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THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, OCTObEr 28, 2022 ~ The Advocate Asks ~ Page 3 Town Meeting Member Ron Wallace discusses his cemetery project to honor Benjamin Newhall Johnson, the late Saugonian who once owned the land at Breakheart Reservation Editor’s Note: For this week, we sat down with Precinct 5 Town Meeting Member Ron Wallace, who talked about a special project he undertook in Riverside Cemetery – cleaning up the headstone of Benjamin Newhall Johnson – a local historian and attorney who owned what would later become Breakheart Reservation. Wallace, 53, is a 1987 Saugus High School graduate and a lifelong resident of the town. He is in the final year of his fourth two-year term on the Saugus Town Meeting. He has been a low voltage electrical technician for 35 years, in Local 103. He and his wife, Amy, a Lynn native, have been married for 22 years. They have three children: Alex, 16, who is a sophomore at Saugus Middle-High School; Abigail, 18, who is a freshman at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H.; and Andrew, 20, who will be a junior at Bentley University in Waltham, Mass. Amy Wallace has worked for 29 years as a Special Education teacher in Lynn Public Schools. Following his graduation from Saugus High School, Wallace spent four years in the JATC (Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee) program run by the I.B.E.W. Local 103. He is very involved in car shows, particularly antique cars. In addition to being elected to serve four two-years terms on the Annual Town Meeting, he is currently in his first term as a member on the town’s Cemetery Commission. He has also in the past volunteered to help cleanup efforts on the Saugus portion of the Northern Strand Community Trail, town parks and playgrounds. Highlights of this week’s interview follow. Saugus the greatest gift he could ever give – Breakheart Reservation – all of that recreation land. Breakheart is owned by the DCR [state Department of Conservation & Recreation]. He died in 1932 and the state purchased it two years later. He donated a lot of money to local organizations. And the land he owned – the family sold it to the state for a very reasonable amount of money. I do a lot of hiking at Breakheart, so I know the history of Mr. Johnson. He had a lodge there on the land that is now Breakheart. You can still see the foundation on what is called The Lodge Trail. He dammed the Saugus RivLABOR OF LOVE: Precinct 5 Town Meeting Member Ron Wallace recently completed a cleanup of the tombstone marking the grave of Benjamin Newhall Johnson, a prominent Saugonian who owned the land that now encompasses Breakheart Reservation. (Saugus Advocate photo by Mark E. Vogler) Q: How did the unkempt gravestone of Benjamin Newhall Johnson come to your attention? A: I was actually walking through the cemetery last November and I stumbled upon it. I already knew who he was because I read a book about Breakheart Reservation. Q: Tell me about the gravestone. What kind of condition was it in? A: Terrible. It was in very bad shape. It probably hadn’t been cleaned in 90 years. I didn’t do anything, because I had to get permission to clean it. Q: Who is Benjamin Newhall Johnson? A: He was a Saugus native who went to Saugus schools. He graduated from Harvard University cum laude in 1878 with a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, and he went on to become a very powerful attorney in Boston. I believe he lived in Lynn at the time of his death. He bought all of the land that Breakheart Reservation is now on. He was born June 19, 1856, in Lynn, Mass. He grew up in Saugus and was educated in Saugus schools, and he died in Lynn on Feb. 19, 1932. Q: And why should Benjamin Newhall Johnson’s name be important to Saugus residents who pride themselves on knowing the history of their hometown? A: The reason I wanted to clean his grave is that he gave er and made the two lakes at Breakheart, known as Silver and Pearce Lakes. He liked to hunt out there and stay in the lodge. It was his vacation place. Q: What else do you want to tell me or tell the readers of The Saugus Advocate about Mr. Johnson? A: People should be aware that somebody left that land to the state, and thousands and thousands of people enjoy it every year – an unbelievable gift. The least I could do is clean his monument. I thought it was really neat that he left $5,000 to the Town of Saugus for the library, and, specifically, his will said that the ASKS | SEE PAGE 10 425r Broadway, Saugus Located adjacent to Kohls Plaza Route 1 South in Saugus at the intersection of Walnut St. We are on MBTA Bus Route 429 781-231-1111 We are a Skating Rink with Bowling Alleys, Arcade and two TV’s where the ball games are always on! PUBLIC SKATING SCHEDULE 12-8 p.m. Sunday Monday Tuesday $9.00 Price includes Roller Skates Rollerblades/inline skates $3.00 additional cost Private Parties 7:30-11 p.m. $10.00 Price includes Roller Skates Adult Night 18+ Only Wednesday Thursday Friday Everyone must pay admission after 6 p.m. Private Parties Private Parties 4-11 p.m. Saturday 12-11 p.m. $9.00 $9.00 Everyone must pay admission after 6 p.m. Sorry No Checks - ATM on site Roller skate rentals included in all prices Inline Skate Rentals $3.00 additional BIRTHDAY & PRIVATE PARTIES AVAILABLE www.roller-world.com

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