Burlington Retro turns two

This website is a Quixotic attempt to cheat Father Time and give the finger to the Grim Reaper. Thank you to everyone who has helped my cause by digging into your private photo albums, and digging even deeper into your own memory banks. And to my sources who are now deceased, thank you for sharing your priceless knowledge and photos. They are now part of a durable electronic record. Rest in peace:

• Marion Welch — Administered ration stamps during WWII.
• Herb Crawford  — Fire chief, witnessed bulldozers raze his farm for Route 128.
• Carl Olson — Saw his poultry farm become Veterans Playground.
• Jim Nolan — A frequent customer of the Flying Saucer coffee house/truck stop.
• Eugene Knowles — Longtime cop, contributed to my Kent Cottage article.

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There’s a lot more Burlington Retro fodder out there, but it’s concealed in people’s basements and attics. We need to actually look at our materials, lest we forget what we have. If someone had asked me for a picture of Father Kineen at St. Margaret’s, I would have shaken my head right away. Why would I have a picture of him?

Yet, to my surprise, I did indeed have a picture of him standing right behind me. I hadn’t looked at my photos for so long, I’d forgotten about it. And I’m only 51. How can a 90-year-old remember what’s inside a box that hasn’t seen daylight in six or seven decades?

Burlington’s elders lived through the most transformative period of the town’s history. They witnessed the end of a sleepy agricultural Burlington and the beginning of a very busy Burlington. Their memories and photos have great cultural value, but we need to get the goods before it’s too late.

Robert Fahey, creator and editor, 781-718-9872, BurlingtonRetro@gmail.com