On Thursday, September 15, 2005 at 7:30 P. M. Sanford Moss will address the Westport Historical Society on the subject "Old Tools - New Bedford Hardware Store Hand Saws, 1870-1910." The talk will take place at the Bell School, 25 Drift Rd., Head of Westport. Admission is free, but donations will be gladly accepted. Please call 508-636-6011 for reservations so that we may know how many to expect.
At least three hardware stores in New Bedford in the period 1870-1910 sold hand saws embellished with custom etchings. We'll look at these saws, and discuss the business of handsaws, their makers, characteristics, and today's interest in using and collecting them. Anyone having unusual old woodworking or machinist hand tools is welcome to bring them for identification and appraisal.
Sanford (Sandy) Moss has lived in Westport since 1967, and has used hand tools all of that time. Since 1995 he has been an avid woodworker, collector, and dealer in old hand tools. A member of the Early American Industries Association, the Mid-West Tool Collectors Association, and the New England Tool Collectors Association, he maintains a web page at http:www.sydnassloot.com that displays his bit brace collection, tools for sale, and information about unusual tools he has collected.
The Cory/Cornell Homestead at 212 Cornell Rd. is again open for visiting through the generosity of the owners Tim and Maryann Bryant. The house was saved from the wrecker's ball by Pete Baker, and is now being restored - the first phase of the restoration is now complete. You may learn about discoveries, conservation methods and house analysis from Pete Baker, architectural historian and conservator, who will be available to provide information and answer questions. There will also be an exhibition and sale of photographs by David Allen who has captured the soul of the homestead with his "Expressions of Place."
You may visit the Homestead between the hours of 11-4 on August 27th and 28th (Saturday and Sunday). General admission is $12.00, $5.00 for members of the Westport Historical Society. All proceeds go to benefit the Historical Society. Reservations are not required, and you may pay at the entrance.
For further information, contact the Historical Society at 508-636-6011.