Erik Potter
Publisher: Enterprise News
Date: 7/10/2010 James Benson spent the past 14 months culling through thousands of historical photos of Brockton, looking for the best ones to illustrate life in the city from the 1860s to the 1960s.
Ultimately, he pared it down to 240 images that have gone into a new book, "Brockton," part of Arcadia Publishing's "Images of America" series.
Benson, the president of the Brockton Historical Society, has written four books for Arcadia, a leading publisher of local history books. This is his second about Brockton.
"In a lot of cases there were pictures that I guarantee no one who is alive today has seen, other than the person who gave them to me," Benson said.
The images come from private collections, the Brockton Historical Society and the Stanley Bauman Collection at Stonehill College.
The 128-page book provides a broad overview of Brockton's history, including sections covering its beginnings as North Bridgewater, up through its "Boots and Shoes" industrial years, and a section covering the famous people and places in town.
Benson, a historian, believes it's important to preserve and remember the past.
"First and foremost, it gives everyone, whether they've been a lifelong (Brockton) resident or just moved here, a sense of place," Benson said. "People move a lot nowadays; they don't tend to stay in one place. (This book) shows what the city was."
The Brockton Historical Society will be holding a joint event Friday night, celebrating its 40th anniversary as well as the release of Benson's book.
The celebration will be at 6 p.m. at The Shaw's Center, 1 Feinberg Way in Brockton. Tickets are $35 and available at several area locations, including the historical society, First Lutheran Church and the Metro South Chamber of Commerce.
Copies of the book will be available for purchase for a discounted price of $19.99. Full retail is $21.99. Copies will also be available at the historical society.
