Ralph Sheridan

This week’s podcast is a series of stories by Ralph Sheridan, recorded in 1994.  The original interview was about 2 hours long and we hope to get at least another podcast episode or two out of that interview.   Ralph Sheridan was Maynard’s Town Historian from 1984 to 1996.  He was also instrumental in the formation of the Maynard Historical Society in the 1960’s.    Despite being in his 90’s when this was recorded, he’s as sharp as a tack and vividly recalls life in Maynard in the early part of the 20th century.

The interview comes from a WAVM video recording where Ralph was interviewed by Dr. Donald Kennedy, then Superintendent of Schools (and a rather avid history buff).  In this podcast Ralph shares stories on a wide variety of topics including the Harriman Laundry, why the fire whistle blows every day at 12:10 and not noon,  how snow was cleared from the streets before there were snowplows, playing baseball at Crowe park, some of the origins of the Mill and Lake Boon, the protocol for using a sauna, and a bit about a few of the social groups in town like the Finnish Temperance Society.

MHS Podcast #5

Here are a few of the pictures Ralph refers to in his stories: