History Uncorked 2023
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Objects Spotlighted During Previous 'Uncorked' Evenings
Trumpeting the late, great Cotuit Brass Band,.A drumroll, please, for this surprisingly well-preserved band uniform jacket, once worn by a cornet player with the Cotuit Brass Band. Founded in 1882, the band periodically fell apart and regrouped until, in 1896, the members built their own hall for rehearsals on School Street. The jacket probably dates from that time. Until disbanding for good after 1905, they gave entertainments at Freedom Hall., played on the Fourth of July and for Cotuit High School graduations., and might even play for your private party, if you asked them. Once they accompanied the Odd Fellows on an excursion to Nantucket. When the Cotuit Federated Church building was dedicated in 1901, the band played for the laying of the cornerstone. It also led the entire town’s Memorial Day observances in Centerville. The musician who wore the jacket, A. Seabury Childs (1863-1948), also wore other uniforms on behalf of his village, serving with Cotuit’s fire department (including as chief) for 27 years and as constable for 51. (Presented July 8, 2021)
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Proudly manufactured in CotuitWhen Victor Nickerson started his plumbing company in the late 19th century, the village plumber’s job went way beyond fixing drippy faucets and overflowing toilets: Nickerson also sold equipment for accessing groundwater. Playing a crucial part in the process, the well point served for leading a pipe down to fairly shallow groundwater, receiving water and filtering out dirt particles.. After stainless steel was invented in 1913, Nickerson and his employee, Wampanoag Chief Len “Little Bear” Hammond, probably discussed how the metal might make a great material for well points because it wouldn’t rust or corrode. Hammond was actually the one who invented the Victor Well Point. Nickerson Plumbing was among the first to make well points from stainless steel, which remains the material of choice today. They'd begun marketing their product to plumbing supply companies by 1922. In 1930, they received orders for at least 625 well points and had enough of a reputation that Montgomery Ward reached out, expressing an interest in selling the Victor Well Point through their stores and catalog. We don’t know if this happened, but Nickerson’s grandson Merton kept producing it as needed as late as about 1982. (Presented September 12, 2019)
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