April 17th: 1861 and 1954

Our boys in blue had spent the night at Faneuil Hall, and one hopes they awoke to a hearty breakfast. During the day they received overcoats, blankets, knapsacks, haversacks and three days rations (hardtack and salted meat probably). Their militia weapons were exchanged for brand new Springfield rifled muskets. These had been produced at the Springfield Armory. In its early days this Massachusetts-based, federally owned factory complex had pioneered the idea of interchangeable parts under the superintendency of David Ames, older brother of shovel company founder Oliver Ames. Old Oliver apparently did some of his apprenticing with his brother in Springfield. After getting fitted out the men were speechified by then Governor Andrew. Speeches passing for entertainment in those days perhaps the men appreciated the platitudes in a way that would be impossible today or even just a few years in the future. According to Chaffin, "The march to the Old Colony Station was made amid intense excitement." This meant folks lined the route and cheered as they would for departing regiments for the next few months. The "Old Colony Station" was the Boston station of that line-the boys were going to take the boat-train to New York. That route didn't pass through Easton at the time as the railroad tracks stopped at the shovel company. At 10 in the evening the troops boarded the "State of Maine" at Fall River. They got to New York City at 5 the next afternoon, a rather long trip by the standards of the line in later days-perhaps Chaffin meant 5 in the morning.

Fanny Holt Ames was the widow of William Hadwen Ames. She was his second wife and much younger. She was also blessed with extreme longevity. She married Mr. Ames in 1918. He died in 1920 and she lived on and on until dying in 1986 at age 98. In her early old age she was an inveterate traveler who often kept journals of her trips. On April 17, 1954 she was at sea between Los Angeles and San Francisco on a world tour. We'll join her for the rest of the tour starting tomorrow and see how the world has changed in the last 56 years. She had left Boston on March 27 by ship so in reality she's well into her tour-pretend we've taken the train to catch up with her. This vicarious travel in time and space is made possible by the Ames Free Library that published Fanny's travel journals.