The Man Who Blogged Too Much

O Reader! Dear Reader! My research trip’s not done
The train awaits upon its track, till sites I seek are won,
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow I the steady trail, my purpose great and daring.
                         But O heart! heart! heart!
                            O the drying drops of ink,
                               Upon the page my Poet filled,
                                  Written bold, distinct –
 
O Reader! My Reader! Read on and hear the thrills!
Read on – for you the blog is penned – for you the tea is spilled,
For you bouquets and brilliant words – for you the tales a-churning,
For you I blog, the waiting mass, your eager faces turning;
                         Here Reader! Dear comrade!
                            This blog before your eyes!
                               It is my dream that in some way
                                 It fills you with surprise!
 

You might be surprised to know, dear reader, that I do have an editor, Kay Sera, but I believe she’s given up on me.  I call out to her often, “Kay Sera – Sera” – but lately she’s stopped answering – so whatever will be, will be.

Here’s the deal (and I'll attmept to self-edit, so please be patent):

* I took a six-night/seven day trip New York, Boston, and Amherst, to visit various libraries and Dickinson-related sites.

* I’ve been blogging about my journey for eight days now – this being the ninth – and I’ve covered only two days worth of Dickinsonian details. 

* In yesterday’s post, I wrapped up (for now) my stopover in the Empire City, and in today’s, I present my travels to the Hub of the Universe, Boston.

* My trek further north began on the morning of July Twelfth at the Moynihan Train Hall at Pennsylvania Station. There, I broke into song and dance:

Pardon me, bro –
Is that the train to Massachusetts?
     Yes, yes –
     Track 29!
Bro, I hope it leaves right on time.
     Can you afford to board the train to Massachusetts?
I've got my fare
And just a trifle to spare
You leave the Pennsylvania station 'bout a quarter to nine
Read a magazine as Rotten Groton flies by –
Have lunch at your coach seat
A turkey wrap with cold meat
Don’t forget to use the cover on the John seat!

When you hear the whistleblowing eight to the bar
Then you know that Boston’s station ain’t very far
Shovel all the coal in
Gotta keep it rolling
Woo, woo, Massachusetts there you are!
​

What with the FIFA World Cup soccer games, a tall ship flotilla, and my arrival, Boston was a-buzz with excitement! To steer clear of throngs of fans and the paparazzi. I stayed a few miles outside of town in Medford, along the Mystic River.

MEDFORD: 

At the time of European contact and exploration, Medford was the winter home of the Naumkeag people, and in 1630 the town of Medford was established by English colonists as part of Charlestown of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.  In the late 17th century, the town engaged its first ordained preacher, Rev. John Hancock Sr., grandfather to John Hancock, and in the 18th century, it was home to Sarah Bradlee Fulton, known as the “Mother of the Boston Tea Party.”

Other facts about Medford are curious and curiouser (Oops!  I was so much surprised, that for the moment I quite forgot how to speak good English).

* Medford was home to Fannie Farmer, author of one of the world's most famous cookbooks.

* Amelia Earhart lived in Medford for a time.

* Elizabeth Short, the victim of an infamous Hollywood murder and who became known as The Black Dahlia, grew up in Medford before moving west to seek fame and fortune.

* One of the biggest bank robberies and jewel heists in world history happened on Memorial Day weekend in 1980, when several officers of the Medford Police and Metropolitan District Commission Police forces robbed the Depositors Trust Bank in Medford Square, yielding an estimated $25 million.
 
* In the late 19th century, Medford resident James Pierpont is said to have written "Jingle Bells"(originally called “A One Horse Open Sleigh”) after watching a sleigh race from Medford to Malden.  There is plaque at 19 High Street in the center of Medford Square.

(NOTE:  There is much more to the story of “Jingle Bells” that I will cover in some future post.)

* Medford was also home to abolitionist George Luther Stearns, an American industrialist and one of John Brown's Secret Six.  During the Civil War, he was given the rank of major by Massachusetts Governor John Andrew, and he spent most of the Civil War recruiting for the 54th and 55th Massachusetts regiments and the 5th Cavalry.

NOW, TWO THINGS TO TAKE NOTE ABOUT THE INFO ON STEARNS ABOVE:

1. In an upcoming post concerning my time in Boston, I will discuss Robert Gould Shaw, a Union officer during the Civil War who accepted command of the first all-black regiment – the 54th Massachusetts.

2.  Another member of John Brown’s Secret Six – are you ready for this – Thomas Wentworth Higginson, the editor at The Atlantic who corresponded with Emily Dickinson!  Plus, during the Civil War, Higginson served as colonel of the 1st South Carolina Volunteers, the first federally authorized black regiment. Check out this page on Higginson, sponsored by the National Park Service, HERE. 

LOTS MORE PICS FROM MEDFORD ARE ON MY TRAVELOGUE, "DIAL 'EM' FOR EMILY," HERE. ​

In the evening, my wife and I – along with my sister who was being a good sport to travel  with me on my Dickinsonian quest – enjoyed dinner at a wonderful establishment called El Tacuba, and then... 

...the next morning, off we drove Cambridge, to the campus of Harvard, to the Houghton Library, to the…. 

Well, do you know what’s inside the Houghton Library?
​

Hold on to your hats, dear reader!  Buckle up, brace yourself, and sit tight!  Things shift into high gear tomorrow!

Lots more pics from Medford, MA, on my travelogue, "Dial 'Em' for Emily," HERE.  

More posts from my trip are here:

07.25.2026:  STRANGE TURNS ON A TRAIN, CLICK HERE. 
07.24.2026:  HOW SWEETEST IT IS, CLICK HERE. 
07.23.2026:  A DATE WITH DESTINY, CLICK HERE.
07.22.2026:  THIS – IS THE BLOG POST – ​THE SUNSET WASHES, CLICK HERE.
07.21.2026:  DOUBLE ETERNITY, CLICK HERE. 
07.20.2026:  THE ORACLE WORE A WHITE DRESS -- PART DEUX, CLICK HERE.
07.19.2026:  ALL THINGS MATTER, CLICK HERE. 
07.18.2026:  INTRODUCTORY PLOG POST ABOUT "DIAL 'EM' FOR EMILY," CLICK HERE.