Patch Facts

Five Things to Know on March 19: Alice Comes to the Tea House

An essential get-me-going daily morning column from Hamilton-Wenham Patch.

Today is Tuesday, March 19. Here are five things you need to know in Hamilton and Wenham: 1. Storm: The winter storm – with snow at first and later a mix of sleet, freezing rain and rain – will stick around for the entire day. Forecasters says that about 4 inches of snow will accumulate before the changeover. It may turn back to snow at the very end of Tuesday night too. 2. Wonderland: Alice in Wonderland will make an appearance at Wenham Tea House on Tuesday. She is scheduled to appear as part of a children’s tea at the Tea House from 3:30-5 p.m. The cost is $30 per person, plus tax and tip, and reservations are required. Call 978-468-1398 to make reservations. 3. Buy Local: Northeast Harvest Buy Local is hosting the Annual Northeast …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Michelle Bailey

6:11 am on Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Can we please call it the Veteran's Memorial? We want to memorialize their service, not the war.   more ›

Letter to the Editor: Veterans Memorial Should Not Change 'Rural, Historic Beauty' of Wenham Village

A Wenham resident writes with her opinion about the design for the Veterans Memorial on the car barn lot in Wenham village.

To the editor: While many of us are aware and very much in favor of a Veteran’s War Memorial being planned for Wenham, many of us missed the planning process. Therefore, two things that are going to happen as a result of the current approved design may have escaped your notice: 1. The line of beautiful, established white pines across 1A from the Wenham Fire Station and Post Office are going to be removed.  2. A good portion of the car barn lot (the open field behind the trees, across from First Church) is going to be paved. This is going to have a dramatic effect on the overall look and feel of Wenham village center, which is going to be much less tree-lined and green. Even if the Veteran’s War Memorial includes a landscaping plan that …

• Photos (1)

Patch Facts

Five Things to Know on March 11: Deadline to Sign up for Hamilton Citizens Fire Academy

An essential get-me-going daily morning column from Hamilton-Wenham Patch.

Today is Monday, March 11. Here are five things you need to know in Hamilton and Wenham: 1. Beautiful: Did you like the weather on Sunday? Forecasters say that Monday will be just as nice, as a foggy start gives way to a sunny day and temperatures into the 50s. 2. Citizens Fire Academy: The final day to sign up for the first-ever Hamilton Citizens Fire Academy is Monday. The Hamilton Police Department has run two citizens academies but this is the first one for the Hamilton Fire Department. It is free and open to anyone over age 18. The class is limited to 20 people and preference is given to Hamilton residents. 3. Ping Pong: A late winter pingpong tournament has become a tradition at Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School and gets underway …

• Photos (1)

Trees to Come Down, War Memorial Could Break Ground in May

A public hearing is scheduled for later this month on a plan to take down the trees on the car barn lot as the first step to construct the Wenham War Memorial.

A public hearing later this month will begin the process to build the new Wenham War Memorial on the car barn lot in the center of town. In order for the memorial to be built, the 12 white pine trees along the edge of the car barn lot - at Arbor and Main streets - will need to be taken down. A public hearing needs to be held before that can be done because the trees are "public shade trees." The hearing is scheduled for March 19 at 7 p.m. at Wenham Town Hall. Dodge Tree Service has donated its time and equipment to remove the trees and the company prefers to take them down now versus later in the busy summer season, said Bruce Blanchard, a member of the Wenham War Memorial Committee. Meanwhile, fundraising for the project continues, with …

•  11 Comments
• Photos (2)

Michelle Bailey

8:57 pm on Saturday, March 2, 2013

Another case of politics leading to bad decisions. When we voted the plans for the renovated Town Hall, I thought there was a Veteran's Memorial as part of the plans.   more ›

Patch Facts

Five Things to Know on Feb. 28: Committee to Hear Reaction to Proposed Government Changes

An essential get-me-going daily morning column from Hamilton-Wenham Patch.

Today is Thursday, Feb. 28. Here are five things you need to know in Hamilton and Wenham: 1. Overcast: Thursday is forecasted to be a cloudy day, with the temperature getting close to 50 degrees. There’s a chance of showers too. 2. Post Office History: Local historian Jack Hauck will present another one of his history lecture with a focus on the Wenham post office building on Thursday. The presentation starts at 11 a.m. at the Wenham Senior Center and is followed by lunch for $3. The lecture is free and open to the public. 3. Slots: The state Gaming Commission meets on Thursday in Boston, where it will come up with a definition for “surrounding community” when it comes to granting casino licenses. With talk by a Maryland developer about a …

• Photos (1)

War Memorial Names to be Finalized Next Week

The names on the new Wenham War Memorial will be cast in bronze and need to be finalized.

The Wenham War Memorial Committee is making a final plea for the names that will go on the new Wenham War Memorial. Fundraising continues but also as part of the project, the committee needs to have all eligible names for the plaques before Feb. 28. There are two conditions to be included on the memorial: World War I:  April 6, 1917 through Nov, 11, 1918 World War II: Dec. 7, 1941 through Dec. 31, 1946 Korea: June 27, 1950 through Jan. 31, 1955 Vietnam: Aug. 5, 1964 through May 7, 1975 Because the names will be cast in bronze, no additions or changes can be made once the die is cast. To check the current list, see it online at Hamilton-Wenham Patch, on the town of Wenham website or at the Town Clerk’s office at Wenham Town Hall. To add a …

• Photos (1)

Thermometer to Show Progress Toward War Memorial Fundraising Goal

The Wenham War Memorial had kicked its fundraising efforts into high gear, aiming for completion of the monument by fall 2013.

A “thermometer” will go up on the car barn in Wenham to show the progress toward the fundraising goal to pay for construction of the War Memorial. The Wenham Board of Selectmen on Tuesday night unanimously approved the sign going up through March 31. The goal is $197,000, Peter Hersee, chairman of the Wenham War Memorial Committee told Selectmen on Tuesday. “We’re within about $85,000 or $86,000 of that goal,” he said, noting that this week about 60 letters went out to people the committee feels may be likely to “give significant funds.” The thermometer will be similar to the one places there each year by the United Way to show the progress toward its fundraising goal. The United Way’s thermometer also received approval to go on the can …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)
• Documents (1)

Ban on Car Barn Lot Signs Gets Backing of Historic Commission

The Wenham Historic District Commission recommends that no sign be allowed to be erected on the car barn lot once it becomes home to the Wenham War Memorial.

The Wenham Historic District Commission has backed a complete ban on signs on the car barn lot once it becomes home to the Wenham War Memorial. On Thursday, the commission said it also hopes to see stepped up enforcement of the existing rules, which were modified about two years ago. Those rules (which are attached to this story as a PDF) establish an application process and time limits, among other requirements, for signs on the car barn lot. Jim Howard, chairman of the commission, said the existing rules “are not being adequately enforced.” The commission will outline its opinion – the existing rules should be more closely enforced and than signs should be banned when it becomes home to the War Memorial - in a letter to the Board of …

•  4 Comments
• Photos (1)
• Documents (1)

Michelle Bailey

9:58 pm on Sunday, July 22, 2012

The issue is not having signs on the corner, but enforcement. The current policy allows signs to be placed no longer than 3 weeks with preapproval for non-profit organizations only. But no one is enforcing the policy. If the town bans signs at the car barn lot, they need to find an alternative location or we will see signs popping up everywhere instead of just one location.   more ›

Next Step for Wenham War Memorial: Verifying Veteran Names

The Wenham War Memorial Committee is seeking to verify lists of veterans from four wars or conflicts that will go on the new war memorial in the center on Wenham.

The Wenham War Memorial Committee is looking for the community’s help in verifying the names of veterans to be inscribed on the memorial, which will be erected at the corner of Main and Arbor streets. The release of the veterans lists is the latest step in the process of constructing the monument. Wenham Town Meeting voters approved its location on the car barn lot and later, its design, in two seperate votes last year. A construction date has yet to be announced. The Committee wants local residents to review a list it has compiled, and correct names believed to be in error and suggest names that should be added. “Many sources have been used to develop the current list of World War 2 veterans; however, its review by family members and …

•  2 Comments
• Photos (2)
• Documents (5)

Next Steps for War Memorial Include Fundraising, Checking Veterans Lists

The Wenham War Memorial Committee will start raising money and confirming veterans' names for the plaques in the comiong weeks.

The tasks of privately raising money and making certain that all Wenham veterans have their name on the plaques are next for the War Memorial Committee after a design for the memorial was approved at Town Meeting. The new monument on the old Car Barn lot - at the corner of Asbury and Main streets - was approved by Wenham Town Meeting voters on a vote of 106 to 57 on Nov. 8. “We have a lot of work to do,” said committee chairman Peter Hersee. It is still too early to say when construction would begin. The War Memorial will honor all the Wenham veterans that served during World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. There will be four plaques. The committee has a preliminary list of Wenham veterans, but it must verify each …

• Photos (1)