The February 24 article headlined “Second Covid-9 vaccine clinic March 4 for those on waiting list” had errors in the number of doses to be given at the March 4 clinic and the dose threshold required by the state for local clinics. The town has acquired 100 doses to administer on March 4, not 10, and the state requires local clinics to be able to give 750 vaccines per day, not 50. The original article has been corrected.
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Program offers film, panel, and group discussions on racism
The Lincoln METCO Coordinating Committee and Sudbury Community for Racial and Social Justice is hosting a 90-minute feature documentary screening of “I’m Not Racist… Am I?” and other subsequent events. All those who live, work, attend school, or have a connection to Lincoln or Sudbury may watch the film online as a diverse group of teens and their families go through a yearlong exploration of race and racism. The effort also focuses on the courageous voices of young people and provides Lincoln, Sudbury, and Boston METCO families with a forum for working together on local race-related issues.
The screening will run from Saturday, Feb. 27 at 9 a.m. through Monday, March 1 at noon. On Wednesday, March 3 at 6:30 p.m., the Organizing Committee and Point Made Learning (the film’s producer) will host a virtual discussion with a panel of people from the Lincoln, Sudbury, and Boston communities, asking them questions and using the film content as a springboard for dialogue on race and identity. In addition to the film viewing and the panel event, there will be an opportunity for community members to sign up to participate in facilitated small group discussions based on the movie.
Sponsors include the Sudbury Foundation, the Ogden Codman Trust, the First Parish of Lincoln, the Bemis Free Lecture Series, the Lincoln Public Schools, WIDE, the Sudbury Public Library and anonymous donors. All events are free but registration is required. The small group discussions are only for those who live, work, or go to school in Lincoln or Sudbury
Session for parents of rising L-S freshmen
Will your eighth-grader be a Lincoln-Sudbury freshman next year? Might it be helpful to connect with Lincoln parents whose students have made this same transition, both before and during the Covid era? Tune into “Life at L-S: A Parent-to-Parent Conversation About the 8th-to-9th Grade Transition” on Tuesday, March 2 at 7–8:30 p.m. via Google Meet. Featuring Lincoln School Principal Sharon Hobbs and L-S veteran parents panelists, along with L-S administrators. The program will focus on all the co-curricular elements of a high-schooler’s life so families have contextual knowledge that supports the LS course selection process in March. To RSVP and/or to pre-submit panelist questions, email Hobbs at shobbs@lincnet.org. For more information, contact Carole Kasper at carolemkasper@gmail.com.
Nature sketching classes offered
Farrington Nature Linc is hosting a virtual three-session nature sketching series starting on Tuesday, March 2. Each week, we’ll meet via Zoom with artist and teacher Alex Boersma, a freelance scientific illustrator and designer from Toronto, to learn how to draw natural objects we’ve collected throughout the week. We’ll improve our observational drawing skills while exploring new media: first graphite, then pen and ink, and finally watercolor. No experience necessary.
Classes will meet Tuesday evenings from 6–8 p.m. (the final workshop will go until 9 p.m.). You may attend a single workshop or all three; however, the skills taught in each workshop will build on one another, so organizers recommend signing up for all three. Register online via Eventbrite. The supply list will be emailed once you’re registered for the class (please be sure you have acquired the necessary materials ahead of the workshop).
Talk on Edith Wharton and Ogden Codman
Join a Zoom talk on “Edith Wharton and Ogden Codman: A Creative Kinship” on Wednesday, March 17 at 7 p.m. Edith Wharton’s first published work was not a novel, but a design manual that she co-authored with Lincoln native Ogden Codman, Jr., The Decoration of Houses, which was destined to become an interior design classic. Using original letters from Historic New England’s Codman archival collection, this illustrated talk offers an inside peek into Wharton’s and Codman’s 40-year artistic friendship. Advance registration required on this HNE web page or call 617-994-6651. Free to Lincoln residents via a 2021 Lincoln Cultural Council grant. Historic New England members: $15. Non-members: $20. Program partners for this event are the Lincoln Public Library and the Council on Aging.
Council on Aging activities
- Lincoln Public Health Nurse Tricia McGean will conduct her regular “Chats with the Nurse” via Zoom for residents of all ages on Wednesdays, March 3 and 17 at 11 a.m. Bring your questions about Covid-19 and other issues, and McGean will share the latest updates. Preregister by calling 781-259-8811 x102 or emailing gagnea@Lincolntown.org to get the Zoom invite.
- The Council on Aging invites seniors to a drive-up ice cream sundae cup event on Tuesday, March 16 in the parking lot of the First Parish Church. Please help stagger arrivals by coming at the time that corresponds to your last name (A–G, arrive from 12-12:45 p.m.; H–R, arrive from 12:45-1:30 p.m.; S–Z, arrive from 1:30-2 p.m.). Ice cream sundae cups generously sponsored by the Friends of the COA.
- The COA welcomes seniors who want to connect in March with an L-S student via a weekly conversation via Zoom, phone, or letter. Students sign up to have a weekly conversation with a senior and they receive school credit. After seniors fill out this Connections survey to make their preferences known as to dates and times, they will be matched with a high school student. For more information, visit www.connections01773.org. This third Connections series will take place over four weeks beginning the week of March 15. Questions? Email Amy Gagne at gagnea@lincolntown.org.
- To support people who are struggling with isolation and loneliness during this difficult time, Advocates for Human Potential (AHP) has adapted their evidence-based Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) to produce a special publication that addresses isolation and loneliness. The Wellness Guide to Overcoming Isolation During COVID-19: Being Connected, Staying Connected, and Choosing Connection is available to everyone online, and the Council on Aging has a limited number of free print copies. The guide can help you engage in connection activities with others and in online support groups. For more information to receive the WRAP Up monthly newsletter, please email mjaffe@ahpnet.com.
Most Lincoln Council on Aging events are open to Lincoln residents of all ages. For a full list — including clinics, exercise classes, regular meetings of interest groups, and online chats with town officials — see the COA’s calendar page or March newsletter. Contact the COA at 781-259-8811 or gagnea@lincolntown.org for Zoom links to events.
Second Covid-9 vaccine clinic March 4 for those on waiting list
(Editor’s note: This article was updated on February 25 to reflect corrected figures for the number of doses to be given at the March 4 clinic and the dose threshold required by the state for local clinics.)
The town will hold another Covid-19 vaccination clinic on March 4, but only for those on a waiting list — and this will almost certainly be the last clinic the town will offer.
Lincoln will receive a second allotment of 100 doses of vaccine for the clinic on Thursday, March 4 from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. at the Lincoln North office building. Participation will be limited to residents 75 and older who were placed on the waiting list after the first town clinic on February 11. Any additional slots will be made available to those identified as being at high-risk, consistent with the Commonwealth’s criteria, said Town Administrator Tim Higgins, one of the members of Lincoln’s public health team.
Residents who received their first dose of vaccine at the February 11 clinic will get their second booster shot on March 11, and those who are inoculated on March 4 will get their second dose on April 1. “Going forward, unless the state alters its distribution strategy, we do not anticipate being able to provide any additional first-dose local clinics,” he said.
The team is talking to other area towns to see if regional clinic could be organized under the new state capacity criteria (giving at least 750 doses a day, five days a week). “We appear to have several willing partners… but it’s very much a work in progress” and will obviously require state approval, Higgins said.
Failing that, Lincoln hopes to find ways to help residents get the vaccinations at one of the mega-sites at Fenway Park or Gillette Stadium, by offering rides and/or helping people navigate the state’s online booking system.
“Our public health team and those in other towns are really frustrated at a policy level at the state’s decision to ignore the capacity we created locally to efficiently administer the vaccine,” he said.
Candidate slate ready for town election in March
The slate for the upcoming town election features several newcomers hoping to win seats after some incumbents decided not to run for reelection, and one contested seat — two candidates are vying for one opening on the Parks and Recreation Commission. All seats are for three-year terms.
Residents can vote in person in the Smith gym from 7:30 a.m.–8 p.m. on Monday, March 29. They may also vote by absentee ballot, or early by mail (this last option has been extended by the legislature).
The election is usually held two days after the Annual Town Meeting, but the ATM this year will be held outdoors on May 15 (details to be announced).
| Board/committee | Candidate | Incumbent not running for reelection |
|---|---|---|
| Board of Assessors | Edward Morgan* | |
| Board of Health | Patricia Miller* | |
| Board of Selectmen | Jennifer Glass* | |
| Cemetery Commission | Douglas Harding** | None (the seat is currently open) |
| Commissioner of Trust Funds | — | Donald Collins |
| Housing Commission | Evan Gorman | |
| LSRHS School Committee | Heather Cowap Salemme | Carole Kasper |
| LSRHS School Committee | Mary Warzynski | Ellen Joachim |
| Parks and Recreation Committee | Brianna Doo, Evan Gorman | Sarah Chester |
| Planning Board | Gerald Taylor* | |
| School Committee | Susan Taylor* | |
| School Committee | John Maclachlan | Peter Borden |
| Trustees of Bemis Fund | Miriam Borden* | |
| Water Commission | Jim Hutchinson* |
* Incumbent running for reelection
** Doug Harding is running for the seat formerly held by his wife Susan, who passed away in 2020.
Town refinances bond, saving $60,000 a year
The town has been able to take advantage of historically low interest rates to refinance the bonds it sold for renovating the Town Office Building 10 years ago — a move that will save approximately $60,000 a year for the next 20 years.
The town sold 30-year bonds totaling $5.8 million to pay for the project a decade ago (another $1,000,000 came from the Community Preservation Fund). The deal included a bond call option so the town could refinance after 10 years if interest rates dropped — and they did, from 3.6% to the new rate of 1.18%, according to Lincoln Finance Director Colleen Wilkins. The lower interest rate will save about $1,278,000 over the next 20 years. At the same time, the town’s AAA bond rating was also reaffirmed.
The semiannual payment on the bonds varies each year as result of the annual principal payments reducing the interest expense each year, and the average annual savings won’t be known until the closing, Wilkins said.
The Town Office Building, which began life as the historic Center School, lacked handicapped access and needed better space utilization and greater energy efficiency. A study committee made the case for the project at the 2010 State of the Town Meeting, and residents approved the project in March 2011.
Police log for Feb. 13–19, 2021
February 13
The Commons in Lincoln (6:30 a.m.) — A woman called looking for assistance, saying she was in trouble. There was no problem; the resident had recently moved to the memory care unit.
Round Hill Road (4:54 p.m.) — A resident fell victim to a grandparent scam. Investigation ongoing.
February 14
Doherty’s Garage (7:39 p.m.) — A person was seen placing items into a dumpster. Officer advised them to stop as they had no affiliation with the business.
February 15
Lexington Road (3:31 p.m.) — A car crashed into a stone wall. One person was transported to Emerson Hospital and the vehicle was towed.
Department of Public Works (6:08 p.m.) — Police were asked to call out the DPW to treat the roads due to weather conditions.
February 16
Doherty’s Garage (2:25 a.m.) — Police cruiser struck a parked vehicle due to the icy conditions while conducting a check of a business. The owner of the vehicle was notified (very minor damage).
February 17
Department of Public Works (3:29 a.m.) — Police were asked to call out the DPW to treat the roads due to weather conditions.
Trapelo Road (8:18 p.m.) — Officer checked on a car pulled over on the side of the road with its hazard lights on. The driver was OK and had pulled over to use their phone.
Trapelo Road (10:44 p.m.) — A caller reported people sledding on the hill near Minebrook Road. An officer spoke to the sledders and had them leave.
February 18
Concord Road (11:08 a.m.) — Maynard police requested a well-being check on a person at the residence. Officers checked and spoke with the person and everything was fine.
Boston Post Road, Weston (4:09 p.m.) — Weston Fire Department requested an ambulance for a medical call.
February 19
Hanscom Air Force Base (2:20 p.m.) — Caller reported being harassed by a person living out of state. Report taken; investigation ongoing.
Weston Road (7:09 p.m.) — Officer checked on an unoccupied vehicle pulled off to the side of the roadway. Vehicle appeared to have been there a while.
Lincoln Road (9:49 p.m.) — A vehicle was parked on the roadway near Lewis Street. The owner removed the vehicle.
Violet Thayer, successful Lincoln businesswoman born into slavery
Editor’s note: This is the first article in a new series called “Lincoln’s History” written by the Lincoln Historical Society.
By Don Hafner
Black History Month is a time to reflect upon stories of Lincoln’s own history of slavery. Here is one such story.
Against all odds, Violet Thayer of Lincoln was a successful businesswoman. When she died in 1813, she was in her seventies and had never married. Violet’s mother was still alive, but she was blind and incapable of managing her late daughter’s affairs, so John Hartwell, proprietor of the Hartwell tavern, handled Violet’s estate.
The probate inventory of Violet’s property included what we might expect of a successful seamstress — two calico gowns, one cambric gown, four short gowns, twenty yards of shirting fabric, thimbles, yarn. In all, the estate was valued at $114. Three more items showed Violet’s success and savvy as a businesswoman. She had $30 in cash, as well as two loans she had made that paid her interest—one to Bulkley Adams for $20 and the other to Samuel Hartwell for $27.
During the seven weeks of Violet’s terminal illness, she was cared for by John and Hepzibah Hartwell. John Hartwell claimed a third of Violet’s estate for his expenses in boarding her during these weeks, but that still left something for her aged and blind mother.
Violet Thayer’s success did not come easily. She had been born into slavery and had been enslaved “from infancy” in the households of Ephraim and Elizabeth Hartwell and then John and Hepzibah Hartwell. Yet by the time of her death, Violet had earned enough money on her own to make loans to two of Lincoln’s prominent citizens. Quite likely, these “loans” were Violet’s shrewd equivalent of a savings account that paid interest at a time when Lincoln had no banks.
Hartwell Tavern in 1904 and in modern times. The house (now part of Minute Man National Historical Park) was originally built as a home for Ephraim Hartwell and his newlywed wife Elizabeth in 1733.
Also against the odds, the Hartwells attempted to hold Violet in bondage even after the state Supreme Judicial Court pronounced in 1783 that the court was “fully of the opinion that perpetual servitude can no longer be tolerated in our government.” Essentially, the court gave every “servant for life” in Massachusetts the opportunity to simply walk away from their owners, including the dozen or so slave owners in Lincoln. Yet five years later, when Ephraim Hartwell made out his will in 1788, he included this clause: “I give unto Elizabeth Hartwell my beloved wife … my Negro woman, named Violet for her own service & disposal.”
Ephraim Hartwell died in 1793, and the probate inventory of his estate did not include any mention of Violet among his “property.” Perhaps she had challenged her enslavement; perhaps she had simply been released by the Hartwells. Either way, when freedom finally came to her, Violet Thayer made her own path in the world—and quite successfully.
For more on slavery in Lincoln, see A Rich Harvest by John C. MacLean, especially pages 216-221. Copies of are available from the Lincoln Historical Society.
Addendum (March 1, 2021):
Did you know that the end of slavery in Massachusetts was complicated, and there was not a single action or case that ended it. Although in the 1790 census no individuals within Massachusetts were identified as slaves, Hartwell’s ongoing treatment of Violet as a slave two years earlier was not unique and not illegal.
In 1781 there were two important lower-court cases brought by slaves Mum Bett and Quock Walker that resulted in their being declared free. Walker had been owned by Nathaniel Jennison, and other charges developed out of the original case. One was Commonwealth v. Jennison, which related to an incident where Jennison had beaten Walker. In 1783 it had gone to the Supreme Judicial Court, and Jennison was found guilty and fined forty shillings.
Chief Justice William Cushing argued the view that based upon language in the 1780 Massachusetts Constitution (an issue earlier argued in the Mum Bett case), Cushing was “fully of the opinion that perpetual servitude can no longer be tolerated in our government.”
Although highly suggestive, those statements were not part of the formal decision of the court, which was dealing with a narrower issue of assault and battery—so slavery legally continued (including with the Hartwells), but it now became clear that the SJC would not uphold it.
For those interested in research into Massachusetts slavery, a general article I wrote some time back for the New England Historic Genealogical Society includes Lincoln references and is available here.
Jack MacLean
Lincoln Town Historian
My Turn: Learn how to slash trash and revive recycling
By Barbara Heffner
You embrace recycling but still you have questions about your trash and recyclables, such as: Should I be doing something different? Which types of plastic are okay? What matters most: reducing, reusing, or recycling?
Meanwhile, our cities and towns are struggling with both the volume of trash and the rising expense of managing it. While recycling programs used to generate revenue for many towns, that is typically not the case now.
If you’re asking these or other questions, join MetroWest Climate Solutions for a discussion with Kirstie Pecci on Thursday, March 4 at 7 p.m. — click here to register. Pecci is the director of the Conservation Law Foundation’s Zero Waste Project and is part of the Zero Waste Boston coalition, which advocates for zero waste solutions such as reuse, recycling, redesign and composting/anaerobic digestion in the City of Boston.
The Zoom-based presentation will be followed by a Q&A moderated by Joel Angiolillo. He is a founder of MetroWest Climate Solutions, president of the Weston Forest and Trail Association, and served as co-chair of the Weston Open Spaces and Recreation Committee.
MetroWest Climate Solutions is a growing partnership between First Parish in Wayland, First Parish Church in Weston, First Parish in Lincoln, the Congregational Church in Weston, and other communities and individuals. Our mission is to share strategies for moving towards a low- and no-carbon-based society and economy and to suggest activities that enable individuals to help bring about solutions.
”My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.
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Winter Carnival features scavenger hunt, ice sculpture demonstration
As part of Lincoln’s annual Winter Carnival, the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust/Rural Land Foundation (LLCT/RLF) invites the public to participate in two of its featured free events:
- From Saturday, Feb. 20 through Sunday, Feb. 28, the LLCT/RLF will host a Winter Animals Scavenger Hunt. Gear up and take a hike on Lincoln’s many walking trails in search of the various animal sculptures hidden on trails and created by local artists and students at the Birches School. Take a selfie at each sculpture and submit your photos to be eligible to receive a $10 gift card from Twisted Tree Cafe or Something Special (one per household while supplies last). Click here for instructions and scavenger hunt clues.
- On Saturday, Feb. 27 from 10:30 a.m.–1 p.m, the LLCT/RLF and William Jackson Associates will host an ice sculpture demonstration featuring Donald Chapelle, a local artist with 40 years of ice carving experience and founder of Brilliant Ice Sculpture. In addition to showcasing a number of pre-made ice sculptures, which he’ll have on-site, Chappelle will use chainsaws, ice picks, and various carving elements to bring a moose to life out of a block of ice. The demonstration, which takes place on the green at the Mall at Lincoln Station, is a great fun-for-the-whole-family experience (physical distancing protocols will be in place). Twisted Tree Cafe will set up a pop-up shop with hot chocolate and cookies starting at 10:30. Hint: the moose will be the last sculpture on the scavenger hunt (see above).
Ice sculptor Donald Chapelle with a frog in progress.
See and hear spring birds in fireside chat
The LLCT is also sponsoring a Zoom fireside chat and photo-sharing session with Lincoln resident and photographer Barbara Peskin about spring birds on Thursday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. Spring is a time of renewal, return and migration, and Peskin will highlight spring visitors to our yards, woods and fields, including rose-breasted grosbeaks and a scarlet tanager, a pair of cardinals, black-capped chickadees, pileated woodpeckers, and more. She’ll also play some of the calls and songs of these backyard friends. Along with the spring songbirds will be a few local and special photos. After her remarks, there will be time for questions and conversation. The program is free and open to all, but registration is required.
- See also the latest monthly LLCT wildlife column by Lincoln resident Gwyn Loud.
Library works to improve contactless pickup
Since the Lincoln Public Library second closure to the public, patrons have had to rely on reserving books online and picking them up in paper bags in the library vestibule. But because of limited space and demand outstripping the skeleton staff’s ability to quickly fill all the requests, the library has announced some changes.
As of February 18, items will no longer be put into separate paper bags so as to maximize the limited space in the vestibule. Staff are also looking into more temporary shelving in the small space. Empty paper bags and hand sanitizer are available. The staff also asks that patrons fill out the online pickup scheduling form only after they receive notification that they have an item ready for pickup. Complete information and links are available on the library’s Contactless Pickup web page.
Scholarship committee seeks member
The Board of Selectmen seeks volunteers to fill a vacancy on the Lincoln Scholarship Committee. The committee administers the information, applicant review, and selection processes for several scholarships and awards available to Lincoln students graduating from secondary schools. The group also fundraises on behalf of the Lincoln Permanent Scholarship Fund and mails an annual appeal letter to residents of Lincoln. For more information about the Committee, you can visit their webpage or email LincolnScholarship@LincolnTown.org
Letters of interest should be addressed to Select Board Chair James Craig and sent to Peggy Elder, administrative assistant in the Selectmen’s Office, at elderp@lincolntown.org. Residents are also welcome to fill out and submit this volunteer application or call the Selectmen’s Office at 781-259-2601.
My Turn: Support more state aid for kids in poverty
Editor’s note: This piece was originally published in early February but was deleted due to a website malfunction and later restored.
By Jean Palmer
I recently received an email response from Thomas Stanley, Lincoln’s state representative, that he has signed on to “An Act of Lift Kids Out of Deep Poverty” (HD 1158) — legislation that would raise cash assistance grants by 20% per year until they reach 50% of the federal poverty level (currently $915 per month for a family of three) and then increase grants each year to keep up with inflation.
Even with the historic 10% increase implemented in January of this year, cash assistance grants are still far too low to meet families’ basic needs. The maximum TAFDC grant (Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children) for a family of three is only $652 per month. For an elder or disabled individual, the maximum EAEDC grant (Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled and Children) is just $334 per month.
My daughter, a lawyer who works for Greater Boston Legal Services, tells me this is very important to support. I hope you will support it also, and send a thank-you to Rep. Stanley for supporting it. (Thomas.Stanley@mahouse.gov). I haven’t yet heard back from our state senator, Mike Barrett, on another email I sent asking for his support of this same legislation in the Senate: SD430.
”My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.