Historical Material
Members receive our current Bulletins free of charge. Some of our out-of-print bulletins are also free of charge to members. If you are a member and would like a copy of an older bulletin, please contact us by email. Electronic copies are free; hard copies require a small fee to cover costs of printing and mailing. Please see the link for a complete list of our bulletins Bulletins Books Items for Sale.
Oral Histories: We have over a dozen tapes that have been transcribed. In the 1970s Tom Purdy, and others, recorded interviews with a variety of North Salem residents, including Ruth Keeler, Dan and Louise McKeon, Jane Grant Purdy deMcCarty, Dorothy Cyr and others. We are pleased to post these interviews as they become available. Please scroll down to the pdf attachments.
Oral Histories Come Alive: Our latest project is to bring to you the Audio of the actual interviews. And, as a bonus, we hope to be adding photos to help you visualize the speakers, properties, people, places and events being discussed. The complete audio tapes are not available below each pdf file.
Keeler Photo Album. Number 2 below is Ruth Keeler telling Richard Koser about the collection of photos taken around 1912. To view some of the pages of the Keeler Album, please click here. More will be added as we continue with digitizing our collection.
1. Ruth Keeler on the Keeler Lane Bridge
Audio: Keeler Lane Bridge
2. Richard Koser interviewing Ruth Keeler (We are in the process of posting the album so not all of it is up yet)
3. Dan and Louise McKeon on the history of the Golden's Bridge Hounds
Audio: McKeon on GBH
4. Tom Purdy interviewing Elsie and Jim Elliott 1972
Audio: Elsie and Jim Elliott
5. Tom Purdy interviewing Jane Grant/deMcCarty
Audio: Jane Grant deMcCarty
Video/Audio: Jane Grant deMcCarty Most of the images are from our collection - glass negatives found by Bob Beckwith in the attic of the Grant Estate and taken circa 1888 - 1892. The Salem Center Schoolhouse is from the town historian's collection. Images of the Grants are from various websites.
6. Tom Purdy interviewing Helen Wrenshall-Grant-Purdy
Audio: Helen Grant Purdy
7. Tom Purdy interviewing Gert Smith
Audio: Gert Smith
8. Tom Purdy interviewing Ella Sweeney
Audio: Ella Sweeney
9. Tom Purdy interviewing Edith May Martin Voris
Audio: Edith May Martin Voris
10. Tom Purdy interviewing John Peirano
Audio: John Peirano
11. Tom Purdy on North Salem's first fire engine
Audio: First Fire Truck by Tom Purdy
12. Tom Purdy interviewing Dorothy Cyr, silent screen actress
Audio: Dorothy Cyr
13. Tom Purdy interviewing Ruth Keeler
Audio: Ruth Keeler