Submitted by the Bedford Historical Society
The fifth in the Bedford Historical Society’s series of 2012-2013 programs will provide an historical look into the architecture of many old homes in Bedford’s center. The program, titled “Joshua Page: Builder of Bedford’s Center,” will be presented on Wednesday, March 27, 2013 in the Fellowship Hall of the First Church of Christ, Congregational. Refreshments will be served starting at 7:30 pm; the guest speaker will begin around 8 pm after brief Society announcements.
This lecture, which is open to the public, will be given by Historical Society member Don Corey. The program was originally planned to be presented by Society member and Bedford volunteer-extraordinaire Robert Slechta, who passed away recently. Corey will present Slechta’s program, using his original notes and his original research on the activities of this prolific home builder.
Many of the homes built by Joshua Page still stand today. They include the parsonage for the Congregational church at 27 The Great Road, originally known as the Lewis P. Gleason homestead. The parsonage was built as a duplex, and Joshua Page is thought to have introduced the two-family-home concept to Bedford in the early 1800s. Several of his two-family homes have survived in the Bedford Center area.
Don Corey is a long-time Bedford resident and active Historical Society member, who frequently is called upon to tell various tales of Bedford’s history. He is one of the Society’s annual participants in the School Department’s Walk of Historic Bedford for 3rd graders and in Memorial Day observances at the Civil War monument in Shawsheen Cemetery. In addition to his occasional presentations at Historical Society meetings, he also has given talks on Bedford’s rich, historic past at Carleton-Willard Village and Bright View assisted living facilities, at the Council on Aging, and for other observances (Veterans Day, Arbor Day, etc.).
Corey currently serves on the town’s Historic Preservation Commission and Community Preservation Committee and is a Director of the Friends of the Job Lane House and the Bedford Historical Society. He was previously a Selectman and Planning Board member, and served as the Historical Society’s long-time Treasurer. He was honored as Bedford’s Citizen of the Year in 2002.
But more important to the Joshua Page lecture, as a close friend to fellow Bedford history researcher Bob Slechta, Corey is the ideal person to give Slechta’s presentation as a testimonial to his long-time friend.
Loading ...
