The Berkley Historical Society

08/31/2026

Monday Moments from the museum…

Today we feature three distinct types of antique wire kitchen tools.

Left Tool: This is an antique twisted wire bottle or lamp chimney cleaner, which was historically paired with a rag or cloth threaded through the loops to scrub inside narrow glassware.

Middle Tool: This is another variation of a heavy-wire kitchen grapple or bottle cleaning wand, featuring a long twisted handle designed to easily clean deep, hard-to-reach containers. These are particularly clever. You slide the loose, circular metal ring down the neck to squeeze the thin wire frame together. Sliding the ring back up allows the spring-wire "fingers" to expand outward, tightly gripping a cleaning rag so it can scrub the widening contours of a glass hurricane globe.

Right Tool: The tag on this piece says it is an antique oil lamp globe cleaner, designed with a sliding handle mechanism or elongated balloon shape used in late 19th and early 20th-century home. But research online suggests instead it is an antique wire coil cream whip or manual hand mixer/whisk. What do you think?

We have so many examples of the life. Necessity is the mother of invention and these clever designs did the job.

Maybe you still have one of these tools in the drawer, handed down over the generations! Visit Tuesdays 10-1.

08/24/2026

Monday Moments from the museum…

A few interesting examples of “remedies” from the 19th & early 20th century.

The antique amber glass medicine bottle with an intact paper label for "A. S. Maine's Alterative and Favorite Remedy," marketed in the 19th or early 20th century as a "Blood Purifier" and cure-all tonic.
* Product Type: 19th-to-early-20th-century patent medicine / proprietary tonic ("snake oil") sold for $1.25 per bottle.
* Claims on Label: Purports to prevent or treat serious conditions like cancers, tumors, ulcers, scrofula, and syphilis by "purifying the blood".
* Historical Context: Typical of era-specific cure-alls, these preparations often relied on laxatives, tonics, alcohol, or other unverified ingredients with no scientific basis for treating systemic diseases.

Also a rare late 19th-century aqua-tinted glass medicine bottle featuring an intact, historic paper label from "E. A. Pratt, Clairvoyant Physician," complete with dosage tracking lines and a rolled-lip top.
* Glass Type: Blown aqua/teal glass characteristic of patent and proprietary medicine bottles from the 1870s to 1890s.
* Inscribed Text: The label reads "Prepared by E. A. Pratt, Clairvoyant Physician," highlighting the era's alternative medicine movement where practitioners utilized supposed psychic or trance diagnoses.

And an antique turn-of-the-century medicine bottle from the late 19th or early 20th century for Syrup of Phosphoglycerate of Lime (Chapoteaut), formulated by Rigaud & Chapoteaut located at 8 Rue Vivienne in Paris, France.
The preparation was historically marketed as a mineral tonic and treatment for nervous exhaustion, neurasthenia, chlorosis, and anemia.
It features a paper label detailing dosage recommendations (two to four tablespoonfuls daily for adults) and a trademark eagle emblem with the phrase "Phosphoro Vires".

We have many more treasures to discover! Visit every Tuesday from 10-1.

08/17/2026

Monday Moments from the Museum…

Introduced by Eastman Kodak in February 1900, the Brownie camera was a low-cost, cardboard-and-leatherette box camera created by inventor Frank Brownell. Priced at just $1 ($39 adjusted for inflation), it revolutionized snapshot photography by making personal cameras accessible to children, working classes, and the general public.

Check out this Eastman Kodak No. 2A Brownie Model B box camera, featuring a black faux-leather textured cardboard body, a fabric carrying handle stamped "No. 2A Brownie", and metal latches.

Production Period: Introduced by Eastman Kodak in 1907 and manufactured until 1933.

Film Type: Designed to use size 116 roll film, which is now obsolete, producing 2½ x 4¼ inch exposures.

Design Features: Includes two small reflecting finders for horizontal and vertical shots and a simple rotary shutter.

Stop by every Tuesday from 10-1!

08/10/2026

Monday Moments from the Museum…

The Gadsden Flag is a historic yellow banner featuring a coiled rattlesnake and the words "DON'T TREAD ON ME".

Designed in 1775 by American general and politician Christopher Gadsden during the American Revolution, it originally symbolized colonial unity, vigilance, and fierce resistance against British rule.

History and OriginCreation:
Invented in 1775 by Christopher Gadsden of South Carolina for the early American navy and Marines.

The Rattlesnake Symbol: Inspired by Benjamin Franklin’s writings and his earlier "Join, or Die" snake cartoons, the timber rattlesnake was chosen because it only strikes when provoked and possesses true courage, representing a defensive stance against tyranny.

Early Use: Flown by Commodore Esek Hopkins, the first commander-in-chief of the Continental Navy, as his personal standard.

Stop by the Berkley Historical Society every Tuesday from 10-1 to see wonderful addition to our extensive military display and much more!

08/03/2026

Monday Moments from the Museum…

Did you have one of these at home or at work?

This is a Western Electric "Spacesaver" model rotary telephone (most likely a Model 211), which was manufactured between the 1930s and 1950s for the Bell System.

Key CharacteristicsPurpose: Designed as a space-saving unit, these compact phones were frequently installed on the sides of desks, in warehouses, behind bars, or directly onto walls.

Handset: It features a heavy Bakelite handset (typically an F1 model) with a separate cradle and a circular mechanical dial assembly.

Operation: Unlike standard tabletop models, this variant did not include a built-in bell ringer. It required an external "subset" ringer box mounted nearby to function properly.

Come by every Tuesday from 10-1. You never know what treasures you’ll find!

07/27/2026

Monday Moments from the Museum…

This tool is "The Philadelphia Buncher", an authentic late-19th to early-20th-century antique cast iron asparagus buncher.

It is securely mounted on its original thick wood base. The center cradle holds the stalks, the rear wings align them, and the metal lever clamps the bunch tightly so it can be neatly wrapped with twine.

The large circular metal plate on the front serves as an alignment shield or a size gauge for the crop being harvested.

Purpose of the PlateStalk Alignment: The flat surface gives the user a physical barrier to push the butt-ends of the asparagus against. This ensures every spear aligns perfectly flush before clamping.

Uniform Packing: It standardizes the length and face of the bunch. This makes the finished bundles look neat, uniform, and professional for market display.

Knife Guide: In some setups, workers used the flat edge of this plate as a manual visual line to trim excess lengths cleanly from the bottom of the bunch.

Visit the museum Tuesday from 10-1 to see more examples of everyday life in Berkley’s agricultural past and so much more!

07/20/2026

Monday Moments from the Museum…
As we celebrate America’s 250 we also celebrate ten years since our adventure began. We wanted to create a museum to collect and share the history that is Berkley and America! It’s been a wonderful journey with so many contributing to what you see today! Join us every Tuesday from 10-1

07/06/2026

Monday Moments from the Museum...

Thanks to our generous donor Andrew West we are now in possession of another piece of American History with ties to Berkley. This endenture contract was signed in 1775. There is much research to do on the Berkley blacksmith Moses Nicholls as well as his "apprentice" Thomas Richmond. Initial research indicated that Thomas Richmond served in the Revolutionary War.

And Moses Nicholls (The Master): Described in the document as an "Inhabitant & Blacksmith of Berkley," he was part of a larger clan of Nicholls in Massachusetts that saw over 300 members serve in the Revolutionary War.

More details to come!

The document has been transcribed:

Apprenticeship Indenture of Thomas Richmond
This Indenture Witnesseth, That Thomas Richmond, late Son of Thomas Richmond of Taunton in ye [the] County of Bristol, hath put himself, and by these Presents doth put himself voluntarily put himself, & of his free will & accord, put himself Apprentice to Moses Nicholls Inhabitant & Blacksmith of Berkley in ye County aforesaid to learn his Art, Trade or Mystery, after ye manner of an Apprentice to serve him from ye Day of ye Date hereof, for & during ye full Term of Three Years next ensuing...

During all which Time ye sd [said] Apprentice his sd Master faithfully shall Serve, his Secrets keep, his lawful Commands gladly every where Obey. He shall do no Damage to his sd Master, nor see it to be done by others without letting, or giving Notice thereof to his sd Master. He shall not waste his sd Master's Goods, nor lend them unlawfully to any. He shall not commit Fornication, nor contract Matrimony within ye sd Term. At Cards, Dice, or any other unlawful Game he shall not Play, whereby his sd Master may be damaged, with his own Goods, nor the Goods of others. He shall not absent himself Day nor Night from his Master’s Service without his leave; nor haunt Taverns or Play-houses. But in all things behave himself as a faithful Apprentice ought to do during ye sd Term.

And ye sd Master shall use his Endeavour to Teach & Instruct ye sd Apprentice in the Art and Mystery he now Occupieth or followeth, & procure & provide for him Sufficient Meat, Drink, Apparel, Washing & Lodging, fitting for an Apprentice during ye sd Term. Furthermore, ye Master the sd Master is to Instruct, or cause to be instructed ye sd Apprentice to Read, Write, & Cipher as far as ye Rule of Three, in case of his Capacity doth admit.

And at ye expiration of sd Term, ye Master is to furnish sd Apprentice with one Sledge, one Hammer, two pair of Tongs & one Suit of Cloths. And for ye true Performance of every of ye sd Covenants & Agreements, either of ye sd Parties Bind themselves to ye other by these Presents.

In Witness whereof, they have put their Hands & Seals, the Ninth of May, in ye 15th Year of ye Reign of our Sovereign Lord George ye 3rd by ye Grace of God, of Great Britain, France & Ireland, King &c. and in ye Year of our Lord God 1775.
Signatures:
• Samuel Richmond
• Lois Richmond
• Moses Nicholls
-------------------------------------
Notes on the Text
• "Cypher to the Rule of Three": This was the standard for basic functional math in the 1700s. It meant the boy would be taught how to solve for a fourth proportional value, which was essential for a blacksmith to calculate costs, measurements, and weight of iron.
• "Holy Day" vs "Working Day" Suits: It was a legal requirement that an apprentice be sent into the world with a "Freedom Suit"—a nice set of clothes for church and social events—so he wouldn't start his adult life in rags.
• The Tools: Notice that Moses isn't just giving him clothes; he is giving him the specific tools of the trade (Sledge, Hammer, Tongs). This ensured Thomas could immediately begin working as a journeyman blacksmith.

Historical Significance of the Date
The document is dated May 9, 1775, a incredibly volatile time for these families. The Revolutionary War had just begun three weeks prior with the Battles of Lexington and Concord. While they still technically recognized the "15th Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George III," most men in Dighton and Berkley were already mobilizing for the American cause.

06/24/2026

Don’t miss the big Celebration this Sunday, June 28! All day. The museum will be open 10-3 as well.

Watch Berkley Celebrates America’s 250th 06/28/26

06/22/2026

Monday Moments from the Museum…

Our mission is to preserve the history, historical artifacts and landmarks of Berkley. We often get requests from decedents of Berkley residents researching family history. I like to think we can add to the collective knowledge and who doesn’t love to solve a historical mystery!

We had a request to help find the headstone of a Revolutionary War Soldier reported to be buried here. What an opportunity as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation!

Per his record Elijah Briggs, b. 1730 and d. 1795, was buried in Massachusetts Assonet Neck Road Cemetery, Berkley. He served in Capt. James’ Nichols’ company, Col. John Daggett’s regiment, 1778, 2 months, 21 days, to Rhode Island.

I’m excited to say thanks to a book one of our founding members, Gail E. Terry, compiled in 1997 we found it! I went to the Fox Cemetery on Saturday with no luck. So many early stones are illegible now. I looked for about 2 hours.

Then I did what I should have done in the first place and went to the museum to grab a copy of the book, Berkley Massachusetts Cemetery Inscriptions, compiled by Gail E. Terry and illustrated by Patricia A. Stetson. There is an index in the back. It lists the page numbers of each last name. There were 32 pages listed for Briggs.

I had considered starting at the last page, I know I should always listen to my inner voice, but did not. I read through all the descriptions and inscriptions. It was on the very last page listed!

So on Sunday I went back to Fox Cemetery and using the legible stones I was able to pinpoint the stone. The careful attention to detail and description of the positions and conditions of the headstones was key as the stone is almost completely illegible now. It really does take a village. The careful attention, love of history and recording of these inscriptions on headstones over many years, complied in the book is, in some cases, the only record due to the continuing deterioration of these stones.

The first entry on the page reads, “)There is a broken stone with no markings.)”

The second entry reads, “In MEMORY of Mr Elijah Briggs who died May 10th AD 1795 in ye 65th Year of his age. (The verse cannot be read. This stone is leaning against the previous stone.)”

I could just barely make out Briggs and a few other characters that seemed to fit. I got a bottle of water and poured it on the stone and wow “Elijah” came right up!

The stone could be cleaned and would likely reveal more of the inscription. We will also work to have the appropriate honorary Revolutionary War marker placed at Elijah Briggs’ grave.