The Civic Collective

Collaborating with local communities to design & facilitate civic engagement projects.
Tweets by @amelielasker @iankabhatia & Simone Liano

[The Civic Collective @TheCivicCo]

The Civic Collective is thrilled to announce our launch with Local Lore, our first #community project! https://t.co/xgea5NldmR #LocalLore

[The Civic Collective @TheCivicCo]

The art in the Local Lore exhibit is collaborative, made with the help of community members at Fifer's Day 2022!

Pop by Sargent Memorial Library to see the exhibit this summer.

[The Civic Collective @TheCivicCo]

The Civic Collective's inaugural project, Local Lore, is currently on display at the Sargent Memorial Library in Boxborough, MA. Visit the library to view depictions of several of the stores behind Boxborough street names gathered during the course of the project.

[The Civic Collective @TheCivicCo]

We're proud to be displaying Boxborough's Local Lore in person this summer at Sargent Memorial Library!

[The Civic Collective @TheCivicCo]

We told the Boxborough Bee: “We have a hypothesis that as people learn more about the history of the place they live in they feel more connected to that place and its people, more engaged and more invested in it.”

https://t.co/ucE4CUJnbA (pg 13)

[The Civic Collective @TheCivicCo]

Thanks Boxborough Bee! 😊🐝

[The Civic Collective @TheCivicCo]

https://t.co/Y4u3P1cJQY

[The Civic Collective @TheCivicCo]

@BoxboroughMA Story of @BoxboroughMA’s Robinson Road: In the mid-20th century, Wallace Robinson ran a town library and served on the school committee. His son George later converted it into a schoolhouse museum. #locallore

[The Civic Collective @TheCivicCo]

History hidden in plain sight: #streetnames can be clues that connect the stories of our past with our present. Here are some of the most interesting stories we found in #Boxborough #Massachusetts. For more, check out https://t.co/37cW1J7rIW #LocalLore

[The Civic Collective @TheCivicCo]

Story of @BoxboroughMa’s Cortland Lane: All streets in Applewood Village are named after apples to honor the town’s vibrant agricultural industry. The Cortland apple was first produced at the NY State Agricultural Experiment Station in upstate NY in the early 1900s. #locallore

[The Civic Collective @TheCivicCo]

@BoxboroughMA Story of @BoxboroughMA’s Fifer’s Lane: Luther Blanchard played the fife to sound signals for military positions (a “fifer”). Fifer's Lane also shares the origin story of Fifer's Day, an annual celebration of Boxborough's history held by the Boxborough Minutemen. #locallore

[The Civic Collective @TheCivicCo]

@BoxboroughMA Story of @BoxboroughMA’s Nashoba Drive: The name may be derived from nashope, an Algonquin word meaning “between the waters.” “Nashope” may be referencing the stretch of land between Nagog Pond and Fort Pond, which was an indigenous sacred site. #locallore

[The Civic Collective @TheCivicCo]

@BoxboroughMA Story of @BoxboroughMA’s Summer Road: Summer Road was the most direct route from Harvard to Acton circa 1794. According to the Acton Arboretum, a portion of the street may also follow an early indigenous path connecting the sites of known villages. #locallore

[The Civic Collective @TheCivicCo]

@BoxboroughMA Story of @BoxboroughMA’s Priest Lane: Jerome and Louisa Priest moved here in 1843. When Jerome passed away, Louisa started farming, grew peach and apple orchards, and acquired hundreds of animals--at seventy-two years old! #locallore

[The Civic Collective @TheCivicCo]

@BoxboroughMA Fun fact about @BoxboroughMa’s Picnic Street: Picnic Street is the only "street" (as opposed to a “road,” “lane,” etc.) in Boxborough. #locallore

[The Civic Collective @TheCivicCo]

@BoxboroughMA Story of @BoxboroughMA’s Whitney Lane: Around 200 years after his death in 1761, Nathan Whitney's gravestone was stolen in the 1960s. It was eventually returned years later in response to an announcement in the local newspaper. #locallore

[The Civic Collective @TheCivicCo]

@BoxboroughMA Story of @BoxboroughMA’s Tamarack Lane: Tamarack Lane is named after the tamarack trees native to Massachusetts swamp areas. Lucie Hager described them as "a slender tree with short pale leaves and small cones." #locallore

[The Civic Collective @TheCivicCo]

@BoxboroughMA Story of @BoxboroughMA’s Mass Ave (Route 111): The 1806 Union turnpike extension was originally a toll road connecting Concord and Harvard. In 1814, financial challenges forced the corporation to offer free passage for Boxborough inhabitants in return for free repairs. #locallore

[The Civic Collective @TheCivicCo]

@BoxboroughMA Story of @BoxboroughMA’s Depot Road: Once Boxborough’s train station from 1879 to 1949. This railroad allowed farmers to ship to new markets and begin to specialize. While the depot still stands, its chimney is currently on display at the Boxborough Museum. #locallore

[The Civic Collective @TheCivicCo]

@BoxboroughMA Story of @BoxboroughMA’s Littlefield Road: Jennie Littlefield was superintendent of schools at the turn of the 20th century. She advocated for the centralization of schools and standardization of local curricula. Littlefield Farm still operates and sells fresh eggs. #locallore

[The Civic Collective @TheCivicCo]

@BoxboroughMA Story of @BoxboroughMa’s Hager Lane: Named after the Hager family, including 19th century historian and author Lucie Hager. She's known for her comprehensive history of the town, Boxborough: A New England Town and Its People (1891), detailing genealogies and landmarks. #locallore

[The Civic Collective @TheCivicCo]

Check out @veltman’s project exploring street names in #SanFrancisco. Exciting to see other street name projects on the other coast! #LocalLore
https://t.co/sHPSrWn7L9

[The Civic Collective @TheCivicCo]

@BoxboroughMA Story of @BoxboroughMA’s Flagg Hill Road: Flagg Hill is known to have been a place where indigenous people lived before the arrival of European settlers. #locallore