In 1756 a strange contest was held near the Anchor Tavern in what is now called East Saugus. The only place where I have found the story in any detail is in the rare 1829 edition of Lewis’ History of Lynn.

Jonathan Gowing became deranged when he was twenty-seven years of age and was confined for three weeks, although we are not told where. Before this, he was known for his stupidity and indolence and was considered useless to all of his neighbors. All at once however, he displayed “the most sprightly and active disposition” and displayed almost miraculous mental powers. He displayed an ability of pronouncing wit and humor and beat anyone who tried to outdo him in competition.

Joseph Emerson of Reading was also well-known for his wit and took great pains to make sure everyone was aware of it. When he heard of Gowing’s ability, he decided to challenge him to a contest. An announcement was made to hold the contest at the Anchor Tavern but so many people turned out to hear the two men that the contest was instead held in a field nearby. Managers were selected to control the crowd and maintain order. At first Emerson seemed to be getting the best of his opponent but soon the tables turned to the point where one observer said that Gowing’s efforts were “beyond all human understanding”. So great was Emerson’s chagrin, that he “fell into faintings, like one in the agonies of death and refused all the anodynes which were offered him”!

As for Gowing, a few months later he relapsed into his former personality and was considered so stupid that an expression was used: “You are as dull as Jonathan Gowing”!

A short time after the National Park Service took over the Saugus Iron Works from the First Iron Works Association, it added a new building on the east side of the river-a blacksmith shop. This allowed the site to offer demonstrations of blacksmithing skills to visitors and one of the most popular offerings was that of nail making. One of the blacksmiths hired was Steve Nichols who appeared on the postcard shown here. The card is now a Saugus collectible because supplies of it have run out and I don’t know if any more will be issued. The back of the card reads as follows:

THE SAUGUS IRON WORKS NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE
THE BLACKSMITH SHOP AT HAMMERSMITH
Here repair and maintenance work was done on tools and machinery, presumably using a hand operated bellows.
This area is part of the National Park System.

The photo was by Ed Elvidge and the card was published by Coastal Photo Scenics, Bar Harbor, Maine. The same view also appears on the back of the latest editions of E.N. Hartley’s Ironworks on the Saugus.

Our last photograph is from the Walkers-Kellogg photo collection I mentioned a few weeks ago. It is a fine view of the old Sweetser School which once stood where Baker Street meets Lincoln Avenue. It was a handsome building in my opinion but it only stood for a fairly short time. It was built in 1927 and was torn down around 1981. The lower floor on the right as you face the school housed a branch of the Saugus Public Library and many Saugus residents, this writer among them, were able to develop a love of books there which has never gone away. Times change, but I feel young people should still be encouraged to discover the joy of reading!