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THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, October 18, 2019 Page 11 “Malden: today, tomorrow and yesterday” remembers Larry Lehane By Peter F. Levine J udy Lehane’s husband Lawrence passed away on September 25 at 72 years young. For the last 14 years, “Double L” worked in the City of Malden Public Facilities Department and for the last 35 years at the TD Garden in “concessions and bartending,” working Bruins/Celtics games and concerts. Larry was a sweetheart of a man. His whole family are like that actually. How wonderful these words in his obit. To be loved and missed so dearly. What more can a man ask for? “Larry was the most kind and wonderful man, and devoted father and husband. He was the most hardworking, generous and selfless person, always putting others first and will be greatly missed.” Sports Trivia Quiz by Bob Rotondi: “I was an All-American lineman for Boston College, selected in 1928. From 1931 to 1942, I was a football coach and Phys Ed Director at Malden High School. I later became Director of Athletics at UMass Amherst where I served for 20 years. Who am I?” Give up? Warren McGuirk. Sports Trivia Quiz by Bob Rotondi: “In January 1954 while the Malden High hockey team were practicing on a pond at the Golden Hills, a tragedy was averted when a MHS player went through the ice. A teammate had to ‘punch out’ the thrashing skater after diving in to save him, and in turn had to be pulled out himself by a human chain of hockey players. Name this would-be rescuer?” Give up? Former USPS mail carrier Joe Bogan. Belated shout-out to Edgeworth’s Keith Schifano for his invaluable assistance at the last two San Rocco Feasts. Not sure how Frankie’s boy fell through the cracks! “Malden: today, tomorrow and yesterday...” celebrates the 300th birthday of Waite’s Tavern. Waite’s Tavern was located on Salem Street opposite Webster and was opened by a man named Jonathan Waite. My sources (thank you, Frankie Russell, Malden Historical Society, and Mr. Google) tell me that it was established in 1719 and served thirst-quenching drink and hearty nourishment until the original building burned down at the start of the Revolutionary War. The second house/ tavern was built on the same spot in about 1809 but disappeared in the mists of time in the early 1890’s. Take a step Cross Cemetery to visit the grave of Father Patrick J. Power, including Boston’s mayor, the “Rascal King” James Michael Curley. They were prompted by an announcement from a local priest of supernatural cures. By the end of 1929, an estimated one million people had visited his grave seeking to be healed – with, at times, a line over five miles long waiting to get near the gravesite. Folklore passed down through the years told of many of their prayers being answered. The Boston Sunday Post of November 24, 1929, actually published a list of 150 cures. Father Power was born in Ireland on October 20, 1844, and died on December 8, 1869. Amazing to still see the revJudy and Larry Lehane back 300 years and imagine the day one of the first barrooms in the city of Malden opened its doors. Maybe the first?! I suppose no ribbon-cutting ceremony was held, but I’m thinking the local constable on patrol, a few town dignitaries and many of the stout men and women who farmed that land area were in attendance. Alcoholic beverages played a prominent role in the daily lives of colonial Americans. They drank much, as some still do today, in these taverns as a measure of conviviality and friendship. I suppose they would discuss current events and engage in the age-old art form of good old-fashioned gossip, as we still do today: “Did thou hear the racket the Hills made late last night shooting off thee muskets till the wee hours?!” Places like Hill’s Tavern, which stood at the site of the old City Hall on Main Street not far from the stocks and whipping post that once punished wayward Maldonians. The Columbia Tavern on Salem Street, which was also the site of the first Post Office. And the Half Moon Tavern standing on the east corner of Salem Street on Porter Street. Historians have written that wounded soldiers from the Battle of Bunker Hill were brought to the Half Moon for medical care. The British North American Colonies imbibed! Malden included. They drank hard cider, applejack, brandy and imported ale & beer from England. The large quantity of drinking mugs that survive today attests to the popularity of these intoxicating beverages. That area of Malden in 1719, around Maplewood, was still hills, valleys and a vast expanse of woods. I would expect that after a hard day on the farm chasing cows around or cutting down a bunch of trees, the average Maldonian, much like today, needed a respite and an opportunity to “take the edge off” as good friend (Malden Catholic/Merrimack College hoop star) Danny Myers once observed. I’m imagining you walked through the wood-framed front door into a large common area – high ceiling supported by wood beams, moose head on the wall and well-built stone walls dominated by a floor-to-ceiling Colonial fireplace. Muttonchops roasting over an open fire. You placed a shilling or two on the bar, bought a few pints for your fellow villagers, flirted with the barmaid, kicked back and engaged in another age-old ritual of getting a good load on. As some Maldonians still do today – believe it or not! After a jug or two of brandy, you might have toasted the King of Great Britain, King George 1st, or bragged about the 24 children you had, or discussed the June 10th Battle of Glen Shiel where British forces defeated the Jacobites and their Spanish allies. Educated Maldonians might have sat and discussed a novel that was published that year called “Robinson Crusoe.” Since Malden was in close proximity to Boston and the docks in Boston, we possibly sat in Waite’s Tavern and enjoyed an imported English Pale Ale brewed at the newly opened in 1719 Belhaven Brewery Company located in Scotland. All this sound familiar? The more things change the more they stay the same as the saying goes. Long live the corner bar in Malden! A place of comfort and a sanctuary for Maldonians for over 300 years. “This is the end, beautiful friend, this is the end, my only friend, the end...” Next month we celebrate the 90th anniversary of the scene that took place at the Holy Cross Cemetery back in 1929. Thousands of men, women and children gathered here after hearing of miraculous cures taking place at the gravesite of a little-known Catholic priest. In November of 1929, 60 years after his death, tens of thousands of pilgrims flocked to Holy erence for Father Power to this very day. Tens of thousands don’t show up anymore, but I can personally attest to any given Sunday morning vehicle after vehicle stopping, people taking the short walk to the black wrought iron fence – the sign of the cross or a coin tossed atop the granite gravesite – the young and the old alike. An amazing scene. “And Now, Here’s Something We Hope You Really Like...” from “The King of One Liners” Henny Youngman: “When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading.” A.B.C. 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