Derek Strahan

Aside from running the Lost New England blog, Derek Strahan is the author of two books: Lost Springfield, Massachusetts and New England Then and Now, along with being the host of the Western Mass History podcast. Derek is a graduate of Westfield State University, with degrees in English and Regional Planning, and he currently works as a land use and environment planner in Western Massachusetts. Derek also serves on the board of directors of the Springfield Preservation Trust, and he lives in Western Massachusetts with his wife Melissa and their two sons.

American Falls, Niagara Falls, New York (1)

January 23, 2016January 3, 2014 by Derek Strahan

A young man and woman, seated in front of the American Falls at Niagara Falls, around 1858. Photo courtesy of Library and Archives Canada.

The scene in 2005:

Niagara Falls has been a popular tourist destination since the 19th century, and was particularly popular as a honeymoon destination – perhaps that was the occasion for the young couple in the first photo. Much has changed at the Falls since then, both the surrounding area and the waterfalls themselves. In the distance, the high-rise buildings reflect the increasing popularity and tourist-oriented nature of Niagara Falls, and if the cameras were turned around, one would see even more striking changes on the Canadian side of the gorge.

One obvious change with the American Falls is the accumulation of rocks at its base. The 2005 photo shows a much shorter distance from the top to the rocks at the bottom, which were deposited by rock slides and erosion caused by the waterfall’s steady retreat upstream. By the 1960’s, there was great concern that the American Falls would erode to the point where they would become a series of rapids rather than a true waterfall, so the water was diverted from it and the American side of the Falls was temporarily shut off. Geologists secured and stabilized some of the most erosion-prone areas, but they determined that it would be too costly to remove the rocks that had already fallen.

Calvin Coolidge at the White House, Washington DC

January 23, 2016January 3, 2014 by Derek Strahan

President Calvin Coolidge on the South Lawn of the White House in 1925. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, National Photo Company Collection.

The South Lawn in 2012:

In my previous post on the White House, I mentioned some of the changes that have occurred to the building since it was first occupied by John Adams, so I’m not going to go into great detail about the structure itself. What I do find interesting about these two photos is not the building itself, but rather the people in the photos. President Coolidge is clearly visible in the first photo, but look carefully at the second photo – President and Mrs. Obama are sitting on the second floor balcony, right between the two middle pillars. So, not only do these two photos document changes in the building, in transportation (note the truck to the right of Coolidge, compared to the SUV on the left-hand side of the 2012 photo), and in presidential security (note the lack of Secret Service agents in Coolidge’s photo); they also document two presidents, who served 80 years apart, and who held very different political views, but who nonetheless occupied the same office and the same building.

Lefty Grove at Fenway Park, Boston

January 23, 2016January 2, 2014 by Derek Strahan

Lefty Grove warming up at Fenway Park in 1937. Photo courtesy of Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection.

The scene in 2006:

In an earlier post, I looked at the present-day location of a photo of a Red Sox pitching legend, Cy Young. Less than 30 years later, the Red Sox would have another stadium and a new ace pitcher, Lefty Grove. Although he spent the majority of his career with the A’s, Grove remains the only pitcher to be inducted into the Hall of Fame wearing a Red Sox cap.

Today, Fenway Park hasn’t changed a great deal, although it now has lights, electronic scoreboards, and bullpens beyond the outfield fence. The Green Monster now has seats atop it, and is no longer adorned with any racist ads.

Fenway Park, Boston (4)

January 23, 2016January 2, 2014 by Derek Strahan

The exterior of Fenway Park in 1914. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Bain Collection.

The same view in 2006:

This is probably the only part of Fenway Park that is virtually unchanged since it opened nearly 102 years ago. Several fires, a massive reconstruction in 1934, and a number of smaller changes along the way have left very little remaining from the original park. However, the Yawkey Way facade (called Jersey Street in 1914) hasn’t changed much, aside from the addition of various championship banners that the team has won since they first made Fenway their home.

Old Corner Bookstore, Boston

January 23, 2016January 2, 2014 by Derek Strahan

The Old Corner Bookstore in Boston, around 1865. Photo courtesy of Boston Public Library.

The building in 2014:

Once a meeting place for authors such as Longfellow, Emerson, Dickens, and Hawthorne, the Old Corner Bookstore is now a place to grab a burrito. Present use aside, the building has remarkably survived over 300 years in downtown Boston. Built in 1712 as an apothecary shop, it was later used as a bookstore in the 19th century, when the aforementioned authors were known to frequent it. Today, it is a landmark along Boston’s Freedom Trail, and is one of the oldest buildings in Boston.

Samuel Hartwell House, Lincoln, Mass.

March 29, 2024January 2, 2014 by Derek Strahan

The Samuel Hartwell House, in Lincoln, Mass, in 1961. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey Collection.

The scene in 2013:

Located along the Battle Road in the Minuteman National Historical Park, the Samuel Hartwell House was built around 1695, and was occupied by Samuel Hartwell during the battles of Lexington and Concord, when the British forces marched to and from Concord past the house. The house was used as a restaurant from 1929 until 1968, when it burned. All that remained was the central chimney and the cellarhole; the National Park Service later built the frame and roof in the style of the original building.